Partial Refund Failed (I'm the Seller) - eBay and PayPal giving me ZERO help and directions

[lkau5819]

I sold an item on eBay last week. This morning the buyer requested a return due to item not matching description. With the buyer making this request I was given the option of full refund, partial refund, and messaging with the buyer. We messaged a couple of times and then I chose the "Partial Refund" offer which the buyer agreed to. This afternoon I found that the Partial Refund Failed. PayPal has a hold on the value of the purchase and claims eBay needs to close the case for it to remove the hold. eBay claims PayPal is holding the funds and that PayPal needs to be the one to remove the hold. I've spent hours on the phone with no help or resolution. What can I do?

[terrycanarsky]

If the case is open in eBay still, then eBay needs to close the case.  Once the case is closed, PayPal should then release the hold.  One has to happen before the other --- and neither eBay nor PayPal want to go first.

Keep calling eBay until you speak with a competent person who can help you.  Refuse to listen to anyone telling you it's all on PayPal or all on you to act.  Speak with someone not using a script.  Escalate it to management if you must.  

~M

[lkau5819]

Wanted to Update my Post here on How this Was Eventually Solved.

1. I used the Messaging option that becomes available when a Buyer opens a Return Request to inform them of the situation (that I'd agreed to the partial refund, that the partial refund had failed to go through for an unknown reason, that I was making numerous unproductive phone calls to eBay and PayPal, and that I was going to make sure she got her money). I included screenshots showing the Refund had been issued/attempted (from my eBay account) and the Hold on the funds (in my PayPal account). As a side note, this messaging was not through the general contact buyer/seller - these messages were specifically though the separate Return Request diagloging. 

2. My Buyer closed the Return Request and instead Opened a Case with  the subject "Becuse Refund was Not Received".

3. The Buyer followed her upgrade from Return Request to Case with another message letting me know not to worry. She stated that eBay would now be the one to make sure what we had agreed upon would be allowed to occur. She also noted that they would see what we had agreed to (through our messages) and fix it.

4. About 24-Hours after opening the Case I received an email from eBay stating they had closed the case and issued the partial refund that had been agreed upon. The hold on the PayPal funds ended.

All Solved!