Probable PayPal Claim

@cfa88  thanks for explaining in a little more detail.  Just to clarify, once I file the claim, paypal will charge back the payment to the sellers account. If the funds are.still in the sellers account, this will result in a zero balance in the sellers account or in essence freeze the funds until the claim is resolved.  Or if  the funds have already been withdrawn, paypal will charge back the payment to the sellers account resulting in a negative balance and demand repayment.  This in essence will prevent the seller from withdrawing funds from any future sales where paypal is used.  Maybe a stupid question but should I tell the seller I'm going to file the claim, thereby hopefully getting him to refund the money now rather than tying up "our" money for who knows how long?  Quite frankly that is why I haven't already filed the claim.

@bigtwin. Thank you.

@elliottbnewcombjr thank you for your advise and for going into more detail, and check, check, check, everything was done as you outline.

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So do I and yes always fund with a credit card, never your bank 😉

@lalitk thanks for responding.  I don't think the finite details are necessary to elaborate here.  Suffice it to say, it does not work as advertised, which I have  documented with photos and emails.

@lalitk already looked into easy fix.  Not possible.  Has to be sent in for warranty repair.  So it looks like the claim is inevitable.  And I know its not going to be a pleasant process  Hoping to see the refund in my account today, but also know that its wishful thinking and that I will probably have to file a claim tomorrow.

Thanks to everyone for their help thus far.  There is progress.  I just received a PayPal credit to cover return shipping to the manufacturer.  The note from the seller on the PayPal transaction says that this is a partial refund to cover shipping to the  manufacturer’s repair facility and that the (stated amount) balance will be refunded to me upon receipt of the DAC at the repair facility.  Seems that the seller is now on record at PayPal and that he has documented my case even further that a refund is due me.  As I would now expect to have the RMA very soon and maybe have this nightmare over next week, my thought is to hold off for now filing a claim with PayPal.  If for some reason it does not happen as indicated on the PayPal shipping refund note I could then file the claim with the added documentation in my favor.  Is my head on straight?  I’m totally exhausted with this whole mess.

@oregon is your post after reading mine just above or did our posts pass in cyberspace?

@panzrwagn interesting concept.  Once this one is done I think I'm through with PayPal for a while .

@oregon 👍

Thanks again to everyone for your ongoing help and support.   As I said above, I’m through with PayPal for now if not for good.  Fortunately I have a relationship with the manufacturer too, so I know that he will fix the unit under warranty for the seller.  Waiting on the RMA now which hopefully should have tomorrow.  I already thought about the box being dropped causing the problem.  But the boxes both outer and inner were undamaged and the very heavy interior packing was proper and all intact.  Plus I don’t think the problem I’m having would result from dropping the box, but who knows.  Once the unit is fixed it’s going back to the seller assuming my money has been fully refunded.  I own the unit right now so I retain control over it until my money is refunded. Then I’m buying the same unit BRAND NEW. Gotta provide a little incentive for the manufacturer too. I think I’m done with used equipment for now.  I normally buy new anyway so this experience only reinforces that.  I think I have my bases covered.  Fingers crossed I’ll be listening to my brand new dac in the not to distant future.  Stay tuned.

Once this is all said and done will name names.  Still too soon.

Well the DAC is on its way back to the manufacturer for warranty repairs.  Received the RMA as promised.  Now I’ll have to wait to see if the seller refunds my money as soon as the DAC arrives, as promised, or I’m dealing with a real scumbag.  

I know that everyone has been on pins and needles waiting to see what happened :-).  So I'm very happy to report that just this evening I finally recieved the last of what was owed me by the seller for a full refund including the additional shipping that I paid to send the unit in for warranty repairs for the seller.  It took some persistence but its finally over.  I said I would name names once things were over so here goes.  The DAC in question was a Denafrips Terminator Plus.  The problem was the LED display for one of the frequencies did not light.  As it turned out a little bit of debris has shorted the contact.  Most likely happened when the prior owner popped the top for a firm ware upgrade.  The factory service center fixed it under warranty the same day it arrived.  I can't say enough about Vinshine and their stateside service center.  Its absolutely the best service I've ever recieved for audio repairs EVER.  Alvin, Vincent and Todd (the service tech) are wonderful people to deal with.  And you could say that I really wasn't even the "real" owner.  At least the warranty was not in my name.  If you're thinking about purchasing a Denafrips product and somewhat leary of what might happen if you ever needed service, fret not.  Vinshine and Denafrips provide absolutley first class service here in the USA.  No need to send back to China.  Regarding the seller, even though it took some "gentle persuasion" he finally came through.  Of course it didn't hurt that my attorney brother-in-law lived in the next state over. But I guess there's always two sides to every story, so under the circumstances I don't see a need to name names in this case.  I've definitely learned a lesson though.  No more used gear.  At least not til I find a deal I can't refuse😎.  Thanks again to all who offered advise.  It's nice to have a community like A'gon whose shoulders are there to cry upon when needed.