I believe the way it works, at least with eBay, is you file a dispute on an item, eBay investigates, and then if you meet all the criteria as a buyer and provid

I believe the way it works, at least with eBay, is you file a dispute on an item, eBay investigates, and then if you meet all the criteria as a buyer and provide everything to them, assuming they find in your favor as a buyer, they will refund the money themselves, then go after the seller for the amount on a individual basis. As a buyer you also have options of filing a dispute with PayPal or your credit card company and having them handle. These two options tend to be a little quicker to return money to you as a buyer. But by doing so you are not eligible for any protection from eBay. For more info: http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/buyer-protection.html http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/buyer-protection.html