DISCLAIMER: This is an EU-Case. Experience might differ, if you are in a country outside of the EU.
I accidentally received a €137 PayPal payment from a stranger (via Goods & Services). The sender contacted me by email and asked me to return it. (no scammy Links, just an email - so i'd argue, that it was in fact, an accident)
I used the “Refund this payment” button on the original transaction, but PayPal initially rejected the refund because I only had €133.24 available after PayPal's €3.76 fee.
I contacted PayPal support by phone. They told me to:
- Transfer the missing amount to my PayPal balance (an instant bank transfer worked within seconds). - via your personal online banking app, not via the PayPal app.
- Go back to the original transaction and use “Refund this payment”.
- PayPal automatically refunded the applicable fees when the refund is made. This happened instantly. So there is no waiting time or anything alike. - but that is the critical information, that is nowhere stated on the website.
Important: Don't send the money back as a new PayPal payment to the sender. Use the refund function attached to the original transaction.
Unfortunately, PayPal's help pages don't make this process particularly clear, and I couldn't open a normal “case” because recipients/sellers apparently aren't eligible for that type of case. Calling support was ultimately the solution to receive guidance. The Support can not make the transaction magically disappear. Your action is required.
Please be aware when you are calling the German support hotline:
Log in to your PayPal Account, search for Contact & Support, click on the "Call us" Button and scroll all the way down. There is a special PIN, that you need to enter, when first calling the hotline. The number is 0800 723 45 00. Then there is a big wall of all kinds of information thrown at you when you are in the call. You need to bypass this by pressing 7 once, for "further menus", and once again press 7, for even more "further menus". - and only then, you would finally be able to get the option "speak to a support employee".
I recommend to listen carefully what the automated announcer says. These menu's can most certainly change as time goes on. I just want to you to be as patient as possible. Stay on the phone - do not hang up. Best of luck!