When a shopper (a buyer on your marketplace) doesn't agree with a PayPal payment, they can raise a dispute either:
- Through their bank or card issuer.
- Directly with the seller on your marketplace or in the PayPal Resolution Center.
When PayPal informs Adyen that a payment is disputed, we do not know to which seller on your marketplace this payment belongs. All we can do is inform you of the dispute, and let you review and defend the dispute on behalf of your seller. You can do this using the Adyen Disputes API or your Customer Area.
As a marketplace, you have to implement your own business logic to manage disputes on behalf of your sellers.
You have a limited number of days to respond to a dispute before it is lost in the shopper's favor. You can see the number of days remaining on the dispute details page.
How it works on the PayPal side
When a shopper disputes a PayPal payment, the dispute can start either in the inquiry stage or the claim stage, depending on the reason code.
Inquiry stage
If the dispute reason code is MERCHANDISE_OR_SERVICE_NOT_RECEIVED or MERCHANDISE_OR_SERVICE_NOT_AS_DESCRIBED, the dispute can start as an inquiry.
During this stage, the seller and the shopper can exchange messages and try to resolve the dispute without involving PayPal. The seller can accept the dispute and refund the shopper, or they can offer a partial refund.
Claim stage
If the seller and the shopper cannot reach a resolution within 20 days, either of them can escalate the dispute to PayPal. At this point, the dispute enters the claim stage.
How it works on the Adyen side
When PayPal notifies us that a payment is disputed, we open a dispute corresponding to the PayPal dispute lifecycle stage. The dispute starts either with a Request for Information (RFI) in case of an inquiry stage dispute, or with a Notification of Chargeback (NoC) in case of a claim stage dispute.
If you receive an RFI, you can:
- Fully refund the payment. This creates a refund on Adyen's side.
- Fully accept the dispute. This creates a chargeback on Adyen's side.
- Make an offer to the shopper to partially accept the dispute. If shopper accepts your offer and PayPal approves it, this creates a chargeback for the partial amount and a new RFI is created for the remaining amount.
- Wait until the dispute reaches the claim stage and try to defend it. You cannot defend a PayPal dispute until it enters the claim stage.
You have 20 days to respond to an RFI before the dispute escalates to the claim stage. If you make an offer to the shopper but the shopper declines, a new RFI is created. The shopper can also manually escalate the dispute to PayPal, which will escalate the dispute to the claim stage. When the dispute reaches the claim stage, you will receive an NoC.
If you receive an NoC, you can either accept the dispute (chargeback), or defend the dispute by uploading the relevant defense documents. When you receive an NoC, you have 10 days to respond before the dispute escalates to a chargeback.
PayPal flow
A simplified PayPal chargeback flow for marketplaces is as follows:
RFI/Inquiry stage:
1.RequestForInformation
2.DisputeDefensePeriodEnded
NoC/Claim stage:
- NotificationOfChargeback
4.InformationSupplied - PreArbitrationWon or PreArbitrationLost
6.Chargeback
Request for Information
If the dispute is in the inquiry stage, we send you a REQUEST_FOR_INFORMATION webhook.
You can also find the PayPal dispute notifications in your Customer Area under Revenue & risk > Disputes > Requests for Information.
The dispute process starts, and we will report on the number of days you have left to respond before the dispute escalates and you receive a NoC.
We recommend that you inform your seller that a dispute has been created and that they need to prepare their defense documents.
Do the following:
- Review the reason code of the dispute. For a PayPal dispute to begin as an inquiry/RFI, the only possible dispute reason codes are
MERCHANDISE_OR_SERVICE_NOT_RECEIVEDandMERCHANDISE_OR_SERVICE_NOT_AS_DESCRIBED.
| Dispute reason code | Description |
|---|---|
| MERCHANDISE_OR_SERVICE_NOT_RECEIVED | The customer did not receive the merchandise or service. |
| MERCHANDISE_OR_SERVICE_NOT_AS_DESCRIBED | The customer reports that the merchandise or service was not as described. |
- Decide what to do. At this stage, you can:
- Exchange messages with the shopper in the PayPal portal.
- Accept the dispute in your Customer Area or with a call to the
/acceptDisputeendpoint of our Disputes API. The case will then be closed for defense. - Make an offer to partially accept the dispute. You can make an offer in your Customer Area or with a call to the
/acceptDisputeendpoint of our Disputes API. The offer is reviewed by PayPal, and if it is approved, it results in a partial chargeback and a resolved dispute. A new RFI is created for the remaining amount.
Notification of Chargeback
When PayPal initiates a Notification of Chargeback, the chargeback process begins. The Notification of Chargeback (NoC) journal is booked, and we send you a NOTIFICATION_OF_CHARGEBACK webhook.
You can:
- Accept the chargeback in your Customer Area or using the Disputes API. The dispute is lost and you can no longer defend it. The DisputeDefensePeriodEnded journal is booked, and a chargeback is opened.
- Partially accept the chargeback. If you make an offer to partially accept the chargeback, PayPal reviews the offer. If they approve it, you receive a chargeback for the accepted amount and a new dispute is created for the remaining amount.
- Defend the dispute by uploading evidence.
Defend a dispute
If you do not agree with the dispute, you can try to defend it. You cannot submit defense documents until you receive a NoC. Once you receive an NoC, you have only one attempt to submit all the necessary information. After that, it is no longer possible to make any changes to the documents. To defend the dispute:
- Review the reason code of the dispute. The following table shows the possible reason codes for PayPal disputes:
| Dispute reason code | Description |
|---|---|
| MERCHANDISE_OR_SERVICE_NOT_RECEIVED | The customer did not receive the merchandise or service. |
| MERCHANDISE_OR_SERVICE_NOT_AS_DESCRIBED | The customer reports that the merchandise or service was not as described. |
| UNAUTHORISED | The customer did not authorize the purchase of the merchandise or service.The customer did not authorize the purchase of the merchandise or service. |
| CREDIT_NOT_PROCESSED | The customer did not authorize the purchase of the merchandise or service. |
| DUPLICATE_TRANSACTION | The transaction was a duplicate. |
| INCORRECT_AMOUNT | The customer was charged an incorrect amount. |
| PAYMENT_BY_OTHER_MEANS | The customer paid for the transaction through other means. |
| CANCELED_RECURRING_BILLING | The customer was incorrectly charged because the shopper canceled recurring billing. |
| UNKNOWN | Other reason. |
-
Prepare your defense documents. See Defense Requirements for file formats and document types.
When using the Disputes API to respond to an RFI, you need to provide the Defense reason code.Defense reason code Document type ProofOfFulfillment PayPal commonly requests shipping details, tracking numbers, delivery confirmations, or any other evidence of successful order fulfillment. MerchandiseNotAsDescribedReason A description of the item, an item URL, your return policy, or a copy of a contract or an affidavit. UnauthorisedReason A proof of delivery signature or a proof of receipt copy. ProofOfRefund Refund ID(s). IncorrectAmountReason A document that explains the price difference. ProofOfRefundForAmountDifference The refund ID, for the difference in amount. CreditNotProcessedReason A document explaining why the credit is due. CancelledRecurringBillingReason A subscription agreement. OtherReason Refer to the information in the RFI to determine the relevant defense documentation. -
Submit your defense documents using our Disputes API or your Customer Area. Be sure to address the dispute reason and provide information that supports your position. An overview of the order details is not enough.
Information supplied
Adyen received your defense documents and forwarded them to PayPal. It is not possible to change these documents.
Based on the information you provided, PayPal assesses the dispute and makes a decision:
- If PayPal accepts your defense, the PreArbitrationWon journal is booked and you receive a PREARBITRATION_WON webhook.
- If PayPal rejects your defense, you receive a chargeback.
Chargeback
If PayPal doesn't accept your defense, they initiate a chargeback. The Chargeback journal is booked, you receive a CHARGEBACK webhook, and your account is debited.
You cannot defend this chargeback. This is the final status, and the dispute is lost.
Dispute fees
Fees related to a PayPal dispute or chargeback are booked using the PaymentCost journal type. This journal type is included in the Settlement details report and the merchant payout details sheet in the Monthly and Daily finance reports.
- Dispute fees: there is a dispute administration fee for each dispute, and an additional fee for lost disputes. A dispute fee will not be present if the dispute was covered by "Seller Protection".
- Hold: PayPal can place a hold on your funds to cover the cost of an upcoming chargeback. This does not happen very often. Verify with your PayPal representative or Adyen contact if a hold applies to your account.