PayPal Shortens Not As Described Claim Time Frame In Purchase Protection Update

The latest update to PayPal's Purchase Protection Program significantly shortens the potential time frame for buyers to file Not As Described claims, bringing them more in line with eBay's SNAD policies.

Paypal summarized the update by saying: "Significantly Not as Described claims must be opened by the buyer in the Resolution Center within 30 days of the delivery or fulfillment of an order or within 180 days of the date a payment was sent by the buyer to the seller, whichever is sooner."

Previously, buyers had 180 days in which to open a Significantly Not as Described (SNAD) claim.

Here's what the current Purchase Protection policy page says:

And here's what the new policy that will go into effect May 20, 2024 says:

While it's possible there may still be some situations in which the 180 day time frame applies, in the vast majority of transactions, 30 days after date of delivery will be sooner than 180 days, so the shorter time would apply.

That brings PayPal's policies closer in line with similar policies from online marketplaces, like eBay's Money Back Guarantee that allows buyers to open a Significantly Not As Described return request within "30 calendar days after the estimated or actual delivery date or within the seller's stated returns window, whichever is longer."

It's important to note these changes only impact the buyer's options for filing a dispute through PayPal. If they used a credit card through PayPal to fund the transaction, the buyer may still have other avenues to pursue a chargeback for a Not As Described item and those time frames may vary depending on the card issuers protection policies and card holder agreements.

PayPal announced several other changes to their policies as well, including buyer and seller protections for NFTs, PayPal Rewards points redemption to the PayPal Shopping Credit being discontinued, and more - users can view all the changes on PayPal's legal updates page.

What do you think of PayPal shortening the SNAD time frame? Let us know in the comments below!