CODEWITHSUNDEEP
paypalpaypal-ipn
steve cook
steve cook

Reputation: 3224

PayPal ipn unsolicited refund or reversal?

As a merchant, can PayPal ever send me a payment_status = Refund | Reversal without any action on my part? Or are they only ever sent after an instruction from the merchant to refund?

It's a bit confusing, because the IPN example code specifically tells you to only handle "completed" transactions, but if these reversals are unsolicited it seems like you could end up with a situation where someone pays, then reverses the payment and you don't detect it.

I already checked the docs and couldn't find an answer:

https://developer.paypal.com/webapps/developer/docs/classic/ipn/integration-guide/IPNIntro/ https://www.paypalobjects.com/webstatic/en_US/developer/docs/pdf/ipnguide.pdf

Upvotes: 2

Views: 616

Answers (1)

user207421
user207421

Reputation: 311039

PayPal will reverse a transaction when a case is opened. The funds are then frozen at PayPal. When the case closes, either you lose and the funds go back to the purchaser, or you win and the funds are returned to you via a reversal-reversal, whose name I forget, sorry, possibly a reversal-cancelled.

Upvotes: 1

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