Never lost a charge back dispute or buyer scam like this. I create a video of everything I sell from the time of purchase to the moment I ship it. I have had disputes take almost 2 months to resolve, but they have always resolved in my favor because I make sure to CYA all the time. If you aren't at least taking pictures of everything leading up to the shipment, if not a video like I do, then I guess there is a chance to be scammed by a buyer.
You are correct, and these were measures that I would indeed take on costlier items.
I never got shafted by PayPal (in the end), but attempted scamming by buyers did occur a few times. It was always far more hassle and time to resolve it and unlock the account funds for ME than it should have been.
"Suspicious Activity" is the most widely used excuse for PP locking someone's account, and it doesn't have to mean a damn thing. They are not regulated or controlled, and basically do what the fuck they want with individual user's accounts and funds.
If I hadn't made my own records? Yeah, I'd have been screwed 110%. But do everything required of you, cover every base, and still get several thousand dollars in funds frozen for no reason, for 6 weeks? Fuck them.