Debit Card purchases - does MasterCard go after seller if he doesn't refund the returned item?

Question

I've been using MasterCard debit card for years,sometimes via PayPal, sometimes not. But I've never yet made a purchase of a few thousand dollars.

Question:

Assume I purchase an item worth, say, $3000, with Debit Card (without using PayPal due to seller wishing to avoid PayPal's high fee), can I count on MasterCard going after the seller in case he doesn't refund the item if I return it within the warranty period?

Or is backing by MasterCard only reserved for those who make credit card purchases?

Alternatively, would a prepaid credit card such as greendot or rushcard be backed by MasterCard? I have zilch experience with those.

I searched Google for hours but couldn't find the answer to this basic question. Go figure!

Answer 1

Its your duty to go chase down the seller and get your money back. MasterCard doesnt really do that (they do have a lot of people using their services...)

I think Mastercard will back you in identity stuff though.  

Answer 2

It's up to the bank, but the general rule is CREDIT cards get theft, bad merchandise and identity theft protection and debit cards don't. A debit card is basically an electronic checking account, so you go through what you have to for a checking account.