eBay

mystikafaith · ‎08-15-2013

Totally scammed. Don't let this happen to you.

June 12th I purchased an item. I paid via paypal e-check immediately which cleared on June 19th. They said they would send it within two business days following receipt of the payment and since that was on a Friday the latest they should have mailed it was on June 23rd. On the page of their item it says international orders should arrive within 35 days. End of July rolls around. I still have not received my item so I contact them and they again repeat 35 days.

There's obviously a language barrier and they're obviously using a translator device so then I stupidly give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they mean 35 business days.

35 business days rolls around and I still have not received the thing so I email again to try to work something out. Again, I try to be reasonable and give them a few days to reply. Nothing.

So fed up I decide that enough was enough and I go to file a report only to discover that I can't because it's been over 45 days. My fault really. I wanted to be sure that it was a no show as I did not want to be cruel and unjustly mess with their eBay reputation. And now I'm scr*w*d out of money and I can't even leave feedback to warn other prospective buyers.

And it appears that when it comes to buying on eBay (from anyone) it's best not to give them the benefit of the doubt cause if you do if there really is an issue it will be too late 😕

marnotom! · ‎08-15-2013

Unfortunately, tales such as yours pop up on these discussion boards every so often. My commiserations.

All I can say is that when you file a case or dispute for non-delivery, it does buy you and the seller a bit of extra time for the item to arrive before you actually escalate it to a stage where PayPal or eBay will intervene.

If you do end up receiving the item after your money has been returned, it's a simple matter of making payment to the seller again.

Try not to get your good nature get in the way of what's a business transaction. You have your own interests to protect. Look out for them.

bb_cool_stuff · ‎08-16-2013

Sorry to hear that. We have been reading the same concerns a lot over the years.

Could be another dishonest seller who knows how to work the system.

If they are in fact dishonest they know you're sunk after 45 days.

I remember Femme mentioning one time "Mark Day 41 on your calendar & then file an INR."

Report the seller & then leave appropriate FB & DSRs.

pierrelebel · ‎08-16-2013

"And now I'm scr*w*d out of money and I can't even leave feedback to warn other prospective buyers."

Unfortunately, you are correct. Having paid with an echeck does not give you the added protection you would get if payment had been made with a credit card. After 45 days, your eBay/PayPal protection is generally no longer available although it does not cost you anything to contact eBay (Customer Support on top of the page) and beg.

Now, here is one more thing you can do:

Log on to PayPal and send your seller an invoice ("Create an Invoice - Request Money" link), using the same email address you used to send your payment. Enter the amount and the currency - matching exactly what you have paid.

Then hope the seller is honest and sends you payment. It may not work all the times but is well worth a try.

Good Luck.