Never received item - what can I do?

[zantetsken]

I bought an item from someone in China on May 26, 2015. It was supposed to arrive within about a month. I ordered the exact same item from them on April 27, 2015 and got it no problem, so I wanted to buy another one, but it never arrived.

On July 20, 2015, I contacted the seller to let them know I never received my item. We sent a few messages back and forth. We confirmed the shipping address was correct and that it did indeed ship. They told me to check my local post office, but the other time they delivered this item, they just left it in the mailbox. There was also no card left telling me to go pick up a package. I asked them about the tracking number since it doesn't work on Canada Post or the China post office website. They responded with this:

So, they imply that they're able to track it and the tracking shows it's delayed due to customs. This was on July 22, 2015 that they asked me to wait one more week.

I sent them a message on August 4, 2015 telling them it still never arrived. They responded saying:

I just want the item I paid for, so I told them I want the item. Their response on August 5, 2015:

eBay asked if I was satisfied with this solution and I said yes, thus closing the case. It seems like I can't file a ticket now - not sure if it's because I closed the case or because this is such an old order. After the first month or so of it not arriving, they made it so I can't leave feedback, so I can't even warn other people about this scam.

It's been 36 business days since then, which is well over their estimated delivery time. Both the original item and the compensation item never arrived. I sent them a message on September 7, 2015 and never got a response.

This was the so-called tracking number...

Tracking #: 33058597879

Carrier: CNAM

What do I do from here? Am I outta luck?

[femmefan1946]

I bought an item from someone in China on May....

 I asked them about the tracking number since it doesn't work on Canada Post or the China post office website....

Well that means the number was phoney. China and Canada both belong to the Universal Postal Union.

Nevertheless, tracking numbers are meaningless to buyers, they only serve to protect sellers.

the item was some delayed by the customs,

Another lie. This implies that the item reached Canada. How does a Chinese company know what Canadian customs is doing that a Canadian cannot learn?

willing to resend you a new one as a compensation or full refund you in advance.

This is a common scam. Never accept such an offer. Hindsight is wonderful.

it will need another 15-25 days for delivery? Can you wait for it patiently

The problem item had already taken two months. Probably because it was never sent either.

eBay asked if I was satisfied with this solution and I said yes, thus closing the case.

You hadn't mentioned that you had opened a Dispute.

This was probably the only reason the company was communicating at all.

Since you closed the case, the seller has no reason to ship you anything.

You were scammed.

You have up to 60 days to leave appropriate feedback. That deadline passed in mid-July.

Go to the credit card you backed your Paypal account with . PP is just a useful mediator. Call the 1-800 number and ask about a chargeback.

The clerk will need date of purchase, currency, payment, transaction number -- perhaps a bit more information. It is not necessary to tell her anything she doesn't ask about.

If you didn't back your PP account with a card, you will have to write this off as a learning experience. Add a card to your account now.

Never accept an offer of a replacement. Cash back only. Then buy from the company, if you still trust them, with a brand new transaction that re-starts the clock.

You can leave a Response to any feedback the company left for you. The most effective Responses are calm and factual. 'Fake tracking.Did not receive item or replacement. ' for example.

And if they ask you to remove the Response for a 'replacement', ask for your money back. And don't remove it until you have the money.

Since Responses are very public, but don't affect their seller ratings, they will ignore it.

[zantetsken]

Thanks for removing the quotes from the seller, eBay policy. That's really helpful when I get scammed on your site. Is it okay if I post the gist of what they said without directly quoting them? I can't find a way to edit my message, so here's a summary.

July 21... They said something like "sorry it didn't arrive, maybe it's stuck in the post office, are you sure the address is correct, blah blah blah". Then they tell me there's a delay with customs and they're doing their best (alongside the post office) to get my item to me as soon as possible. They ask me to wait another week.

August 4... They tell me they'll send me a replacement item or I can get a refund.
August 5... They agree to send me a replacement item and say it'll take 15-25 days.

I had another Chinese company do this to me around June. The item never arrived, I complained, they said they'll send a replacement item. A day or two later, the original item finally showed up (about a month late) and I told them. They asked me to just refuse the replacement item so it could be sent back to them, but the replacement never showed up.
So, I'm not sure if they meant to scam me... Maybe it really did get stuck at customs since they usually don't put a proper description on items (e.g. just "gift" instead of actually saying what's in the package). I'll try emailing the shipper (not just sending an eBay message). If they still don't respond, I'll try your suggestion involving my bank. Thanks for the help, femmefan1946.