New user here - Did I get scammed already?

[josie-7355]

So, I created an account back in November last year. Was always sceptical as I have always been happy using Amazon and I've heard horror stories. But I've been told that a great deal is always around the corner if you look hard enough and can be rewarding. Well I've been shopping around for a good set of cordless tools and didnt want to pay through the nose for one. So I did some searching, and found a listing with less than 10 minutes left and the current bid price was less than half of it's worth. The item was listed as new. This was the morning of Feb 24th. There was no time to contact the seller at the time to inquire about anything. It was pull the trigger or snooze and lose. I chose the first option. There was a bit of a bidding war but I ended up winning in the end and still got a really good deal.
Well I wasnt really sure what to do after I won but I got a pay now message. Which I did through ebay with PayPal. (Just found out that I could have slept on it for a couple of days lol). Anyway I had some questions and started messaging him. I've sent 6 messages so far with absolutely no reply. I did however receive an email late last night that it had shipped. One from Ebay and PayPal. The paypal email contained info about shipping but the shipper portion was left blank and the tracking number part states no shipment tracking. An email address for the seller was also listed so I decided to try and contact him that way. As soon as I sent the email, seconds later I received an address not found email. The seller did have a 100% rating from 9 transactions within the last 12 months, the latest rating from a month ago. He's been a user since 2011. I should also note that I am obviously located in Canada but the item I bought shows located in Vaureal France. Handling time shows ships within 2 business days of receiving cleared payment and estimated delivery shows March 3 - 16.
Now does any of this smell fishy and should I be concerned? Thanks!

[pjcdn2005]

Ebay and PayPal send out a notice when the seller prints out a label so the item may have been shipped or a label was just printed.   Sellers aren’t required to use tracking so that in itself isn’t a red flag.  International tracking can be very expensive.

I realize that it was a time crunch but it is important that you ask all questions before bidding and committing to the purchase.  Once the auction is over or once you’ve clicked on buy it now, the seller is not obligated to cancel the purchase.  To be honest, if a buyer sent me 6 messages within 24 hours of a purchase, I would be a bit concerned that they were going to be a problem. 

It really is too early to know if there is going to be a problem but if you don’t receive the item or it isn’t as described, you  have 39 days from delivery or estimated delivery to file a claim.

When you look at the sellers feedback page, was their feedback as a seller or buyer?

[josie-7355]

1 was a positive as a seller and i saw 10 as a buyer. Maybe i did go overboard on the messages but at around $600, its quite a bit to lose. I guess i just need peace of mind that im not going to be a statistic lol.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

@josie-7355 

If the seller is in France there may be also the issue of the time difference. Not every seller checks their messages regularly so it may take some time before they actually see. Also could be an issue with language. If you don't hear back in a day or two you could always resend and translate your message with google translate.  Just a starting point. Hope all works out for you?

-Lotz

PS. Also some sellers may have their messages set to block incoming in error. Others are just poor with follow up.

[josie-7355]

I guess I will just lay low for a while and see what happens...

[femmefan1946]

You have three layers of Buyer Protection.

EBay gave you a delivery window that closes on March 5th.

You have 30 days after that to open an Item Not Recieved dispute in the Resolution Centre at the bottom of most pages.

If the seller cannot prove delivery (not shipping, delivery) you will be refunded.

If the item is Not As Described, the process is similar, but starts on delivery and the seller is required to pay for return shipping (tracked. to France.)

If you miss that window, you have 180 days from payment to open a Dispute through Paypal.

The PP Resolution Centre is at the top of your account page under Tools.

The system is very similar, but in a Not As Described Dispute, PP insists that the Buyer pay for return shipping (tracked, to France).

And if neither of those works out, you have a last chance to make a chargeback on the credit card you use to back your PP account.

How does AZ handle disputes, btw? I bought something there that was never delivered and I could not figure out how to get my money back.