Scammed on Ebay - what can I do....

[discoveryvp]

I was a victim of being scammed by a savvy seller who knew how to work the eBay system.

I did my best to notify eBay several times but eBay tell me to wait.  So I would and the seller would always know how to close disputes.

Bought the item which was to be delivered Aug 23.

Seller provided fake tracking number - I asked the seller they told me they would update with a real one once its sent out.  Waited 2 weeks no update, seller said they would resend the item since it was lost.   Waited for new tracking.  Seller said they would resend again with express post and provide tracking.  

I contacted ebay as I suspected a fraud, asked ebay what I could do they told me to ask for a refund but nothing they can do until the seller delivery period is over.

Aug. 24 nothing showed up - no surprise.....     I files item not received called ebay again they told me no problem I would have a refund within a few days.   Bought second item the same spent another $300 and paid more for express shipping.

Sep 2 - no refund no ebay messages, get package sent by DHL - had to pay $25 to get it.  Opened and inside junk adapter worth about 10 cents.   Found out later that seller had sent out this to me on Aug 30 which closed ebays item not received!!!  I told them I was going to file on Paypal since it was past 45 days which is the ebay guarantee date. and there was no refund from eBay just wasting my time calling them.

Called eBay they told me to close case and open not as described.  And in 10 days they would escalate and I would get a refund.    

Waiting 10 days....  Filed escalation,

Sep 10th Ebay  closed the case because I had one open in Paypal.   Told me too bad sucker....... this person can scam you haha ... okay no tin those words but kind of.

Sep 11th escalated in paypal, seller had filled that I need to return the item and they need to approve the refund.  Wow what a scam.  So I was expected to pay for shipping of 10 cent item and wait 30 days!!!

Filed law enforcement report uploaded it to paypal and now I am waiting.

My costs

$300 for item

$60 for new item with express 

$25 DHL for fake junk from seller.

$40 spent on accessories for purchased item which never arrived

$30 for service costs while I wait to get the phone I ordered and was scammed

3 hours calling ebay and paypal - 6 phone calls plus manager calls

15 emails and messages to seller

My result

very very frustrated

No support from ebay they don't care......  offered nothing to help with this situation.  Brushed it off and said they will file it somewhere but won't update me.

Paypal - I'm waiting for their decision if I get a refund.....

No buyer protection!!!

No accountability once I reported a fraud to eBay

Lesson learned - DON't BUY ONLINE and DON't USE EBAY ANYMORE!!!!!

[reallynicestamps · Accepted solution]

seller said they would resend the item since it was lost.

Never accept an offer of a replacement.

the seller they told me they would update with a real (tracking number) one once its sent out.

Wow. That should have waved enough red flags for a May Day parade.

A tracking number is Seller Protection. It is used by the seller to disprove an Item Not Received dispute.  No tracking ? Buyer wins Dispute.

And the number can't be changed by the seller later, to the best of my understanding.

Any way that's 20/20 hindsight.

Now.

The item you received was the First Purchase?

And you have an open Not Received Dispute on it? You did not close the Dispute?

Good. Call customer service and ask to have the Dispute changed to Not As Described.

The seller will be required to send return shipping.

If he doesn't , which is likely, you will be refunded.

Or he may decide not to bother fighting the Dispute and refund you.

Do NOT close the Dispute until you are refunded.

You do have to actively ask eBay to step in and Escalate to a Claim. This is not automatic.

Bought second item the same spent another $300 and paid more for express shipping.

Ummm. Why? From the same scammer seller?

The second purchase has not yet arrived?

Techically eBay wants you to wait until the last estimated date for delivery before opening a Dispute.

get package sent by DHL - had to pay $25 to get it.

Those are Canadian import fees on an item valued at over $20Cdn.

Unfortunately, I don't think there is a way to get that back, but there is some information on the invoice from DHL /CBSA that may guide you in trying.

I told them I was going to file on Paypal since it was past 45 days which is the ebay guarantee date. and there was no refund from eBay just wasting my time calling them.

You have only 30 days the last estimated date for delivery or actual delivery to open a Dispute, and then another 30 days to resolve it.

I don't know where 45 days came in.

The refund is supposed to come from the seller not eBay, although eBay will refund a buyer and go after the seller for their money.

Ebay closed the case because I had one open in Paypal.

Yes.

This is to prevent double-dipping.  Paypal disputes must be opened AFTER the eBay dispute is closed.

I realize this is frustrating, but that is the system.

, seller had filled that I need to return the item

Yes.

Another reason to complete the eBay Dispute. EBay demands that the seller send return shipping if he wants the item back. Paypal puts the onus on the buyer.

Filed law enforcement report uploaded it to paypal and now I am waiting.

Was this demanded by PP?

If the seller is overseas, there is little that can come of this.

Unless this was PP's way not to insist on Proof of Delivery back to the seller.

Now.

Don't do anything about this next bit of advice until the PP dispute is completed.

But you are also covered by the chargeback policy of the credit card you back your PP account with.

But if you open a chargeback while the PP dispute is open, that will close the PP dispute.

So keep it in mind but do NOT act yet.

And when the second purchase does not arrive, open the eBay dispute, do not close it until you have your money back.

If for some reason it fails, only then, open a PP dispute.

And if for some reason that is refused , only then go for a chargeback.

It's slow and annoying, but the system is set up to help honest members, including both buyers like you and sellers like me. 

tyler@ebay  Did I miss anything?

[tyler@ebay]

Thanks for the tag @reallynicestamps - that was fairly comprehensive. 🙂

Hi @discoveryvp - I'm sorry to hear about such a frustrating transaction. The vast majority of the sellers on our site (like Stamps just above) are honest and work very hard to get you the item you're looking for at a good price in a timely manner. 

However, when things don't work out, you have options available to you through a variety of sources - the main one is the eBay Money Back Guarantee, which allows you 30 days from the estimated delivery date (or the actual delivery date) to notify the seller there's an issue. You did the right thing to open a Not Received request initially, as you hadn't gotten the item yet. When you received an item that wasn't as described closing the Not Received request was the proper course of action (since you had received something). 

The Not as Described request would have covered your situation. However, because you opened a separate dispute with PayPal, that superseded our authority and the closure of your eBay return request was the right thing to do. 

I hope that your PayPal dispute works out in your favor and you get your full money back. If you do run into a similar situation in the future please don't hesitate to contact Customer Support before you open a request with us. We're always happy to give you advice on the best way forward to a resolution for you!

[discoveryvp · Accepted solution]

So far nothing from Paypal, the seller was asking me to return the junk item to them and then after 45 days I'm lucky if I get anything back.  $300+ lesson for me not to use eBay and Paypal.

The problem is with eBay - they never communicated to me that the seller had added a tracking number the date that the refund was suppose to happen.  EBay rep had assured me not to worry I would get my money back, in 3-4 days on Aug 26th.   Because of this assurance I bought another phone exact same, (otherwise I would have had to return all the accessories to legitimate eBay sellers.)

When the junk package arrived I knew I was scammed, eBay was doing nothing telling me now it was a 'Not as described' instead and to close the case and reopen it under the new reason, wait 10 days to escalate allowing the seller(SCAM ARTIST) to keep my money.

I opened the Paypal claim because under their policy 45 days I cannot get a refund  and I always thought the 2 worked closely together and I wanted to be sure I would get a refund.

So sad to see eBay who I have been on since 2003, and spent $1000s within the marketplace treats me like this.   

They have offered nothing, no way to help and nothing in return for the countless hours and extra costs I have incurred because of eBay lying to me.  in the end eBay benefited from the second purchase, and other purchases made around thinking I was getting the product I ordered.  They feel no guilt about that and have offered me nothing in compensation for all this.

This is hurtful because I originally had a lot of trust in buying on eBay but now I see how it goes.  I want others to hopefully not get caught up in this type of scam.

[discoveryvp]

I bought the second phone from a different seller and paid for fast shipping.  I was getting the phone to give as a gift so had already purchased other accessories for that model.   No choice but to buy same type of phone or I would have to return items on legitimate sellers.    Plus eBay had assured me I would get my money back in 3-4 days on Aug 26th.  I believed eBay which was the problem and reason for me spending more money in this mess.

Yes lots of red flags but did not know what to do.  I spoke to eBay Aug 12 and explained that the seller was likely scamming me.  They confirmed all the lies in the messages and told me nothing can be done until the item does not arrive, then to file a complaint and I will get refunded if it does not arrive.  Another misleading statement by eBay .

The scammer knew that once tracking was entered Aug 30th eBay would change the claim to not as described and I would be forced to open a new dispute.  Ebay did not notify me that this tracking was entered and why I was not getting my refund that was promised.  Another error by Ebay leading into this situation.  

The second purchase went well different seller arrived with tracking in 2 days, so I was able to salvage the gift for the occasion.

I've been on eBay since 2003 and spent lots of money regularly not worrying about that I could get scammed.  I put too much trust in eBay and egregious that they don't try to help in any way since I'm out lots of time and money beyond the original purchase.

[discoveryvp]

The paypal dispute worked out and paypal once I called them realized that it was a scam and initiated the refund!  It did take several calls to Paypal until I finally got someone who would listen and help, also me mentioning I am likely closing my Paypal account unless this mess gets cleared up quickly helped. 

The sad thing is that ebay even though they mislead me several times took no responsibly, did not care the ordeal I went through and offered me nothing to compensate me for all the trouble that was actually originated by eBay miscommunication and ebay polices. 

Is this how long time ebay buyers should get treated???????????

Ebay was a MAJOR DISAPPOINTMENT in this and shocking how EBAY treats people that try to help and point out these scams !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HORRIBLE - funny thing is the seller is still selling on eBay and will continue to scam people since eBay claims to have no responsibility on this matter even though they provide the portal to facilitate the scam and me as the legitimate buyer will never use eBay again.

[discoveryvp]

Just to update this ...

The seller continues to scam people eBay does nothing. even though very clear every item sold with positive review is under $3 and every item sold over $100 is with negative review.  10 More negative reviews posted since mine last week.

I had emails with over 5 distinct times the seller was sending the item out and would provide tracking, 2 fake tracking numbers in the message and eBay did nothing.  Last minute the seller added tracking sending out a junk package to me, so that eBay case would close from not received and would need to be reopened as not as described.    Why is eBay so accepting of these frauds and when a legitimate person buys and gets scammed won't listen?

[lulin.lulin]

i lost   $4000 dollas i buy a car  wish never arrived   to me  please don't  trust  Ebay 

[kh-leslie]

Hello Everyone,

Due to the age of the thread, it has been closed to further replies.  Please feel free to start a new thread if you wish to continue to discuss this topic.

Thanks for understanding!​​​​​​​