Ebay question from a buyer?

[calie_j]

Sorry another OT thread but I know there's alot of ebayer's on here. I'm a new buyer to ebay and have a situation I wanted to run past all the wonderful experts here for suggestions/comments.

Dec 30 I bought an item using buy it now. Paid the same day with paypal and have confirmation emails on both. Seller has very high rating.

Jan 17, no word from seller and haven't received item so I contact the seller thru ebay to inquire as to the status of my purchase. I have a copy of that emailed to my email address. Got no reply to this.

Jan 21, find seller's email address on the paypal confirmation and email directly from my email noting my concerns and stating if I don't hear anything I will file a dispute in 24 hours. Receive an email that afternoon, seller claims to always reply to emails & ship within days, she will check into my order to see when it shipped.

Jan 23, haven't heard anything back so email seller again directly inquiring if they've learned anything and to let me know if there's a problem. Receive an email that seller is having a problem with ebay but it should be resolved by 6:00 (email has lots of typos and is confusing).

OK, so my question is do I have a problem here and what should I do next?? I really don't care if it takes another 3 1/2 weeks to get the item as long as I get what I paid for. But I'm worried about getting ripped off and losing my money, sadly the world has too many scammers in it that it's hard to give the benefit of the doubt.

Thanks, Calie

 

[briannesmom]

I would request their contact info and give them a call. When you request the info they will get notification that it was sent to you and they will receive your contact information. If you cannot get a hold of them by phone or they won't return your call I would file with PayPal.

This is from ebay on how to request contact info

To request a member’s contact information:
Click the “Advanced Search” link located at the top of most eBay pages.

On the left side of the page under Search, click the “Find Contact Information” link.

Enter the member’s User ID and the item number of the item you’re trading with that member.

Click the Search button.
The information you request will be emailed to your registered eBay email address. This information can only be used in accordance with eBay's Privacy Policy. The member whose information you are requesting will also receive your contact information

Good luck. Let us know how it turns out.

Amy

 

[madhttr]

Just a side note. Keep every piece of email you have between you and the seller. This way you have correspondence to show ebay if there is a question. Unfortunately, ebay does not really do that great of a job refunding money. I made a $65 purchase one time and ebay offered me $15 as reimbursement. Needless to say, I went to my bank and filed a fraud charge (which is perfectly legal to do). You made a purchase, and this person stole your money without giving you the merchandise.

Good luck!

 

[Fionasmommy]

The lack of communication and the cryptic message you received about it being taken care of by 6:00 would have me concerned.

I'd file a dispute with Paypal right away. You have nothing to lose by doing that now. If the seller has sent the item, or will send it now, fine - they can prove that to Paypal and then the dispute will be closed and you can both move forward with no adverse effects to either of you. If the seller doesn't respond to the dispute (Paypal will email them for information, including proof of shipment), then you'll escalate it to a complaint and hopefully Paypal will be able to get your money back.

If you decide to wait a bit longer, keep your eye on the calendar because a Paypal dispute must be filed within 45 days of the transaction.

There's more info here:

http://www.ebaywiki.com/Articles/1000000000001129

I've been buying and selling on Ebay for years, and I've only had 2 bad experiences. Both buying Disney items, funny enough! One of them I never received the item, nor any responses from the seller, and Paypal wasn't able to recover the money. I got off easy - $30 - while some poor people were out $$$$$$ thanks to her. Luckily her Ebay account was shut down.

Another time the seller didn't ship, didn't ship, ignored emails, didn't ship, and then kept giving me excuses about why it hadn't shipped and when it would. Then she kept promising a refund but I didn't even get that until I got sick of waiting and filed a Paypal dispute.

Generally, though, Ebay is awesome and don't let one bad apple scare you off! I still think Paypal is the way to go because atleast it is traceable - just try to be careful and buy from established sellers when you can!

 

[iNTeNSeBLue98]

Have you tried sending an email to the seller outside out ebay's messaging service? When I don't get a response from sellers or buyers I will use their email address in my own email program (Outlook) to contact them. Sometimes the ebay messages get filtered as spam or maybe they only have the messages listed at ebay and don't check them.

At this point I would be inclined to file the dispute. If the seller is still registered at ebay it might light a fire, and if not maybe you can get your money back. Good luck.

 

[kathi29]

I would file the dispute. I believe Paypal requires sellers to ship within 7 days of payment, and to have proof of shipping. You should win with no problem.