Here Today... Gone To Hell!

Just wondering if anyone has ever had problems getting items they've bought on ebay?  If so, were you able to resolve the problem?  Is it better to file a dispute on ebay or paypal or both? 

If the seller claims an item was "lost" by the postal service, is there any way to get a refund?

I purchased something that was supposed to be a Christmas gift, but it never arrived.  The seller is ignoring my emails, so I finally bought it somewhere else and paid $$ for next day shipping.  If the item comes now, I don't even want it.  Anyone know if there is anything I can do?

Do what every other good American would do...sue the bastards! :D


In all seriousness, I dont really know. I dont buy shit off of ebay for those exact reasons.

I always insure my items.  Therefore, if the package was lost, I will get my money back.

Only once, I did not insure an item ($90 Paul Frank Purse).  Sure enough, it got lost in the mail.  There was no proof if it was mailed, if it was lost, etc... I lost $90.

Was your item insured?

No, it really wasn't that expensive.  I've heard that some sellers will always "lose" your items if you don't pay for insurance, but I've never had that problem.  I was more concerned with how fast I would get it, but they didn't offer expedited shipping.  They also claimed in the listing that they ship daily, but I didn't get the paypal notification that a shipping label had been printed until 4 days after the auction end.

This is why I always insure my item, regardless... because they can say the item was lost... even if the item was not shipped... eBay is a great service, but sometimes one has to be a bit weary.

I have been messed about by a handful of sellers - ebay does NOTHING. A seller can get away with murder.

The trick is to contact the buyer before bidding - if they respond quickly thats a good sign, ask as many questions as u can to be exactly sure of what ur getting, then insist on every kind of insurance going.

Atleast with insurance you have something to fall back on

The sad reality is that it just isn't safe to buy expensive things on ebay unless y can afford to lose the money

It is sad that Ebay does nothing. But it is true.

I have read this on several car forums as well.

Not only does ebay do nothing, but ebay has been known to erase bad feedback for shit sellers. To keep them selling on ebay. Ebay ALSO lets bad sellers switch IDs without even a blink of the eye.

Paypal isn't much better either when it comes to getting your money back. I've read stories over and over about them.

It doesn't hurt to try and at least give bad feedback to the seller. Sometimes they get very defensive and all of a sudden your product is there. Or they may give you bad feedback. Or they may slime away to create another ID.

I always use my credit card for purchases, that way I go directly to my card to dispute the claim. I won't go to paypal or any other route first (even though that is what my card wants me to do). I'll always tell my card that all avenues have been exhausted and I got burned. They have always (3 times maybe) taken the charge off.

I'm waiting for an item i bought on the 19th December 2004 - seller just disappeared into thin air, he recieved about 10 negative feedbacks in a month - and all claimed to have reported to ebay - the account hasn't been deleted.....

Sometimes I think they will do a few good sales to get the ratings up, then rip a bunch of people off.....then start all over again.

Ebay owns paypal...

Unfortunately, there are good sellers and bad sellers on ebay... just like everywhere else.   

If you've purchased the item fewer than 60 days ago, you can file a complaint with ebay.  This may or may not achieve the desired end.  But it is a start.  Unfortunately, depending upon how much the item costs, this may not be a feasible option, because it can end up costing you more than it's worth.  (I believe ebay charges a 25 dollar fee for the dispute thing)  If this is the case... then leave negative feedback, state clearly that the buyer did not respond to numerous emails to resolve the issue.

If you've purchased the item fewer than 45 days ago, using paypal, you can file a dispute with paypal, and if the seller does not respond with tracking information or proof that they sent the package, you'll get a refund. 

I've been really lucky and always received everything I've bought and got the ? for anything I've sold.  A friend of mine bought some pricey speakers that never turned up and ebay actually did sort it out and got her money back - although as they were around ?400 - you'd bloody hope so!

So if I get the item, but it comes after Christmas, is there anything I can do? I'll leave negative feedback, but I don't want the item now.  Its of no use since I had to order from somewhere else to make sure I had it for Christmas.

Buyer beware (http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback&userid=alisher71&items=25&page=1&frompage=-1&iid=-1&de=off)

The Grinch who stole Christmas........

What a fucking asshole. Surely the last few bidder's saw his terrible feedback?  :-\

At a quick glance it appeared he did it all around the same time. He burned a shitload of people for XMAS.

Asshole.

Then the double whammy is Ebay won't really keep an eye on him, thus letting him return to reregister under a new ID.

Looks like he was a decent seller until he decided to "cash in". He probably had done the same thing before.

That's thing about e-bay. You never really know who you are dealing with. Someone could hack into a trusted user's account and reek havoc. Any idea what kind of legal procedures e-bay can use? That's a kind of fraud surely.

That is the thing. Ebay may NOT do a damn thing.

Here is a website about that seller. People want to catch this fucker.

http://alischersucks.blogspot.com/

http://www.onemadguy.com/alisher71sux/

I am disappointed in eBay's handling of PowerSeller Alisher71's recent actions. I did all the things that eBay suggests to prevent fraud, and I still was burned. I would have thought that eBay would take the lead with all the impacted customers - your reputation is on the line.

E-bay don't need that kind of ink on their jotter. Every new technological advance always gets one bad apple who abuses it. It's the kind of amounts he is stealing as well. All into 3 figures.

No, they don't charge $25, the item has to have been sold for a minimum of $25. so if you buy a GNR CD or DVD for $10-15 you are  out of luck. But above $25 they are supposed  to have insurance and  you get your money back.

Wow - that guy is pure evil

Surely they have his address so its just a matter of calling the police and having him arrested - they have 100 witnesses! They will even have his bank details, as some paid by cheque, - the bank would record where it was cashed. Seems a rather short sighted scam...though it looks like he made 30k.

And ebay will have done nothing....

I would never buy anything off ebay for more than 50 quid - its just common sense.

I will only buy something off ebay if the seller has close to 100 percent rating, tons of sales under their belt and I use a credit card. That's it.