Community Newsletter: Q&A: I got scammed on eBay, what can I do now?
- 9/28/07 3:22 PM
Question posted by Jim.G on CNET re:purchases through Ebay.
by vkannan28 - 9/14/07 9:19 PM In reply to: I got scammed on eBay, what can I do now? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Talking about Ebay I have also lost money to software sellers and then discontinued my purchases through them.
Another irritant with Ebay is that their procedure for buying anything through them is long and tedious making it virtually impossible to buy any item from their sellers.
SIFY shopping is much easier.
Kannan (vkannan28@yahoo.com)
EBay/Paypal Intervention
by sargebehr - 9/14/07 9:25 PM In reply to: I got scammed on eBay, what can I do now? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
EBay has 'Buyer Protection Services' as does PayPal (assuming you used Paypal to pay for your purchase)and I would check both websites to verify what is available to you. EBay I know can convene a Buyer complaint process and with PayPal, if this is not resolved, they can refund your purchase price fully. As well, if this transaction took place through the use of the U.S. Postal system, you have the alternative to file mail fraud charges and have this unscrupulous Seller prosecuted by both USPS and his local law-enforcemetn agency, if you file complaints with those entities. As well, you have a legal contact with this Seller, and you may file a Small Claims action (in your jurisdiction, as this is where the contract originated) to collect (which can be done in the Seller's jurisdiction, attaching his/her assets, including bank accounts). You may say 'Oh, it's only $200.00!' by that's not the issue - it's getting bad Sellers like this out of EBay's system and making him/her pay for their errant ways. I've bought and sold successfully on EBay since 2003 - and have had just a couple of bad experiences (my 'Feedback' rating is 310 positive, split about 30-70 percent between sales and purchases) and we who do the right thing want those who don't 'cleared out' of the opportunity to defraud good persons such as yourself - as they give us bad names and reputations. Please consider your options and do follow through to the fullest with them, and the best of luck to you!
Sincerely,
R P Jones
Paypal?
by dduncan51 - 9/14/07 9:33 PM In reply to: I got scammed on eBay, what can I do now? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Lessons learned and all that is about all you'll take away from this experience Jim. You can post your experience and rate this individual on eBay. At least the next sucker will have a heads up.
I'm not a proponent of paypal to say the least. I use credit cards or nothing when dealing on the internet. If entities doing business don't support Visa, I don't do business with them, end of story, close the book. I at least have a means of recourse that debit cards and other methods of payment, such as paypal don't provide. There is no limit to the number of resolutions either, at least none I've ran across.
Buyer Protection
by vasser - 9/21/07 12:02 PM In reply to: I got scammed on eBay, what can I do now? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Eight months is way to long to have waited. I'm sorry you had this problem but so much time has gone by that your options have dwindled. Some of them expire after 90 days. You should not have cancelled the PayPal resolution issue, but hindsight is 20/20 of course. I would not have cancelled that even if they swore to send it. Only when the item arrived would I have cancelled the PayPal issue. I expect items to arrive within 10 business days of cleared payment at the most. If it takes longer I email the seller stating the item has failed to arrive and asking for the shipping information. I phone the seller a two days later if I've not received an email reply. I don't let it drag on.
When purchasing SMALL items with a winning bid of under $10 on eBay I rarely bother with insurance. I've been fortunate! I've received all the small items I've purchased. Only once did I not get an eBay item, but in that one case I got a refund. It was a 119 dollar computer hard drive which the seller said they shipped out, however after three weeks hadn't arrive so I asked for and got a refund. It never arrived. I emailed them and they didn't answer. I phoned them and they were speaking with a foreign accent. I had insured the shipping and I had paid through PayPal. I suppose the seller was afraid I'd complain to PayPal. They were in "No Longer A Registered User" status on eBay only a week after I got my refund so I probably wasn't the only one having problems with this seller. They had never had a negative feedback prior to this.
If you don't wait eight months there are some ways other than insurance to protect yourself on eBay transactions including:
1. Paypal Buyer Protection kicks in when you pay with PayPal using an existing balance or with a transfer of funds from your bank account. However in your case you burned that bridge.
2. If you pay using your MasterCard or Visa directly to the seller's merchant account and then you do not receive the item in a timely fashion, complain through your credit card company and request a charge back to the seller's merchant account for the total amount you paid.
3. Do NOT pay by personal check or certified check or money order other than a real US Postal Service Money Order.
4. If they don't accept PayPal or credit cards, or if you don't use those methods a great alternative is mailing the seller a US POSTAL SERVICE Money Order. The US Postal Service has their own police department that investigates mail fraud and cashing the money order and then not delivering the item is considered fraud to the the Postal Police which are called Postal Inspectors. Three agencies you don't want after you are the IRS, the Railroad Police and the Postal Inspectors because all three agencies play by their own rules. Save your carbon copy of the postal money order until the item arrives and you are satisfied that it was as described.
5. When buying expensive items, such as your iPod, I would absolutely have paid extra for the insurance. I don't bid on more expensive items if insurance is not available as an option or not already included in the shipping price. If insurance costs extra I pay the fee and get the protection. If the description doesn't mention insurance use the ASK THE SELLER A QUESTION feature and see if it is included or if you can purchase insurance at exact cost. If buying the insurance is going to push the price of the item too high to make it a bargain then just buy the same item at the local store instead.
6. When logged into your MY EBAY page, check eBay's DISPUTE CONSOLE on the main menu (bottom of left hand column) to file a complaint through eBay.
7. If you fail to receive your item, always leave negative feedback stating you paid but never received your item. It not only is a way you can get a little satisfaction, but it also alerts other eBayers to irresponsible sellers. I don't think you can leave feedback on an item after 90 days, so you can't do that on this transaction which leaves the seller free and clear to continue irresponsible sales practices.
I buy and sell on eBay. As a seller, I have never shipped an eBay item out uninsured. When I ship items via UPS they include up to $200 insurance and then I buy extra insurance for any amount required over that. If shipping US Mail I buy insurance to cover the item plus the shipping too.
At the very least this seller is irresponsible and at the most is a criminal. I'm sorry you had this issue, but even more sorry for you because you waited so long to try to do anything about it. At this point your only options are the eBay Dispute Console, which also might have a time limit, and filing a fraud report with the local police. If you paid using a Credit Card through PayPal talk to your credit card company to see if you can do a chargeback. Good luck!
eBay Woes
by Jinkxc - 9/14/07 9:51 PM In reply to: I got scammed on eBay, what can I do now? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
The first thing to look for is the person's rating; after their name in parathesis should be a number; check their rating like how many negative feedbacks. Then I check to see if the item can be sent via the USPS and I can insure the item. I've had several unfortunate "woes" with eBay, but thankfully I have gotten my money back ONLY because I used the PayPal dispute process. Also Microsoft came to my rescue once regarding software that I had purchased and I made a claim/dispute against the person. I am truly sorry, it turned out this way for you, I know from past experience that losing money from an eBay auction is the pits.
Use EBay Dispute Resolution and File Small Claims Now
by lbereny - 9/14/07 9:53 PM In reply to: I got scammed on eBay, what can I do now? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
So many scammers figure they can be anonymous on eBay and "hide" many miles from their victims who will figure it's too much hassle to chase them down.
I would immediately get active using the eBay Dispute Resolution process to intercede. You can use them even though PayPal has taken a pass. I would not write off Paypal right away, but use eBay to get info on the sellers actual whereabouts and to put pressure on him to perform.
Did you give him negative feedback? You need to be factual and clean, but I'd really blast him here too.
Send an email to PayPal carefully explaining the scam after running with eBay - they may offer some help.
The small claims court statutes usually give you only a year to file and you can get your court costs back too. Don't waste time your clock will run out soon.
Good luck.
paypal is pretty much worthless
by mdturp - 9/14/07 9:54 PM In reply to: I got scammed on eBay, what can I do now? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
You're wasting your time trying to fix the problem through pay pal. Has pay pal asked you to pay a mediation fee yet? What's to mediate when you have been clearly ripped off?
Don't bother with for ebay's "safe harbor" office (I think they call it something else now) either.
Your best bet is to dispute the charge through your credit card or bank. And after you get the charges reversed, you'll get an e-mail from pay pal asking why you didnt use their worthless mediation!
And beware leaving the other party bad feedback because they will retaliate with negative feedback about you that e-bay will refuse to remove.
Good Luck.
Ebay problems
by Jason239 - 9/14/07 10:00 PM In reply to: I got scammed on eBay, what can I do now? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I haven't bought from Ebay in a while, but this is what you do (worked for me). First give them a negative feedback. Ebay will then ask you if you are sure that you want to give the feedback and ask why. After you tell them what happened, Ebay will then try to fix things themselves.
ebay help
by kolubas - 9/14/07 10:22 PM In reply to: I got scammed on eBay, what can I do now? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I had a similar problem and it seems to have been finally resolved. You won't get much help from ebay, but it's worth contacting this website and lodging your complaint. Let the seller know that the police have been involved and often that works well with recalcitrant sellers: the URL is:http:// www.police.qld.gov.au/programs/crimePrevention/eCrime/internet/report/
Good luck and lett me know how you go!! Keep on hassling the seller with complaints as well. Each seller who gets away with a scam like this makes systems like ebay less popular and I'm surprised they don't do more to help those of us who are scam victims, Katharine
ebay and paypal are a ripoff when you are the buyer.
by bigbear639 - 9/14/07 10:24 PM In reply to: I got scammed on eBay, what can I do now? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
A year ago I bought a few Rubick's Cube Key Chains. They were a gift to some friends who work in a Law Office. They arrived in pieces. I asked the seller to send another set and to pay for the return shipping. One could see that they were used. the color stickers were moved.
The seller refused and threathened me with legal action over all of $6.95. She claimed that since she was using a Government Computer she would have me arrested. I opened a Resolution with paypal and supplied affidavids from the Firm that they arrived broken up. Produced photos etc.
She then said that her Uncle was a Police Officer in My City and would arrest me. I was with 911 for 18 years and no such Officer existed. She sent me a dozen threthening letter which I forwarded to Paypal and the DA.
Paypal ruled against me. They do not care about us customers.
Just today I got another dispute filed against me. The Seller got paid within 2 minutes after I used Buy it now, Got the email reply from Paypal. The Seller wrote me 3 days later that he made an error and did not have any in stock. He offered to refund my money or wait until he got more of them. I wrote back that he should refund my money as I was able to buy the two items elsewhere. Before the email was sent he had refunded my money. The next day he sent me an email reminding me of non-payment. I sent back the paypal invoice which showed him getting paid and a copy of the email he sent me that he was out of stock.
Today I get an email from Paypal that he filed a dispute to have the Sellers fee refunded or that I pay it. (Copy) ->"The seller, schang tells us you have mutually agreed not to complete the transaction (e.g. because you returned or are returning the item for a refund or because there was a misunderstanding) and has requested a credit for their eBay fees.
The funny thing is that I paid for it with my Paypal Account in the first place.
ebay from government computer?
by stblumen - 9/15/07 8:11 PM In reply to: ebay and paypal are a ripoff when you are the buyer. by bigbear639You wrote:"She claimed that since she was using a Government Computer she would have me arrested."
She's lucky if she'll still have a job, once they find out she operates her ebay business from a computer you and I pay for! It's absolutely prohibited. Most government computers block sites like ebay etc.
too funny!
: ebay and paypal are a ripoff when you are the buyer.
by zookeeper820 - 9/21/07 8:27 PM In reply to: ebay and paypal are a ripoff when you are the buyer. by bigbear639I don't buy from ebay just for that reason and for a couple of more dollars i can buy new. And always remember if its to good of a deal there's something wrong. Besides using visa i can twist a few arms. i gotten money back thru them more than once.
re:ebay and paypal are a ripoff when you are the buyer.
by SphereLink - 9/23/07 9:34 AM In reply to: ebay and paypal are a ripoff when you are the buyer. by bigbear639Basically he is just trying to get his listing/end fees refunded. He is charged a listing fee (insertion fee) and then charged a fee based on the final selling price. Since he refunded your money the transaction was mutually resolved between the two of you. But, he was still out the fee for selling it in the first place. It does not affect your standing with eBay it just refunds his fee. All you have to do is say, yup it was broken and he refunded my money. Dispute will be closed, no strike against you, his fee refunded.
oops
by SphereLink - 9/23/07 9:38 AM In reply to: re:ebay and paypal are a ripoff when you are the buyer. by SphereLinkoops combined the two 
the government worker could be in real trouble if you just report it. You could also file harrassment charges.
the second, you did exactly right, provided proof.
ebay bomb...
by WndWanderer2000 - 9/14/07 10:26 PM In reply to: I got scammed on eBay, what can I do now? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I got stuck a while back myself, I just figured I had to suck it up. I found out later that I could have given the seller a really poor review, "to warn future victims", then found out that ebay itself wants to know about hoodlums like that. So, report the urchin to ebay! I don't know if they can help get your claim settled, but they will contact the individual and then BAN HIM/HER FOREVER!
Take away a bank robber's gun and he/she skulks away with nothing.
I hope this helps you out Jim.
J R
WndWanderer@gmail.com
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