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Community Newsletter: Q&A: I got scammed on eBay, what can I do now?
- 9/28/07 3:22 PM
Ebay!!!
by barney379 - 9/15/07 1:05 PM In reply to: I got scammed on eBay, what can I do now? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Hi Jim,
I am a seller on Ebay. Here are 10 tips that I use when buying anything on Ebay.
1. CHECK THE FEEDBACK: Always check the sellers feedback and see if how many negative and how many positive. Read the feedback and see whats wrong if there is a negative feedback.
2. ASK QUESTIONS: If you are ever unsure of some thing ask the seller a question you'll be able to tell if that person is telling the truth by the answer to your question. ( especially if the seller doesn't have any feedback)
3. TAKE A LOOK AT THE OTHER LISTINGS: Look at the sellers other listings. For example if the seller usually sells clothes and suddenly he/she is selling laptops, then you know you must take caution.
4. CHECK THE PRICE: If the seller is selling a brand new dell laptop for $150 don't be tempted and take extreme caution.
5. BUY IN THE UNITED STATES OR CANADA: check the sellers location. I recommend only buying from someone in the U.S or Canada. If you see someone selling for example, an IPod, but his location is Hong Kong or Taiwan you may end up with a bootleg Ipod.
6. BUY FROM A TRUSTED SELLER: If you want to be 100% sure your not going to be swindled, buy from a powerseller these are trusted sellers from Ebay and you can be 100% sure that your in good hands. Also someone that has a lot of feedback(in the hundreds) and 100% feedback is also good.
7. BE FIRM WITH THE SELLER: Always remember the seller is getting his/her money from you. I the sellers is rude or just seems like he/she don't care about the buyer, then leave and go to the next seller. Let the seller know what you want and if he/she doesn't give you that then leave. For example, Jim, if you had asked the seller of the Ipod if he/she was going to give you a tracking number and he/she said yes. When the seller told you that he/she doesn't have a trackng number you could have filed a complaint with Ebay and Paypal. A seller on Ebay should not give a packge to a friend to ship.
8. STAY UP TO DATE: Don't wait for the seller to let you know when the package shipped, or to give you a tracking number or any other important information. Stay up to date with your order and ASK. Ask the seller when the item was shipped, a tracking number, and an invoice or receipt, and any important information you need and keep this information, you never know when yu will need it.
9. TAKE A GOOD LOOK AT THE LISTING: Always Take a good look at the listing of the item you are interested in buying. Look at the pictures and description and match them. Make sure the product explained in the description is the product shown in the pictures. Also pay attention to the shipping and return policy. Yeah, that Ipod is $199, but the shipping may be $50. Make sure everything is to your liking then make the purchase based on that information.
10. USE COMMON SENSE: Just use your head. Sometimes using common sense can prevent these problems from happening. If something doesn't seem right then stop and leave.
Also one more thing, this doesn't have anything to do with your problem but heres another tip: If you ever receive an email from Paypal stating that their is something wrong with your account and and you need to enter in you credit card information STOP!!! It is fake. Their is also an email from Ebay stating that you owe some money also asking you to enter in your credit card information. If you receive any emails similar to these don't give any information, contact ebay or paypal and confirm if there is anything wrong.
I hope this answers your question Jim.
For great deals from a safe seller google: Aerocomputers and Electronics to visit our ebay store.
Ebay Vendors
by cyberay - 9/21/07 6:44 PM In reply to: Ebay!!! by barney379Through my experiences with purchasing items online I have found that it is never good to communicate via the phone. I will use either email or other medium in which I can keep and print out a hard copy. It is always good to create a paper trail. Never trust your memory. If a vendor won't communicate to you in this manner I would move on to another. There are way too many out there you could get what you are looking for.
Never close a resolution until you get the item in your hand and in the condition you are expecting it to be. I always try to use Paypal and have gotten good results in the past. The vendors were quick to return my money whenever I had a problem.
Do not give up on the vendor. Keep trying to get your money back. If they were on Ebay there should be an email available. You should be able to contact them. If you are unable to do so contact Ebay and notify them of the problem. The idea again is to create a record of comminications with the individual.
Try to get as much information on the vendor as possible including his/hers location. You can then check with his BBB or State's Consumer Affairs agency on his status in the business community. You can also file a complaint or report also. You could file a complaint with the FTC but my experience with has been I file a complaint but get no results.
Keep the vendor appraised of your actions. I have found that some times they will accomodate you rather than go through all these problems.
It is hard but try to keep your cool and not be angry with the vendor. Be firm. Be cool. Stay focused.
fake ebay and paypal letters
by ddavis78 - 9/21/07 7:39 PM In reply to: Ebay!!! by barney379I get these often. Any letter you get from eBay will be listed on YOUR personal eBay page. If you get one of those phishing letters from eBay or PayPal, you can forward them (full headers) to spoof@ebay.com or spoof@paypal.com. If you are in doubt about the letter you can still forward it there. They will let you know if it's real or not. I forward EVERY SINGLE ONE I GET to them. I want those buggers to get caught.
Screwed on Ebay
by mcmillan968 - 9/15/07 1:15 PM In reply to: I got scammed on eBay, what can I do now? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Well Jim its under $500.00 so you could TRY small claims court??
Did you post a bad review?Call ebay back see if there isnt SOME way??
You can also track his sales and write to bidders that he screwed you!!Is that legal no but hey---------
If you aggrevate him enough maybe he'll give in it cant hurt(not you anyways!!)High bid EVERY sale on him AGGREVATE him get friends to help
drive HIM crazy.MAYBE then he'll quit ebay if nothing else.
So ebay kicks you you just get a new acct in another name.If ebay is that important to you.
Sue the b#%&%d
by GRPDiver - 9/15/07 2:25 PM In reply to: I got scammed on eBay, what can I do now? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
You have the phone number, so use a reverse phone directory and obtain the person's name and address. Then bring suit in small claims court. Generally, the court has to have personal jurisdiction over the person to hear the case. But when someone puts something into the scream of commerce, your state's long arm statute may grant the court personal jurisdiction. Once you have a judgment against the person, you can put a lien against their property. The small claims court will probably not allow punitive damages, but you can always ask. A cumbersome process, sometimes the personal satisfaction is worth it.
Try this!
by CoreyB2 - 9/15/07 3:09 PM In reply to: I got scammed on eBay, what can I do now? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Go to http://www.ic3.gov .
There you can file an internet fraud complaint.
It is a branch of the FBI.
Hop this helps!
Answers for Jim G.
by joansdolls - 9/15/07 3:14 PM In reply to: I got scammed on eBay, what can I do now? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Jim G,
I would check with his local DA's office and see if there are any other complaints against this person, if there is then get back in touch with him tell him he has say, 7 days to return your money in full(if he can resubmit it through paypal have him to you or send it to you overnight express by Money order or cashier check only -with the confirmation numbers)if after that time he does not comply, then let him know that you will file with the DA's office a complaint against him. That you will see that it appears on his local consumer TV spot and your own to get back your money. Let him know that the time for fun and games is overwith. Make sure that you have the documentation of the original sale from e-bay to back up your claim, and the payment printed off through paypal.
The DA's office should be able to let you know anything else you may need to proceed with this matter.
good luck with getting your money back! Joan P
eBay & PayPal - Insurance
by trattner - 9/15/07 4:07 PM In reply to: I got scammed on eBay, what can I do now? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Hello Jim,
Sorry to learn about your mishap 
This being said however, there is one item I failed to find in your inquiry: what is the source of money you use to "feed" your PayPal account? Could it -- luckily -- be a Credit Card (Visa, Master-Card, Am-Ex, ...)?
Assuming your answer is affirmative, I believe you still have a way of recourse: just file a charge-back with your Credit Card company (for an item paid and not received); I remember there is a time-limit for this kind of action, but -- hopefully -- you still qualify.
Lack of that, you may take the seller to the Court, of course, but -- besides the "who's right" issue, this might cost you a lot more than you paid already, and -- without proper documentation -- it is not a sure win ...
As for the future: never drop a complaint before it's actually solved! PayPal's policy would probably have covered you in full in this case, as the item you purchased is a tangible one (unlike software licenses) ...
At the worst, you might be off US$200, "the price of learning" 
You surely have my heartfelt wishes to recover your loss.
Good luck,
Eric
Chargeback.
by pancakegenocide - 9/21/07 8:03 PM In reply to: eBay & PayPal - Insurance by trattnerMost credit cards have a chargeback timeframe of 180 days from the purchase date. If you used an AMEX, however, you have one year.
You have thirty days from date of payment to file a claim with PayPal and thirty days after that to escalate it to a dispute, so even if more than one was allowed for a single transaction, it would be too late.
Issuing a chargeback, in this case, is your best bet. If that does not work, take the guy to small claims court. Too many people get screwed out of money and items on eBay and don't take them to court.
eBay & PayPal
by joyce36_ca - 9/21/07 8:07 PM In reply to: eBay & PayPal - Insurance by trattnerI know a person that had this problem.
They took it to small claims court and won.
Never give up
Joyce
My few problems with Ebay
by maknbacon - 9/22/07 12:57 AM In reply to: eBay & PayPal by joyce36_caI've had like over 800 transactions in 7 years with Ebay. Selling and mostly buying comic books. In all that time I've only been ripped off or almost ripped off about 4 times. Most were small amounts under $25 and sometimes I'd eventually get my money back from the seller. Only two times did I have to contact the Fair Trade boys. Once was for $250 I spent for some very early X-Men comics. After a long time the seller finally said something like, "Do you still want the comics?" uh, what? Of course that is why I paid for them. Then I got no reponse. So finally Ebay said they could refund me $175 but that was all. I was very confused how they came up with that amount since I paid with PayPal and they had said the transaction was secure etc....But I took the money and ran, swearing I'd never spend over that amount in the future. The other time was for $35 worth of comics. That time they finally just told me sorry and didn't send me any refund. Don't believe what you read about your transactions being safe with PayPal...as I can prove they are not. Even when they agree the seller is unreachable and guilty of fraud.
Anyway I have found 99% of the sellers to be very responsible. I've found it best to find a few that are reliable and stick with them! Order from them first even if you find a slightly cheaper deal elsewhere. Go where you know you'll get your items! Keep a list of the sellers you liked and try them first.
On the other hand if I sell something and someone isn't happy I just send a refund right away. I don't want trouble. The customer is always right. If it is a high end item then I'd do everything I could to make sure they were happy. Fortunately I've have very little problem with the selling end of it. Just make sure you get the delivery confirmation and insurance if possible. www.allenfreeman.net
problems with E-Bay/PayPal
by johntyacke - 9/22/07 2:56 AM In reply to: My few problems with Ebay by maknbaconWhilst I agree with your staement re- most of the sellers on E-Bay are 100%, I still am NOT happy at having to pay the $25.00AUD to retrieve the amount of $69.00 for an item that was sold to me with all the honesty and well being. Not untill the artical in question was placed into my computer and found to be useless load of crap. For which I had to pay a fee of AUD $25.00 for E-bay to refund me the total amount of 35.00AUD. So as from now, I have NO faith in E-Bay or any part of this selling system.
Beware of Using eBay Jim!
by iainkayphd - 9/15/07 4:27 PM In reply to: I got scammed on eBay, what can I do now? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I have been burned several times by unscrupulous sellers who had great response scores and percentages. One even claimed that my neither signed for an item. That's amazing considering my neighbor died 6 months before I ordered from this joker. I was finally suspended by eBay because I refused to pay for DVDs from Hong Kong and South Korea because 1) The sellers could not guarantee that the would play on Region 1 players and 2) The sellers were charing an enormous amount to ship the DVDs by insured air mail when I had specifically asked (before I ordered) that they use the cheapest way possible for my merchandise. The bottom line: eBay has only ONE good feature. It owns Half.com which requires its sellers to use only USPS Media Mail which is cheap. Unfortunately, eBay won't reinstate my account until I pay those thieves in Hong Kong and South Korea (which won't happen in my lifetime)! Good luck and let me know what happens.
Sincerely,
Iain Kay
iainkayphd@bellsouth.net
Ebay & Paypal one company
by lhod40 - 9/22/07 12:15 AM In reply to: Beware of Using eBay Jim! by iainkayphdHello Jim, I totally agree with your comments . I had a bad experience with Pay Pal. Pay Pal & E-bay are one in the same. I have used E-bay without much problem. I always check on the posts about a seller. If he/she, has a high score of reptubility from other users I find them ok. to use. I Never use Pay Pal As I have had experience of other poeople breaking in to my account & charging stuff to my account. It is a very long & involved story, but Pay Pal having received all the Info they wanted by snail mail, still refuse to re-instate my account. Elsewhere on the net I was in formed Pay Pal Try these tactics so that they can claim the money from the account because it is inactive.. As the old saying goes " BUYER BEWARE ".... Les Hodgson
Beware of eBay
by mjudah - 9/22/07 2:10 PM In reply to: Beware of Using eBay Jim! by iainkayphdSeveral years ago my son purchased tickets for a concert in Cincinnati, OH. on eBay. He paid a premium for those seats. For some reason the concert got canceled. He tried to return the tickets to the individual for his money back. The individual, who was from the Pittsburgh area, refused to send the money back. We found out he charged the tickets on a Visa. He returned his Visa receipt for a refund thru TicketMaster and kept my sons money as well.
We have a friend that recently retired from the police dept. in Pittsburgh. Maybe we can get him to strong hold the guy for our money! We do not use eBay anymore.
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