@comic_box wrote:
In this case there is a printed communication thread and documents showing the shipment and receipt of the product, payment details, refund details ..... the criminal would have no leg to stand on. Also has a rather extensive Seller history on Ebay, which besets them with some vulnerabilities.
I hear ya' and it's sad state of affairs, should be sending the comic book back. Fact paid, received etc. is irrelevant as the claim is "Not as Described" instead of "Not received." eBay has policies to follow albeit nothing perfect which is certainly nothing new when it comes to Internet or even before then mail order.
Small claims court does not deal in "What was done to others" nor would they subpoena a buyers records as a "seller as well" based on hearsay. Now if you have evidence of said seller doing this over and over that's something that's criminal yet eBay itself does track seller/buyer activities as noted by numerous sellers here that have had accounts suspended based on problems in their metrics and this stands true of buyers as well.
These "environmental" problems have existed since online transacting began and before that in mail order. You'll see many a posting in these forums where the advice of experienced sellers rings true which is basically, "If you cant afford loose it then don't sell it online" be that here, Etsy, Amazon, shipping it someplace via Facebook or even in person transacting with Venmo or anything other than cash.
There are things websites could do to help with seller/buyer safety but as with any change to anything other issues also come to bare with change. Unfortunately folks that take advantage of other folks is rampant all over the Internet and off it and these are the conundrums that continue to build and grow and why Government(s) perhaps soon or perhaps years down the trail will likely regulate all of it.
