Problem with a purchase

I purchased an item on December 21 and December 28 it was delivered according to the tracking number, but I did not get it. I went to the post office with the tracking number and spoke with the supervisor, they said the sender provided a wrong address, not my street address and house number, so my package was delivered to a different address in our town. They can not tell me what address the sender provided. I called post office customer service and provided the tracking number, they also told me that sender provided a wrong address. The sender told me their package was delivered and it is out of their hands, eBay denied my claim and PayPal did the same because they contacted the sender and sender showed that package was delivered. What can I do to get money back (and probably avoid using eBay in the future)?

etudiante_ru

471 View listings

Posted 2 years ago·Last reply 2 years ago

12 comments

naveedmun64

·2 years ago

0 View listings

@etudiante_ru wrote:
I purchased an item on December 21 and December 28 it was delivered according to the tracking number, but I did not get it. I went to the post office with the tracking number and spoke with the supervisor, they said the sender provided a wrong address, not my street address and house number, so my package was delivered to a different address in our town and also send me video. They can not tell me what address the sender provided. I called post office customer service and provided the tracking number, they also told me that sender provided a wrong address. The sender told me their package was delivered and it is out of their hands, eBay denied my claim and PayPal did the same because they contacted the sender and sender showed that package was delivered. What can I do to get money back (and probably avoid using eBay in the future)?

This situation sounds frustrating, and it's understandable you're looking for a resolution. Here are some options you can explore to get your money back and avoid similar issues in the future:

1. Appeal the eBay and PayPal decisions:

eBay: Contact eBay directly and explain your situation in detail. Emphasize that you have evidence from the post office that the address was incorrect, not your fault. Provide any documentation you have, such as the tracking number, the post office supervisor's statement, and communication with the seller.
PayPal: Contact PayPal and present your case similarly to eBay. Explain the post office's confirmation of the wrong address and the seller's refusal to cooperate. Additionally, mention that you provided the evidence to eBay but their decision was unfavorable.

2. File a chargeback with your credit card company:

Explain the situation to your credit card company and highlight the seller's error and eBay/PayPal's lack of resolution. Provide all the evidence you have, including the tracking number, post office confirmation, and communication with the seller and eBay/PayPal.

3. File a complaint with the United States Postal Service (USPS):

File a complaint with the USPS Consumer Affairs department online or by phone. Explain that the sender provided a wrong address and the package was delivered to a different address. Include the tracking number and any relevant documentation you have. This might not directly get your money back but can help raise awareness and potentially prevent future issues.

4. Consider legal action:

While unlikely to be necessary in most cases, you could consult a lawyer to explore legal options. This would be a last resort and might not be cost-effective for smaller purchases.

Avoiding future issues on eBay:

Double-check addresses before placing orders: Always verify the shipping address before confirming your purchase.
Choose sellers with good feedback: Look for sellers with positive feedback and a history of successful transactions.
Beware of listings with suspiciously low prices: Be cautious of listings with significantly lower prices than similar items, as they might be scams.
Consider using buyer protection programs: When available, utilize eBay's Buyer Protection program or similar services offered by other platforms.
Save communication and documentation: Keep copies of all communication with the seller, eBay/PayPal, and the post office. This documentation will be crucial for any appeals or legal actions.

Remember to be patient and persistent throughout this process. While it may take time and effort, you have options to get your money back and protect yourself from similar situations in the future.

dahar_889312

·2 years ago

2 View listings

I have the same problem. I filed a police report and the police investigator secured the tracking information for me from the US Postal Service. The delivery address was within in my zip code, but no where close or similar to my address. I live in a small town, so you may or may not have similar success with securing the delivery address. I reported the seller. The seller was finally removed. EBay closed my appeal before I had the delivery address and now I have know way to submit the information to counter their appeal decision. In the end, EBAY does not want to honor the money back guarantee. Lesson learned for me, never purchase from a seller with no reviews. Ignorant on my part. But very frustrating. I place a bad review for EBAY any place I can.

etudiante_ru

OP2 years ago

471 View listings

I also called police and spoke with a police officer, he gave me a card with the case number but when I asked if he can find out where the package was delivered, he said he could not do that. I will get the information at the post office and proceed with the appeal at Paypal. Paypal used to refund money without asking any questions, it was enough to open the case, they must have changed their policy since then. It makes one more cautious when it comes to online purchasing.

ittybitnot

·2 years ago

18 View listings

@etudiante_ru

@dahar_889312

You need documentation from the carrier that the parcel was NOT delivered to you. You do not need the information as to where it actually was delivered. A police report is basically not needed. What you need to remember is that if you file with eBay, PayPal or your credit card, it should be done one at a time. You need to give up the terminology of item not received (INR) since there is tracking that shows delivery, and you will lose at every turn unless you do. Instead you should pursue your complaint as a fake tracking scam problem.

Since "fake tracking scam" is not a choice when filing an eBay claim, it is suggested that you contact eBay through one of their social media portals where US reps are informed and have the authority to actually help you. One such place is to use the blue message button at the top of this page:

https://www.facebook.com/eBayForBusiness

@mudshark61369 gave you good information in message #3.

eBay knows all about this, PayPal knows, USPS and the other parcel carriers know, and the credit card industry knows. Everyone is completely content to ignore the "elephant in the room" if YOU don't know and just give up and go away.

dahar_889312

·2 years ago

2 View listings

Thanks for the advice. I did receive follow up messages from the EBay for Business link and provided all my documentation as they requested. That was only this afternoon. Hoping for good results.

ittybitnot

·2 years ago

18 View listings

Hoping for good results.

@dahar_889312

Do let us know how it turns out. We hope you get good results, too!

etudiante_ru

OP2 years ago

471 View listings

Thanks, that is helpful.

dahar_889312

·2 years ago

2 View listings

I suspect your police department may not have been truthful. After filing a case and providing all the paperwork from my EBAY purchase and appeal to the police department an investigator from the PD provided the delivery address information within 2 days. The delivery address was within my zip code, but completely different than my own. Note that my Post Office would not provide the information to me directly, but they did provide it to the PD. Once I had the proof of wrong delivery address I scanned the paperwork and saved it as a jpg file. I sent my proof of purchase with the tracking number listed and the post office printouts to the EBAY for Business messenger link on Facebook.

ittybitnot

·2 years ago

18 View listings

Note that my Post Office would not provide the information to me directly, but they did provide it to the PD.

@dahar_889312

Very good information. Thank you for that! I am going to remember what you stated here.

mudshark61369

·2 years ago

"There is no such thing as foolproof, because fools are so darned ingenious" (unknown)3113 View listings

@etudiante_ru,

You have been the victim of a fake tracking scam. The seller's send something, an envelope or small box with tracking to a different address, and uses the Delivered scan to win an Item Not Received (INR) dispute. eBay's automated INR system is not allowed access to anything but the scan information, due to shipping company's privacy policies. The scam is a common one on all of the 3rd party online retail sites, not just ebay, because the sites cannot access the info they need to prove delivery to a different address.

When you filed a dispute it will be closed in favor of the seller. In the message you received telling you that, there should have been an appeal button. You had 30 days from losing the dispute to appeal, but in order to win you have to do some leg work. The info below is what you have do do when this happens with any shipping agency. Unfortunately, because you opened a dispute through PayPal you will have to try and appeal your dispute through them, since you no longer have ebay protections, as kens... wrote.

You will have to go to your P.O. or a local UPS or FedEx store. You need to bring a copy of your order details page which shows your address and the tracking number with you. If you bought using a phone or tablet, you can bring that to show the clerk the order details.

You want to ask the clerk to check the label address against yours, and also to check the Package type/size/weight info to see if was is appropriate for what you should have received. If the info does not match up, you ask the clerk to write a note on Company stationary saying in general that the shipping label's address was not yours, and if applicable that the package type/size/weight was not right for what you should have received. Do not ask for specific address or package info, they cannot give it out. Have the clerk print their name then sign and date the note. Once you have the note, you can appeal the dispute ruling through PayPal.

In the future I strongly suggest that you check the feedback profile pages of each seller you intend to buy from, before bidding on or buying their items. You can access a seller's feedback profile page from near the bottom of listing pages. Use the See All Feedback button below where their name is in a large font. On the profile page if the seller has received neutral or negative feedback, click on the numbers of them to read only those comments. Never go by a feedback percentage alone. Some people who have been scammed but did not file a dispute may have left feedback saying they never received their items even though tracking showed delivered.

etudiante_ru

OP2 years ago

471 View listings

Thank you so much! I can do this, will visit post office again. Yes, I was looking at the seller's percentage only, now I will pay more attention to their feedback.

kensgiftshop

·2 years ago

389 View listings

You need to get a letter from USPS stating that the package was not addressed to you and use the letter to appeal the case.

Since you already opened a case with Pay Pal, Ebay won't help.

When you get the letter, appeal the Pay Pal case and see what happens.