Bought car through eBay and never received it.
Bro I paid for a car over a week ago through eBay, never received no type of shopping info, delivery info, never heard back from the seller after paying the money, NOTHING. she and eBay communicated all the way up until it was paid, g.
I’m really UPSET because I’m about to have a baby and I needed something to bring my baby home in!! EBAY AND THIS SELLER JUST TOOK MY MONEY AND I SWEAR TO GOD ILL FIGURE OUT HOW TO SUE THEM!!
86 comments
supe6165
·2 years agoI'm truly sorry for your experience. It's crucial to report this immediately to eBay's customer service and your bank for potential recourse. Ensure to document all communications and transactions. Consider seeking legal advice for resolving the issue concerning the Luxury car purchase.
soh.maryl
·2 years agoYou are, unfortunately, offering wrong information.
eBay had nothing at all to do with this. The OP found the vehicle listed on another site.
It is a well known scam. We average out about one message per day here about this.
The ONLY thing the OP can do is report this to whatever site it was listed on.
Her money is gone. eBay gift cards are nonrefundable and untraceable.
soh.maryl
·2 years agoJust curious: Hope you are doing well with your pregnancy despite the unfortunate scamming situation.
Did you ever find a way to sue the scammers?
krazzykats
·2 years agoWhy don't people question if they found a car on Marketplace, and are told it will be done through eBay via an email or text?
I recently bought a beautiful used car, exactly what I wanted, all online. I was so nervous the whole time as I knew who I was sending the money to but relied on someone else's opinion of the car.
I had the car shipped and am very happy both with the seller and the car!
Yes, there still are some good car dealers out there.
eburtonlab
·2 years agoWhy don't people question if they found a car on Marketplace, and are told it will be done through eBay via an email or text?
If you have never bought a car before, or dealt with eBay before, the idea that a seller might want to use a well-known online venue to broker the purchase and sale of a vehicle is not that much of a stretch, by itself.
The problem comes when the buyer gets an invoice that appears to be from eBay but is really from the scammer. The buyer does not realize it, but all the information about the transaction has come from an anonymous person, and the only actual information the buyer has that connects to that person is a throw-away email address or a free voicemail box that will soon no longer be in service. But the buyer thinks that the buyer is dealing with eBay rather than a scammer.
Scammers are very good at preempting various questions that a prospective buyer might raise, and doing so in a way that lulls the buyer into a false sense of security. Each individual step involved seems relatively reasonable and safe and no riskier than the last one, but when viewed all-at-once, in hindsight, or if you have ever seen such a thing before, it is obviously a trap.
ittybitnot
·2 years agoJust posting to the thread in general. It makes me very upset each time we get a person here that has fallen for this scam. It is sickening to be exact. I am posting this screen shot to hopefully help others who are thinking of purchasing the car (or any item of their dreams) online. This is a listing for some sort of farm vehicle. In reality, it has a median price for this year/model of $11,000.00
Here is the "too good to be true version" and what is displayed when you click on BUYER INFORMATION on FBM. Do you actually think it is possible for this to be located in Vermont, Utah, Virginia, etc.? You have to wonder how many times they have "SOLD" it today (because their husband died, and they had to move to Hawaii, after their military tour in the mideast is over, yada yada..) Unless you know to click that button, you remain clueless.
soh.maryl
·2 years agoYes, there is no doubt that there are still some good car dealers out there.
But the ones who list on FBM or CL who claim the deal will be handled on eBay are NOT.
fab_finds4u
·2 years agoMost people would make sure they were able to provide the things they need for a baby before they make a baby.
You needed a good car you say. Have you checked prices what a good car would cost? Edmunds, Kelly, CarFax, CarMax, etc. so you would know what to expect to pay?
Those gift card scammers offer cars at thousands of dollars below their value to reel you in. They want you to see a $1200-$1600 car and want you to think you need to hurry up and buy this fabulous deal before someone else comes along and sees the ad.
You never sent a payment to eBay. The phone and email in the fake invoice connected to the scammer. The scammer stole your money. eBay had nothing to do with it.
A simple check at ebay.com/giftcards or googling eBay gift cards terms and how to redeem would've given you a heads up something ain't right. Checking Vehicle Purchase Protection would show you that you need to do pre purchase research and inspection before paying.
You've lost money to someone you'll never find. Scammers don't use their own name and address. They probably aren't even in the U.S.
smjh30
·2 years agoI'm sorry to hear about your experience. It's crucial to contact eBay's customer support immediately to resolve this issue. Additionally, consider seeking legal advice if necessary. Chauffeur service may provide assistance in addressing your situation.
chapeau-noir
·2 years agoWut.
...................
soh.maryl
·2 years agoMost of the rest of us are pretty sure that the OP was taken in by the usual FB/CL scam.
There isn't any point in contacting eBay because this did not actually happen ON eBay.
What "chauffeur service" may help in addressing the OP's situation?
itsjustasprain
·2 years agoPerhaps someone is thinking of eBay's concierge service? (It would be of no use in this case anyway, of course.)
kensgiftshop
·2 years agoWhat good would it do to contact Ebay, they had nothing to do with the transaction and there's nothing they can/will do.
Unavailable member
·2 years agoI’m not going to call out individual responders, but so many of these posts seem mean spirited. We get it – the buyer made a mistake. He is upset that he lost money that he needs. I’m not sure what joy some people get and trying to make other people feel dumb.
soh.maryl
·2 years agoNot sure any of us were deliberately trying to make others feel dumb. It's just that the OP was seeking help and we were trying to explain the futility of her search for a refund.
Personally, to the OP: If you were offended, sorry. I wish there were a way for you to get your money back, but there is not.
jerseyboymusic
·2 years ago@powell-memorabilia
For me, I am REALLY curious what's happened, out of concern. The OP never replied back to my honest questions in my posts (Ebay item number, etc)
I think most who replied jumped onto the "FB Marketplace" or "CL" scam thing and made assumptions and judgements without all the info from the OP
soh.maryl
·2 years agoAssumptions and judgements? Most of us saw this for what it was, the standard motor vehicle scam that's been going on for years. Do you have evidence that we incorrect?
jerseyboymusic
·2 years ago@soh.maryl
Yes... based on the initial post, the OP said "...I paid for a car over a week ago through eBay, never received no type of shopping info, delivery info, never heard back from the seller after paying the money, NOTHING. she and eBay communicated all the way up until it was paid..."
So, even though I'm sure it WAS a FB or CL scam, the OP said everything was done through Ebay.
The OP never said they bought it off another site. Just Ebay. Most everyone assumed it was a scam, and the OP never came back with the answers to basic questions like Ebay item number, how it was paid for, etc.
soh.maryl
·2 years agoDid you see the reply by the OP where she said, in response to an question about whether or not the seller claimed some urgent reason to sell etc, "Yes, she claimed all of this". I took that to mean that the seller used the usual line about the reason for selling.
soh.maryl
·2 years agoThe OP THOUGHT everything was done through eBay. Some of those pictures etc can be quite convincing.
hawkwind5454
·2 years agoIt is what it is. What is that saying? Play stupid games, Win stupid prizes? The O/P has experienced what thousands if not millions of others have experienced. Being all puppy dogs, and rainbows isn't going to help the situation either. If the truth hurts, then so be it. "Sorry this happened to you" is nice, but really is not going to do much good. If it will prevent at least one other person from being scammed, isn't real-time knowledge worth it?
Unavailable member
·2 years agoThe straight truth is great. But to ask how the lawsuit is coming seems cruel. After five pages of the harsh reality, no need to kick the OP while he is down.
soh.maryl
·2 years agoYou may have replied to the wrong person. I think I asked about the lawsuit. Actually I seriously DID want to know about it, but, you're right, it was cruel.
BTW: It would have been kicking HER when she was down.
OP: Sorry. That WAS a mean response.
soh.maryl
·2 years agoCould you suggest another way we could have responded to the OP? Should we have told her that we were sure she was going to get the vehicle? It seemed fairly obvious to most of us that she had been scammed by the usual Facebook/CL scammer.
soh.maryl
·2 years agoSo, just curious, have you found a way to get your money back? Or have you started that suit?
jerseyboymusic
·2 years ago@shwill6019 Whatever happened to this?
bonjourami
·2 years agoOp lost his money paying with gift cards like all these victims do. This is a multi million dollar world wide scam.
kensgiftshop
·2 years agoAbout all they can do is report it to the site they found the ad on and file a police report.
As far as getting their money back, it's gone, that's why these scammers like gift cards.
soh.maryl
·2 years agoReturning to your original message, have you figured out how to sue them yet?
If so, can you share the secret here so we can pass that information along to the next poor soul who falls for this scam?
bashort
·2 years agoVery unlikely, they are probably not in the US even if you could ID them
joeb5281
·2 years agohey you need a paper trail first, go on line to the BBB fill out complaint, then the federal trade comm. report them, expose them,, forgot talking to eBay ,you cant get anywhere with them,, and call you attorney generals office ,and local news,, don't lay down,
kensgiftshop
·2 years agoWhat would all that do?
Can't get anywhere with Ebay because they had nothing to do with it.
This scam has been around for years, because it works.
With all the warnings posted around the gift card section about scams and as many times as it's been reported on the news, it's been exposed, but it keeps going.
soh.maryl
·2 years agoDid you read the OP's message? This transaction had nothing at all to do with eBay, so, of course, the OP "won't get anywhere with them".
This was apparently the standard motor vehicle scam where the buyer pays with gift cards and gives the numbers to the scammer.
Her money is gone. She does not know the actual name or address of the scammer.
Will any of those organizations take a complaint when the complainant has no relevant information? I don't think so.
The best she can do is report the listing to whatever site it came from.
itsjustasprain
·2 years agoCraigslist is ripe for these scam car listings using photos hijacked from real listings. I remember laughing at one that was supposedly for sale in Chicago but had palm trees in the background. I dont think so... 😄
theteamsetguy
·2 years ago@itsjustasprain ,
It was just a snow bird from Chicago who lives in Florida for the winter. There are many snow birds in Florida.
jerzee908
·2 years agoI'm not sure if this applies to every store in every state, but there is a warning about scams that pops up on the credit card keypad at major pharmacies when you purchase gift cards. I started seeing this over a year ago at CVS and Walgreens when I went to purchase gift cards (as actual gifts and not a car payment). I don't know what else the government can do to stop these scams, but I am a firm believer of "if it sounds too good to be true......".
glorybells
·2 years agoWalmart (at least the one here) has signs at the registers warning about this, and the cashiers will ask people why they’re buying the gift cards (which is, I suspect, why the scammers seem to have added to their spiel that if someone asks them about the reason, for them to say it’s for personal reasons). The scammers have gone one step further and told people that if they let on that it’s for a car, they’ll be charged a steep fee for buying the gift cards.
soh.maryl
·2 years agoIt's good that some individual retailers are attempting to subvert these scams. In the end, however, I guess it will just have to be "buyer beware" or at least "buyer, check it out before you continue".
broto_64
·2 years agoI have a feeling the OP has figured out what happened and their heart sank and they're not coming back to tell us about that, but if the OP is still reading may I suggest get educated on what exactly the process of buying a car involves, and I don't mean just on ebay but overall because this nonsense of buying a car "sight unseen" is not really a good idea (and no I don't care about Carvana either).
tinsoldierunderground
·2 years agoI long ago lost count of the number of people who have posted the exact same circumstance on these boards. I'm sorry this happened to you, but the ironclad rule is this; if the listing isn't on ebay, you're not dealing with a seller on ebay. Ebay doesn't complete sales for sellers on other sites, ebay has no warehouse or carvana type delivery system. As everyone else has stated, ebay can do nothing to help here, because this appears to be a fraudulent transaction outside of ebay... several members have asked for the transaction number and other info, which you as of yet haven't provided. You would find better answers here if you'll work with the people trying to help you.
kensgiftshop
·2 years agoWith it being tax time, we'll see a lot more.
simba6
·2 years agoSounds like you found it on another site and were told to pay with gift cards? If so, your money is gone.
eBay never assists in sales or payments of items on other sites. It has to be listed on eBay to be an eBay sale. There is no other way.
Autos are not shipped for free with a trial period either. That was not eBay you were speaking with. It was a liar and thief that has stolen your money. Sorry we don't have better news.
stuff4divas
·2 years ago@shwill6019 so did u open an item not received case?
coastaltechsolution
·2 years ago@stuff4divas
But it was not purchased through eBay
stuff4divas
·2 years ago@coastaltechsolution I know! Pointing out that if it was an eBay purchase, they could have opened an item not received case, it's called sarcasm.
coastaltechsolution
·2 years ago@stuff4divas
sorry I needed 1 more cup of
ðŸ˜
stuff4divas
·2 years ago@coastaltechsolution I'm with you on that one LOL ðŸ®â˜•
momtoabeautifuldaughter
·2 years agoThey can't because this item actually has nothing to do with eBay.
stuff4divas
·2 years ago@momtoabeautifuldaughter I know! Pointing out that if it was an eBay purchase, they could have opened an item not received case, it's called sarcasm.
cstpos
·2 years ago@shwill6019How did you pay for it? If it was a credit card, you can open a chargeback with your credit card company.
stainlessenginecovers
·2 years ago@cstpos
1.) Scammers DON'T take credit cards.
2.) 2012 Toyota 4 Runners don't sell for $1400. (or whatever vehicle that is always 80%-90% lower price than 'normal)
3.) NOBODY wants 'gift cards' for payments (which the scammer asked for)
@shwill6019
Sorry to say you will NEVER 'find' the person that did this or EVER be able to get your $$ back. What you did is fall for a scam that is the same as you handing 14 $100 bills to some stranger while you were blindfolded in the back alley and then the 'scammer' ran off. You have no information to report (they have 1000's of emails, of which that one is now deleted)
scuby109
·2 years agoEbay is full of scammers...NEVER buy a car or anything related off of Ebay. Used car lots or dealerships are the only places to buy a legit car from. Sounds like you just got scammed..so good luck getting your money back.
lux.ra_14
·2 years agoeBay had nothing to do with it. OP was duped by an unknown scammer in an unknown place.
varebelrose
·2 years agoSorry yet another person fell for this scam, but I strongly disagree with the statement "NEVER buy a car or anything related off of Ebay. Used car lots or dealerships are the only places to buy a legit car from". You most certainly can buy or sell legit cars, RVs, boats, trucks, etc on eBay motors as long as you are actually dealing with an eBay listing... and you can certainly buy/sell to and from individuals as well. Probably 30 of the 40 vehicles I have owned over the last 45 years were bought from private individuals.
broto_64
·2 years agoI would do it in an instant as I've purchased a car on ebay before, might buy another but I've also thousands of successful transactions behind me and with few exceptions I'm pretty sure I know how ebay works.
Whether I recommend for a newcomer to make an expensive purchase on ebay, probably not so much but as far as scammers go it's not just ebay, they're everywhere... Even used car lots, you can get scammed there too, maybe not outright have your money stolen and not even have a car but...
short_circuit.lineman61
·2 years agosome of those buy here pay here lots put any eBay car selling scammers to shame
ckimodog
·2 years ago@shwill6019
Who's BRO? This message is very vague. You are not addressing eBay or any one individual here. This is a community discussion forum for buyers & sellers. If you can return and give more details perhaps others can help.
dbfolks166mt
·2 years agoA lot of respondents are trying to help you but there is still not a lot of information to work with. If you can't answer some of the questions others have asked you are probably going to have a difficult time suing them. The biggest unanswered question is how did you pay for this? Do you have any idea where the seller is located?
Not that it matters that much but where did you see the add posted and do you have a copy of that add that you can include or any type of correspondence from the seller that you could include?
Unavailable member
·2 years agoHere is some reading on scam perpetuated by thieves to get your money. eBay Motors Security Center
Unfortunately, if you purchased eBay gift cards for the car, chances are you'll never get that money back gift cards are untraceable. Suing the seller would be great if they didn't use a fake name. The transaction never took place on eBay or by eBay. So eBay had no part in the so called sale their name was merely used as a ploy.
Sorry this happened to you.
shwill6019
OP2 years agoYeah I know. It’s cool…thanks.
coastaltechsolution
·2 years agoBest you can do now is file at IC3 (Internet Crime Center)
https://www.ic3.gov/
jerseyboymusic
·2 years agoWhat is the Ebay item number?
itemresa
·2 years ago@shwill6019
To go along with the questions powell-memorabilia & soh.maryl asked you:
Did the "seller" claim that the vehicle was currently being stored in an eBay warehouse and that it would be delivered to you by eBay? eBay doesn't have warehouses where they store items for sellers nor do they deliver items.
Did the "seller" claim that once the vehicle was delivered that you would have a period of time to inspect/try out the vehicle (usually about a week) and that you'd be able to return the vehicle free of charge if you were unhappy with it? Nobody who is legitimately selling a vehicle is going to let a possible buyer hold the vehicle for any period time, the risk is to high.
Sales of most used vehicles require a title transfer, how did the "seller" claim this would be handled?
shwill6019
OP2 years agoYES! She claimed all of this!! Not the warehouse part though. She just said it’s under eBay motors and that they’ll bring it to my house so I can inspect and everything. I EVEN got the invoice from eBay but as soon as I sent the money to eBay, EVERYBODY STOPPED REPLYING.
lux.ra_14
·2 years agoUnfortunately, the "invoice" from eBay was a fake. It's part of the scam. eBay was never involved and won't be able to help you. Sorry to say, but your money is gone and can't be recovered.
shwill6019
OP2 years agoYeah…. I’ve established. Thanks for that.
momtoabeautifuldaughter
·2 years agoOk, then you got completely scammed and eBay has nothing to do with this because you didn't actually buy it on eBay.
Your money is long gone, when you buy a car on eBay you go where the car is and inspect it in person and pay for it then.
itsjustasprain
·2 years agoSecond that. Never send payment anywhere before either you or a trusted friend have inspected the vehicle in person.
fab_finds4u
·2 years agoI'm sorry to say you were scammed, but not by eBay or on eBay.
You found a car on a non eBay site and the seller/scammer said eBay was handling the sale and would deliver the car for you to inspect. Is that correct?
1) eBay does not handle payments on vehicles.
2) eBay does not deliver or ship vehicles.
3) There is no inspection period on eBay because vehicles are as is and can't be returned.
4) Sellers don't ask for your name and address to let eBay know you're the buyer because eBay knows who you are when you win an auction or hit the buy now button.
5) eBay doesn't tell you how to pay for a vehicle.
I have a feeling you were sent a fake invoice telling you to pay with gift cards or possibly a prepaid credit card. The email and phone number in that fake invoice connects to the scammer.
If you purchased cards and gave them the redemption code by phone or email your money is gone.
You claim you have a way to get your money back but we know different.
hawkwind5454
·2 years ago.
lux.ra_14
·2 years agoSorry, but you probably bought a story that was too good to be true. You didn't buy a car.
shwill6019
OP2 years agoNah..it wasn’t the story. I didn’t care for that.
soh.maryl
·2 years agoWhat "wasn't the story"?
shwill6019
OP2 years agoI just needed a good car for me to bring my baby home in but it’s whatever….no matter how much people say I can’t do anything about it, trust me…I can find a way.
1786davycrockett
·2 years ago@shwill6019
"no matter how much people say I can’t do anything about it, trust me…I can find a way. "
Unfortunately, you have been dealing with a "ghost" -- an individual from another site (such as Craig's List, Facebook Marketplace, or whatever) who concocted this fake story about a car, and then convinced you that it was being handled through eBay.
Except eBay was never involved -- that was all part of the "ghost" story.
Since all of your dealings were made on the internet, there is no way to trace the identity of the individual who stole from you -- not unless you have some VERY deep pockets, plus access to a very complicated internet investigation organization -- and even then, the original internet address may be from a coffee-house in a foreign country.
Sorry to say, but you will never see that money again, and eBay is not responsible.
soh.maryl
·2 years agoWhen/if you do find a way to get your money back, will you do us a favor and return here and give details?
We have never ever heard of anyone who was scammed like this (had nothing to do with eBay), getting their money back.
Think about it: first of all, you have no idea who this is or where they are. How do you sue some unidentified person?
gone.c-33
·2 years agoYour scammer is in an office building somewhere in Kolkata where they set up shop and disappear in the night every few weeks. Not sure how you think you can “find a wayâ€.
soh.maryl
·2 years agoKolkata? Calcutta?
nobody*s_perfect
·2 years agoYes, the spelling of the name has been updated. Bombay was changed to M umbai, Madras was renamed Chennai, etc. It's a Colonial thing.
ETA: I had to insert a space into the new name for Bombay, the actual word was blocked!
toysaver
·2 years agoChances are you did not make a purchase through eBay. Check your purchase history. Check the trail of where the payment went.
soh.maryl
·2 years agoThis appears to be one of those standard CL/FBM motor vehicle scams.
There is no trail of where the money went. OP gave the scammer the gift card #s.
soh.maryl
·2 years agoHow about answering a few questions? First of all, did you actually find this car listed on eBay with an eBay item number? If so, can you please share that item # with us?
If you did not actually find it listed for sale ON EBAY, were you required to pay with eBay gift cards?
Did you give those gift card numbers to the seller?Was the sale going through eBay for "your own protection"?
Did your seller have some story about why the car was being sold, like a dead husband or job requirements making it impossible to use the car or maybe a military person being deployed?
Was the car listed at an obviously low price? Was the seller willing to ship it to you for a trial period at his own expense?
If you will come back and answer these questions, we would like to help you sort this out?
Unavailable member
·2 years agoNot a lot of details here, so it is just a guess, but i don’t think that you were communicating with or through eBay. Did you pay with gift cards?
shwill6019
OP2 years agoLike they took money from me and my unborn child and I’m so irritated!!! I was LATE ON RENT SO I CAN PAY FOR THAT CAR! I don’t have money to waste!
soh.maryl
·2 years agoWe are trying to help you here. So how about going back to my post and answering those questions.
Frankly, we are concerned that you have probably been scammed.
epowerbargains
·2 years agoSeveral very experienced and very helpful board members have offered to assist if you would answer questions regarding this issue - so far you have not provided essential details necessary to assist you. The people here offer their time and expertise in an effort to assist people with concerns, questions and problems. When you do not respond and simply state that you are irritated - you are not cooperating in addressing your problem. Their time is valuable - I would suggest that you respond immediately if indeed you have potentially been scammed.