How do you report a seller that scams?

[br706597]

I bought an item that says it was shipped, but it never arrived. even now, the status of the item still says Undelivered. it has been months since I purchased the item, and so the Return button has expired, even though it was never delivered, which is stupid. that button should remain until the status says Delivered because this is an easy exploit for scammers. I have lost over 100 dollars. (I purchased the item with a gift card.)

So, how do I report the seller as a scammer?

[eburtonlab]

@br706597 

A buyer failing to act to get a refund is not necessarily an indication that the seller is a scammer.

eBay has a money back guarantee; buyers have up to thirty days from the last estimated delivery date to file an "item not received" claim with eBay. If the seller cannot produce tracking that shows delivery within three business days or will not refund, the buyer can ask eBay to step in and force a refund.

Once thirty days has passed, your options are limited, particularly if you paid via gift card. Had you paid via a credit card, you may have had some additional options.

[br706597]

I have contacted the seller several times, and have never gotten a response. people who have left feedback of the seller have also said the same thing. the person sells them something only to vanish. I did not see these reviews because they are buried under 5-star reviews.

The "item not received" button is not visible anywhere. I bought the item in February. the seller said the item will not be released until September but will arrive in the same month. It is now December and the item has still not arrived. I am past the 30-day window, but the status still says Undelivered. I even tried to do the "item not received" in late September but the button was not there. which is why I said that while the status says Undelivered, the button needs to remain there.

So again, how do I report this person? because I can send you a link to their reviews to show the complaints.

[eburtonlab]

You have waited too long for help from eBay.

eBay's presale policy is here:

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/listing-policies/presale-listings-policy?id=4252

Sellers of presale items are required to provide the exact date the item becomes available in the listing and are also required to ship within 40 business days of the sale. But users must know about the policy in order to use the Money Back Guarantee in the time allowed.

On eBay, buyers have up to thirty days from the last estimated shipping date shown in the Purchase History to file a case. After that, eBay can no longer help.

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy...

You can try reporting the seller here:

https://www.ebay.com/help/buying/resolving-issues-sellers/report-issue-seller?id=4022

If the original item is no longer listed, you may not be able to report the listing.

[br706597]

As said, the item was supposed to be here by September. they never said when, just that it would be here by then. I thought about the "item not received" late September, within the 30 days it was supposed to be here. the button was not there. this here is actually my second time asking about what to do but barely got any responses. My first time asking about this was in October. I have been waiting for help since then. I did not wait too long, I am barely getting any help.

The original item is no longer listed. I've been trying to report since September. what should I do?

[eburtonlab]

As said, the item was supposed to be here by September.

When you made the original purchase, there was an estimated delivery date shown when you paid. That was the date you had thirty days from to start your claim, not necessarily whatever date the seller told you the item would ship.

[br706597]

The seller contacted me and said that was the date. They said the release date of the item was September and the item would arrive in the same month. When September ended and the item never arrived, I contacted the seller, and they did not respond. It has been 2 months, and the seller has not returned any of my messages. when I check for the "Return item" button, it was not there despite my package never being delivered. 

[br706597]

Thank you for your time. I'll have to find another way since everyone has gone silent on me again.

[eburtonlab]

You are welcome.

You waited too long for help from eBay.

Because you paid via gift card, you do not have any protection from PayPal or a credit card issuer, so it appears you have no options left in terms of a refund.

[br706597]

I told you, I did not wait too long. I did exactly as I was told. the seller told me to wait until September. I did.

Here is the message from the seller.

---

"Hello (^^♪

According to eBay's pre-order product rules, we will only send you a shipping notification first.

After the release, we will send you a tracking number when we actually ship it, so please look forward to it.

rest assured!

This product is scheduled to be released at the end of September, so please wait a little longer (^^♪

The coronavirus is spreading, but please take care of yourself!"

---

At the end of September, when my package did not arrive as the seller said it should've, and the Return Package button was missing, that's when I came here to ask what to do. only one person commented, saying to contact Visa. that's it. I asked for more help, but no one came. so I came back to do this secondary post.

I did not wait too long, no one came to help when I asked. I already said this. I had to reply again just to get your attention. I will have to seek help elsewhere.

[eburtonlab]

You did what the seller told you to do; not what eBay told you to do.

If you had filed an "item not received" case within thirty days of the last estimated delivery date that eBay provided at the time of your purchase, you would likely have been able to get a refund.