eBay

fjk667 · ‎06-25-2021

I purchased a Simpson power washer on June 22nd for, what seemed to be, an extraordinarily good price from a seller with a newely opened account. After receiving no tracking number as of the 25th and no response to my message, I looked a little more closely at the offer. The shipping was free and the method was USPS economy select Since USPS max weight limit is 70 pounds, it raised a red flag. I looked at similar offers for this product and two were identical to the one I purchased. After over an hour trying to make telephone contact with eBay, I was connected with an offshore rep that read me the procedures, but could offer no advice. my question is this- what should I be looking for in the seller's attempt to rip me off? I can't believe all these people, at different locations around the country, are doing this in a coordinate for fun.

eburtonlab · ‎06-25-2021

If a listing is too good to be true -- such as a new item that is selling for a fraction of its retail cost -- that is certainly a warning sign. And if a relatively new seller is suddenly selling thousands of dollars worth of multiple quantity listings at fire sale prices with free shipping from overseas with extended handling times and very long shipping estimates, you should be very concerned, particularly if the items are expensive electronics, cameras, musical instruments, tools or outboard motors.

In general, you can avoid a lot of headaches by choosing to purchase only from established sellers that have recent and past positive feedback as a seller for selling items in the same category that you intend to buy. If someone is selling a dozen apple watches, but has no feedback, or only has feedback as a buyer, or only has feedback for selling dress patterns or fishing lures (actual examples I have seen), perhaps wait until they have a track record of positive feedback for selling electronics before you buy from them.

You might miss out on a good deal from a new seller once in a while, and nothing can guarantee that you won't still run into a scammer anyway, but you can avoid a lot of potential problems by choosing to do business with established sellers. Anyone can put together a listing that looks nice -- it is not hard at all to simply copy an existing listing -- but it is much harder to create a history of consistent sales and positive feedback.

If you have made a purchase from a listing that you think may be suspicious:

Typically you have to wait until the last estimated delivery date has passed to start an Item Not Received claim on eBay; if the seller is removed and eBay does not send you a message about that, and if you can no longer find the item in your Resolution Center, you can start a similar process through your PayPal account (if you used PayPal) or through your credit card or other payment source. There are various deadlines that have to be met at each stage, and you must take care not to make more than one claim about a single transaction through eBay or PayPal or your funding source at a time or your claim may be dismissed. In general, it is best to try to go through eBay's claim process first; if that does not work, try PayPal; then try your payment method.

If the seller actually ships something (but not your item) and can provide a tracking number that shows delivery, you must file a Significantly Not As Described claim (and typically return the item), as a valid tracking number that shows delivery would cause you to lose an Item Not Received claim. There are other scams that involve shipping an item to another location in your zip code which can complicate matters further.

If possible bookmark the seller's feedback page so that you can monitor that to see if the seller's account has been removed from eBay, just in case the item listing disappears.

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soh.maryl · ‎06-25-2021

In your quest for help here, it seems you've left out the most important part of the information: What was the estimated delivery date as seen in the listing where you made your purchase?

Another question I would pose for you is: Have you read eBay's Money Back Guarantee for buyers?

If/when you haven't received your item within a few days past that last estimated delivery date seen for your item, you can go to the Resolution Center at the bottom of any eBay page and open an ITEM NOT RECEIVED CASE. You will then need to wait 96 hours for a response from the seller per eBay rules.

No response, or an unsatisfactory one? Then you return to the case you opened and ask eBay to step in so you can be refunded.

BTW, there is no requirement that a seller obtain tracking and no requirement that he share the number with you. You have no need to phone eBay at any time because most problems, like the item not received situation, can be easily handled through the Resolution Center.

You need to 1. Wait for your item to arrive. 2. While waiting, read the MBG. 3. Try not to toss careless statements around like implying this was a suspicious ad or that the seller is attempting to rip you off. So far, I do not see any evidence of that unless there is some information missing from your message.

eburtonlab · ‎06-25-2021

If a listing is too good to be true -- such as a new item that is selling for a fraction of its retail cost -- that is certainly a warning sign. And if a relatively new seller is suddenly selling thousands of dollars worth of multiple quantity listings at fire sale prices with free shipping from overseas with extended handling times and very long shipping estimates, you should be very concerned, particularly if the items are expensive electronics, cameras, musical instruments, tools or outboard motors.

In general, you can avoid a lot of headaches by choosing to purchase only from established sellers that have recent and past positive feedback as a seller for selling items in the same category that you intend to buy. If someone is selling a dozen apple watches, but has no feedback, or only has feedback as a buyer, or only has feedback for selling dress patterns or fishing lures (actual examples I have seen), perhaps wait until they have a track record of positive feedback for selling electronics before you buy from them.

You might miss out on a good deal from a new seller once in a while, and nothing can guarantee that you won't still run into a scammer anyway, but you can avoid a lot of potential problems by choosing to do business with established sellers. Anyone can put together a listing that looks nice -- it is not hard at all to simply copy an existing listing -- but it is much harder to create a history of consistent sales and positive feedback.

If you have made a purchase from a listing that you think may be suspicious:

Typically you have to wait until the last estimated delivery date has passed to start an Item Not Received claim on eBay; if the seller is removed and eBay does not send you a message about that, and if you can no longer find the item in your Resolution Center, you can start a similar process through your PayPal account (if you used PayPal) or through your credit card or other payment source. There are various deadlines that have to be met at each stage, and you must take care not to make more than one claim about a single transaction through eBay or PayPal or your funding source at a time or your claim may be dismissed. In general, it is best to try to go through eBay's claim process first; if that does not work, try PayPal; then try your payment method.

If the seller actually ships something (but not your item) and can provide a tracking number that shows delivery, you must file a Significantly Not As Described claim (and typically return the item), as a valid tracking number that shows delivery would cause you to lose an Item Not Received claim. There are other scams that involve shipping an item to another location in your zip code which can complicate matters further.

If possible bookmark the seller's feedback page so that you can monitor that to see if the seller's account has been removed from eBay, just in case the item listing disappears.