@kirby1077,
Yes you have been scammed and the first thing you should do is go to your Order details page take a screen shot of it showing the tracking number you have received and save it, as a document if you can.
Save the message from the seller as well so if they post a new tracking number from a different shipping agency you have proof of the change.
The seller's message is an attempt to try and stall you past the time frame you have for filing a dispute, and to mollify you into thinking they are doing something about it. The poorly worded reply was probably written by a chinese seller who are responsible for most of the fake tracking issues on ebay.
The fake tracking number scam is a hard one to beat for a few reasons, and if you file an item Not Received dispute through ebay, it will be denied. You can appeal it but you need to gather information that's not always easy to get to win an appeal, and even if you win the appeal you cannot leave appropriate feedback or have one stick.
The best way to handle this would be to contact ebay through one of their social media sites (links below) the reps who handle them are actual ebay employees who are very familiar with the fake tracking scams, and you can post attachments of the info you receive to your messages.
Depending on which shipping agency was used by the seller you may have to jump through some hoops to get the info you need to get them to issue a refund.
UPS & FedEx take photos of delivery locations and they can be a big help. If you look up the tracking number on thier site and copy the whole page, then try to save the photo as a separate file, by right clicking on it, to see if you get a larger image, you can ask the rep to compare it to a street level map image of your ebay address.
The USPS does not take photos of delivery locations and they will not tell you or ebay what the actual delivery address on the label is.
However, If you to go to your local P.O., 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 on the order details page, and also to check the Package type/size/weight info to see if was is appropriate for what you should have received. If you can look up the Mfr.'s specifications for the item and bring that with you as well if needed.
If the info does not match up, you ask the clerk or Postmaster to write a note on USPS stationary saying in general that the shipping label's address was not the same as the one on your ebay Order Details page, and if applicable that the package type/size/weight was not right for what you should have received.
Do not ask them to write specific address or package info, they cannot give it out. Have the clerk or Postmaster print their name then sign and date the note. If they won't write the note Ask the clerk to give you the GPS location of the Delivery on USPS stationary, l and hold on to it.
You can then Appeal, and add a CLEAR photo or scan of the note to the appeal. That should be enough to win the Appeal and get a refund.
You can try calling the USPS customer service phone number and ask for them to send you an email with the same general info, and or the GPS coordinates, but the rep is more likely to believe a scan or photo of a hand written note, because emails can be faked.
https://www.facebook.com/eBay/ (Use the Blue message button)
https://www.instagram.com/ebayforsellers/
https://x.com/askebay
You may want to open the link below and read through the replies in that topic. The buyer won that dispute after posting some info I was not aware of at the time.
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Buying/Wow-I-purchased-something-and-never-received-it/m-p/34605349#M4...
For future reference I suggest signing up to use the Free enhanced tracking info provided by;
USPS, Informed Delivery. FedEx, Delivery Manager. UPS, My Choice. The info and photos provided by them can help with a fake tracking scam.
"THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS FOOLPROOF, BECAUSE FOOLS ARE SO DARNED INGENIOUS!" (unknown)
