PLEASE HELP: I bought a new MacBook but have been scammed

[platypuskiwi]

I just bought a new MacBook off eBay yesterday and as soon as I paid for the item the seller relisted the exact same item I bought. I tried to cancel the order 8 minutes after I paid. The seller instantly marked the item as shipped. I the cancel was rejected. I asked for a tracking number today and received one. Upon tracking with the provided number USPS says that the item shipping label was created 8 days ago and is awaiting the item. I can’t do anything and eBay has not been any help on their help pages. I just want my money back. 

[glyph01]

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@platypuskiwi wrote:

I just bought a new MacBook off eBay yesterday and as soon as I paid for the item the seller relisted the exact same item I bought. I tried to cancel the order 8 minutes after I paid. The seller instantly marked the item as shipped. I the cancel was rejected. I asked for a tracking number today and received one. Upon tracking with the provided number USPS says that the item shipping label was created 8 days ago and is awaiting the item. I can’t do anything and eBay has not been any help on their help pages. I just want my money back. 

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If you do not receive the item by the estimated delivery date, go to the purchase history and in the what you want to do menu, open item not received dispute.

See here for more info: https://www.ebay.com/help/buying/returns-refunds/returns-missing-items-refunds-buyers?id=4008

[goldguy22k · Accepted solution]

Hey Sorry to see anyone upset.  It stinks to get scammed. 

However, might I suggest trusting a bit and taking a deep breath? 

First you are fully protected under ebay's Buyer Protection Program, so you are not going to loose anything - just perhaps some time.

Second, one has no indication that in fact they were scammed.  The seller could have several MacBooks they were selling and decided to list a second one.  Sellers are sometimes lazy and reuse pictures .  Getting nervous and trying to cancel an order 8-minutes after placing it can lead to issues.

Sellers are not required under ebay rules to accept a "request to cancel" an order.  I know the wording maybe a bit off, but when you put in a "cancel" it is nothing more than a request to the seller.

So, go and find the sale in your Purchase History and see what is the last day of the estimated delivery date or range that ebay provides.  If the item does not arrive on that last day, THE NEXT DAY, you can go to the Resolution Center (link at the bottom of every page) and open what is called a "case" - Item Not Received.  The process will take a few days as ebay gives the buyer time to make it right.  If the buyer does not act within the time frame required, you ask ebay to step in and ebay will issue the refund from the buyer's funds. Also the seller will get a defect on his account for an unresolved case.

So no worries, you will either get your MacBook or your money back!  You are protected.

Now one more thing, IF the MacBook comes and there are issues - come back to the boards and describe in detail what were the problems BEFORE doing anything else.  

So take a deep breath, I know this can be scary, but most sellers are hard-working honest people.  What makes it difficult often as a seller is a "scared" customer who get nervous, gets excited, doesn't follow the ebay rules and then decides the whole place is a scam.  It isn't.  The protections ebay gives the buyers are tremendous (even onerous to sellers) - IF you play by the rules!

So good luck, hang in there!  This is going to work out in the end.

[platypuskiwi]

Thank you. I appreciate your time to answer. This whole thing has me stressed out since the purchase was expensive and I can’t afford to loose that kind of money. Thanks again. I really appreciate it. 

[ky9991]

@goldguy22k wrote:

Second, one has no indication that in fact they were scammed.

If so @goldguy22k, curious how this seller put our OP's shipping address onto the USPS label 8 days prior to the purchase.

@platypuskiwi wrote:

I asked for a tracking number today and received one. Upon tracking with the provided number USPS says that the item shipping label was created 8 days ago and is awaiting the item.

[mspirit57]

Take a deep breath!

I have many of the same item.  As an item sells, I will list the next one. 

This doesn’t mean I am not shipping the one you purchased. 

[steviesgirl17]

Same issue with different item! It's been weeks and no shipping placed and my money is gone! Seller is shoponlinedeals? I need help!

[sam9876]

https://resolutioncenter.ebay.com/

[platypuskiwi]

UPDATE: 

I contacted the seller again to ask if they had given me the wrong tracking number. They replied and said they would look. Shortly after that they deleted every item they were selling from eBay. I have not heard anything back from them. I then saw they had some new feedback. It was from a person that bought the same MacBook as me. They said that the seller never shipped the MacBook. Because of this information I then proceeded to contact the seller asking for the order to be canceled to avoid wasting my time. I’ll post any new details regarding the matter as soon as they arise. 

[goldguy22k]

While I know you just wanted this to go away, the way you did things will NOT effect the seller.  Asking to cancel the order means the seller gets off the hook, when in fact the seller is to blame.

IF you had waited & filed a case and had it closed out in your favor, then the seller would get a defect on his account.  Since he failed to ship to another buyer,  this new defect would be significant.  Not sure how many of these defects it takes, but a pattern of such and ebay will ban the seller - which helps all of us.

But at this point, it does not appear as though you have gotten your money back?  Took me a while to learn that in situations like this I was going to "win" when I used my brain, and not when emotions drove my decisions.

You may indeed have to wait until the last day of ebay's delivery estimate befoe filing an INR case and then waiting the correct length of time before asking ebay to close it in your favor.

So good luck.  

[goldguy22k]

@steviesgirl17

Hey, I know I stumbled on this when 1st on the boards, but ebay has a policy against "naming & shaming" others.  So you CAN mention you had problems with a seller, but you CAN NOT name that seller here.

You can read the policy here:

https://community.ebay.com/t5/About-the-Community/Rules-of-Engagement/m-p/26164369

Note #8 in particular

[platypuskiwi]

I guess I will have to do that. I was just giving the seller an option. It would be nice to get my money back as soon as possible so it was worth a try. 

[steviesgirl17]

Thank you, I want to follow the correct policy and was unaware...