Dodgy sellers. What can we even do? Please help

[leanneh7161]

I was ripped off royally by an eBay seller then it wouldn’t let me report him. I’ve messaged and messaged for so long and again recently and they won’t and I’m helpless.  I purchased something else recently that claimed free postage now they are asking for money to post it. This isn’t ok. When I looked to even report it was hard to navigate and sounds like my story is one of many 

[sandypebbles]

With the first seller

I am not sure how you were ripped off ?

What actually happened ?

Other members here cannot give much helpful advice with no details

eBay side with the buyer 99% of the time, so long as the buyer uses the tools available to avoid being ripped off

Apart from sending the seller messages,

Did you check their feedback before buying?

Did you pay by a safe payment method?

did you open the appropriate dispute?



The second seller 

The 'free' postage, can you confirm it was indeed free to your area

And that you were not seeing 'free postage' via the eBay app on a phone (which has a long history of showing 'free' when it is not)



Yes, there are a lot of stories about bad bad sellers

But buyers have all the power to either avoid them in the first place, or get help if they do buy from one

[jellybirddesigns]

You don't need to negotiate back and forth with a seller - just open the relevant case and get your money back.

Ebay gives you all the tools you need, but you have to use them in a timely manner.

If the time frame for opening a case on Ebay has passed, you can still open one in Paypal as you get 180 days.

It would help to have a bit more info.

[daydreams_12]

There are many members on these boards with a wealth of knowledge.  As stated none is able to help you without more details as to what has happened.  If you provide them here, someone just may be able to help.

Ebay neither read or reply to these posts.  All here are other members.

[leanneh7161]

Sorry I’m really unwell and trying to follow the guidelines eBay gives you to post within. The first seller looked like an Australian seller but I don’t think they are at all. They sold me a faulty item. It was like he blocked me I couldn’t report or leave feedback even. He claimed he was sending the motor needed etc but took my money and continued to operate and it won’t let me report it for some reason. The second claimed it was free shipping then after I had paid etc they sent me an email saying I needed to pay x amount of dollars or they couldn’t ship my order or they could just refund me. That’s going to take apparently 5 days to go in my account. If they had just been honest I wouldn’t of purchased through them as it’s higher than the ones with shipping.  I always check reviews etc but they also hide reviews and really are not honest.  And yes I did that but it wouldn’t it was like I was somehow blocked. 

[countessalmirena]

Post the item numbers here, and perhaps the responders here can take a took at the items, to see what might be happening.

When did you purchase? Transaction date is an important factor.

[papermoon.lady]

When a seller blocks you, you cannot buy from this seller and/or send messages to this seller, but you should certainly be able to leave feedback or report him/her. If blocking affected these options, every scammer could block buyers who have been ripped off so that they can't do anything.

Are you sure there isn't another reason why you can't leave feedback for the first seller? You only have 60 days to leave feedback.

What steps are you following to report the seller?

[leanneh7161]

You can’t. eBay has guidelines where you can’t even state the product the seller that did wrong. So many things hence why my post was so vague. The first one has been an ongoing issue the second only recently. I sent a message to eBay yesterday about the second but they done nothing about the first either. It’s cost me to much money that I can’t afford to lose. With zero help from eBay. I won’t be buying from any eBay stores again. There’s something not right 

[sandypebbles]

This forum is not run by eBay, I am not sure which ebay guidelines you refer to or who gave you such information

the rule here on the forum is you cannot name the seller

You can certainly name the product, post the item number  etc

On eBay, reviews and feedback are two different things

Buyers MUST go the right way about getting help or eBay will do nothing

Where are you sending the messages to? 

There should be no ongoing issues if the correct disputes (different to reporting a seller) are opened within the time limit given

eBay side with the buyer 99% of the time, but nobody can or will step in if the tools provided to buyers are not used

[springyzone]

I think everyone here has given you the best advice they can in the circumstances, without knowing all the details.

Basically, it comes down to this: If things go wrong in a transaction, what you need to do is open an official ebay claim. Not negotiate back and forth with a seller. Sure, you can do them the courtesy of a message to let them know what a problem is, but if they start down the path of 'I'll send another one... Oh it hasn't arrived? keep waiting etc etc" then you have to pull the plug. You have to. You can't let any seller mess you around.

What you need to do are these things.

1. Pay only in a safe way eg with paypal. No matter what a seller says, don't pay any other way. They have to allow some safe method.

2. You only get about 30 days after the estimated arrival date of your item in which to open an ebay claim for a refund. So your first job is to keep an eye on that date and no matter what a seller promises, you make sure you open a claim before then.

3. You only get 60 days in which to leave feedback. If it is important to you and you want to leave a comment, make sure you get in before this. You can always leave a follow up comment later if anything changes.

4. You get 180 days to make a paypal claim. If you paid by paypal, open a claim now if your ebay claim time has expired. Only one claim allowed at a time so try ebay first, paypal after that if ebay fails to come through. never the other way around.

5. If an item is genuinely free postage to your area, a seller cannot demand more. Stick out for that refund.

6. Reporting the seller for an offence is well and good but you have already said you are not in the best of health at the moment and presumably not feeling up to too much time and effort online. So sort out your priorities. In this case, it is getting your money back, first and foremost. So if you do nothing else online today with ebay, get a claim opened.

Then once that is underway, you can later try the feedback (although if you are past the 60 day deadline, you have missed the boat. Don't fret too much about that.) Feedback isn't the same as a review on the product. If it is some brand name product available here in Australia, dare I say it but there are sites other than ebay where you CAN leave a review.

Reporting a bad seller to ebay. That's your last port of call and if it doesn't work, it doesn't work. Just get your money back at least. Good luck. Ebay can have some dodgy sellers but as long as you buy from Australian sellers and check feedback, most of the time it should be okay.