Options for item not received, paid by bank transfer

[jo.sta]

Hi there,

I'm an Australian buyer who bought a mobile from a fellow Aussie on ebay. The item is quite costly ($1.7k) and she was only able to accept bank transfer as payment.
Subsequent to payment, it took her a week before she finally sent a message stating that she had been unwell, and she would send the item in a few days or I can ask for a refund.

It has been two weeks and she has done neither, despite my messages and ebay requests. There is also no further communication on her end.

We both reside in the state of Victoria which lulled me into a false sense of reassurance. Given it was bank transfer, there is no ebay money bank guarantee (which I didn't know at time of purchase.)

What are my options moving forward? I have filed a concern with ebay, but still no response.

[4channel]

Hi, very sorry to hear of your situation. There's probably not a lot you can do as you don't have the PayPal protection and without a credit card, you can't do the charge-back.

'

Could you please provide item number. Also without giving details on seller, what was the rating of seller?

[4channel]

Looking at your situation, if you get no joy from the seller and can't contact directly, then this belowpost by anotrher member on an earlier and similar thread may give a route to travel.

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Seller sold me item; then would only accept Direct Deposit; I paid; nothing sent; can't dispute?

in reply to 2minute2

on ‎06-14-2017 01:41 PM

@tazzieterror wrote:

Talk directly to the fraud department of your bank.  Without any other information to go on, this screams "scam" to be me.

Also, you have the option to request the seller's details from eBay (but be aware if you do this, eBay also sends them yours) - see here - I'd be doing this and then letting the seller know their local police deparment will be getting a call about the matter shortly.

https://community.ebay.com.au/t5/Buying/Seller-sold-me-item-then-would-only-accept-Direct-Deposit-I-...

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[jellybirddesigns]

Unfortunately, it sounds like you've been scammed.

Generally sellers have to offer a safe way of paying, such as Paypal, but some scamming sellers get around this by exploiting a loophole.

I always run a country mile if a listing forces me into paying by BT only.

I guess I'm still mystified why buyers would send a small fortune to a random seller rather than buying from a reputable B&M store, or even a reputable online store.

Contact your bank right now and tell them you believe that you have been scammed. They will have the bank transfer details, so press them hard to pursue it.

[offroad7400]

You've been SCAMMED unfortunately. Your only saviour is your bank but I would not hold out too much hope. The eBay account was possibly hacked.

Check the sellers feedback and sold items for clues and if they have any other items for sale, report to eBay as fraud using the link in the listing.

[jo.sta]

oh absolutely agree with you. 

I have been an ebay user for more than ten years, and unfortunately the most expensive item I have bought ends up to be the one time I've been a victim of fraud. 

thanks for your advice though!