Timings and taking action

[seb_frenchy]

Is it possible to report or engage anything before the delivery date has passed?
I just bought an item. 10days after cleared payment, it still hasn’t been posted. Seller wouldn’t not reply to any messages and has gone from 98 to 89% positive feedback within a week. Isn’t it enough signs for eBay to at least look into it even if there’s still a week to go to the estimated delivery date?

[enigmabear]

If you have not reported it how would eBay even be aware of it?

Only going off what you have said, it *could* potentially be a hijacked account. Certainly would explain the big drop in feedback % and the lack of response 

Is this the seller registered in Hong Kong?

[twyngwyn]

they've only been selling for 6 months & have gone downhill really fast - either hijacked or fraudulent

[brerrabbit585]

Just don't make the mistake of opening a paypal case too early because ebay require proof of delivery but paypal don't, and once you close a paypal case you can't open an ebay one.  Ask for more advice before you do anything.  I don't know who the seller is but if it looks like you won't get your item you haven't got anything to lose by being patient a bit longer.

[enigmabear]

I am just assuming it is the last person to leave the OP feedback as they are at 89.4% and 14 negs in the past month, some sold from China and some from Hong Kong and now feedback comments are private 

[eol-products]

Their listings are well below market price and have been copied from other sellers so I would go with hijacked account. 

[seb_frenchy]

Twyngwyn.
Trust me I’ve tried, eBay refused twice to take any action or even to have a closer look at this account because the delivery date wasn’t over when they clearly mentioned in some previous articles that if a problem occurred and you tried to contact the seller with no response over next 3days, they would step in. How am I expecting to receive something from Hong Kong on July 8th when it clearly hasn’t been sent? That was my only question to eBay. Got told to wait until I don’t receive the order, and open a forever long case to get $80 back. I was pretty happy to spend the money for the item. Sure if I don’t get the item, money back is always nice. But at the end of the day, I generally don’t go shopping with the purpose of coming back full of cash...
Seller wouldn’t reply to messages, but had the guts to give me a positive feedback saying it was a smooth and enjoyable transaction. We obviously don’t have the same definition for these words. Just wish I could show him a dictionary in person.

[springyzone]

Their feedback is now around 78% so yes, there is a problem and I'd say you are not likely to receive the item.

You've done your best to alert ebay to a problem but I would imagine they would be unlikely to act on seller accounts over items that are not yet due to be delivered. Once the claims for reimbursement start rolling in, that will be another matter.

They do sometimes act on reports, though when this seller account will be suspended, I have no idea. I think ebay will eventually act but in their own timeline.

Your main concern though has to be about getting your money back.

I know you would like it immediately, but realistically, you may have to wait a few days. It won't be forever.

As soon as the due date has passed, open an ebay claim for item not received. That should see you get your money back within days.

So you may be looking at about 11 days or so before you get your refund.

If it is an immediate refund you are after, there is a possibility it could work faster with a paypal claim. I know of one seller who had someone open a paypal claim for item not received within 15 mins of a sale (it was a pick up item). The buyer was refunded in full next day.

So you could open a paypal claim right now. And maybe get a speedier refund.

But should you. I would listen to brer rabbit if i were you. If you wait a few more days, you can open an ebay claim and if that fails (which would be very unlikely), you have a fall back and could open a paypal claim.

But if you open paypal claim now and it is rejected, you can't then turn around and open an ebay claim later.

So it is your call but if you can wait just a few more days, you'll be covering all bases.

[seb_frenchy]

Well, tomorrow is the day of opening the case. And it’s what gets me in all that. Since June 17th, the fraudulent seller has been left alone, free to scam more people when I tried to report him 4days after. It’s a bit like hanging off a cliff with only one thread left and rescuers tell you that they can’t do anything for you it’s confirmed that you’ll get hurt as a result of the fall. It’s just nonsense that eBay can’t or won’t do anything about suspicious accounts until the delivery date. With a close monitoring to avoid abuses, eBay should be able/willing to look into accounts that are being reported no matter what date it is. And by recognising the signs on time, maybe put a block on that account to avoid other people to get scammed. And that, even if it is before the expected (now unexpected) delivery date.
Anyway, thanks everyone for comments/answers/interest you showed for my little story.