help please re invalid seller's address and postage method

[grevilleas4me]

I bought and paid for an item which included postage - have not received it yet - but have received a card from PO saying parcel to be collected with postage to pay.    Parcel has no sender's details.

I emailed the seller saying "do you think this is your parcel and maybe you forgot to put stamps on?"  - as it is an hours drive to PO and I want to be sure - no answer from seller

I obtained what little information I can about seller's contact details - using the contact information form - and the seller's town, phone number and postage are all invalid.    There is no such town.    The phone number is not correct for the state. 

What options are available to me now?

[harley_babes_hoard]

Well it depends how badly you want the item. For me I wouldn't collect it, otherwise you will pay the fee and if I wasn't getting an answer from the seller the chances of getting reimbursed by the seller are slim to none. I would wait a week or so then open up a item not received dispute. If the seller can't prove they sent it you will most likely be refunded by paypal if you paid that way.

After receiving a refund I would give appropriate and report seller to ebay for false details.

[the_great_she_elephant]

If all the seller's details are false, then I suspect if you do pay the postage and collect the package you may find it doesn't contain what you paid for, anyway.

I'd open an item not received dispute right away.

[*crikey*mate*]

To really cover yourself

Just in case the package was a parcel and thus does have tracking but was underpaid, I would also ring eBay and fill them in, because a) Yiou can report the seller for false contact information (and I believe this is a valid reason to cancel the transaction) and b) if the seller can prove postage and it shows as you refused to collect, the onus may fall back on you (not sure how underpaid postage is handled)

I would also phone PayPal and fill them in as well, ask their advice on how to proceed.

I know this might be an outside chance, but if you have only recently c9ontacted the seller, it is a long weekend, they may be away and not checked their messages, so are none the wiser of the situation.

Plus, I know some members will roll their eyes at the suggestion to ring eBay and PayPal - but there are enough stories on the boards of situations going pear shaped and the innocent party being penalized. This isn't an ordinary situation, it is one with a few problems making iot more complex and eBay seems to have no real set way to handle "tricky situations" that aren't usual iykwim. History shows their decisions could go either way.

Additionally, this is a service provided BY them for you to use. They want you to use the service, it's what we all pay fees for.

For most issues, advice, support and questions, the boards and the multitude of knowledgeable members are more beneficial than ringing eBay, but when more complex issues crop up, IMO, best to really have yopurself covered as you will find that the outcome obtained by one member may be different to the outcome realized by yourself.

Ring eBay, don't email (its a free call) and have them make notes on your file, just in case you need something to go back on later. Get PayPal in the loop too - Ring them, again, it is a free number.

Best of luck with it,