thank you everyone! I have opened a paypal case

@electronics-shop wrote:

Hello, I need some guidance.

 

I purchased an item on eBay, but it never arrived. Within the 30-day Money Back Guarantee window, I contacted the seller and reported the problem. The seller admitted the item hadn’t been delivered and promised to re-send it.

 

Since then, I’ve followed up multiple times asking for tracking, but the seller never provided any proof of shipment. Each time they just said they’d “take care of it,” but nothing ever happened. Now the 30-day case window has closed, and I’m stuck without the item or a refund.

 

Key points:

 

• I message the seller about the issue within the eBay Guarantee timeframe.

• The seller admitted non-delivery and agreed to re-ship.

• I made several follow-ups, but the seller failed to provide tracking or resolution.

• I’m now outside the 30-day system window, but only because the seller stalled.

 

Has anyone dealt with this situation before? Will eBay still step in since I raised the issue within the proper timeframe? Should I escalate to customer support directly, or try PayPal/credit card protection as backup?

 

Any advice from the community or moderators would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thank you!

What you did privately will probably not influence ebay. The main issue is you did not open a proper ebay claim within 30 days of receiving your item.

For the future: never accept an offer of a replacement. Just say no, I would like a refund.

Think about it. A replacement just pads out the time & the 30 days may pass, which is exactly what some sellers hope for. Yes, it has happened to others.

Ebay is unlikely to step in as you actually didn't raise the issue with them at all within the time frame.

However, you can contact them and speak to a rep (go through the help link). Talk and explain, see if they can look at your messages and if they will do something.

I doubt they will but at least you can try. You should quickly do it right now.

If that gets you nowhere then and only then make a paypal claim. You can't have both types of claims open at the same time and if you open a paypal claim, you can't go back to ebay. So best to always try ebay first, then later paypal.

Open a claim today. There should be 180 days, especially as this is a claim for an item never received. Make sure you stay on top of the paypal claim and follow it up. If you have used paypal a fair bit with never a claim, it is even possible you will get an automatic refund on the spot, that happened to me once.

Stop communicating with the seller, open your paypal claim now.

I think the advice would be universal

Avoid buying from dodgy sellers

Use the tools you are given within the time limit

The seller stalled, and you allowed them to. You, the buyer have all the power

Yes, the time limit is 30 days

Don't waste your time playing with the seller for over a month

Open the case and follow through with it, within the time limit

You are not covered if you do your own thing/what the seller says

If you used PayPal, here in Oz, you have 180 days

Not sure if it is the same in The US

 I've just noticed that you're in the US  and you've posted on the Australian boards.

The advice should be the same, but log out here  and  log into ebay.com

You shouldn't have let the seller play you.

eBay can't help you now , after the 30 day limit.

If you paid by Paypal , you have 180 days from payment date to file a claim for item not received.

As a last resort, a chargeback with your bank