This will be somewhat of a long post but I have a TLDR for those who want to scroll to the bottom. To those who have the patience to read through the the entire post, thank you.

I recently made a purchase for a collectors edition costing over $500. The seller had this listed as brand new with a thorough product description stating that the condition of the item was "box in excellent condition",  "never opened and stored since purchase" and "stored carefully". Postage was listed for express + signature so I thought, great I'd be able to receive this within the next couple of days. At this point I was excited and looking forward to adding this to my existing collection.

After roughly 3-4 days I noticed that no tracking was available. I reached out to the seller to confirm if there were any issues with shipping or if it simply wasn't updated on eBay. Later that day a tracking number was uploaded but no package was sent/ received by Australia Post. I gave it 2 more days, still nothing. So I reached out again and asked if the seller could clarify if anything was posted? Again, crickets. At this point I found it highly suspicious that the seller has made zero communication and almost a week without postage despite uploading tracking. I waited a further couple of days until eBay's estimated delivery date was due. At this point the tracking number was no longer valid and the seller now finally responds and claims that something unexpected happened and he is posting it now. I replied almost immediately and said that shipping has been extremely late and I have received no communication. Again, no response. I gave it another day and asked if he could confirm what shipping method was used as item was listed for express + signature. And yet again, no response. I call Australia Post to confirm shipping details and discover that the seller had posted standard without signature.

I didn't want to take any risks as this was starting to feel like a scam and immediately called eBay and filed for a claim for item not delivered. The seller now promptly responds to the claim and apologises for the delay, reassuring that the collectors item is in transit and would be arriving. 

I remain patient and wait for the item to see if I had been scammed and was being sent rocks or if the collectors edition item would arrive. The item arrives in the next 5 days and I eagerly bring it in hoping that despite this taking almost a fortnight longer than it should, maybe, just maybe I have received the brand new collectors edition. For my safety and for evidence, I record the unboxing. To my dismay, upon opening the box, I was met with pungent smell of cigarettes. The item inside covered in a brown/orange dust, cigarette soot perhaps? It was absolutely filthy, covered in dead bugs. I carefully remove the item from the box and discover severe damage and tears in the corner of the box, seals already broken. Which supposedly, by the sellers product description was "in excellent condition" and "never opened and stored since purchase". I return the item to the box trying to preserve it in the exact condition that it arrived - filthy. And clean up the mess of orange dust and dead bugs that's left on my floor tiles.

I'm now on the phone with eBay and explain that the item has been delivered but is not as described and the listing is false. I close the case of item not delivered and ask the agent to file for item not as described. The seller has the audacity to respond to the case stating that the item was shipped in perfect condition exactly as outlined in the product description. I ask eBay what are my options if a seller chooses not to supply a return label and they ask me to call again in 5 days - before they can step in.

Another 5 days past and I am on the phone with eBay yet again. I explain the situation and this time I am told that eBay will generate a shipping label for the seller and I am required to send the item back, and WAIT ANOTHER 3 DAYS for the seller to refund me. If they don't I will need to call again. By this point I am furious. I am at my limit for my patience. It has been almost a month of being told to wait/communicate with the seller. I state that the seller has made no communication with me other than making false claims, declined to issue a refund label, and now I am asked, yet again, to wait for shipping and another 3 business days to allow the seller to refund me? I make it clear that I will be returning this item - at the expense of my money and time - but I request that the refund to be processed immediately upon the tracking label showing delivered; without any further dealing with the seller. They say that this is not possible as I will need to wait till the seller refunds me and if they don't then I will be protected by eBay Money Back Guarantee and be refunded by eBay.  I ask to speak to a supervisor and they are unwilling. So I thank them for their time and I call again later in the day. Explain the situation again, ask to see if this could be escalated to a supervisor - declined again. And a third time, declined again. But at least in the third call the eBay agent says she can make a note that the refund can be issued once the item is showed as delivered - I am suspicious that this is to simply get me off the line and probably wouldn't actually happen.

So here I am, writing to the eBay community.

How exactly, do I escalate this to a supervisor so that I can speak to someone who doesn't read off a script? I am concerned that this will get dragged on further than it already has and risk losing my money in a situation of he said, she said. Or worse yet lose my rights to protection under eBay Money Back Guarantee if this continues to get dragged on. This experience has been very poor and I am now very hesitant to buy from eBay again if this is what it involves. Are there even any repercussions to a dishonest seller who lies and makes false claims? 

TLDR: Purchased an expensive collectors edition item listed as brand new. After much delay, received the item but in a disgusting used condition. Seller makes false claims and denies everything. eBay agents read off a script and are unhelpful.  I do not want this to drag on any further or be at risk of losing my money. How do I escalate and speak to a supervisor?