How to get a refund from fraudulent eBay Manga Figurine Seller from China
Summary: homerlee57 purchased two figurines from a Chinese eBay seller, but instead of receiving the items, they were only sent a letter to simulate a shipment. After attempting to resolve the issue through eBay's resolution center, they feel frustrated as they suspect no action will be taken and believe their money is lost. sandypebbles and springyzone advised them that it's unlikely eBay will help after so many months and suggested avoiding purchases from questionable sellers in the future. countessalmirena mentioned the importance of acting within eBay's claim timeframe, which is typically a 30-day window from the estimated delivery date, emphasizing the need to open a claim for 'Item Not As Described' rather than 'Item Not Received' given the situation.
Hi.
I purchased two figurines from an eBay seller based in China. They appear to have multiple accounts here. I ordered the items in December 2025. One was listed as a pre-sale. I know, I should have known better. Instead of shipping the figurines, they sent me a letter via courrier to simulate a shipment and pretend that the items were shipped. I've been given the runaround since then, with fake ETA's and nonesense. Of course it's not possible to leave any kind of feedback, which explains why they have little negative feedback in the first place. I've contacted the eBay resolution centre but I suspect that these are largely useless. I'm not hoping for a resolution and my money is probably forever stuck in some chinese thieve's account. So if you're thinking of getting a resin anime/mange statue from a Chinese seller on eBay, be mindful that all you might get is a letter and lots of headaches. Such a shame that these business practices are allowed.
countessalmirena
·3 months ago@sandypebbles Yes… 7 months is just too long. Chargeback - well, it’s possible but the bank would be asking why the request to do a chargeback was so delayed.
@springyzone It boggles the mind that a buyer would wait so long to act, especially knowing that the seller is a Chinese eBay seller and has apparently abused the presale conditions!
OP, there are protections on eBay but they are not automatic, nor is the protection open-ended. You have 30 days from the latest EDD (Estimated delivery date) to open a claim under the MBG, not a gnat’s nerve-width more.
Don’t ever wait beyond the available timeframe. There are no exceptions.
Also… just keep in mind that the “simulated delivery envelope” means you cannot claim INR (item not received), and you’d instead need to open a claim for Item Not As Described.
springyzone
·3 months agoWhen you start a chat, you are right, you are with ebay bots for a while but eventually you can be passed to a real person.
After 7 months though, they are not going to help you. Or I very much doubt it.
The second you received notice the item had been shipped or delivered and it was only a letter, you should have been opening a claim then. It sounds as if you did what you thought was the courteous thing, and which ebay often advocares, and contacted the seller, only to be lied to and delayed.
Some sellers do this on purpose as they know very well there is a limited wondow of opportunity for a buyer to open a claim.
I am sorry you got taken in and yes, I am pretty sure you've lost your money, but what disappoints me is there doesn't seem to be any flexibility with ebay where a customer who has been lied to or delayed can appeal to ebay and have their case investigated, even if the 30 day window is well expired.
And some sellers get away with very poor practices without ever being kicked off ebay.
My suggestion for the future is check seller location and never, ever buy from someone located in China for anything of value, or where you might need an authentic article, warranty or an electrical piece that won't burn the house down.
You've missed out on your figurines but some people are getting some highly unsafe stuff from China. Ebay care factor... isn't high.
sandypebbles
·3 months agoNothing you can do after 7 months
MAY be a slight chance of doing a chargeback through your bank, but I suspect even that is too long
You are correct, after 7 months eBay is not going to do a thing
And I would never in a million years ever consider buying anything from a questionable seller in China and expect eBay will help 7 months later
homerlee57
OP3 months agoIndeed. I just got off the eBay chat. I suspect these are all AI bots. They just gave me the runaround, just as the seller did. I'm shocked that these practices are allowed. Note to buyers thinking about buying resin statues from chinese sellers; be prepared to kiss you money goodbye. I'm going to contact my bank and see if they can help. Wish I could sue eBay for allowing these things to happen.
Thank you for replying.
countessalmirena
·3 months agoTest reply to sandy… @ not showing your username…