Buyer doesn't pay then sends fake echeque but eBay closes case!

[kustomizer99]

Has this happened to anyone else?

A buyer didn't pay for an item and made no response, so after 10 days I opened an unpaid item dispute.

The buyer then issued a PayPal eCheque and eBay recorded the payment as received, even though it would take several days for the funds to clear.

I've been informed by PayPal today that this eCheque has failed and they have cancelled the transaction. There is however no record in PayPal of the dispute ever even occurring, as if they've just erased it.

But even worse is that Ebay still consider the 'payment' to have been made, and I cannot reopen an unpaid item dispute. When I try to do so, I simply get told that the case is closed and I can't proceed any further in contacting anyeone at Ebay about it.

What the heck do I do next? Is anyone else tired of these time-wasting, inept loopholes for scammers?!?!

[phorum_junkie*]

They probably selected to pay through their bank account and because they had a card on file it went through as instant but then when they had no funds in their bank account it would revert to being an echecque almost immediately especially if Paypal tried to take the money from the card and it was maxed out too.

I still say you should call Ebay, ignore a certain member who keeps telling you phone help is useless, it is because their problem is one that can only be discussed through Trust & Safety which has no phone contact.

I have never had anything but exemplary service through their phone support and my problem has always been solved.

[moonlyte]

Probably a Paypal problem. This was the post I just made in the PS forum:

"Hi folks.

Woke up this morning to find that all eCheques(pending for to be cleared) had disappeared from my Paypal account, and that I've received an email with the heading "PayPal eCheque payment failed" for all these missing eCheques, with the below message:

"An eCheque payment from XXX (email address) could not be processed from the sender's bank. Please do not post any items. We have canceled this transaction and advise that you contact the sender to make new payment arrangements.

Please contact XXX regarding this payment."


If the buyers had cancelled their eCheques, then the transaction would still appear in Paypal, but as cancelled.

Anyone else experiencing this?"

[kustomizer99]

Weird - -I checked my eBay on the iPad, and on there it states, correctly, that the item IS unpaid!

I still haven't heard back from eBay on this, despite their automated assurance that they'd get back to me within 48 hours. I REALLY don't want to ring them up and waste half an hour of my time trying to explain the case to someone who can barely comprehend English.

[*new2vintage]

It's easier and quicker to resolve an issue over the phone but if you " really don't want to " it might not be resolved.

[phorum_junkie*]

When a Paypal payment fails or even if you refund it takes a while for it to filter through and once more appear in ebay as unpaid. As Paypal appear to be having a few problems at the moment it probably took an extra day or two to happen.

[kustomizer99]

Hmmmm, I just now made a payment through PP and the follwoing message came up at the end:

'Your payment is still processingIf your payment is declined for some reason, you’ll see your items under Awaiting payment in My eBay. You should then try your payment again.'

It seems there's definitely something going on with them, maybe they've been hacked.

[kustomizer99]

'It's easier and quicker to resolve an issue over the phone but if you " really don't want to " it might not be resolved.'

That certainly hasn't been my experience with eBay, but I'll get onto them that way if need be.

[kustomizer99]

OK, eBay hasn't bothered to respond to my email about this, so I'll have to ring them -- their phone number is very well hidden of course - -anyone have it handy?

[kustomizer99]

OK I found the number and called it... after going through all the rigmarole with the automated voice, it tells me my wait time will be approx 5 minutes...forget it, not on the mobile thanks. They must 'resolve' a lot of complaints that way 🙂

[phorum_junkie*]

As it is a freephone number from a landline do you not know someone with a 'real' phone you can use?