posted on September 27, 2001 12:33:01 PM new
HI all,
Would like some ideas and advice concerning an eBay seller.
I purchased a vintage jewelry item from this seller last spring, paid by check which included INSURANCE.
The seller then let his list of customers know he was going on an extended trip and would return in the fall. Meanwhile, I never receive the item. My e-mails go unanswered. I decided to give this seller the benefit of the doubt and wait until his return.
A couple weeks ago, he again e-mailed his list of customers, letting everyone know he was back and would be selling again. I took the opportunity to inquire about the item. He told me it had been mailed, and provided the item # and date. So I responded by requesting his assistance in filing an insurance claim.
No response. I sent a followup e-mail, which he deleted without reading. (AOL includes this information). Any ideas? I am having trouble accessing eBay's pages to leave feedback after 90 days, and I cannot obtain his user information because the transaction is no longer in the database. I have been in touch with eBay's Fraud Dept. and am awaiting a reply from them.
Filed a fraud complaint against seller, easy as pie. Any other ideas? Does anyone know how to file feedback after 90 days? I keep getting an error message when I try to access the ebay page.
posted on September 30, 2001 03:07:27 PM new
If you happen to have a friend that is a lawyer, maybe they can write a "letter". This letter might just get them to respond to you. I knew a lawyer who was willing to send a seller a letter and they responded to me quite quickly. It doesn't mean that you will get your money back, or even the item, but at least the seller will know that they might have legal action taken against them. Plus, if they paid for insurance, they just have to file a claim. This seller seems to figure that you won't take legal action. In fact, if you have a valid claim, you might even consider taking them to small claims court. If they don't show, you normally win by default. Even if they don't pay the claim plus your costs, it might go on their credit report. Imagine them getting denied a credit card because of some little legal judgement. That is part of the reason why we all pay our debts, its because it will ruin our credit. Do with this information what you will...
"In pioneer days they used oxenfor heavy pulling, and when one ox couldn't budge a log, they didn't try to grow a larger ox. We shouldn't be trying for bigger computers, but for more systems of computers." - Grace Hopper
posted on September 30, 2001 03:49:05 PM new
bid on another of his items under your ID or another one.....then request his user info, you can get it then because you are now a bidder on his auction........then when it arrives just retract the bid,,call the deadbeat seller up
posted on September 30, 2001 03:56:36 PM new
Lisa,
Since the item is no longer in the database, it would appear that your options for feedback are limited....maybe a guru here can come up with a back door
Normally, when I win an auction, I save the winning page 3 ways; as a web archive with all the images included for offline viewing; as a HTML source file to interface with eBay; and, as a plain text file as a backup. I also save any enlarged photos as seperate jpgs....
I've never left FB as late as you desire to so I don't know if the feedback link in a web archive of the item page would still work......didn't see a definitive answer to that possibility on the eBay FB boards...
Did you peruse the seller's feedback to assertain that they did in fact take a hiatus? Also, were there any other buyers who left feedback on transactions which had an ending similar to yours during that time period?
Can you obtain a copy of the cancelled check?
Have you contacted eBay about insurance coverage applicable to your purchase?
The lack of co-operation by the seller at this juncture smells a bit fishy to me.....you might try pulling their contact info and calling them. That may not be possible because the item has expired but you could place a bid on one of their current auctions to get their info and then retract your bid.
Sorry I can't be of more help....I've bought a lot of vintage jewelry on eBay and haven't yet run into this problem....you can e-mail me privately from my profile if you want to discuss any details further...
posted on September 30, 2001 06:25:28 PM new
Thanks for the ideas and suggestions, though I'm not sure calling the person at this point would help since he won't respond to my e-mails.
Actually I do have a print-out of the auction page though I do so much buying on eBay it wouldn't be handy for me to archive everything, and yes, the seller did seem to take a legitimate hiatus -- no other related negs/neutrals though he did just change his selling id (same account though). I do have a copy of my cancelled check.
Good news! I have been in touch with eBay and they will assist me with their fraud complaint/insurance claim process at this juncture, given the strange circumstances surrounding the seller's hiatus and his refusal to assist with a postal insurance loss report. I also went ahead and filed a Postal Fraud claim with the USPS, as well as police report in his city (which is across the country from me, so small claims court may not be a viable option -- plus the amount of the sale is not huge here, but it's the principle of the thing).
Pat, I agree that this seller's response is very fishy and unethical. I duly paid for insurance as he required, but if he no longer has the insurance receipt (which I suspect is the case), then it is his ethical obligation to reimburse me. He is just one of those sellers that we've been discussing on other threads that are what I call "sell and run" . . . a certain sub-set of sellers on eBay that have no respect or regard for their customers other than as ways to quickly pad their wallet. Then it's hey-di-ho.
posted on September 30, 2001 06:35:12 PM new
There is a limit to how long you can wait to file an insurance claim with the USPS. I think it's 60 days on the green form.
dendude
posted on September 30, 2001 07:02:13 PM new
Yeah, it was under $50 so it would have been the green form. I did e-mail the seller as soon as I realized the item was AWOL, but he was out of town (I guess) and no response even at that time.
posted on September 30, 2001 07:28:47 PM new
Lisa: did you try accessing feedback via the FB forum instead of just looking for the item page? You can leave FB there for any transactions at least up to 90 days - I just checked mine and its more like the last 100 days transactions. It only shows items for which you have not left FB.
