Ok I may be stretching a bit on subject matter but I trust you Dogs. Mods I'm sorry if this is not appropriate for this forum and please delete. I'm in the process of building and outdoor wood boiler. I wanted a gas powered cut off saw for cutting up various metal parts for the project. I found one on ebay that was advertised as new in box. The seller was named like a contractors supply outfit but had zero feedback. The opening bid was at a deal but not a steal. I thought that maybe it was someone just getting started on ebay and wanting to make a name for themselves. The listing wanted to be paid on paypal and advertised ebay buyers protection. I put in one bid at the starting bid and won the auction. After a lot of hesitation as to pay or not I decided to pay. I used paypal with my credit card for the paypal.

I figured I had the ebay buyers protection as well as my credit card company for fraud backup. Well it looks like I may need it as the auction ended and I paid on the 8th of Dec. I have had no reply to any of my emails so far and no contact at all from seller. I checked into the ebay buyers protection and I cannot even start a claim until about the 20th. Just wondering if any of you out there have had any dealings with ebay buyers protection or similar experience? were talking $750 here so it's going to hurt a bit if I'm screwed.

I never had any problems using eBay myself. more selling than buying but sometimes things start to suck either way. You just have to be patient and do your part. The best thing to do is treat it like it's a job that's paying you $750 if you do i right. Don't get frustrated or take anything personal because it just makes it harder for you to deal with the process. I suggest you call eBay asap and make sure that you talk to somebody to get your concerns noted and have some type claim number for the next time you call.. be patient, wait the exact time frame, and follow through with the process as you are supposed to. Make sure to get it noted again and take names of who you talked to. Do the same thing with your credit card company and treat it the same way.

The main thing is to get your money back and second is to not to let it bug you out.

Everything should turn out fine... Hope you find what you are looking for.

I have had to use buyer's protection. It takes ~30 days after you can log it, but I did get my money back. I have only had to use it once. Along with the advice above, I would continue to contact the seller and record all contact attempts. 3 days is a little long, but you never know what could be happening on their end. Good Luck.

Sorry for your trouble,but you never know whats happening on the sellers end.
I guess thats why you have to wait 30 days to file a claim with the bay.
I had a guy wait a week before shipping with no contact from him.
I guess he was busy spending the money. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" />
I'm sure one way or another,you'll get satisfaction......eventually.
Hang in there dog.

I like many others here use E-Bay on a very regular basis.

E-Mail the and tell them if they do not reply you will,

FILE A CLAIM AT ONCE!!!

By filing a claim you will be asked to check specific boxes to describe your purchase. The first thing E-Bay does is to contact the seller,no reply from them and it's off to stage two. They will then ask for the funds to be returned.
No response,stage three. They will instruct you how to get your funds back from Visa or whichever card back by deducting it from their account.

DO NOT wait. They had more than enough time,and NEVER buy from a Zero feedback seller...period.
Way too many scammers out there.

The longer you wait the less likely you will ever see your money again!<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/doh.gif" alt="" />


Peace.

It took me 7 months <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> to finally get a Pit-Bull ring that I ordered, but I kept at it. Last month I finally received it and am pleased with it. So, after a REASONABLE time, contact the seller, eBay, and start a claim. Sometimes there is a legitimate reason for no contact - unexpected trip, hospitalization, etc. So keep it civil, but keep at it! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

Thanks for the advise guys. I knew the zero feedback was a big red flag, The rest of the listing looked so legit along with the buyers protection banner, I just fell for it. It is still early so maybe something came up on the sellers end. But I have the gut feeling it's not right. I will try to send more contact attempts to seller and inform him of intent to file a claim. I kind of already attempted to do it through ebay and it said the earliest I could start would be Dec. 20, I think it was.

I have used ebay quite a bit also and should have known better. I did have a problem with a seller several years ago and Pay pal eventually refunded my money. But that was only a $50 knife.

Does anybody know how to find an actual customer service phone # with ebay, It seems they make it hard to actually talk to someone.

That's a long time to wait,and it sounds like you've been patient so far,but the waiting can drive a person a little nutzoid.
And yes,it may be due to an accident,illness,whatever.
But in my book,an honest seller would either be comatose, dead,or would have had someone contact you by now,to explain.The 'no responses' part,IMO, means it's time to stir up a response.
Here's how:

Call your credit card company now,today,on their 800 #.
Ask for their Fraud Protection Dept., or whatever they call it there.
Tell them you believe you may have lost $750 online, in a possible scam?
Don't make direct accusations;just describe the situation.
In several States,if not all,theft of >$500 online is a felony.
Although the seller is presumed innocent until proven guilty, the credit card company is required to report it for investigation by local authorities.
And if he has a business license,also to the Better Business Bureau.
Because if he fails to pay you,then it is up to the Credit Card company to reimburse you;if indeed you were scammed.

>>>No credit card company report; no possible fraudulent claim for them to pursue ( or end up paying! )<<<

Next, contact PayPal and tell them you've filed a report with your credit card company.

[ To contact PayPal Customer Service by phone,go to PayPal online,log in,click on "Contact Us",you will be given a 6-digit 'Customer Service PIN #' which is good for 60 minutes.Then call PayPal @ 888-221-1161 and tell them you have filed a possible fraud claim with your Credit Card Co. ]

Even if you reached a humanoid by phone @ eBay, at this point,it's not their problem...Eventually,they can ban him if he's a fraud,but your settlement will come from either the seller,PayPal or your Credit Card Co.

eBay is just the 'store window' you bought it from.

I'm a Psych & Chemical Dependency R.N.; not a lawyer,but this worked for me last year.

Apparently,the Police in his hometown must have gone to his door and asked him about his intentions to settle this,or face charges.
Because he sent me a refund...a bank cashiers check,overnighted by USPS.

Sorry this is so lengthy,and Good Luck,

~Gnarly

Thanks for the advise Gnarly,

I called the CC company and was told to start a dispute I would have to call on Monday during business hours.

I then called Pay Pal and was able to start a dispute through them. The rep said I would either get the saw or the money back. I feel a bit better now but won't rest easy until one or the other happens.

I'm thinking I will still follow through and dispute it at the CC company as well.

Glad to hear that the situation is being dealt with. I very rarely use ebay but that is because I do not use cc's. In fact, I don't think I have bought anything on ebay since they quite selling WWII Nazi and Japanse items along with assualt weapon parts.

Hope it get all taken care of.

Update: The seller has contacted me and said he was out of town, and he provided me with a FedEx tracking # sent out today. Hopefully I just got a bit antsy, we'll see.

Great news.