Anybody else get "roped" like this...

[comicwiz]

I send the seller a money-order for a comic. A few days pass, no email. I email the guy asking for an update. No response. A few more days pass. I email him again, this time he responds. Claims he sent me a reply a few days earlier, and that the package was sent. I asked him for a tracking number (I've learned over the years to send this stuff by courier because one never knows) and he claimed that because he sent it through his company, he would have to find the tracking number that was now probably "buried" in the mail room -- and that he would need to do it the following week (claimed he was on vacation). After three weeks, no reply, no email, no comic. Now the guys not even responding to emails. This is not the first (actually second time, but both have happened in the last few months), but it is definitely the worst case of getting "roped" on ebay. I contacted ebay, and they are looking into it. Because the book was worth more than ebay's insurable amount covers (ebay only cover US $200) I'm losing LARGE, and getting "roped" in a very BIG way

 

How many times does this have to happen to honest, hard-working (actually, I'm even out of work), trusting people before ebay imposes stricter, more punitive measures to reduce these incidences from occuring.

 

Anybody else EVER get roped like this?

[supapimp]

sorry you got "roped", but can you please inform us of who the seller is, so we don't get "roped" too?

[comicwiz]

 

I got a laugh out of that reply. Thanks buddy.

 

I will, but I plan to go gang-busters and take ebay down with him, so I'll have to see what ebay does first. Also because there is still the outside chance that this guy died, had his account hijacked, or some other explanation that has somehow clouded my judgement; I'd rather do this with tact before I publicly vilify this seller.

[ArAich]

so I'll have to see what ebay does first.

 

Don't expect this option to bare much fruit....

[LordRahl]

That's a shame. Unfortunately ebay won't do much about this, but you should at least be able to get $175 from them if you file a fraud claim. If the guy suddenly has a bout of guilt maybe you'll get the book. Depending on the money involved you could go after him legally. I think (and I'm sure someone else here would know the exact figure) if it's over $500 it's considered a felony. It's just a major hassle and may not be worth it to you if it's not a huge dollar amount.

[MW1]

comicwiz,

 

Unless this seller had a history of scamming others, I don't see how eBay can be held accountable -- and even then, the liability claim would be a tenuous one. As you know, several previous lawsuits regarding this issue have gone in eBay's favor including the last major $100 million suit involving the sale of fraudulent sports collectibles:

 

Fraud lawsuit dismissed

 

Remember, eBay claims it has no liability for merchandize sold on its site because, according to eBay, it is not an auctioneer. eBay argues that it does not hold the merchandise, examine it or deliver it to buyers in the customary practice of an auctioneer. eBay instead compares itself to nothing more than a classified advertisement. Thus far, all legal rulings on this issue have gone in favor of eBay.

 

There are still many options at your disposal, however. If the seller continues to behave in this manner, I would do the following:

 

(1) File a fraud claim with the USPS if you sent your money in that manner.

(2) Contact the local police department in the seller's area/city and file a written report.

(3) Contact the district attorney's office in the seller's area/city and file a written complaint of fraud. I have done this on several occasions and some states, such as Texas, have very strict laws covering fraud. You may even be entitled to restitution.

 

Best of luck recovering your money or the merchandise. Please keep us updated and let us know who the seller is if things don't work out.

[MuadDib]

eBay doesn't do ! I suggest that next time you don't send a MO...stick to paypal, credit card or checks...that way you can cancel everything or take it up with your bank...MO's are a huge hassle and eBay has never ever ever helped me the two times I got burned, all they did was cause me a greater headache!

[tb]

According to eBay, stuff like this happens in around 30 out of each

1 million transactions. It happened for me too, once, meaning that

whiz and I both are in the 1/30.000 unlucky minority. I have a feeling

that eBay lied about this ratio early on and have now painted themselves

into a corner where they can't reveal the truth. If this is so and the

truth comes out sometime, it will probably have the same impact on

their stock as if they named Martha Stewart their CFO.

 

 

[JLA_ALL_THE_WAY]

Remember to stay on this guy's . Unless he's dead, there's no reason not to contact you before weekS go by. File a fraud complaint after 60 days. File a claim through Square Trade. Remind him of the kind of feedback you are considering for him. Email prospective bidders on his other auctions. Get a shill account and win a bunch of his other listings. All this may or may not have an effect on him, but it's better than doing nothing. Losers like this count on the majority of buyers to & moan...and then move on by conceding "It's not worth the hassle."

 

I may sound cold-hearted and even mean with my suggestions, but this seller took advantage of the trust you gave him by sending money to him. When a seller does this to me, I make their life a living hell. I make sure that these kind of people think twice before trying it again. Plus, I feel if I'm losing my $$$, I'm going to get my money's worth out of this turkey one way or another. I make them dread opening their email every stinkin' morning.

 

Oh and by the way, filing a claim does work: I used a money order and was compensated by ebay.

 

It took 6 months , but I eventually got my refund.

 

Rick

[fantastic_four]

File a fraud complaint after 60 days

Last I heard, you can't file a fraud report after 60 days. When I almost didn't get an item about a year ago and I looked into this, you couldn't file a fraud report any sooner than 30 days or any later than 60 days after the auction end date.

[JLA_ALL_THE_WAY]

Actually, there are two forms.

 

The first is the "Fraud Alert" which is 30-60 days after the end of the auction.

The second is the "Protection Claim" which is 30-90 days.

 

Rick

[NativeNewYorker]

I'm in the same group as Hoe and Hans. I've been burned twice by fraudulent eBay sellers. As such, I am now extremely cautious when buying anything of any value.

 

The first is for $930 by a scamster named Neil Brockman of TN. His girlfriend and accomplice is Misty Dalton. This loss was recovered from my credit card company as I paid thru Paypal. They defrauded approximately 3 dozen people by collecting money and not sending any merchandise. I personally filed complaints with the local police, US post office inspector and eBay. The police even knocked on this guy's door and questioned him regarding the allegations. When they finally came back after a month, he split. The police basically said that he was now a fugitive.

 

The second incident involves Stuart Freedlan (eBay registration info) aka Stuart Friedlander (real name) of Marlboro PA. He sent me an overgraded Golden Age book for $650 which was promptly returned for a refund. Two days later, he gets the dreaded NARU from eBay. In any case, he drags this out saying he never got the book back even though I sent it back with Signature Confirmation and insurance. While he stalls, he runs down the time that I can file a fraud claim with eBay. In the meantime, he has his phone disconnected and moves out of PA. If anyone has any current infomation, regarding this individual, please PM me. I don't usually wish ill will on people, but I hope this guy lives a long life to see his wife and three children plus other loved ones around him die a horrible death.

 

Ted

[comicwiz]

Ted

 

Very sorry to hear about your bad experiences of fraud on ebay. Although I'm sure it is still a very unpleasant feeling to live with, I'd like to endorse the notion that this is the format I'd like to use when I publicly vilify and announce my own experience with fraud on ebay. Depending on how badly this turns, I may also decide to begin a very serious, and organized anti-ebay crusade. I have contacts all over the world -- dozens in the eastern block countries who are not at all squeamish about hosting any "anti-ebay" sites and mirrors, whereby people can post their experiences, and can use the community to help others avoid getting burned by deadbeat sellers. These guys are more than prepared to handle a few knock-down attempts by ebay and its greased-palmed comrades. It is in my opinion that this is perhaps one of the best method of gauging exactly how much abuse occurs on ebay, and may well give the dot com giant the kind of PR and attention it rightfully deserves.

 

I appreciate the comments of all who have replied, and I can assure you that this matter is far from being over. Rather, when all conventional methods of dealing with this matter have been exhausted, I am prepared to approach unorthodox methods to the same exhaustive extremes.

[Joanna]

You want to condemn all of ebay and all its sellers because of one bad experience? Focus all the ire you have on the bad seller -- he's the one who ripped you off, not all of ebay.

 

How many positive experiences have you had? Did you put up websites to praise ebay when things went right? Of course not. Good experiences are expected. And the reason they're expected is because the vast majority of sellers aren't out to rip everyone off.

 

I'm very sorry to hear about your bad experience. It's always a terrible thing to be ripped off. It leaves a bitter taste in your mouth regardless of the amount (I've had some bad experiences on the net with online stores -- money gone and never to be seen again). It sucks. And it's especially difficult when it's a lot of money (and that can be a relative amount, as Bill Gates' definition would differ from mine, I'm certain).

 

But please keep your focus where it belongs -- on the bad seller. Condemning all of ebay (and by proxy, all the honest sellers who are just trying to make a living) feels like adding a crime to a crime.

 

-- Joanna

[comicwiz]

MW1

 

Thanks for sharing that information with us. It is very interesting to see how others are dealing with their own experiences.

 

I'm normally not as pessimistic, but I do not have any hope in retrieving my money/merchandise. I'm aware of all the hassles associated to "help" deal with my loss, but I will only use these time consuming and tired methods to build a formidable angst. My goal: to administer a whole world of hassle to the largest accomplice of fraudulant activity -- ebay.

 

Perhaps ebay, in its zealousness to become a community which facilitates person-to-person trading GLOBALLY, failed to anticipate the political and legal nature of its activities. Laws governing different countries will fail in protecting members against fraud that occcurs on American soil, or Internationally. What protection, then does someone living in the Czech republic have if they are scammed by an American seller? NONE. Yet, eBay is the only reason why the two ever met.

 

If ebay's argument is that it is nothing more than a classifed advertiser, then it really ought to examine closely how it differs from a classified advertiser. A local newspaper will not arrange online payment methods, and faciliate communication tools between a seller and buyer. Rather, a classified advertisement will invoke nothing more than a meeting between two people -- the seller and the buyer. A face-to-face dealing is the only manner to expedite the sale of merchandise. Endorsing the notion that ebay is nothing more than a facilitator of online trading is merely a cop-out.

 

Moreover, a classified advertiser has filtering procedures which will not allow, for instance, the attempted sale of "shuttle debris" or twin tower remnants. Control mechanisms that would halt the acts of fraudsters and sub-human scum are what seperate a "true" classified advertiser and ebay. I find it fascinating that when 9-11 and the space shuttle disaster occured, within hours, remnants and rubble from the two disasters could ONLY be found on ebay. Equally fascinating was the obligation felt by ebay to remove such content. Why then, if one were to borrow ebay's list of reasons why it should not be held accountable in any trading activity, would ebay decide to get involved with removing the sale of such items from its site?

 

One may well argue that this only demonstrated a vigiliance, although required to deal with the opportunistic sloth and vermin that frequent its trading system, is lacking in critical areas of preventing fraudulant activities. Why, for instance, do we find sellers with 10, 20, 30, sometimes even 50 negs on their feedback? Why are these sellers continuing to trade on ebay? Is there any consistency found with their policies?

 

I remember getting my first NRU. It was swift, and had me out for about 3 days. It was over a report that was filed by a "wanna-be" buyer -- this clown was pee-d off about my unwillingness to deal with him. He emailed me expressing an intereset in bidding on the auction. He lived in Indonesia and wanted me to accept a credit card outiside of Paypal. I explained to him that I wasn't a store, and was only capable of accepting payment through paypal or m.o. Because paypal isn't available in Indonesia (no kidding with the amount of fraudulant cc transactions), and he didn't have funds to send an m.o., he took it upon himself to report me to ebay, claiming that I was going against the Vero program by selling a computer without the original CD's. Of course, ebay doesn't even mess around with Vero-related activity, and rather than looking into it, they cancelled my auctions, and NRU'd me. No negs on my account, and one wrongful NRU later, and I'm still wondering how its possible that repeat neg feedback sellers in the 20-50 range are still around? There is something definitely wrong with this picture.

 

eBay's vanguard of being the giant of online person-to-person trading, for all its benefits in connecting trade, will also serve as its downfall. Those same barriers that exist in dealing properly with cases of fraud, and that ebay uses conveniently to promote its fallible mission, will someday function to dismantle the giant. I still gain some satisfaction in knowing that the best introduction for any "anti-ebay" crusade is something once told to me by a fraud protection officer -- his words "ebay is the laughing stock of fraud prevention agencies." I wonder why this quote doesn't appear "front-center" on ebay's safer harbour page?

 

 

[comicwiz]

Unfortunately, I was stuck in this particular case. As it turned out, the seller accepted paypal (big- logo on his auction page), but had a restriction on his account to accept paypal funds from an unconfirmed address. I'm not sure if you are aware of this, but anyone living outside of the U.S. cannot confirm an international address with paypal. I have a verified Premier account, with a monthly balance of approx 5K, two credit cards file, one U.S. bank, with a U.S. address on file, and they still are not able to confirm my address. As a result, the only other option I had was to relinquish the transaction, and get a neg, or send an m.o.

 

Believe me, I'm just as uneasy about sending an m.o.; but if m.o.'s are a known problem, why doesn't ebay simply make it mandatory for sellers to accept paypal? I know, I don't like the way that sounds either, but sending an m.o. to a seller can be a very frightening experience.

[comicwiz]

We are all entitled to our opinions, and although your comments do lend a degree of humility to this discourse, I'm still out of my money, and ebay hasn't helped much in the matter. So if I'm curt, perhaps its because I'm not handling this whole "you ripped-me off" thing very well, and quite frankly, I'm just not ready to listen to your pro-ebay stance right now.

[Crackandpresstoan11]

"Depending on how badly this turns, I may also decide to begin a very serious, and organized anti-ebay crusade. I have contacts all over the world -- dozens in the eastern block countries who are not at all squeamish about hosting any "anti-ebay" sites and mirrors, whereby people can post their experiences, and can use the community to help others avoid getting burned by deadbeat sellers. These guys are more than prepared to handle a few knock-down attempts by ebay and its greased-palmed comrades. It is in my opinion that this is perhaps one of the best method of gauging exactly how much abuse occurs on ebay, and may well give the dot com giant the kind of PR and attention it rightfully deserves."

 

Are you kidding?? I can visualize you twisting your mustache laughing like some retarded fiend. You got taken. E-Bay is not responsible. Get over it.

[FlComicFan]

thats pure BS it happens all the damned time I got burnt twice Once Ebay covered most of my loss the other I got NADA from either Ebay or Paypal. Guess again with Paypal as well unless the ripoff artist is stupid enought to carry a balance Paypal wont recover a dime for you.

[comicwiz]

Murmoan

 

Keep paddling your tripe elsewhere, and legitimizing your equity trading thievery with your clients; its not working on this person_having_a_hard_time_understanding_my_point.