Possible eBay payment fraud?

[SGB]

What is the name of your state? IL

I bid on an item on eBay for over $2500 and also paid for it using a credit card. The seller said he did not have the original box for it and also it would cost more on shipping and he would ship it after getting funds held by eBay for a couple of weeks. I was willing to wait as he listed it as "barely used and in pristine condition" with pictures. Couple of weeks have passed, the eBay hold on the funds got released, the funds got deposited into his PayPal account and then the seller sent me screenshots of his account verification in progress by PayPal (penny credits into his account for verification) and said it would take another 5 days to complete the verification and get the funds transferred into his bank at which time he would ship the item. The screenshots also show the funds will be transferred in 5 days. He has the money in his PayPal account already and he is transferring all of it into his bank.

I am thinking if shipping costs may be $100, why would anyone make the buyer wait for more than 3 weeks to even ship the item. Can't he borrow $100 from a friend? Maybe if he transferred just the shipping costs into his bank instead of the entire amount, it would have taken less time for shipping funds. Also he could have finished the verification process during the 3 week time he made me wait. Or maybe he is new to eBay and doesn't know the process? Is there a risk involved in this case? Since I paid it using a CC, will I be able to do a charge back and get my money back from my bank (I have all his messages saying he would ship the item after receiving funds, etc) if the seller turns out to be a fraud because after money is transferred into his bank, PayPal won't be able to help me?

Please advise...

Thanks!

 

[Zigner]

All of your questions (save one) are ones we cannot answer. I can tell you that you can file a dispute with your card, but you've already waited this long, why not wait a few more days? At this point, if I were you, this would be the last delay I would tolerate.

 

[adjusterjack]

He has the money in his PayPal account already and he is transferring all of it into his bank.

Sure seems like you are being scammed.

Since I paid it using a CC, will I be able to do a charge back and get my money back from my bank

That depends. Read your credit card agreement regarding disputes and follow the instructions to the letter. There is usually a time limit for filing a dispute so make sure you are still within the time limit.

 

[PAPP]

If your seller stated that the shipping handling time is three weeks kind of time frame in the shipping policy section, the seller is within the time frame, however, it is quite unusual handling time unless it's made to order. What does the seller's listing say about the shipping policy part?

If your seller's shipping handling time is not three weeks, you can file an item not received claim on ebay. I recommend you to file it immediately. I think it has a time limit like 30 days. I'm not very sure about how many days, so please check it. If you miss that date, you can file a claim on Paypal. Paypal's time limit is 120 days. If the seller can't provide not only a tracking number but also a buyer's signature on delivery to Paypal, the seller will lose a claim. It's very unlikely, but if your Paypal claim is denied, you can file a dispute on your credit card company. If you receive a wrong item, you will be covered, too.

 

[FlyingRon]

Paypal will tell you to suck eggs if it's an ebay purchase. Your next step is the credit card company.

 

[quincy]

driyana, commercial messages and posts are prohibited on this forum. Your post was reported for moderator review.

 

[SGB]

What is commercial about this? Is anyone selling something here? That way every question is commercial

 

[quincy]

What is commercial about this? Is anyone selling something here? That way every question is commercial

Your posts are fine, SGB.

A new poster named driyana was peddling a business and so his/her post was removed for violating the terms and conditions of use for this forum. It might be returned to your thread once the commercial message and link is deleted.

Have you heard anything from the seller?