E-Bay Buyer Protection Works

[Valkpilot]

It just takes a long time.

On April 16, I won an auction for a set of OEM saddlebags and mounting brackets.  The ad looked completely legitimate.  The seller wasn't.  http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/180653440544?ru=http%3A%2F%2Fmotors.shop.ebay.com%3A80%2Fi.html%3F_from%3DR40%26_trksid%3Dm39%26_nkw%3D180653440544%26_fvi%3D1&_rdc=1

I was complacent because of many successful transactions on e-Bay without any problems.  All I can say is, beware of sellers with no history, always review their profiles, and if they look suspicious, always ask a question of them about the listing.

Almost immediately, I knew the sale wasn't right.  I contacted e-Bay and was told that 1) I was proteted by e-Bay Buyer Protection, 2) PayPal would not release money to the seller until proof of shipment was provided, 3) because this seller was "new" PayPal would hold the money for 21 days regardless in order to protect against an "empty box" shipment, and 4) I had to follow the proscribed steps and waiting periods in order to resolve the case.

The seller was given 10 days to complete shipment, even though he provided no notification of having done so.  Then, I had seven days to contact him directly and work out resolution.  No responses to e-mails and no answer at the given phone number. 

By the way, when you are given access to their contact info, they simultaneously receive yours.  Coincidentally, my Yahoo mail account was locked down two days later and I had to re-establish log-on information because of an attempt to breach my account.

Only after the above actions and waiting periods are complete can you elevate the case to e-Bay customer support.  They then have 7 days to contact the seller.  THEN for some reason, they put the case on hold for 5 days to do further investigation.  They were supposed to resolve the case by the 17th, but I had to call on the 19th and ask what was going on.  They looked at the details and resolved the case in my favor on the spot.

Today, I received a full refund of the purchase price plus shipping. 

I dodged a bullet on this one.  I'll still buy through e-Bay, but I'll evaluate the sellers differently.  And if you use e-Bay, I encourage the use of PayPal as you have double protection.

[Jess Tolbirt]

yep i had to do that once also,,,

[designer]

I've done that also.  The seller was well established, but the commodity I purchased went up in price and they were left with making up the difference.  if they  had made good on the deal, as they had sold hundreds of these they would of lost thousands.  They defaulted.  I was just happy to get my money back.

[Red Diamond]

Good for you Pilot, I use E-Bay to get ride of my Cutting horse equipment, having a good seller score is important.

[Gear Jammer]

And I would also suggest that you pay via paypal using a credit card, so the $ amount can be charged back against the card if Paypal doesn't come through for you.  Been there, done that