Ebay crooks?

[Wallapuctus]

So I won two separate auctions on Magic 2010 booster boxes. One seller said he'd post a tracking number in 2-3 days after receiving payment. It's been 9, I paid on the 2nd, and no tracking number. I've emailed him twice so far with no response.

The other seller somehow came up with a delivery estimate of Sept 25th, for an auction I won on August 25th. Being worried about the first seller not contacting me, I contacted this seller too just to ask when the item would ship, cuz I'm worried now. This seller hasn't replied either.

I'm new to ebay, so I didn't check their feedback before bidding. Turns out both have several negatives from buyers who say they never received the items, and never heard responses to emails. Both still have over 90% positive ratings though.

Every other item I've bought and sold on ebay has been a hassle free, joyful experience in e-commerce. I happened to have bad luck finding two possible shitheads back to back.

So, my question is, what should I do? Should I keep nagging them about when the items will ship? Should I open a PayPal dispute? Should I go right to a credit card charge back? I feel lost and helpless, and possibly out $160 for my stupidity.

[extarbags]

Here's what probably happened with the second one: they posted the auction before they actually had the product in-stock, thinking that the distributor would get it to them on time like always. Then they got surprised by the very dire shortage of Magic 2010, hence the late ship date.

The first one: no idea. Could be something similar, but they should definitely be responding to emails at least. Email them one more time, mention the fact that you want to avoid filing a Paypal dispute if you can, and if you still don't hear back, file the dispute.

[Wallapuctus]

That was my initial assumption too. In fact, I ordered from a guy prior who kept in constant contact with me about the lack of shipments from Wizards, and eventually offered me a refund.

However, all my local shops are currently swimming in M10, and the boxes are stacked high behind the counters. Turns out their price on a box isn't much higher than the best auction I can win off Ebay... I should have bought from them. I need to get my money back from these two sellers first.

[Slainte Mhath]

Open Paypal disputes immediately. 9-10 days is way too long to wait for any sort of response, especially when you're sending emails inquiring as to ship times. It could be that both of these guys are waiting for product, or it could be one or both are crooks. Either way, a Paypal dispute will settle the score for you. If they're honest, the reaction will be some immediate customer service (insist on a tracking number if they claim to have shipped). If they're crooks, they'll do nothing and Paypal will process a full refund when the dispute timer runs out.

Opening a dispute now allows you to get your money or your product faster, as Paypal will take several days to let the dispute run it's course. You have to have gone 7 days without receiving anything before you can open a dispute, so you're in the perfect position right now to do so. The few times I've had to open Paypal disputes the outcome for me has always been satisfactory.

[Laura]

A 90% Ebay feedback rating is not good. Look for something over 98%.

[Moggraider]

Opening a dispute now allows you to get your money or your product faster, as Paypal will take several days to let the dispute run it's course.

"Its."

In general with Paypal, don't go to your credit card company first. Paypal doesn't like it and it will just cause delays. If it's truly a scam, expect to wait about 2 weeks for you to get your money back, though you definitely will get it back.

[Omniscia]

If it's truly a scam, expect to wait about 2 weeks for you to get your money back, though you definitely will get it back.

Not always. I've been through the Paypal dispute resolution process a few times, always as the aggrieved buyer, and am still out nearly $200.00 over the past couple of years.

[Pogo]

A 90% Ebay feedback rating is not good. look for something over 98%.

Exactly.

1 out of 10 auctions having problems is flat out terrible... and people that have been refunded or had their problems resolved will usually change a low rating, so you have to figure that 1 out of 10 actually got completely screwed. Unacceptable.

[Moggraider]

Not always. I've been through the Paypal dispute resolution process a few times, always as the aggrieved buyer, and am still out nearly $200.00 over the past couple of years.

Were those disputes over damage? I can't imagine a denial over non-receipt, and there's always your card company on top of that.

... and people that have been refunded or had their problems resolved will usually change a low rating...

The seller has to bother them about it first.

[Omniscia]

Were those disputes over damage? I can't imagine a denial over non-receipt, and there's always your card company on top of that.

Non-receipt. But it may have had something to do with the fact that it was an overseas seller they couldn't recover from. They closed their account and disappeared into the ether, and I was left holding the bag.

Plus, the goods were probably pirated, anyway, though they were sold as genuine, Region 1, factory-sealed discs. Totally non-shady...

[Skipper]

Wallapuctus, unrelated to eBay I had a very similar experience with a site called GameOutfitter.com. Fortunately for me I did eventually get more information for the site who claims that twice now they have gotten either shorted or only a partial order on their M10 booster boxes. This means that my original order had gone well over three weeks before I gave them the "cancel please" email. So it could very well be that whoever these sellers are, they are getting shafted on orders.

That doesn't excuse lack of communication though, and if it's delayed, you should be able to cancel your purchase.

[Nathan Phoenix]

If the seller is a crook and pulls the money out of their bank account, paypal will not full7 refund you - they only refund what they can get back themselves. However, if you paid paypal with a credit card for the item, your credit card company will happily reverse the charges against paypal, leaving them to deal with the losses incurred by a fraudulent seller they failed to protect you (and now themselves) from. This happened to me on a purchase of a Wii around the time of the Wii launch. Paypal refunded about 1/3 of what I paid, but my mastercard gave me a full refund within a day of advising them of it.