eBay fraud - help
TLDR - hoping for someone @ebay to help step in and escalate case so seller and I can continue communications. Seller has both my money and product. I bought a large ticket item $3k on eBay with seller in Italy. They had good reviews but is asking for bank wire transfer. Seeing that there’s eBay money back guarantee policy and seller had good reviews, I went ahead with payment through wire transfer. In few days, got tracking info but after almost 2mo, package is going back to Italy for some unknown reason. At this point, I opened a dispute bc I still haven’t received said package. eBay closed my dispute bc the transaction is considered ‘fraudulent’ (for going through wire transfer) and now, the seller and I can’t communicate with each other. Spoke to eBay customer service and they can’t override to allow seller and I to communicate. The eBay system is flawed and is failing buyers. They can simply just allow seller and I to communicate, but because eBay closed this, seller has both the product and my money. Hoping someone at eBay can help influence and override this flawed system.
Wire transfer? That sounds like fraud. You are most likely screwed. eBay will not likely save you.
Doubt anything can be done. eBay cuts off communication to avoid being a complicit party in fraud once they know you’ve violated terms.
Did you buy a Black Lotus?
Doesn’t eBay clearly state to not make any wite transfer?
This.
It isn't that it is gauranteed fraudulant, just that wire transfers are pretty much impossible to force reverse so we consider them insecure. Still wire transfers are more common in non-US areas, so if the transaction was on a non-US site (primarily DE) you might have a shot. Unfortunately it sounds like yours was on the US and wire transfers are not covered at all and it is clearly stated upfront in several locations. It is not even an allowed payment option in most categories because of that, and in categories where it is (ie non-refundable down payments on vehicles, high dollar items that go over PayPal's limit (even then we push escrow)), we give you warnings on the risk There are less consumer protections in the US which means you have less of a shot at finding other means to get it back. You can try ic3.gov, but they will rarely look into anything less than $10,000. If you ask nicely and haven't pissed off our CS teams yet, they can arrange to have our Italy CS groups call the seller and review the seller account at least.
Lol, how eBay is responsible? You didn't buy it from eBay.
Why did you make wire transfer?
Seller had good reviews, and apparently wire transfers are still common in Europe. Bc of their good reviews, went ahead with sale. eBay can at least open communications with seller again, it just blocked my conversations with seller and we can’t work on resolution.
Didn't you commit fraud by buying directly from the seller? Why should eBay intervene?
Just because you pay the seller directly doesn't mean that you are cutting out eBay. If the item was won on eBay, they get their cut. I think eBay might even still support payments by mail as they did in the pre PayPal era.
That is an expensive lesson to learn.
Seller in Italy Wire transfer $3k Holy fuck.