Did I get scammed? :(

So I tried selling some things on eBay...and I put up an E2DL head for auction. This guy from Australia won and sent me an E-check via paypal. I thought everything was ok so I sent out the head yesterday. But today, I went to see if it cleared yet, and it shows that the E-check was canceled! I know it was stupid of me to send out the head before the E-check was cleared...but I guess I was so used to dealing with CPFer's that I trusted the guy (I don't think he's on CPF). Dang it...:sigh:

My question is...now what? Can I file a complaint with ebay or paypal? I shipped 1st Class Mail, too...so I guess the other guy could always claim that he never received anything. :thumbsdow

This is the auction in question...E2DL LED Head

Sorry to hear that, if he didn't use paypal there is no use in reporting it to paypal. contact ebay about it.

Looking at his feedback maybe he will do the right thing, have you tried to contact him directly regarding the issue? Be polite and see what happens.

Good luck!
AlexGT

AlexGT said:

Sorry to hear that, if he didn't use paypal there is no use in reporting it to paypal. contact ebay about it.

Looking at his feedback maybe he will do the right thing, have you tried to contact him directly regarding the issue? Be polite and see what happens.

Good luck!
AlexGT

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He used an E-check through paypal. Isn't that the same as paypal? I never really understood E-checks. I've contacted him directly and asked him why he canceled...and yes, I was polite. Maybe he has a legit reason? Who knows. And those feedbacks left for him might be fake or something...

Argh. Lesson learned for me.

At least it was only $85 and not $800 for something nicer.

Unfortunately, you did get scammed.
Now there are pretty few options at this point. You can contact the australian and your local authorities to file a complaint, but it's unlikely you'll recover your money or your property. If you're lucky, you *might* get a scammer or ID thief in trouble with the law.
The other option is to file a dispute with PayPal. This is drop-dead easy and you're pretty much guaranteed to get your money back (eBay/PayPal will give you money equivalent to the amount cancelled) IF you followed the seller protection rules. If you didn't, you're back to square one.
I've been through this before, and while it wasn't fun, it wouldn't stop me from using eBay again.
Best of luck!
EDITS: Yes, an e-check is one way paypal can process payments directly from bank accounts. I'm not too clear on what purpose they serve, but I've never looked into it.
Contacting the buyer is probably useless. People do not do shady things like cancel their payments if they don't intend to scam you. It's also distinctly possible that someone's ebay account was phished or otherwise illicitly used to make the purchase, and that the owner of the account was notified after the purchase was made, the e-check was cancelled (what light? I didn't order any light!) and you are left hanging.

mejesster said:

IF you followed the seller protection rules. If you didn't, you're back to square one.

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I think I'm screwed because the address shipped to was not a paypal verified address...and so that alone will disqualify me from Paypal protection.

Thanks for the kind words of encouragement, guys! I'm feeling a bit better...helps me put things in perspective. I'm definitely going to be more careful on eBay. Too bad the rest of the world isn't as trustworthy as CPF!!!

Sorry to hear Tung. I hope that you are able to recover the money although it seems likely that the head is gone forever.

Good luck.

preferably its best to confirm the transaction before handing over the goods. as I buyer I frequently advocate sellers [on the forum] regardless of how well you know the buyer [me], always ship the package after the payment dues have arrived [hard copy].

Sorry to hear this Tung, lets hope the Aussie has some ethics...

Some info on eChecks

Their main advantage sounds like the buyer gets to keep thier funds in their bank account a few extra days earning interest (like that matters with today's very low rates), and the seller can end up with smaller PayPal fees.

If the buyer cancelled the eCheck either they wish to scam you, or perhaps realized that they wouldn't have funds in their account in time to cover the eCheck. Hopefully the reason is the latter and the buyer will make good on the payment. Sorry to hear about this.

Sad that it had to happen to such a good trustworthy person such as ttran97. :shakehead

I too prefer to do my flashlight trading/buying/selling here on CPF because of the honest people here. :welcome::thumbsup:

I've done a lot of buying and some selling on eBay but I NEVER have sent out an item before funds are "in hand"

I hope somehow it all works out for ya!:wave:

Thanks for the kind words, guys! I appreciate it!

A little update...the buyer emailed me back and said he doesn't know why it got canceled and he'll check with the bank now...and he sent me another e-check. Hopefully it'll clear ok this time.

Whew...good to hear he is communicating.

Hope it all turns out well in the end.

sorry to hear that Mr. T.

you should be the last guy that gets scammed. Unfortunately this is why a lot of sellers ship to the US only.

damn Tung, thats messed up.....have you contacted him yet though anyway? hopfully its just a mis-understanding and you will recover your money..:buddies:

i guess we can get a little liberal when dealing with CPFers cos we know there is a community to fall back on.

Crenshaw

Crenshaw said:

damn Tung, thats messed up.....have you contacted him yet though anyway?

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See post #10.

eBay is getting worse all the time. But his communication is a good sign - hopefully. If things don't work out there is also this http://www.ic3.gov

Since the guy is out of the US I'm not sure how much it will help but it might do something.

Black Rose said:

See post #10.

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whoops, thats great then!

i should learn to read more carefully

Crenshaw

TTran, most Aussie addresses don't come up as verified with Paypal outside the US, the standard is 'non US verified' and it is a bit of a procedure getting verified for a non US citizen. The guy may still be good to go.

If you have concerns feel free to PM me his contact details, I could both verify if they are genuine and/or let him know you have a friend in Aus.

Glen C said:

TTran, most Aussie addresses don't come up as verified with Paypal outside the US, the standard is 'non US verified' and it is a bit of a procedure getting verified for a non US citizen. The guy may still be good to go.

If you have concerns feel free to PM me his contact details, I could both verify if they are genuine and/or let him know you have a friend in Aus.

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Hi Glen C. Thanks and I really appreciate the kind gesture! The buyer sent me a couple emails explaining the situation with his bank, and it seemed sincere. I'll find out tomorrow when the e-check clears. I'll update this thread once that happens!

But either way, I've definitely learned my lesson and won't be sending out things until e-checks clear!

ttran97 said:

Hi Glen C. Thanks and I really appreciate the kind gesture! The buyer sent me a couple emails explaining the situation with his bank, and it seemed sincere. I'll find out tomorrow when the e-check clears. I'll update this thread once that happens!

But either way, I've definitely learned my lesson and won't be sending out things until e-checks clear!

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Thats good news... at least he is communicating to you. That is usually the first sign of foul play, a complete drop off in email comm.

I am running into more and more ebay and www sellers who flat out reject e-checks. If you gear your auctions to only accept cc payment I dont think you will loose out on many bids.

I haven't sold on ebay in ages, must be nerve racking as a seller knowing you can not leave negative FBs to buyers.

Good luck with the transaction.

kramer5150 said:

I haven't sold on ebay in ages, must be nerve racking as a seller knowing you can not leave negative FBs to buyers.

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I've only ever sold 1 item on eBay and dealt with a character that was minimal on communication but did pay for the goods.

His communication was so bad in general that a guy in Europe contacted me to find out if the guy was legit or not.

About the only consolation was that I made a nice profit on the sale because a couple of people were fighting over the discontinued 35mm film.

I don't agree with eBay's new policy that sellers are not allowed to leave negative feedback for buyers.