Is It Worth Taking Legal Action Against Ebay? | Community Info

jelnet · 2026-01-21T14:54:09.271000Z

I'm an eBay member of over 25 years, 100% positive feedback. I'm wondering if it's worth taking legal action against ebay. Here's the background: I sold an item for around £100. Using the Simple Delivery system, I opted for a home collection from Royal Mail and booked it all up on the ebay website. Royal Mail collected, providing me a label and took the item away (though I didn't receive a confirmation from Royal Mail that they'd collected). I received the funds for the item into my ebay account - all good. Then I get a message saying the buyer has not received the item and that I need to provide tracking info. Using the tracking code that ebay provided on the transaction details page, I try the code on the Royal Mail website, the code seemed to be recognised but didn't have any useful information (I think it said awaiting collection or something). Anyway, as that's all I had, I provided the code to the seller. Next I hear that the seller has been refunded from my funds. I've lost the item and the money I was paid for it. I open an appeal case with ebay and am told I need to chase up with Royal Mail to see what happened. After a few days (while still waiting to hear from RM), I'm told by ebay my case has been closed and that as I didn't provide tracking details to the seller in a timely manner, I can't do anything more. After waiting over a month to hear from RM, I phoned them. They had no record of, or any info about the item based on the tracking code provided by ebay. Finally, I went through my emails and found a DIFFERENT tracking code provided by Royal Mail, before the collection of the item, and lo and behold, this confirmed, with a photo, that the item HAD been delivered (albeit to a storage facility rather than an individual). I go back to ebay with this new information, explaining that their tracking code did not match with the one provided by RM, and that I now have proof of delivery of the item. They say that since it's more than thirty days since the appeal the matter is closed and they advised me to contact the buyer to see if they'll pay up (I did so but have so far received no reply from the buyer). There seems to be nothing I can do, and it seems so unfair. I did everything I was supposed to do, using their so-called Simple Delivery system, which has failed me, and they are washing their hands entirely of the matter. Do I have a case? Can I take any legal action? Thanks.

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Is It Worth Taking Legal Action Against Ebay? | Community Info | eBay UK