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At a loss....scammed?
Summary: macca_col describes being scammed after purchasing an air conditioner from a seller in China through eBay. The seller, who is no longer registered on the platform, claimed a system failure and advised contacting PayPal for a refund. However, PayPal sided with the seller, citing tracking information that macca_col disputes, as it lacks sufficient delivery details. *vyolla* suggests contacting the payment provider for a chargeback and advises that reaching out to eBay first might have been more effective. macca_col plans to further pursue the case with PayPal.
I had an offer accepted for an air conditioner unit from a seller in China, almost immediately they messaged me to say they would not be able to process the purchase due to "continuous system failure on eBay" and that i should contact my payment institution which was PayPal, to request a refund due to goods not received and that's what i did. Over the next day or two the seller was receiving some negative feedback on Ebay from other buyers claiming that this was a scam and warning potential buyer of their concerns. The seller is no longer registered with Ebay so i can not contact them.
PayPal have today sided with the seller regarding my claim as they said they have received tracking information for an undelivered item.
i can not submit a claim to eBay as they say I've already filed a claim with my payment institution.
So I'm £298 out of pocket, without the air conditioner that I ordered, Payapl have sided with the seller that has now disappeared and Ebay wont let me talk with them despite my 24 years loyalty.
Help
*vyolla*
MentorJul 16, 2026 at 11:47 AMYou should have contacted eBay first, not PayPal, eBay are now out of the loop.
How did you fund that PayPal payment? If via debit/credit card or Apple Pay contact your payment provider and issue an item not received chargeback.
macca_col
OPJul 16, 2026 at 12:06 PMThe PayPal payment was direct from my bank, i didn't realise that if the seller accepted my offer it would automatically be processed as I was looking to use the pay in 3 option, I just woke to a message that it was accepted.
I just followed the message from the seller and it made sense to me to notify them straightaway as they handled the payment.
i just don't accept that ebay can walk away with offering any help as it was quite apparent over a very short timescale that this was not a genuine seller and i know that others are in the same position as I am.
*vyolla*
MentorJul 16, 2026 at 12:38 PMYou would have got help from eBay had you contacted them first. If you go straight to PayPal you're bypassing them, and can only have one claim open to try to get a refund.
You're going to need to appeal this PayPal, if you used a bank payment you've no other option. PayPal don't usually close a claim if tracking shows delivery to the buyers address showing on the order details. What does the tracking number show?
macca_col
OPJul 16, 2026 at 1:13 PMTracking number was provided a number of days after the request went to PayPal, it shows a parcel delivered/signed for at the correct address.
I have contacted the courier for full tracking details, especially the signature, for this 45kg unit that came from China to the Uk within 3 days.
I fully understand now that contacting Ebay first would have been the correct process but still, they can see the messages from the seller, they are aware others have experienced the same treatment and they have already taken action against the seller. Should they not have a responsibility towards the victims and be offering help and support?
*vyolla*
MentorJul 16, 2026 at 2:13 PMThere would have been help and support from eBay had you not gone straight to PayPal and pushed them out of the loop, that bridge has been burned and you need to move forward here now and try and get your money back.
Back to that tracking number (I've had this scam pulled on me before) - it cannot show delivery to your address unless something was sent to your address. With my scam the seller had a FedEx tracking number showing delivery to same area as me, but not my address. Luckily FedEx have weight, pickup address and delivery address in enhanced tracking if you do a little investigation. Incredibly clever scam, one of the best I've seen and I nearly lost out with PayPal except the tracking number showed that the item was picked up 5 hours before I made the purchase, that was my saving grace. No idea where the scammer obtained that valid tracking number from, that was the mystery. So, does that tracking number show delivery to your full delivery address?
macca_col
OPJul 16, 2026 at 2:31 PMHi,
The tracking shows delivery to the correct postcode, there are 18 properties that share that postcode. It does state that it was signed for but i cant find any information regarding this hence why I've emailed them direct.
*vyolla*
MentorJul 16, 2026 at 3:17 PMTracking shouldn't show delivery to just a post code, and PayPal wouldn't accept just that bit of information as proof of delivery. Which delivery company was it?