eBay seems to be actively supporting dishonest sellers (scammers) | Member To Member Support

dorriesiain · 2026-04-01T21:31:57.419000Z

Firstly, I have been on eBay for 22 years so know what I am doing, but I still got scammed three times in a month! I bought a phone from someone with 100% feedback but a week later had heard nothing and the seller wasn't responding, so I contacted eBay. They actually dealt with it OK as there was no indication the phone had been dispatched. I then bought a replacement but got worried that there was zero communication from the seller, so again contacted eBay. I got the impression they knew about him/her as they again sorted a refund even though only a couple of days had elapsed, so it seems my gut instinct was right. This week I tried again and ordered a third phone. Again little comms, although I was comforted initially by confirmation of dispatch. Today I received confirmation of delivery, which came as a surprise as I was home, so I checked UPS tracking. The package (phone or not?) had been delivered, to an address 140 miles away, and not far from the phone's claimed origin. I contacted the seller multiple times but zero response. I contacted eBay (nightmare process) and was told I have to wait several days so that the seller can resolve it. They even confirmed the address the package was delivered to, but ignore my statement that this looked suspiciously like someone sending a package to themselves or an associate just to buy time with eBay. It mattered not a jot that I had effectively provided a third £820 loan to a stranger, as that seller had to be protected. I left feedback, which was 100% honest and accurate and contained no questionable language, and eBay removed it without even contacting me. I cannot provide new feedback, and the seller's 100% record (nearly all buying) remains intact. I wonder how many other buyers had their feedback removed, resulting in me being seduced into thinking he was honest? The time I now have to wait for eBay to do something means the seller has plenty of time to empty his account of course. I am left with the very clear impression that "Buyer Protection" is meaningless as eBay goes out of its way to protect dishonest sellers. Looking at Trustpilot it appears I am not alone. Ebay is not what it was, and nor is its "Customer Service", so I will buy elsewhere in future.

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eBay seems to be actively supporting dishonest sellers (scammers) | Member To Member Support | eBay UK