Seller has admitted they committed fraud. EBay support not being very helpful. | Member To Member Support

chpo_6237 · 2025-12-23T17:47:31.670000Z

I bought my sisters kids a box of Cadburys Heroes for Christmas, for £29.99 from a seller on eBay. Instead, the seller went on Amazon and bought a box of Cadburys biscuits for £16.99. They arrived in an Amazon van, with Amazon packaging, and I got a text from Amazon confirming their delivery. When I asked the seller why they did this, they said the item I ordered was “out of stock” so they sent these instead. Providing a replacement of lesser value without consent is fraud under UK law. I contacted eBay and was advised to open a return which I did. A return is not straightforward - my sister lives hundreds of miles away and her kids are quite happy with biscuits, but it’s not what I paid for. If I wanted biscuits I would have bought them myself on Amazon. I asked the seller for a partial refund (the difference in price), which they agreed to but they wanted me to close the case first. eBay advised me not to close the case until their investigation is complete. I have had 4 calls with eBay support about this now. They don’t seem to understand a return is difficult or that the seller has agreed to a partial refund but isn’t issuing it. Every time I speak to someone the “hold” period on the case is getting extended but there is no resolution. Separately, I have opened a case with the Report Fraud service to take action against the seller for fraud, but I just want the difference in costs back via eBay. Needless to say this is the last time I will use eBay again after this. It’s simply not worth the risk and all of the effort to try and resolve a problem should one arise.

Discussions

Seller has admitted they committed fraud. EBay support not being very helpful. | Member To Member Support | eBay UK