Bought an iphone that has been flagged as lost/stolen

[emandr31]

Hello, I purchased what was described as a brand new sealed iPhone 16 at the start of September, which has been working perfectly up until 3 weeks ago when the phone stopped receiving any service. I contacted my service provider and took it to the apple store etc, it turns out that the phones IMEI number was flagged as lost or stolen 3 weeks ago, basically rendering it useless. I have tried contacting the seller for any proof of purchase or help but they're being very vague and not helpful at all. I have also tried to request a return for refund but it's now outside of the return window, and I can't find any way of contacting eBay directly with my problem: being sold a stolen phone. I would really appreciate any advice or suggestions on what I can do, thank you.

[jckl1957]

You are out of time to do anything through Ebay.  Even if the phone is stolen, they only allow you to return using the Money Back Guarantee for 30 days from receipt.

You could try your payment provider - depending how you paid, your bank or credit card company may help.

Act quickly though - some banks etc. only allow 120 days from receipt for you to start a payment dispute.

[plpmr]

adding to the advice already given.

This sounds like the old scam - sell the phone and after a period of time report it stolen and collect the insurance.