Postage refund scam

[cbuk2k2]

I've purchased an item costing around £500, I have received an empty POST BOX cardboard box which has clearly never been sealed / taped shut. It came in a Royal Mail bag apologising for the item being missing. 

I contacted the seller who immediately offered to start an insurance claim for the missing item.

It seems pretty likely this is a scam / fraud but neither royal mail or eBay seem to have any means of  speaking to a human. 

Can someone contact me please?

[**peaseblossom**]

Open a return using "not described" as the reason.  Escalate after 4 days.

[cbuk2k2]

Surely there's a slightly more expedient option than this?

[jckl1957 · Accepted solution]

No, there is not a faster option.

Ebay has a process for dealing with claims and you need to follow it.

The seller should provide a label so you can return everything you did receive, including the RM bag.

The seller won't be able to start a claim through Royal Mail for several days so don't be fobbed off by anything they say.  Any claim they make through Royal Mail is separate from your case and your claim against the seller.

Once you start your claim through Ebay, the seller will have 3 days to respond to you so be proactive and keep an eye on the case.

If the seller doesn't provide a label, you can ask Ebay to step in.