Scammed by eBay seller

[kelv76]

Hi all,

I’m reaching out here for help and advice regarding a serious issue I’ve encountered with a seller who I originally found on eBay.

What happened:

I came across a listing on eBay for a brand new, unopened ASUS GTX 1060 GPU, listed at £90.

When I attempted to purchase it via eBay, I was shown a message saying the item was unavailable in my area.

The seller then messaged me directly via eBay and encouraged me to buy the GPU off eBay via their private website, bypassing eBay's payment system entirely.

Unfortunately, I proceeded, believing the seller’s 100% positive feedback made them trustworthy. I paid £95.55 via PayPal.

The problem:

The package arrived — but the GPU was missing.

The box was the retail packaging for the graphics card, but it only contained the manual and driver CD, both of which showed clear signs of tampering (e.g., booklet bent, CD opened).

The GPU was advertised as brand new and sealed, which was obviously not the case.

I’ve taken detailed photos and video evidence of the contents and packaging upon opening.

Seller’s response:

The seller is now implying that I am scamming him, and has demanded I return the empty box at my own expense before he investigates.

He has also stated that he needs the box to verify the weight against what was recorded at the post office.

I’ve checked the Royal Mail tracking (number: 0217-9BB6-01E5-5F81) — it confirms delivery and shows a photo but doesn’t list the parcel’s weight.

I've asked the seller to provide the original shipping receipt showing the tracked weight, which could clearly support my claim — he has not yet done so.

Why I need help:

I know that buying off eBay voids buyer protection, but the seller clearly used eBay’s messaging system to direct me off-site, which I understand violates eBay's policy.

I’m now left £95 out of pocket, with an empty box and a seller unwilling to take accountability. I’ve since raised a dispute with PayPal, but I’d appreciate any advice from the community:

Is there any way to report this seller to eBay, even though the transaction was completed off-site?

Can anything be done about abuse of eBay messaging to lure buyers away?

Has anyone experienced something similar — and how was it resolved?

Any guidance would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Kelvin

[red_magpie]

As you realise, by buying this item outside of eBay you have left yourself without any buyer protection from eBay. You can report them to eBay here: https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/buying/resolving-issues-sellers/report-issue-seller?id=4022&st=12&pos=1&...

As regards your PayPal case, you should hopefully be covered if you classed the payment as a purchase. If you were also persuaded to pay the seller as a "Family and friends" payment, which would not be covered by their buyer protection policy.

As for other buyers having experienced anything similar, we often hear from buyers who have been talked into buying outside of eBay, and with the same result. If a seller is openly cheating eBay out of its fees it's no great surprise if they cheat the buyer as well if they can.

[kelv76]

@red_magpie Thank you for your response.

Yeah, it was the guy’s website — nicely laid out, professional, and focused on a niche area: retro gaming. 

Either way, it was a perfect storm. I was buying several PC components that day and struggled to purchase three of them — including the one in question. I was offered another GPU, which I also couldn’t buy due to the “Error: not available in your area” message. It was so problematic that I contacted eBay on Monday about the technical issues I was having with those purchases.

I spoke to a woman on the phone and, to be honest, the conversation was a car crash — not helpful at all, and I came away feeling completely deflated.

So when this seller reached out with what seemed like a solution, it felt like a godsend. I did my due diligence — checked him out, looked at the website (which seemed legit), and it looked no different to other small business platforms I’ve bought from before. I even checked out his Facebook page beforehand.

The issue is that this individual is using eBay as a conduit, making eBay complicit — at least indirectly — in his actions. He’s posing as a seller with 100% feedback and 3,700 sales, giving himself a false sense of legitimacy.

This whole experience has left a bad taste in my mouth. It could’ve been avoided if eBay had been more responsive when I first contacted them about the technical issues. I can’t afford to lose that money — and if I don’t recover it, I genuinely don’t think I’ll ever use eBay again.

The post I made on eBay community on Monday. The ST Asaph, 135746607891 is the one I got scammed on. 

‎"23-06-2025 4:12 PM

Hi John. 

The listings I am having trouble with are below:-

127184007967

ST Asaph, UK

135746607891

Newton Le Willow, UK

403142857288

London, UK

Many thanks for your help. 

Kelvin"

[tressygirl]

Buying off eBay does not Void buyer protection far from it,  it gives you full protection but you must open a case within 30 days if the item's last estimated date for delivery.

Be careful to open the right case here.

Proceed this way now:

You have received an item not as described,  go right of the item in your Purchase History and from More Actions select... Return this item selecting the reason Item Does Not Match Description or Photos.

The seller needs to accept this case within 3 days and refund,  if they want their item back first , they need to pay for that fully tracked return postage, then on receipt of their item they have 48 hours to refund you.  If they don't ,  need to escalate the case,  ask eBay to step in, and they'll force the refund.

Never listen to any excuse or promise from the seller to close the case early,  and do not forget to escalate.

@kelv76 

[jckl1957]

The buyer (OP) participated in an off-Ebay deal and did not buy through Ebay or pay through Ebay checkout so they have no protection from Ebay.

[tommystrezures]

OP you have a bit of a problem here. If you goto eBay they will say well you made the off site sale with the seller, which would actually lead you both in to trouble.

This is not an eBay problem per se. You could try your payment provider they may help.

[john1297576]

You have done the only thing possible, by opening a not as described case with paypal.

Do not know what paypal requirements are, but if required to return will beat your expense. 

Rather foolish to rely on ebay feedback, if seller will avoid ebay fees, then they are not to be trusted to honour a sale. You can’t even leave feedback.

[kelv76]

I can’t seem to locate my original, more detailed post on this matter, so I’ll summarise here and expand where necessary.

eBay played a significant role in how this situation unfolded. Prior to purchasing the item in question, I contacted eBay to raise concerns about being unable to complete the transaction via the eBay app. I had also posted about this issue here in the community, listing three separate items I was struggling to purchase through eBay’s platform.

It was suggested at the time that this could be a glitch, and upon further research, I discovered that other users had experienced similar issues. Whether this turns out to be a perfect storm or a loophole being exploited, the fact remains: eBay’s platform failed at a critical point, and that failure contributed directly to me being diverted off-site.

To be clear, I’m not absolving the scammer of blame — but neither can I ignore eBay’s failure to intervene or provide adequate support, especially considering the shocking phone call I had with customer service on the very day I purchased the GPU and additional components.

This is a case of fraud, plain and simple, and eBay needs to take it seriously. So far, all I’ve encountered is brickwalling — no meaningful assistance, no escalation of the issue, and no accountability. The seller is still active on the platform, free to continue scamming others, while I — the victim — am left feeling disillusioned and unsupported.

This experience has completely eroded my trust in eBay. At this point, I don’t see how I can confidently use the platform again.

[kelv76]

Subject: Ongoing Concerns About Seller Manipulation & eBay’s Lack of Action

 Dear eBay Support,

I am writing again to express my deep frustration and disappointment with how this issue has been handled. I have received no meaningful follow-up from your support team, and I feel completely stonewalled.

 This is not just a case of a problematic seller — this is about eBay's platform integrity and how it is being manipulated in ways that severely undermine buyer trust.

 I encountered a situation where a seller deliberately manipulated the "Buy It Now" and "Make Offer" functions to prevent the purchase from being completed through eBay. Despite the item appearing available and the seller being located within the same geographic region, I repeatedly received errors at checkout. I later discovered these functions were intentionally broken or limited — and unsurprisingly, I was conveniently contacted by the seller with an invitation to complete the sale off-site, citing “technical issues” with eBay.

 Let me be clear: I had every intention of purchasing via eBay, and I made that clear in advance. This workaround was not my idea — it was presented to me because of flaws or deliberate manipulations on your platform.

 What’s worse is that, even after reporting this and showing evidence of messages and intent, the seller remains active on eBay with a 100% feedback score, potentially continuing this exploitative practice. Meanwhile, I — the victim — am left without any real resolution or communication.

 This kind of seller behaviour is abhorrent and breaches both eBay’s spirit and policy. It is unacceptable that eBay is seemingly allowing this practice to continue while ignoring genuine concerns from long-standing, honest users.

 If eBay is truly committed to protecting buyers, enforcing trust, and upholding transparency, then this case should be taken seriously, reviewed thoroughly, and acted upon decisively. I request a full investigation into this seller's listing behaviour, message history, and the underlying issue with the Buy It Now/Offer functionality.

I also request that a human reviews this case — not just a template response — and communicates a clear explanation and action plan.

 I look forward to your response.

 Sincerely,

Kelvin

[jckl1957]

As already stated, this is not an Ebay issue.  You freely chose to complete a deal with this seller bypassing Ebay and access to the Money Back Guarantee.

However, I will make two points.

I assume you have sent this as a letter to Ebay - this is a member to member forum and not an effective way to communicate with Ebay.

I assume you have clear and unequivocal evidence that all parts of this statement are true as you are making serious allegations against a seller:

I encountered a situation where a seller deliberately manipulated the "Buy It Now" and "Make Offer" functions to prevent the purchase from being completed through eBay. Despite the item appearing available and the seller being located within the same geographic region, I repeatedly received errors at checkout. I later discovered these functions were intentionally broken or limited — and unsurprisingly, I was conveniently contacted by the seller with an invitation to complete the sale off-site, citing “technical issues” with eBay.

[kelv76]

With respect, which part of my intention to purchase via eBay is being overlooked here?

I had every intention of completing the transaction through eBay — the item was listed on the platform, and I attempted multiple times to buy it. However, the “Buy It Now” and “Make Offer” functions were not working. I had even raised concerns with eBay about this before completing the purchase, as it wasn’t just this item — there were two others where similar technical issues occurred. I also flagged it here on the forum, yet no meaningful support was offered.

Let’s not pretend this is entirely separate from eBay. When a seller uses eBay’s infrastructure to bait buyers and then divert the sale off-platform due to manipulated listing behaviour, that is eBay’s problem. It’s a loophole that’s being exploited, and eBay’s inaction allows that abuse to continue — that’s not just a buyer issue, that’s a platform integrity issue.

As for your point about allegations — yes, I’ve kept clear records: screenshots, messages, listing history, even the packaging I received. This isn’t a wild accusation; it’s based on evidence and a clear timeline of events. Just because a sale technically happened off-site doesn’t absolve eBay of all responsibility, especially when the seller's actions stemmed from a listing and communication initiated on this platform.

I would expect more understanding from a community that’s supposedly here to support against fraud.

[kelv76]

Additionally, this is no longer just about the fraudulent behaviour of one individual — it has become an issue of integrity and trust with eBay itself.

The seller has already acknowledged that the item was missing and has initiated a refund via PayPal. However, what’s most alarming is how this entire incident has exposed eBay’s lack of action or concern regarding fraudulent activity that originated from their platform.

I made multiple attempts to report the issue and requested several call-backs, none of which were honoured. Despite raising this with eBay both before and after the transaction, I received no meaningful support.

This situation has revealed serious shortcomings in eBay’s response to technical failures and, more importantly, to potential criminal behaviour facilitated through their listings. The absence of compassion, accountability, and effective customer service from such a large platform should be deeply concerning — not just for me, but for every user who expects eBay to uphold basic protections and platform integrity.

[plpmr]

"Buying off eBay does not Void buyer protection far from it,  it gives you full protection but you must open a case within 30 days if the item's last estimated date for delivery."

A buyer cannot have any eBay protection unless they fully went through the eBay process - there cannot be any eBay protection if as purchase is not made through eBay.

[plpmr]

writing a letter to eBay on the boards is not to eBay as the boards are public -

https://community.ebay.co.uk/t5/Buying/Seller-Manipulation-amp-eBay-s-Lack-of-Action/td-p/7880281