Sold an item illegally

[sprootzmanuva]

A seller sold me an item illegally which I only found out when the manufacturer blocked the device remotely and informed me the seller hadn't paid for the item, therefore wasn't theirs to sell. I was only made aware of this after the return period passed so eBay wouldn't help. 

To help push forward with court proceedings I need the seller's name/address. I have informed action fraud, my bank etc etc and they said eBay should grant this info for legal purposes but their customer service is completely useless and nothing seems to point to my specific issue.

Any advice please? Obviously I've contacted seller and they're completely unwilling to help. 

[*vyolla*]

It's only worth pursuing somebody legally if you can checkout their financial status, else you're just throwing good money after bad.

eBay won't give you the buyers address, but a solicitor should be able to request it.

However - how did you fund your payment? If via debit or credit card less than 120 days ago you can issue a chargeback via your card provider and get a full refund that route.

[sprootzmanuva]

It was only blocked/I was informed after the 120 days unfortunately so bank won't charge back. The item was a little over a grand so I've been pushing options - ombudsman suggests small claims but as I say, seems I need the seller's details 🙃

[*vyolla*]

Ouch, that's a shame.

You will need a solicitor to obtain that information.