What protection do I have for this as a buyer
None, probably, certainly not through eBa and probably not even from your payment provider.
Once an item is tracked as delivered, that the end of it as far as eBay's money back guarantee is concerned. This does not cover loss or theft after delivery. You accepted this in eBay's user agreement and money back guarntee policy.
This is a widepread problem, and not confined to eBay. In the US, it's called "porch pirates" with criminals following delivey vehicles to grab parcels left unattended. Even in the UK, the police in some areas are advising buyers to use click and collect services instead.
This is not fraud by the seller so Action Fraud won't get invlved. You can report it to your local police, but unless you have door camera footage to identify the thief this is unlikely to get your item back.
If bought from a UK business seller, the Consumer Rights Act holds the seller responsible for getting the goods to you intact and in your hands. For some reason we never seem to hear from buyers who have tried using this. If you speak with Citizens Advice they might even have a standard letter to send to the seller. Good luck!
