HELP PLEASE - Goods Paid For But Not Received

Cheshirecat01

Can anyone please help...
I saw a sofa for sale on ebay and asked if the seller would be interested in selling on a buy it now. The seller said he had trouble adding a buy it now, so took it off sale from ebay and sold it to me privately. He wanted me to pay the money (£300+) straight into his bank but I thought I'd be careful and pay by paypal, as I thought my payment was covered.
The sofa never arrived!
Firstly the seller said he hadn't agreed to sell it to me but then changed his mind and he told me and paypal that his driver had actually delivered it on the day arranged. Paypal asked him to produce a tracking number but he hadn't got one nor had he got a signature of delivery!
Paypal have found the claim to be in my favour but because there was no money in the sellers account and it wasn't actually an ebay sale, paypal cannot help!
I know this seller is being fraudulent, so has anyone got any suggestions what I can do please? Where do I go from here?
Thanks

pinkshoes

Do you have the sellers name and address? If yes, send him a recorded delivery letter stating that he has 14 days to pay you back £XXX, and if you don't receive the payment within this time frame, you will be starting a small claims court proceeding against him to reclaim the money.

There's not a lot PP can do, but perhaps phone them again to see if they can do anything else. Keep pushing for action.

Tozer

If he has been fraudulent, get the Police involved. They will be able to get his name and address from Paypal.

Cheshirecat01

I rang the police yesterday who telephoned paypal and he was put through to an automated message which said he must send a fax requesting the information. The police officer phoned me back and said they haven't got time to send faxes etc, and that it should be paypal who contacts the police and not vice-versa!!

Now I'm at a losss, I just don't know where to go from here

Tozer

It is you that have been defrauded not Paypal.

I think you need to escalate it within the Police. "Haven't got time" to send a fax is simply not an excuse.

Cheshirecat01

Thanks Tozer, I agree but the police officer is adament that the police should not have to chase paypal for information, he says that paypal should provide the poilce with the information required.
Its like a catch twenty two, I'm just going around in circles and getting nowhere!

Cheshirecat01

Thanks Pinkshoes for you reply,
I haven't got the sellers address and I can't access it from ebay as the deal didn't actually go through ebay!
I have his name and his bank details, thats all.

KeithP

Cheshirecat01 wrote: »

Thanks Pinkshoes for you reply,
I haven't got the sellers address and I can't access it from ebay as the deal didn't actually go through ebay!
I have his name and his bank details, thats all.

Can you not ask Paypal for his address?

Don't know whether they will give it to you, but as they appear 'unable' to help you in any other way, surely they can help you to help yourself... if you see what I mean.

Optimist

You would seem to have fallen foul of the Paypal rules for none Ebay transactions, and the 2006 Fraud Act which makes it the banks responsibility to report fraud. I assume the police are working to that.

You were lucky the police officer even tried.

I fear you are going to have to brace yourself for losing the money, but if it were me I would be creating a stink and complaining to anybody I could think of. Paypal to try get them to pass it on to the police. My MP about the situation, plus I would probably put in a official complaint to the police for good measure, and indeed anybody else I can think of i.e. Watchdog

viktory

This is why I never carry out transactions outside of Ebay. They make it quite clear that you lose all protection when you do.

You can take the fraudulent seller to the small claims court but I fear even if you win you'll still not get your money back.

Brooker_Dave

Cheshirecat01 wrote: »

I thought I'd be careful and pay by paypal, as I thought my payment was covered.

Did you pay paypal with a credit card?