ripped off, now what
March 28, 2011 8:16 AM   Subscribe

After years of buying custom clothing online, and dealing with lots of flaky sellers, it looks like I finally got ripped off. I've given up hope of getting my items or money back. What next?

The payment was made, via PayPal, in November with an expected shipping time of "up to" 8 weeks. In all this time, I've only gotten one "we're swamped" email by way of explanation. I've given them until the end of the week to refund my money, but doubt that will happen. Other than reporting them to PayPal what legal and ethical things can I do to keep them from ripping off anyone else?

(Both myself and the seller are in the US. I'm out about $160.)
posted by anonymous to Shopping (9 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
Is this thought eBay? Did you leave crappy feedback?

What I've done in the past is make a Google site documenting all the crappiness and then link to the page in my feedback on eBay.
posted by k8t at 8:26 AM on March 28, 2011 [3 favorites]


Was it via a venue like Etsy or Ebay? If so, report the seller for non-delivery. Paypal has a 45 day window to file a dispute, unfortunately. You may have just learned this, but you should never buy with Paypal if ordering something that says "up to 8 weeks". Some sellers will try to string you along with promises until the 45 days have passed so that you can't report it.

File a chargeback to your credit card right now if that's an option.
posted by iconomy at 8:26 AM on March 28, 2011 [3 favorites]


-If your PayPal payment was backed by a credit card and you can't get your money back via PayPal for whatever reason, you can do a credit card chargeback
-If they are located in the same state as you, you could take them to small claims court
-You can leave negative feedback on a site like resellerratings.com
posted by phoenixy at 8:27 AM on March 28, 2011 [2 favorites]


You should file a police report. That can help, and be really firm with the seller, as in "I am filing a police report, and filing a complaint with ebay and paypal unless you rectify this by Friday."
posted by annsunny at 9:59 AM on March 28, 2011


Out of curiosity (and because being specific might help the OP): In instances like this, is it best to file a police report in your local jurisdiction, or in the seller's, or both?
posted by limeonaire at 10:46 AM on March 28, 2011


is it best to file a police report in your local jurisdiction, or in the seller's, or both?
posted by limeonaire


I would think that your own is the way to go. The transaction occurred as much at your end as theirs. You don't want to have to fly somewhere to file a small claims action. They would most likely default at your location, however, so you'd have some trouble collecting. Some states have reciprocity, so that would be worth knowing.
posted by StickyCarpet at 10:52 AM on March 28, 2011


Also, you could contact the Postmaster General and make a Federal Case out of it.
posted by StickyCarpet at 10:53 AM on March 28, 2011


To clarify, I was talking to a friend yesterday, who ran into this same problem. He filed a report with the local police first. I am not sure if he filed one at the sellers location. You should call the police located in the region, to find out if you need to file a report there. He also threatened to fly to the seller's state to testify/press charges. Keep in mind, you don't have to be nice to this person, they are already trying to rip you off.
posted by annsunny at 11:15 AM on March 28, 2011


Also, you could contact the Postmaster General and make a Federal Case out of it.

Ah yes. Specifically, you could file a complaint with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Forgot about that!
posted by limeonaire at 2:00 PM on March 28, 2011


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