eBay scam or no?

April 20,I bought a PS2 and some games from a seller on eBay. The seller lived north of me,so I anticipated my package arriving rather quickly. The listing even said delivery was estimated to be between April 24 and April 30. I did not receive confirmation that the items were shipped until April 25. No tracking information was provided so I really had no way of keeping up with it. It would be a little late in arriving,but I could live with it. So I waited. And waited. And waited. Twelve days went by from the time I ordered the game system and I still didn't receive it. As I said,the seller lived north of me in the same state so it shouldn't have taken a week for UPS to get it here. I went back to eBay and opened a dispute last night. A short while ago,I received a message from the seller,or rather his wife. According to her,I had originally bought the items from him,but two weeks ago he got in a rather serious accident - hit head-on by a drunk driver as she put it. Despite her having a real job and having to deal with doctors,lawyers and her children,she still managed to ship off about 200 packages between yesterday and today,which is odd because the seller didn't have that many items listed when I bought mine. On every package shipped,she said they told her delivery would be between May 6 and May 7. She assured me all the items had tracking numbers but with her husband's accident and all,she didn't have time to list that many. I haven't responded to her because I'm not sure what I should say yet. This situation sounds questionable. I even went to the local newspaper website where she lives and looked for anything that sounded like her story. I found car accident stories but nothing that would match up with her tale. On the other hand,if there is truth to her story and I reply in a less than civil manner,I'll end up looking like a jerk. Bottom line,am I being taken for a ride? I didn't pay that much for the PS2 and games,but it's just the idea that I'm being taken for a mark and a simpleton and I don't like feeling that way.

Hello jsrs716,

We deal with advance fee scams.

However, I would work with the seller. Ask for information as to when will she ship and get a tracking number if possible.

You have, I believe 45 days to file an Item Not Received (INR). You may want to check on that.

Also Ebay has it own forum with knowledgeable people. I recommend the Feedback forum.

It was my understanding that the item was already shipped. She shouldn't have sent me that shipping confirmation message on April 25 if it wasn't.

http://consumerist.com/2013/05/07/when- ... e-10127532

How it works is simple: an international seller claims to have sent your item, then stalls until after the period during which you can file a complaint against the seller has expired. THis leaves you with no ability to leave bad feedback and no recourse, and eBay knows it.