Deadbeat Ebay seller issue....what should I do?

[jerkov]

I'm sure there have been a million of these cases discussed on here, but I need help. I've bought quite a bit of stuff off of Ebay in the past year, but this is the only problem I've run into yet. About a month and a half ago I won an auction for Snatcher for the Sega CD, disc only, for about $15. The guy (Ebay ID: timpudisu) was selling a whole bunch of Sega CD stuff, and everyone else who bid on his other items left positive feedback for the seller saying how quickly their items came and all that other stuff (so obviously, he came through for them, but not me). After 3 weeks, I emailed him and said that my game had never come. A few days later, he emailed me apologizing saying that for some reason my package never got sent out, but that it was being sent out right now. He even offered to refund the shipping costs, but I said he didn't have to, I just want the game. Well, 3 weeks later, and still nothing. I emailed him a couple of times, haven't heard anything. Since its been a month and a half, I know that Paypal won't help me get my money back. Can my credit card company do anything about it? Is there anything I can do besides just leave negative feedback? I really, really want this game badly, but at this point I just want my money back because obviously this dude won't deliver it for some unknown reason. Any suggestions?

[jonjandran]

Yea your credit card company can get your money. Call them and they will handle it.
And that sucks , but hey it could be worse than $15.00.

[jerkov]

Yeah, thats true, it could be a lot worse......

Actually, it's not even the money that hurts, it's the fact that I want to play the game so bad and $15 seems like a good deal, even for just the disc. I really don't feel like spending $80 on a complete one.

Why would he have no problem delivering everything else he sold but not my game? Ah well......I guess I'll be calling my credit card company tomorrow.

[jonjandran]

Well he's been selling bootleg copies of Third World War for the Sega Cd. Maybe the Snatcher was a bootleg to and he got caught, and now hes gone into hiding. ????

[Flack]

I would e-mail him one last time and let him know your plan of action.

"Dear sir. It has been 6 weeks since I paid you, and 3 weeks since you mailed out the item. I still have not received the item. If I have not heard back from you by Monday I will be contacting my credit card to obtain a refund and leaving you negative feedback."

Furthermore, you stole fizzy-lifting drinks, touched the ceiling so it now has to be washed ... you broke the rules, so you LOSE! You Get NOTHING. Good DAY SIR.

Ok, maybe not the Wonka part, but you get the idea.

[jerkov]

Flack, ha, I liked your post, but I actually did send him an email a few days ago saying all of that already. I think I gave him enough advance warning.

Jonjandran, I just noticed that about the Third World War discs....he sold quite a few of them, didn't he. My question is if they were bootlegs, why didn't any of the buyers complain about them?

[jonjandran]

Well he says that it is a copy of the game disc. So he didn't lie.
And the buyers didn't have high feedback so they might have been worried about "revenge" feedback.

[Zaxxon]

See if he has one of those "about me" pages. Sometimes people put their phone # on there. If you call him at home and pester him you'll get your stuff quick.

[jonjandran]

See if he has one of those "about me" pages. Sometimes people put their phone # on there. If you call him at home and pester him you'll get your stuff quick.

Since he has done a trade , he can request the contact info from E-Bay . It should have the guys phone # there.

[jerkov]

Man, you guys are giving me all kinds of ideas.....how would I go about trying to get the contact info from Ebay? Where would that option be listed at? I may try that before I call the credit card company.....assuming he's actually selling a real Snatcher that is.

[jonjandran]

Go to your "My Ebay" page.
Go to the selling page.
Click on Non Paying Bidder Program, a box will come up.
#1 says "Contact your buyer Learn More.
Click on the "Learn More"
Then click on the "find an eBay member's contact information?"
Go down to the "Contact Info" box and fill in the appropriate info. They'll send you the info in your e-mail.

Complicated , but it works.

[SoulBlazer]

I understand your pain, man. I also wanted to play Snatcher REALLY badly when I got the system last year. After failing to win several auctions on EBay (they all went for $100 or more) finally just gave up and asked a friend for a copy. After all, I just wanted to PLAY the game, I did'nt know if it was any good or not. It's a great game, but not worth $100 if you're a player and not a collector like me. :D

[Videogamerdaryll]

Try to give the seller a call using this..

http://cgi3.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?MemberSearchShow

[jonjandran]

DOH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :embarrassed:

[jerkov]

Awesome info, guys.....just filled out that form to get his contact info. Hopefully, this issue will be resolved one way or the other very soon. I just hope he listed a phone number!

[jerkov]

SoulBlazer, good suggestion, but I walk the fine line between collector and gamer.....I like to have real copies of stuff. I would love it complete, but I'm not spending the cash for it. So I'll take loose carts, CDs, etc. if I want them bad enough. I concentrate mostly on NES stuff, and the vast majority of my collection is loose carts......I would love to have them complete, but I get a lot dirt cheap from Gamestop. Some aren't in the greatest shape, either, but what are you going to do? I got a Flintstones: Dinosaur Peak with some damage on the top of the label at a Gamestop; do I wish I had a complete mint copy? Yes. Was I going to leave a copy with a damaged label sitting there for $5 for someone else? Hell no.

Plus, I don't know anyone who has a copy of the game, so that makes it a little more difficult. BTW, do CD-Rs work in Sega CDs?

[rbudrick]

If you go the Credit card route, document EVERYTHING. The emails, the auction, whatever. Print them out and call the credit card company. You will have to fill out some stuff and give a very detailed explanation of what happenned. You also must prove that you tried to contact the seller (hence the emails). It takes 60 days, but you will probably get your money back.

-Rob

[SoulBlazer]

Yup, CD-R's work fine in the Sega CD. Same way they work in the 3DO. The systems are too old for any kind of protection and no one back then really had the means to copy CD's. :)

I was just saying you might want to start with a copy to see if you like it and if you do then buy a copy.