Last week I had 2 federal agents call on me, at my home, with my order from December in their hand.
They had the tracking showing delivered to me.
Well, it turns out that I purchased stolen property, which I obviously was unaware of.
For some reason it involved feds. They said they could not discuss an ongoing investigation.
They showed me the paper work from Ebay and asked me if I still had the item.
It was sitting on my dining room table ready for resale. I just took the pictures.
I was going to list it that day.
So, they examined the item and saw it matched the description (there is no serial numbers or anything)
and asked if I was willing to forfeit it. If not willingly then they would return with a warrant or something to
compel me to turn it over. It wasn't that expensive so I told them I would file a claim with Ebay and they could
take it now. They were very nice, professional and courteous. I had no problem letting them take it.
I immediately contacted Ebay. The seller was still active but all her auctions were gone and her "store" had a note
saying she was out of town until April 1. Ebay took notes and assured me I was covered (Buyer Protection)
even though it was a week shy of 3 months. They transferred my call internally to Pay Pal who opened an
inquiry. They also assured me I would get reimbursed but had a process to follow to try to recover the money from
the seller. If they were unable to get the seller to respond or refund, they would take care of it. I sent them a copy
of the paperwork receipt of the item with the description. It was on their letterhead.
So, it may take 30 days but they say I am covered. I was pleased at how I was treated by Ebay and Pay Pal.
Time will tell if this gets resolved but knowing I had an option was better than just losing the money I spent.
