cheat seller buyer refund item not received sent fraud complaint Paypal protection credit debit card
Note: Above are keywords because eBay's search feature only looks at the first 200 characters and I want this to be easily found. Anyway....

I wrote this so that others may protect themselves without having to go through the loss and hassle I did. There are three things one can do:

1: When buying with Paypal, as one is paying, look closely for the tiny, inconspicuous "more funding options" link in blue on the bottom left. You'll see it on the same page as is the final "pay" button on the "complete your payment" page. Click on that link and make sure you choose "credit/debit card sale." I have a check card and the check card provider will get my money back if the sale is processed like a credit card. Unless you specify otherwise, Paypal processes everything as a direct funds bank transfer and no one will get your money back if you just send money directly to someone. After you click on the link, Paypal will then go to a screen that tries to talk you out of a credit card sale. Mouse click the "yes" button; don't simply hit "enter" because it'll revert back to a direct funds bank transfer. If you want to dispute a charge, just make sure you tell your card provider within their time limit. 31 days after you pay the seller is a perfect time. With my card, I can go to the bank that issued it and do it in person.

2: If it's a US based seller and the listing says that part of the price is for US mail postage, report them to the post office. The USPS gets really upset when someone charges for postal services that they don't provide. Also, if you pay by mail and can prove it, they'll take some severe action. Make a formal complaint at your post office. Mail fraud is a federal crime and, at the very least, your cheating seller will have a ton of attorney's fees. Lastly, if you do make a mail fraud complaint to the post office, they will go after the sellers but they won't get your money back for you. That's for a civil court to do.

3: If you have a problem with a seller of coins, report them to the American Numismatic Association (www.money.org) using the consumer protection section of the site.
eBay says that they are very concerned that coin sales are on the up and up and that they work closely with the ANA but they let cheating sellers (in my case, anyway) keep on selling. I had a problem with a seller who never sent my item so I went to the feedback and contacted other victims. I then sent eBay a bunch of buyer IDs (with their permission, of course.) All had been cheated by the same seller. eBay said they'd investigate and replied later that they saw no reason for any action. eBay never contacted ANY of the buyers! I checked with them, not a one! Some investigation! So, I contacted the ANA and they contacted eBay. The seller's coin listings were gone in a day or two. The same seller was still allowed to sell all of his jewelry and other stuff but at least his coins were pulled. I question eBay's integrity in that they'll pull some types of listings because of fraud but will let that same seller keep on selling other stuff. It seems like they only penalize when forced to, not because it's the right thing to do.

4: Sometimes you'll see something like "Seller not responsible for lost or damaged items if shipping insurance is not purchased." This is false, at least in the U.S.A. Although I can't speak for other countries, in the U.S.,  if you buy something that has to be shipped or mailed to you, it is the seller's responsibility by law to see that it gets to you. They're supposed to package it in a sufficiently safe manner to make sure it gets to you and gets to you intact. When they say that they're not responsible, it's like me putting up a sign that says "Not responsible for anyone that I stab in my living room." By the way, dry cleaners who post a sign that says that they're not responsible for lost or damaged items are also, by law, responsible. Anyway, if you get a damaged or misrepresented item, just send it back to the seller by the cheapest way at the post office, UPS, Fedex, etc, and ask for a receipt. The post office charges 90 cents (I think) for a receipt. Be ready to show the receipt to your card provider when you dispute the charge. They want proof that it went back. You can get your money back (EVEN THE ORIGINAL SHIPPING COSTS!) if you have processed the sale as a credit card (see #1 above.)

Remember, always process as a credit card with the "more funding options" link on the "complete your payment" page. If you don't protect yourself, no one else will!