I was planning to purchase an item from a forum and agreed with the seller to a $100 deposit, then pay the remaining $400 balance once the item arrived to me.
After I sent my $100 deposit, the seller then said I have to pay another $150 for "taxes, stamps,duties, shipping" (which was an immediate red flag). The seller confirmed the total $500 selling price was inclusive of shipping and all fees.
The seller is now ignoring all of my calls and emails. I paid quickly via paypal and didn't realize I paid with my linked bank account, not credit card. I submitted a claim via paypal and they declined it. So I can't even escalate the dispute to a claim.
I also called my bank (Chase) and they said there's nothing they can do since I initiated the transaction.
Is there any kind of buyer protection in place for events such as this where I paid for an item and never received it?
