Sold an expensive item on EBay, won't release my money; each day a different 'excuse'...

[bmacQ]

Each day comes and goes with nothing resolved and no one to speak to or write to directly, either at Ebay nor PayPal. They are holding $2,180 of my money; the buyer has had the item since December 16, so for 8 days now. I had this hand-delivered by a moving company at my own expense, when the buyer spoke of her elderly (somewhat, anyway) in-laws going to pick it up, which would also have required a friend of mine to join them, to help them out of my storage space where it was kept, to their home, to be taken by pick-up truck. I decided this was a potentially dangerous endeavor that could easily result in disaster to the antique, so at my own expense, paid local movers $225 to bring it to them. It was delivered December 16, at 10:30 A.M. I have called and attempted to write down this info and send to Ebay/PayPal repeatedly for the past week. There was no way to input any manual information to this effect, and it seemed to be 'defaulting' to 'UPS shipment', and asking for a 'tracking number.' There was a 'click-on' option at one point, to let Ebay know the piece had been delivered, though would not allow me to click on it. It was not interactive. At one point, I thought they seemed to 'get it,' because on about December 19, I received a message when I went online to PayPal, stating the money would be released on December 22. When that day came and went with no 'release,' I 'forced' my way through to PayPal, on the phone, and got an actual live person, miraculously. That took about 2 hours. I began explaining the entire ordeal to the representative, who seemed sympathetic, and I thought we were finally 'on the same page.' However, the call was disconnected right in the middle, just when she asked me whether I wanted to 'file a dispute with the buyer.' I said, 'what do you mean, file a dispute with the buyer? The buyer hasn't done anything but pay. I have no dispute with the buyer!' At this point, we were disconnected. Whether on purpose or accidentally is anyone's guess. An hour or so later, I received a notice from PayPal on my cell phone, stating my money was 'now available' and that I should log on to 'accept' it. However, when I attempted to accept the money, another obstacle was presented, instead. Apparently, they never intended to allow me to accept anything; it was a 'trick.' This time, it said I needed to upload my photo/license ID, and also to upload a 'receipt from my supplier' regarding the item I sold, as if they now question the legitimacy of my ownership of the item, in addition to its delivery. My girlfriend bought this antique at an estate auction in Maine in 2004-5. It has been with her and now us, in our home for 14 years, and in a heated, climate controlled, very expensive storage unit, where we've kept it since we moved out of state in 2018. Ebay also blocked multiple forms of correspondence between the buyer and me, while attempting to communicate before the final sale, which we both took to reflect perhaps technical glitches at first--then I came to realize, they were perhaps afraid we'd communicate 'offline', arrange surreptitiously for a delivery somehow, and they wouldn't get their fee. The buyer evidently asked to see the item beforehand, and they would not let her do so (she told me). Ergo, I explained to her in tremendous detail, everything I could about the piece, and over a 2-3 week period, she made the determination that she really wanted it. As she lives in Virginia and the item is in Maine, as are her in-laws, she decided to have it sent to the in-laws' residence, to avoid preventatively high shipping costs, and I agreed to have that arranged and paid for, as I mentioned above, at my own expense. I uploaded a picture of my license at PayPal's request, after about two-dozen attempts without it working. As for their second question, wanting to know who my 'supplier' is and asking for a 'receipt'--well, as stated above, there is no 'supplier.' This is household furniture, bought and paid for 17 years ago. So, what are they after? Beats me! I don't know what their real issue is, so I can't answer it 'correctly' to their satisfaction. They think they are going to uncover some sort of nefarious activity here, evidently, I am beginning to realize. This entire thing is completely nuts, and they have been holding over $2,000 for 8 days, with no end in sight. I recently received another message on my PayPal account page, stating that if I don't tell them who 'my supplier' is and/or provide a 'receipt', my account will experience even 'further limitations' by February 5th, 2021. Also, I notice my 'status' seems to now be stating, whether on Ebay or PayPal, I can't recall at the moment, that the item I sold is 'in transit' per 'UPS', expected to be delivered by January 4th, 2021. (Lovely!) I also saw somewhere, that the buyer has the right to ask for a return for the item for up to 21 days...WHAT?! On what planet is a purchase, particularly of this magnitude made, that allows a buyer to 'sample' for free, at the buyer's residence, with moving charges, in addition incurred by the seller, to decide whether he or she 'likes' it. I also saw various 'explanations' as to why the money is being held, one of which stated it's being withheld from me, because I have sold an item that 'the buyer might not like.'  And/or, it is a 'high-risk' item, etc. Really?! I have no idea where to turn next nor what to do. Also, when I began to locate this community for help, I received a notice stating I did not have 'privileges' to enter the community, and it would not allow me to go any further. To my surprise, when I hit the 'back button,' it presented the apparent opportunity to come into the community, despite the notice, and so here I am. What I don't know yet, is whether this has been a colossal waste of time--in that they might not allow this message, ultimately to be received by the community. I guess 'time will tell!' Thanks for listening.