How to deal with possible fraud

[hobie-ca]

Exactly 30 days ago I purchased some goods online and paid for them through Paypal, seller said they would send out the order in 2 to 3 weeks. In 2 weeks i emailed and asked if they were able to send out my order, seller replied that they were going to send it out Monday or Tues. On Tuesday I emailed and asked if the got the order in the mail, she responded yes they did and gave me a tracking number. Tried the tracking number the next day and canada post's system has no record of that tracking number. I then emailed the seller to check the tracking number and the email address is no longer in exsistance. I then tried the email address on the Paypal invoice and guess what? it is no longer working either.

The seller claims to have shipped the package 2 days ago, should I wait another week to show if anything will show up, or should I start a claim immediatly?

Will Paypal cover this?

Any advice would be appreciated.

[PayPal_Adrian]

Welcome to the boards!

I'm concerned because in your description, the seller told you they shipped it one time, and gave a tracking number that was invalid.  Now they're saying they've just shipped it?  An inconsistency like this can be a sign that the new package may not be received.

Do you have a tracking number for the new shipment?  If so, is it showing any updates?

When you make a payment with PayPal, you have 45 days to file a dispute from the day you paid.  If it's getting close to this deadline, and you haven't received your item yet, definitely file a claim for Non-Receipt in the Resolution Centre to preserve your rights.  Once you file the dispute, don't cancel it until you have the item or a refund. 

If you don't have either by 15 days after filing the dispute, escalate it to a claim.  You actually have 20 days to escalate it to a formal claim, but I always tell myself 15 days - because sometimes I think, "oh, well, I'll do it tomorrow"

Thanks!

Adrian

[hobie-ca]

Thanks for your response Adrian

I think you are misunderstanding the situation. The seller only told me once that they had shipped the order and provided me with an invalid tracking number. The next day when I tried to contact the seller to see if they had made an error in relaying the tracking number to me, all email addresses had been closed. The invalid tracking number combined with the closure of 2 email addresses made me very suspicous of a possible fraud. I have opened a dispute but don,t expect a response as there is no way to contact the seller as they have cancelled both email addresses.

[PayPal_Adrian]

Hey, that's ok!  If you've opened a dispute, then I think you're on the right track.  Just make sure you escalate it within 20 days to a claim to ensure your protections.  In the meantime, if you do receive the item and everything is 100% ok with it, you can always cancel the claim. 

Thanks!

Adrian