Strange situation

Summary: yxiloveebaxy reports a suspicious situation when buying a soundbar online. The seller claims to have shipped the item twice and asks for the second one to be returned, but there are inconsistencies in the shipping information. yxiloveebaxy is looking for advice on possible scams and on how to best use eBay’s buyer protection program. perfect-sally advises waiting for the delivery and refusing to accept a second package. voli-maus suggests reporting a missing item after the delivery period has expired.

Hello everyone, I urgently need advice about a very strange situation with a seller.

I bought a soundbar for 450 euros. In the morning I asked the seller when he had shipped the item. He then wrote to me that everything had already been shipped and that he had supposedly sent the item twice by mistake. After that, he asked me to send back the second package and promised to cover all costs.

At first I said that was basically not a problem. Later, when I had more time, I wanted to clarify the matter in more detail and asked when exactly the second package was sent, what tracking number it has, which shipping service it is with, and where I can see the tracking.

When I asked for the number of the second package, the seller actually sent me a new tracking number. After that, however, I had even more doubts, because the tracking only shows that the shipment was announced electronically, but not that it had already been handed over to DHL that morning.

What seems particularly suspicious to me is that the seller claimed in the morning that everything had already been shipped, while the tracking only shows a later electronic notification. On my screenshot, DHL shows the status „The shipment was announced electronically“ with the timestamp 09.07.2026, 4:34 p.m., which in my view only means that the shipping label or shipment data were created, but not necessarily that the package had actually been sent at that time or even earlier.

That is why I have serious doubts. I don't know whether this is really an honest mistake with two shipments or whether the seller is already building some strange story in advance in order to ask me to do certain things later.

I find the following points particularly problematic:

• The seller has claimed from the start that there is a second package.

• The times he gave do not match the information in the tracking.

• So far, only an electronic notification is visible under the tracking number, but no clear proof that it was actually handed over to the shipping provider.

• I definitely do not want to lose my eBay buyer protection by doing anything outside the official eBay process.

My questions to the community are therefore:

• Has anyone ever had a similar situation?

• Could this be a scam or at least problematic behavior on the seller's part?

• What is the best way for me to proceed in this case without jeopardizing my buyer protection?

• Should I simply wait for the first package to arrive and not do anything before then?

• If a second package actually does arrive: would it be better to refuse acceptance, or should I only act through the official eBay messages and eBay procedures?

I would be very grateful for any assessments and experiences from other users. As far as I understand it, in a situation like this you should not arrange a return at your own expense and should, if possible, handle everything only through the platform and official communication.