Victim of a brazen scam on eBay - what should I do? | Members help members

vielesmehr1984 · 2026-04-20T10:42:11.453000Z

Hello, unfortunately I became the victim of a scam on eBay. From a private seller with zero reviews. (Yes, maybe stupid, but beginners should be given a chance too). For the protection of everyone involved, I will simplify the details a bit. I bought a high-quality item A for a lot of money, but a completely worthless item B was sent. To put it very simply, it was like ordering a fresh organic apple but receiving a rotten tomato. The item was also not sent like that by mistake; there was pure fraudulent intent behind it.What is the best way to proceed now? I definitely want to file a criminal complaint, and for that I need the item that was sent to me. But I also want to make use of my buyer protection case. I have the following questions:1. What makes more sense, in terms of the impact on the seller and with regard to my rights? A buyer protection case through eBay, or better directly through PayPal as the payment service provider?2. Since the item sent to me has absolutely no value, it also makes no sense to send it back. Can I still get my money back through buyer protection without sending back the worthless item?3. For a criminal complaint, I need all items and documents. Can I open a buyer protection case and file a criminal complaint in parallel? I need the item for that when I go to the police station.Thank you very muchDesdenova

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Victim of a brazen scam on eBay - what should I do? | Members help members | eBay Germany