Am I Being Scammed?

[robw1959]

My spider sense is really tingling over this deal. The seller, Kent Allison, agreed to sell me a '33 Goudey Ruth SGC 2 card directly through PayPal at a discount of around 6% under what he was asking on eBay. He said he had three of these Goudey Ruth cards and needed money due to a recent kidney replacement. I paid him on 1/5/23, and he supposedly shipped the card. He provided me with two USPS tracking numbers, one of which was supposedly for insurance purposes (weird!). On 1/10/23, I got a tracking notice letting me know a delivery had been attempted earlier that day when I wasn't home. The next day, around 11:30 am on 1/11/23, he emailed me saying that the tracking showed me missing the delivery and to update him once I have gone to the Post Office to pick up the package.

Here's where it gets really strange. At about 5:10 on 1/11/23, the postal clerk told me the package was gone, and that Kent paid USPS to intercept it earlier in the day and send it back to him. I then emailed him that evening to ask for an explanation, but I didn't hear back from him that evening or the next morning, so at around 1:30 pm on 1/12/23, I initiated a PayPal dispute, since I purchased the card via PP Goods & Services. Immediately after I opened the dispute, I got this email message from Kent: "Deal if off. You wasted my time and money. I don't believe you are who you say you are."
I replied that I am the one who feels cheated since he now has my money and soon will have the card as well.

My question is if I am being scammed, what do you think will be his next move, and what is he going to tell PayPal to get them to side with him? Thanks for any help.
--Rob

[perezfan]

Who knows what goes on in the minds of these creeps? I can't even comprehend his next "move", but wish you luck in getting your refund. PayPal tends to side with the buyer, and thankfully you did not use the Friends & Family option.

Please keep us posted on how this all plays out.

[edtiques]

I agree with Perezfan. Paypal tends to side with the buyer more than the seller.
Is it possible he's waiting to get the card back before he refunds your money?
Best of luck to you and keep us up to date please.

[jimq16415]

It sounds weird to have an insurance tracking no. but when you take a package to the counter and pay for postage there they would actually have slips you filled out and one bar code really was for insurance. If you check the number at usps it should show up ok.

Did you use paypal G & S or F&F?

[Rad_Hazard]

Good thing you used G&S. I don't think this person really has a "next move" since their trail points directly to scammer. My money says that you will get a refund from Paypal.

[mrreality68]

seems like a scam but I am not 100% sure how or what he gets out of it. Unless he has a way to keep the money but PP Goods and Services protects the buyer (especially how you described it)

Odd the 2 trackers
Odd it was intercepted before you had a chance to pick up at the Post Office
Odd he said you were wasting his time and money just because you missed the delivery
Lucky you used Goods and Service

good luck with it

[raulus]

Scammer or not, this seller doesn’t seem like worth dealing with.