If you conduct your transaction within E-bay/Paypal, you are generally OK.

It's when you conduct a side deal outside of E-bay is when you open yourself to getting screwed.

A couple of months ago, I bid on a camera and got outbid in the last few seconds. In a situation
very similar to MK's, the seller contacted me later that day and told me the original buyer couldn't pay,
supposedly because it was some 10yr old who had gotten ahold of Dad's e-bay password.

The seller offered me a second chance deal through e-bay, but when I tried to complete the transaction,
I got the message that the auction was closed. I contacted the seller, who told me that he didn't know
how to re-open the second chance offer without re-listing the item. He then sent me a message outside
of E-bay (personal e-mail to personal e-mail) asking if I had any suggestions on what to do.

SNEAKY BASTARD! He wanted *ME* to offer to complete the sale outside of E-bay so that there would
be no way to resolve the matter through e-bay. I politely declined. I don't know if he was trying to scam
me, or just trying to get out of paying listing and commission fees to E-bay, but there was no way I was
sending $400 bucks to a complete stranger hundreds of miles away without having the item in my hand first.

The old rules still apply: If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is; and if the alarm bells in your
head are going off, there's probably a reason for it.

Hope you get your money back MK.

I actually got the phone today. Way more scratched than the photo, obviously, and the guy is still a **** because he charged me more for next day delivery and used regular delivery. I'm glad I won't have to go through the money back ordeal.

Because I am already doing that with my bank. You know, when the cash machine does not give you the money and deducts it from your account anyway and the local bank says they have nothing to do with it and your branch says you can't prove the money did not come out and since this happens often, you begin to wonder if it's one of their tricks.

but now I have the phone at least, it's a Nokia E63, I might need someone to teach me, anyone has/had it?

your bank should just file an atm dispute on your behalf? they contact the owners of the atm - the atm balances itself at the end of every night and it should be out of balance by the amount your didn't get. that is, if the money didn't get returned to your balance between midnight and 2am the night after your tried to withdraw it?

__________________
one incapable of her own distress

did you get a manual? here's the online one if you didn't:

http://nds1.nokia.com/files/support/apac/phones/guides/Nokia_E63_apac_ug_en.pdf

apparently they say hsbc brazil is another bank! lol
this happened in the bank, and they are still claiming the money wasnt deducted from my account, even tho i have proof. gonna have to wait and see.