Q: What should I do to get my money back from the seller who owes me money?
It is a long story, but basically I was selling an item through an app with a protection policy of as long as you buy through the app then you are safe, but recently I got tricked into thinking this guy used the app to purchase some items to me, but he didn't and sent a fake email as confirmation and "paid" me extra to buy one day shipping for him to send out him item to him faster aka to scam me for it. When I realized it was already to late. The item was 200+ dollar on its own plus the extra that was spent for the over night shipping. I can't afford to just take a loss like this right now. Should I call the police. I still have this guys Instagram and is wondering if I should contact him again to see if I can receive my money. Is there anything else I can do since the app can't help me in the case that I thought he used the app, but didn't. He is located in North Carolina and i'm here and the money was suppose to be send on PayPal
A:
Nothing in your question makes any sense. Perhaps you are not fluent in English. I have used PayPal since 1999. When someone pays you through PayPal, you receive an email confirmation AND the funds are IN YOUR ACCOUNT. In the days before PayPal, when you won an auction on eBay and paid by check, most sellers wouldn't even ship the item until AFTER the check cleared.
The internet is difficult to monitor, much less regulate. If you shipped $200 of merchandise before you were paid, you have no viable recourse. Police enforce criminal laws and traffic laws, they are not there to enforce contracts, much less interstate contracts. If you could not afford the loss, you had no business shipping the goods BEFORE you were paid. Take it as a lesson and move on. Most reputable venues such as eBay do offer protections to both buyer and seller. You only state that you sold something through "an App," though you never state what "app" so it is impossible to comment on whether it offered you any protection.
Juan Ooink agrees with this answer
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