The eBay class action settlement, formally Rosado v. eBay Inc., is closed. The $1.2 million fund resolved claims that eBay improperly de-listed “Buy It Now” auctions without refunding sellers’ listing fees, but the claim deadline passed on December 8, 2015, and checks went out to approved claimants beginning in September 2016.1Courthouse News Service. $1.2 Million Settlement OK’d for EBay Class Action If a notice is telling you right now that you can still file a claim, or asking for a fee to collect one, it is almost certainly a scam.
What the Case Was About
The lawsuit alleged that when a buyer clicked “Buy It Now” on a listing but never actually paid, eBay would remove the item from the site anyway. Sellers lost the remaining listing time they had already paid for and had to pay again to relist.2PR Newswire. The eBay Buy It Now Class Action Settles For $1.2 Million eBay denied wrongdoing and agreed to the $1.2 million settlement to end the litigation.
The class covered U.S.-based eBay sellers who, between July 30, 2008, and September 10, 2015, paid a “Buy It Now” listing fee, had the item de-listed after a buyer clicked but did not pay, and never received a full refund of that fee.2PR Newswire. The eBay Buy It Now Class Action Settles For $1.2 Million
What Class Members Received
After attorneys’ fees, administrative costs, and notice expenses were taken out of the $1.2 million, the remaining money was divided among approved claimants on a pro rata basis. The settlement valued each approved claim at $5 for a non-vehicle listing and $10 for a vehicle listing, and no individual could receive more than $15 total, no matter how many qualifying transactions they had.
If You Have an Uncashed Check From 2016
Settlement checks began arriving in late September 2016. If one is still sitting in a drawer, it is almost certainly void. Class action settlement checks typically expire 90 to 180 days from the date on the check, and under the Uniform Commercial Code banks generally will not honor a check presented more than six months after issue.
Sometimes a class member who missed the window can ask the settlement administrator for a reissued check, but that depends on money still being available in the fund. For a settlement that finished distributing nearly a decade ago, the practical answer is that nothing is left to draw from.
Notices Circulating Now Are Scams
Because the real settlement is closed, any current message inviting you to “claim your eBay settlement” is fraudulent. Scammers reuse the names of well-known settlements to pull personal information or money out of people who half-remember the case. A few signs tell you what you’re looking at:
- A request for money up front. No legitimate settlement charges a filing fee, processing fee, or administrative fee to release your payment.
- A request for sensitive data. Real claim forms ask for your name, address, and a way to contact you. They do not ask for your Social Security number, your bank login, or a credit card number.
- Pressure to act within hours or a day. Genuine notices give you weeks or months and point to a real court case number you can verify.
If you’re unsure about any settlement notice, search independently for the company name, the word “settlement,” and the year, and look for coverage from established news outlets. You can also look up the case on the federal court’s PACER system. Don’t rely on a link inside the notice itself; that’s the part a scammer controls.