I accepted a seller's 'best offer' on eBay, but now they're claiming the item is no longer available. What are my options?

When you accept a "best offer" on eBay, you and the seller are bound to each other. If the seller later says the item is out of stock, that is a breach of the contract. In this case, the buyer has a few choices for how to handle the problem.

• The buyer can politely ask the seller to cancel the deal because the seller can't provide the item. When a buyer cancels, eBay usually automatically refunds them.

• The buyer can also remind the seller that they agreed to a binding contract when they accepted the offer and point out eBay's Buyer Protection policies. They can then demand that the order be filled with a similar item or a full refund, which includes any shipping costs.

• If the seller doesn't respond or won't do what the buyer wants, the buyer can take the problem to the next level by reporting the seller to eBay. This is done by filing a report for an "Item Not Received" or "Not as Described" case, which starts a formal dispute with eBay's mediation team. The buyer should show all the necessary proof, like screenshots of the offer being accepted, any conversations with the seller, and the listing details. Then, eBay will look into what happened and may give you a full refund or some other kind of compensation based on what they find.

Your voice matters, so don't hesitate to express your opinions in the comments section.