Are the intermediaries liable or responsible for refunding the buyer if the transaction goes wrong?

I made a large purchase on ipods several months ago and transferred the money to a middleman. Till this date, I still haven't receive the merchandise. The middleman told me that his supplier ditched him. Now, I want my money back and the middleman told me that he is not liable for the money because he only acts as an intermediary to purchase the items from the suppliers. Now, I am out thousands of dollars and the middleman said he's not responsible for my loss. What should I do?|||If you paid by credit card, notify your credit card company.





If you paid by any other mean, then:





If they sent your money to the supplier, ask for proof that payment was made to the supplier. In other words, try to find out who has your money.





Consider the value of suing the middleman and the supplier. Trouble is, it would probably cost more than a few thousand in legal fees to pursue the issue with no assurance that anything would come of it.





Make a report of possible fraud to the appropriate legal authorites, to the better business bureau, and to any other agency you can think of that might have an interest.





If the middleman is a large and/or recognizable organization, I would protest up the line. I would also consider talking to local news organizations, etc.





Bottom line, unless you paid by credit card, I think your options are few.