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Possible Scam with iPhones

6514steve
Enthusiast

I recently sold an Apple iPhone to someone in the Ukraine.  The item was shipped and I provided a shipping number to the buyer.  Shipment was made through USPS via PayPal.  The buyer recently emailed me saying the phone never arrived and now wants their money back.



At this point, I have called USPS, PayPal, and eBay.  USPS told me once the item leaves the US it cannot be tracked.  PayPal told me to wait until 20 days to see if the buyer files a "claim".  eBay told me there has been extensive problems with iPhones purchased through eBay to the Ukraine and Eastern Europe and the matter needs to be investigated.



At no point was I able to open or leave feedback about the buyer which doesn't make sense.  This entire case appears to be a fraud.  I guess the sellers are the victims.



Please be aware of this problem.  If you are going to ship items overseas then ship by FedEx or UPS.  I WILL NOT SHIP ANOTHER ITEM INTERNATIONALLY!



There is NO protection for sellers if you ship something internationally via USPS.  It's simply ridiculous.



Please feel free to contact me if you have had similar experiences.  This is the second time I have been stolen from.

Message 1 of 89
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88 REPLIES 88

Possible Scam with iPhones


I recently sold an Apple iPhone to someone in the Ukraine.  The item was shipped and I provided a shipping number to the buyer.  Shipment was made through USPS via PayPal.  The buyer recently emailed me saying the phone never arrived and now wants their money back.



At this point, I have called USPS, PayPal, and eBay.  USPS told me once the item leaves the US it cannot be tracked.  PayPal told me to wait until 20 days to see if the buyer files a "claim".  eBay told me there has been extensive problems with iPhones purchased through eBay to the Ukraine and Eastern Europe and the matter needs to be investigated.



At no point was I able to open or leave feedback about the buyer which doesn't make sense.  This entire case appears to be a fraud.  I guess the sellers are the victims.



Please be aware of this problem.  If you are going to ship items overseas then ship by FedEx or UPS.  I WILL NOT SHIP ANOTHER ITEM INTERNATIONALLY!



There is NO protection for sellers if you ship something internationally via USPS.  It's simply ridiculous.



Please feel free to contact me if you have had similar experiences.  This is the second time I have been stolen from.




I'm sorry to hear about your difficulty.  I sell a lot of cell phones (including iPhones), and although I receive a lot of interest from Ukraine and Russia, I have unfortunately had to block buyers from these countries (among others) from purchasing cell phones from me.



If you look on the USPS website for the restrictions on what can be sent to Ukraine, it says the following:



"Radios and mobile telephones for personal use may be sent to Ukraine, provided that the addressee has obtained prior authorization from the Ukrainian State Center of Radio Frequencies and Telecommunications Supervision. The Center is responsible for assigning radio frequencies and registering official authorization for the design, manufacture, and use of radio-electronic equipment. Customers who require additional information about the mailing of radio-electronic equipment to Ukraine should send their inquiries directly to the Center’s headquarters in Kiev. The applicable fax number is...".



Russia also has restrictions on the import of cell phones; any time I find a country that has too many restrictions on imports, I add it to the list of countries that I do not ship to.



I would not give up on selling internationally, as there are no issues with shipping to many countries.  Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Japan seem to have the least hassles.  I always ship by USPS Express Mail International if the item is of any value, as this has the best tracking of any USPS service.  UPS and FedEx are outrageously expensive for international shipments, plus UPS often adds insanely high "customs brokerage fees" that the customer will be unhappy about paying in addition to duty and taxes.

Message 2 of 89
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Possible Scam with iPhones


I have had the same trouble but with buyers here in the U.S. You may want to report the incident to your cell provider if you once used that phone. If you report it stolen to the cell carrier then that phone will not be able to be activatied. I have heard of people doing this before. Sounds like you got scammed.




Unfortunately, it was probably a GSM iPhone, so reporting it stolen will not do any good, since the buyer will be using a different SIM card (and they're not going to be using it with AT&T).

Message 3 of 89
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Possible Scam with iPhones

I would agree shipping high ticket items internationally, unless you are doing high volume is not worth the risk. With that being said, paypal and eBay contrary to popular belief will most likely rule in your favor and you will eventually get your money back. I have been in these circumstances before and have never gotten the short end of the stick from paypal especially if you are able to provide tracking stating it left the country.

Message 4 of 89
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Possible Scam with iPhones


I know it's late now, but you shouldn't sell items that are in demand here overseas. You can easily sell it here for $30-40 less, but you'll be sure that you gonna see your money and you have some protection from eBay. The other thing is insurance, if you already used USPS, you should insure it, and also you can use other services UPS, FedEx, they're not cheap with the reason.




You can sucessfully sell items overseas with little risk; you just need to know which countries to block from purchasing from any of your listings, and which countries to block from specific types of listings.



Insurance is highly recommended as well.

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Possible Scam with iPhones

630.1951
Enthusiast

This same thing just happened to me. Why doesn't eBay or PayPal alert sellers to this issue? Maybe they are in on it. How would a seller know to look in this forum first before listing a cell phone? Yes, this is indeed a Russian scam. Thanks, Russia, eBay and PayPal. You fit right into our United States of crooks.

Message 6 of 89
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Possible Scam with iPhones

djzmiller
Enthusiast

My daughter thinks that this is an organized criminal activity where they actually get the product, resell it, and also claim they didn't get it and ask for their money back. I agree this needs to be investigated.

Message 7 of 89
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Possible Scam with iPhones

I cannot seem to get eBAY to respond.  I too sold an iPhone.  I sent it to an address in Maryland though. Now i get contacted telling me I sent 'trash' to Russia and they want their money back.  I sent via USPS  and have a confirmation that it was delivered to the address in Maryland.

Message 8 of 89
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Possible Scam with iPhones

I too was scammed by a Ukraine ebay member in collusion with Paypal and Ebay.  The member begged and pleaded i send it first class and said they would be responsible if anything happens becuase I stated I could not insure it.  I did as the buyer said and then the buyer files a claim on me. It is only a matter of time before this company folds.  You cant operate the way they do and stay in business unless you are the federal government.

Message 9 of 89
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Possible Scam with iPhones

gporpc
Guide

Set your eBay and PP to only allow sales to and payments from US account holders..

Message 10 of 89
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Possible Scam with iPhones

Anonymous
Not applicable

for expensive items use priority mail international u get some automatic insurance and I believe u can get more.


 


Also things get held up in customs

Message 11 of 89
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Possible Scam with iPhones

georgepd
Enthusiast

I sold an iphone shipped there and it took almost 2 months for the buyer to get it. I was just getting ready to refund the buyer and mark it off as a loss.

Message 12 of 89
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Possible Scam with iPhones

2000ej8401
Enthusiast

I had a similar case recently where the seller wanted me to ship the iPhone to Thiland.  I agreed to the terms and he paid me via paypal with extra cash after the auction ended which was a red flag.  Now when I went to the post office the lady told me that its really expensive to ship out an item overseas especially with a signature confirmation and insurance.  It was going to cost me $85 dollars to ship to the destination.  So I declined and went back home with the iphone still in my possession :).  So what I did next is look into thier feedback, the buyer had 272 feedback so I was looking through all items he had purchased it looks to me like the buyer was building up feedback to scam me out of a $700 dollar phone.  I also went as far as looking into the address as well which lead to a highway in thiland which was a HUGE RED FLAG!!  What I did next was give a second chance offer to the bidder that almost won it.  They immediately paid me via PayPal and I refunded the first buyer the total amount.  I'm just glad my iPhone wasnt sold to a scammer that would of stole my money and the phone

Message 13 of 89
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Possible Scam with iPhones

mayholding
Enthusiast

i just sold a phone in July to buyer, who filed a claim last week under buyer protection that eBay honored.  i have discovered at least two other sellers to same buyer during this time period, where he is also claiming he did not receive.  it is a scam, and he asked to have it sent USPS Priority International.  i should have read this disussion earlier - i did not realize USPS tracking stops when shipment leaves US.  has anybody had success in aribtrating this with ebay?

Message 14 of 89
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Possible Scam with iPhones

gporpc
Guide

Why can't you all just sell to buyers with US zip codes?

Message 15 of 89
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