Scam artist buyer.

[yellow-snapdragon]

So I have a buyer who opened a return stating a NAD because he did not read the description of the item. He is threatening me and harassing me to refund him. After researching him and his user ID, I have found that he regularly rips off sellers, according to his feedback, and even is on a site called badbuyerlist.org when I googled his user ID!  

But the only options I have to choose from all benefit him. I cannot just decline the return. I offered to accept the return but I refuse to pay the return shipping! I sent a reply with this offer to return but what I need to know is...what happens when his request is not met by me? 

In the return details page, it says I need to reply by the 27th. I did send a reply and he keeps sending emails threatening me (I will suffer the consequences, in god's name on my holy day so shall I reap what I sow, etc.) Rantings from a loon. But I do not want to somehow screw this up and have him get free stuff from me or anyone else!

[emerald40]

If a buyer files SNAD, you have to pay for the return shipping.  Unfair but they are the rules.

So check off the box return for refund, send him shipping label, and upon receipt of the item refund him.

Do not let the claim time out as it could result in a defect.

[a_c_green · Accepted solution]

All this over candles? Good grief...

Follow the advice above. You may never hear anything further once he or she understands that you are standing your ground and expect to receive the items back before refunding.

It occurs to me that if this loon has managed to qualify for a third-party Bad Buyer list, it might be Standard Operating Procedure for everything he buys. Does he even mention your item by name in his emails? He may have pre-written, copy-and-paste rants set up for efficiency when haggling with multiple sellers. Remember that all his bluster is just words on a screen, attempting to get your item without paying for it, so carry on in a businesslike manner and have him return for refund, nothing less. Good luck and keep us informed!

[evelyb30]

And if his messages are this threatening, contact Ebay.  If the buyer has a pattern of this, he may have other complaints.  Even Ebay eventually boots his sort off the site for bad behavior ...eventually.   

[pikabo-icu]

Report the buyer for abuse of the MBG!!

https://spd.ebay.com/RBASellerHub

[retrose1]

 I offered to accept the return but I refuse to pay the return shipping!

I tried fighting that fight and lost miserably.  But I learned a buttload about how ebay thinks and operates.

What you can do is take the return, pay the return shipping and when you get the item back and there is no problem, or not the item at all, fully refund the scambag.

Then you march straight to the Post Office and get the postmaster and no matter what you get back - even yours in as shipped condition - report the buyer for using the mail to fraud.  The buyer got the benefit of return postage costs through his false claim, even better if you got his junk back, and that is fraud and is a reportable offense.  If the PO has any other complaints about the address, then they will investigate and it is always gratifing that the buyer can no longer use the PO after a month or two.

ebay will do nothing for you, no matter how hard you try.

And block the buyer so they can not do this to you again.

[double2trouble]

---

@evelyb30 wrote:

And if his messages are this threatening, contact Ebay.  If the buyer has a pattern of this, he may have other complaints.  Even Ebay eventually boots his sort off the site for bad behavior ...eventually.   

---

The real problem, this person does this so much they have managed to get their username on a bad buyer list on other sites, yet they are still allowed to scam with impunity on eBay. It seems the only time these buyers get nixed is when their brought to light in articles by sites like The Guardian, (When The Guardian is the voice of reason, were all in trouble) or they have laid such a gross pattern of criminality and complaints they finally get nixed by eBay. 

[itsjustasprain]

---

@retrose1 wrote:

Then you march straight to the Post Office and get the postmaster and no matter what you get back - even yours in as shipped condition - report the buyer for using the mail to fraud.  The buyer got the benefit of return postage costs through his false claim, even better if you got his junk back, and that is fraud and is a reportable offense. 

---

Oh come on. No it isnt. The post office got paid one way or the other and you got your item back. Youll get laughed out of the office.

---

@retrose1 wrote:

If the PO has any other complaints about the address, then they will investigate and it is always gratifing that the buyer can no longer use the PO after a month or two.

---

Can no longer use the post office?  How does that work exactly?

[retrose1]

---

@itsjustasprain wrote:

---

@retrose1 wrote:

Then you march straight to the Post Office and get the postmaster and no matter what you get back - even yours in as shipped condition - report the buyer for using the mail to fraud.  The buyer got the benefit of return postage costs through his false claim, even better if you got his junk back, and that is fraud and is a reportable offense. 

---

Oh come on. No it isnt. The post office got paid one way or the other and you got your item back. Youll get laughed out of the office.

---

@retrose1 wrote:

If the PO has any other complaints about the address, then they will investigate and it is always gratifing that the buyer can no longer use the PO after a month or two.

---

Can no longer use the post office?  How does that work exactly?

---

You won't be complaining about fraud against the Post Office, you will be complaining about using the PO to fraud.  Which is against the law.  And the PO will take the report, I have made a few.

And yes, the PO will shut down the buyers internet purchasing rights and in some cases not allow pick ups at their house.  There is one person in this area that is not allowed to ship anything at the PO without inspection first.  Drives out of the county to ship something.

[pjcdn2005]

---

@double2trouble wrote:

---

---

The real problem, this person does this so much they have managed to get their username on a bad buyer list on other sites, yet they are still allowed to scam with impunity on eBay. It seems the only time these buyers get nixed is when their brought to light in articles by sites like The Guardian, (When The Guardian is the voice of reason, were all in trouble) or they have laid such a gross pattern of criminality and complaints they finally get nixed by eBay. 

Being on a list like that only means that one person decided to put him on there. There is no way to know why he was put on the list or if it was justified. That's why those type of lists aren't reliable.

[lookng2015]

@yellow-snapdragon You have 14 days returns (for ANY reason). Was this started within that 14 days? If not then you may have a case if your listings clearly show the item was as described.

Otherwise just keep repeating "return for refund". It sounds as though this buyer thinks if they harass you enough they can get a refund without returning items.

[itsjustasprain]

---

retrose1 wrote: 

And yes, the PO will shut down the buyers internet purchasing rights 

---

How does that work exactly?

[couldabeenworse]

If the PO has any other complaints about the address, then they will investigate and it is always gratifing that the buyer can no longer use the PO after a month or two.

And yes, the PO will shut down the buyers internet purchasing rights and in some cases not allow pick ups at their house. 

That is all very hard to believe.  But hopefully they crack down with equal force on sellers who abuse the reporting process.

[pinupsplus]

With a 14 day return policy you have no choice but to accept the return and pay for return shipping if the buyer claims SNAD provided it was filed within 14 days.  You would have to do the same if the buyer opened a SNAD and admitted in the case they just didn't like the color.  If you had a no returns policy, you might have had a chance to win a SNAD depending on what the buyer wrote in the claim.

[karenkat304]

His threats are a violation of eBay policies.  Refuse the return or accept the return, but definitely report him.