Scammed by zero feedback buyer

[shoryureppa354]

I sold a high value video game collectors item which was in already in a thick cardboard packaging unopened. I still put the item padded inside a rectangular Amazon shipping box. Then I put the whole amazon box inside the priority medium box which was almost form fitting. 

The buyer received item yesterday and today requested a return. He said the item was damaged and showed the damage in the corner of the priority box. Then showed the pic of actual item damaged which is inconsistent. As mentioned even if the car ran over the priority mail box, it’s impossible to have that kind of crease in the corner as the amazon box itself was form fitting and it was stuffed full. There is physically no space inside two priority box and amazon box to have that kind of crush. The whole thing inside would have to spill out to have that kind of crushed corner. 

Sigh. Looks like the buyer is just exchanging his badly damaged collectors item with mg pristine one. 

I guess I should just cancel zero feedback buyers from now on. I asked the buyer for more pic on the amazon box. I guess he now needs to crush it to be consistent with the mysterious outside priority mail box damage. 

[the-hook-and-the-loop]

The first thing you need to do is report the buyer. Stating that they returned a different item. Then you can deduct the 50% from the refund.

[robbie31415]

That's not how that works.

I'm a TRS, if I receive an item not in the same condition I can partially refund up to 50% and the return closes.

They can't escalate, however eBay can pay the other 50% out of eBays pocket.

[dbfolks166mt]

Well I got the item back and it’s 100% scam. 😞
The first photo is the item I sold. It was already in cardboard shipping box Nintendo used to ship to customers. I bought two so the boxes were shipped in another shipping box. 
So I put that entire shipping box in Amazon box with bubble wrap and styrofoam padding. Also the item covers 90% of amazon box. I would have shipped that as is but the item weighs 6 pounds so I put that inside priority mail box to be charged flat rate. 

So as you can see three protections. 

The return amazon box has no creases or crushes like the outer box. Also the scammer didn’t even return the original Nintendo shipping box nor did he provide the photo of the said box when I asked. Only the item itself creased and cut all over. Basically he kept my pristine condition item in its original shipping box (can be graded as undistributed) and simply returned his bad copy. Otherwise he could’ve shown me the photo of the original Nintendo shipping box or ship that back like I asked. Not only did he register the day he bought it but he hid his last name and phone number. 

Since it’s impossible to get eBay to side with seller, I am just going to eat the cost. I just hope the scammer reaps what he sows. 

     Not sure how much time you want to spend on this but it was a $350 item. Obvious scam but as others suggested you are a TRS so you can report the buyer and at least take 50% off of the refund amount. Personally I would contact the seller and let them know you received the returned item but it appears that the returned item was damaged in shipping or theft occurred in transit and you have opened a claim with the USPS, which you should do. Let them know that USPS may contact them, as the sender, regarding the returned item to validate how it was packaged and returned, which they may. USPS damage claims are difficult to win, but they do take mail fraud serious, make sure you retain the returned packing and the item. 

[greatmidwestcoin]

I won't sell to low FB buyers period. And yes I know how to handle these without violating any eBay rules or receiving a ding. An eBay supervisor told me how years ago. I also google addresses to see where these buyers live to get a feel if there is a house or apartment there, etc. Some may say creepy but I cover myself and my investments as well as I can. Under my main selling ID, which I have had for over 23 years, I have not had any losses or scams and several million $ in sales. I have dodged that bullet for 23 years.

[greatmidwestcoin]

Tell the buyer that you will contact the US Postal Inspectors to possibly come to their address to investigate the loss and damaged parcel. See what their response will be. 

[shoryureppa354]

Could you PM me how to avoid selling to zero FB buyers? Thanks

[shoryureppa354]

I’m not sure how I can prove to eBay and also avoid getting any negative feedback. 

I did some research and not all special editions were shipped inside a box like mine. Some were mailed inside a bubble mailer and got heavily damaged. Mine was a lucky one that got shipped inside a box and I listed for high price bc it would guarantee the pristine condition.

Obviously this guy had the one sent in a bubble mailer heavily damaged and simply returned that one. I mean bought with full intention to swap. 

[az93]

USPS and other companies use heavy machinery and forklifts. Of course there can be damage.

[dbfolks166mt]

I’m not sure how I can prove to eBay and also avoid getting any negative feedback. 

     That is the difficult part about the best you can do is make an attempt. As a TRS there is a good probability that once you report the buyer you can refund at the 50% level. EBay may elect to cover the other 50% out of their own pockets. 

I did some research and not all special editions were shipped inside a box like mine. Some were mailed inside a bubble mailer and got heavily damaged. Mine was a lucky one that got shipped inside a box and I listed for high price bc it would guarantee the pristine condition.

Obviously this guy had the one sent in a bubble mailer heavily damaged and simply returned that one. I mean bought with full intention to swap. 

     It's a shame things like this happen on eBay but as a seller we are all taking the risk. I have dealt with a few of these type of situations over the years and while I generally ate the loss (tax deduction) I have never let the buyer off scott free as it encourages continued behavior. In one instance the buyer was close enough 2 hour drive that I filed a police report with their local police department, drove to the buyer location and the police were nice enough to accompany me to the buyer residence to recover the item. The look on the buyers face when the police knocked on the door with me standing there explaining the reason for the visit was priceless. 

[shoryureppa354]

That is awesome. 

But how do you avoid negative feedback or buyer retaliation? The buyer can still leave negative feedback killing me perfect 23 year record. Also he could get his friends to buy any of my stuff and claim damages or issues. 
I’m thinking I should just eat the loss…. Sigh. 

[dbfolks166mt]

That is awesome. 

But how do you avoid negative feedback or buyer retaliation? The buyer can still leave negative feedback killing me perfect 23 year record. Also he could get his friends to buy any of my stuff and claim damages or issues. 
I’m thinking I should just eat the loss…. Sigh. 

     No way to avoid negative feedback and I have had to have a couple removed over the years. Of course I automatically add the buyer to my BBL to prevent potential repeats, at least from that account. Buyer retaliation is always a possibility but you would have to know me to understand that in the long run that would be a war they would not win. 

     Eating the loss is not always a bad thing it just depends on your available time and your demeanor.

[robbie31415]

Negative feedback is typically removed as a TRS benefit when you issue a partial for the item being changed condition.

Up to 50% refund deduction for decreased value on used or damaged returns

When you issue a refund for an item that was returned after it was used or damaged by a buyer, and you have a track record of delivering on your service promise, we’ll give you the ability to protect yourself by deducting up to 50% of the refund to recover the decreased value of the item. If there are any issues with buyers that may negatively impact you, we’ll take care of them by removing any negative and neutral feedback, defects, and open cases in service metrics.

[chubbycatcollectibles]

It seems that those Priority boxes always get smashed to bits.  USPS treats them like crash test dummies.

[inhawaii]

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@greatmidwestcoin wrote:

I won't sell to low FB buyers period. 

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What do you consider "low" feedback?

What reason do you use to cancel the sale?

[ajs_coins_and_alchemy]

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@robbie31415 wrote:

That's not how that works.

I'm a TRS, if I receive an item not in the same condition I can partially refund up to 50% and the return closes.

They can't escalate, however eBay can pay the other 50% out of eBays pocket.

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@robbie31415 

You're mixing up TRS  and TRS(+). OP is a TRS, as am I. Partial refund of buyer for these scenarios is a benefit to those who are TRS-PLUS.

Many sellers are TRS. (Required to maintain certain service metrics, as well as do 100+ transactions & $1,000 in sales within 12 months)....I think I've got those #s right.

Sellers to qualify as TRS+ must be TRS (as defined above) AND:

-Offer Same day or 1 day handling times

-Offer free 30day or longer returns (in most categories).

Those who are TRS+ get benefits (10% off FVF, ability to partial refund like you've suggested, added protection from neutral/negative feedback and a seal/badge on listings in search exclaiming "Top Rated Pus" )

TRS+ Sellers are not required to offer the 30 day returns in all categories, some categories require only 14 day or no returns at all, but in those cases you maintain all the benefits of TRS+ (except the TRS+ badge in search).

Either way, OP doesn't/didn't accept returns. Not TRS-PLUS