Seller Claims Missing Item in Video Game Bunlde

[southwesternvintage]

I sold a video game bundle last week. It was a huge bundle, so when the buyer paid, I messaged them and told them that I would be shipping the bundle in 2 boxes priority. I photographed the packaged boxes and then got a receipt after dropping them at the post office. 

I receive a missing parts/pieces return today saying that the CONSOLE was not received. 

To give them the benefit of the doubt, I hit up USPS and got confirmation that both packages were delivered and received at the same exact time. 

How do I dispute this? They obviously got the whole bundle, but would only return 1/10 of it's value. Is there really no protection for sellers in this situation? 

[onefootflipper · Accepted solution]

You can unfortunately always get screwed over on any individual transaction. It is relatively rare and it balances out in the end, but it can really hurt when it is high dollar or you don't sell much. It is unfortunately much more common with game consoles (the newer the console the more likely the scam attempt). I generally try to move the systems themselves locally for that very reason.

If they haven't filed an official claim yet then you can try to drag it out, they might lose their nerve, or if they are running a lot of scams at once then they might lose track of it or get their account suspended before you end up having to refund them. I have had that happen to multiple items over my years of selling.

[luckythewinner]

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@southwesternvintage wrote:

Is there really no protection for sellers in this situation? 

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Let's pretend everything happened exactly the way you say it did, but with one exception: you are the one who is lying and you really didn't include the console. 

How would eBay tell the difference? 

[caseypl]

I would reference the two boxes you sent. Send them the tracking information and screenshots showing it was delivered. That could help deter a half-hearted attempt if they are trying to scam. 

As another had said, video games present some challenges. Consider who the buyer of that type of stuff is, their financial situation, and why they are going on Ebay to buy it instead of elsewhere. 

Most sales go off just fine, but you gotta understand your customer base. 

[onefootflipper]

Hmm, a little sleuthing on your feedback shows me that it was a customer with a 1000 plus feedback. Those sort of scammers are the absolute worst because they KNOW the ebay system inside and out, don't scam on every transaction, just do it every once in a blue moon and ebay will be extremely likely to believe them over a new seller.

[caseypl]

Yeah, I had a buyer claim something got damaged and they attempted to super glue it, but it wouldn't fix the item. I asked for multiple photos and initially the buyer told me the item was packaged very well. When pressed for more info, all of a sudden the buyer said the box was badly damaged and his USPS guy even commented on it and would be willing to do a sworn affidavit. Never did get photos of the box. It seemed like an experienced buyer who was suggesting I file insurance claims and was doing the strong-arm buyer thing of "you can either refund me 50% or I send back the entire thing for a full refund or I'll ask Ebay to step in if you take no action". Everything about it screamed professional buyer