Seller protection loophole

[fashionsync]

Hey guys,

Just want to dicussion with you as seller in terms of protection policy for faulty return case:

Here is an example:

As a seller, one sold a collector stamp which worth $5000 to a buyer on eBay paid via Paypal. The seller shipped the real stamp with tracking and signatures options to buyer's Paypal confirmed address which is protected for chargeback. But after the buyer received the stamp, he filed a case with eBay and Paypal saying the item is not as described. Then he return the "item" according to the policy with tracking and signature option back to the seller. After seller gets the return package, it is just an empty dummy package with no item in it.

In this case:

1. Assuming the buyer is a fraud and return the empty envelop on purpose. How can eBay and Paypal protect the seller? I called eBay for this case. All 3 representives could not really have good answers for me. They said in this case, seller need to open a police report first. The problem is, no policy officer would stay with the seller to open the return package at first place. When seller found it is empty, then go to policy, no policy can prove if the package is really empty or not upon recieving. So how could eBay and Paypal protect seller in this tricky case? In addition, what if this is a case related to international transaction? How can seller to open a police report against someone in another country, or go to another country to file a police report?

2. Assuming the seller is a fraud and remove the item from the package then claim it is an empty return package. In this case, how eBay know who is telling the truth?

Nobody can judge just based on the tracking info and signature. Postoffice will not allow you to open the pkg to check before signing it.

Any better idea in these cases?

[riverjon0327]

Would taking an expensive return to a Notary Public witnessing opening the package help. Maybe filming it?

Just an idea.

John

[femmefan1946]

Report the buyer to the American Philatelic Society.

Anyone buying in that range is likely to be a member. Add in the ASDA, Hugh Wood International (APS' insurer), and if the stamp was foreign the major philatelic society for that country.

In addition, report the theft to your own insurance company. HWI insures both dealers and collectors and are very helpful and fast with their payouts. They will also keep a report about the stolen stamp and the thief.

Having been in the stamp business for over 35 years, I know the chances of this every happening are vanishingly small, but it does happen. Usually it is done with the idea of resale.

Our own philatelic auction has been approached by the true owner and has held back lots from sale until ownership is clear. In all these years this has happened twice. Once was a family dispute over the right of a family member to sell the collection (resolved after a formal paid appraisal and an agreement that payment would go to the executor of the estate) and another when the "true" owner making the claim turned out to be the fraudster (He kept demanding that we turn the collection over to him, immediately, which made our company president stubborn. Again lawyers were involved.)