Got fleeced done with eBay

[bigdrunk92037]

I recently sold an expensive espresso grinder on eBay.  Worked perfect, no issues once so ever.  The buyer had the most bogus reason ever for triggering a return request.   Of course the buyer did not respond to any of my requests for more details etc.   Eventually eBay issued a return label, fraudster, I mean buyer ships my $600 grinder back.  When I get it back it is DOA.  Upon further investigation it was clear the buyer harvested parts from the grinder so it will never work again.  

- I report to eBay and get told there is nothing they will do

- ebay refunds the buyer

 - I just got my eBay invoice for the month and there is a $60 charge for commission on the item.   I call again and eBay refuses to back it out?

so not only is my $600 grinder a paper weight I lost $100 on shipping AND eBay is trying to charge me $60 commission?

i don’t know why anybody would EVER sell an expensive item EVER on eBay as sellers obviously don’t have ANY protection.   I am done, severed my paypal account and will close my eBay account as well.   eBay sucks,  their greed and garbage policies makes me wonder why anybody would use it to sell anything other than cheap Chinese goods.  

I am done and am now looking at how to deal with the buyer.  

[bigdrunk92037]

Oh yeah, this was my 3rd time getting fleeced by fraudulent buyers (all on more expensive items).

[mam98031]

Let your buyer know that you will be filing a report with the USPS postmaster.  It is a Federal Crime to use USPS in the commission of a crime, in this case fraud.  Since their payment was via an electronic transfer that constitutes wire fraud which is another Federal Crime.  And you will be filing a local police report for theft.

https://www.fraud.org/

https://www.uspis.gov/

https://www.justice.gov/

https://www.usacops.com/

[carbonart0]

@bigdrunk92037  @bigdrunk92037 

It would not be much of a stretch to say that Ebay is complicit in this kind of crime.  Ebay knows exactly what happened to this poor seller.  His story is even worse than mine!

[luckythewinner]

---

@bigdrunk92037 wrote:

i don’t know why anybody would EVER sell an expensive item EVER on eBay

---

It is a common mantra on this board to never sell anything you cannot afford to lose (and pay to send to the thief). 

[mam98031]

---

@luckythewinner wrote:

---

@bigdrunk92037 wrote:

i don’t know why anybody would EVER sell an expensive item EVER on eBay

---

It is a common mantra on this board to never sell anything you cannot afford to lose (and pay to send to the thief). 

---

And completely understandable under the current way Ebay processes returns IMHO.

[carbonart0]

That's a great reputation Ebay has developed for their company now...  It's becoming common knowledge not to list anything expensive for sale on Ebay because of the high probability of losing not only the item but any money you might make from the sale too.  

Why even bother to list inexpensive items since you'll probably get shafted here too?

[bigdrunk92037]

Thanks for the input folks, kind of like eBay is trying to be like Amazon Prime at the sellers expense.

[flo_mingo]

This has been a recent concern of mine.

---

@luckythewinner wrote:

---

@bigdrunk92037 wrote:

i don’t know why anybody would EVER sell an expensive item EVER on eBay

---

It is a common mantra on this board to never sell anything you cannot afford to lose (and pay to send to the thief). 

---

My husband is retiring as a locksmith and we had hoped to sell much of his equipment on eBay. I have been selling since 2003. Just little items one offs. I ahve been hearing on the boards that selling valuable items on eBay is a mistake. 

[inhawaii]

Just curious what kind of feedback/history/track record this buyer has.  Any hints that might have tipped you off?

[carbonart0]

Not likely because buyers can't receive negative feedback.  Ebay doesn't want their customers (the sellers) to know if and when they are dealing with scam buyers.

[inhawaii]

Feedback left for others?

[carbonart0]

That might help sometimes.  But without knowing of other sellers' experiences with the scam buyer, then the next seller is being set up by Ebay to be the seller's next theft victim.  

It's pretty clear that Ebay could care less if sellers (their own customers) are being made victims of crimes by criminal buyers.  Ebay is only interested in maximizing transactions.  Ebay says, "screw the sellers, we want those final value fee's and then we're going to WITHHOLD OUR CUSTOMERS' MONEY. "

[carbonart0]

First sentence above - the buyer's next theft victim.  Ebay is arranging it so crooked buyers can steal from their customers - the sellers.

[dhbookds]

 this is a general statement.........

How can Ebay tell whether you are lying or the buyer is lying? 

Buyer would obviously say.....I mailed the same thing back.......seller is lying that he got a stripped out item back.........