The buyer completely ripped me off and Ebay did nothing to help me

[pickersparadise]

I sold a clock on ebay and the buyer gutted it and sent back a different clock. I tried to contact ebay for help but nothing was done for me and ebay is refunding the buyer the money. I no longer trust selling on ebay.

[ittybitnot]

@pickersparadise 

It is really sad to hear what happened to you.  Understand, that just about anything can be had for free on eBay with the right kind of phony claim and a faulty return.  Unfortunately, now you see one way in which it is  accomplished.  

Though eBay states buyers are supposed to return items in the condition that they received them, it NEVER means they won't get refunded from your proceeds anyway.  eBay protects eBay, and expects YOU to go along with buyer fraud as part of doing business.  Though old, here is their take on the matter: 

"We do not currently cover faulty returns and consider them a cost of doing business. When you sell on eBay, we consider you a business. One of our goals is to allow our sellers, whether they're large or small, to function as a business. As well as the potential for profit, all business models will have some sort of loss built in; it's important when selling on eBay that you consider this as a possibility."

Though the statement is 10 years old, it is the attitude that eBay stands by until this day. 

You can report the buyer on eBay.  Perhaps if they are a habitual scammer, eventually eBay will dispense with their ability to file eBay claims or kick the ID off the site.  It will not get your money back, but may help the next person in your position. 

You can also file a Postal Inspectors fraud claim.  This can be done online, and you will get a case number usually within 24 hours.  

When I sold here, and had this happen I used to send the buyer a message: 

Dear buyer, 

I received your return parcel today, but there must be some mistake.  Did you happen to confuse me with another seller?  I am asking that since the clock you returned is not mine, and truly not the one I sent to you.  If that is not the issue, obviously the parcel must have been tampered with along the way.  

If that is the case, I will file with the US Postal Inspectors so that the issue can be properly investigated on your behalf.  I will forward the case number to you so that you can be kept abreast of the situation in real time through the website.  Though not necessary for filing the complaint, do you have a daytime phone number so that you can be contacted for me to include?  It typically will help the claim proceed more quickly.  

Sincerely, 
YOUR SELLER

Over the years that sort of communication was usually effective with  the buyer repaying for the product.  Only once did I have to actually file the claim on the buyer, and they forked over the money to me forthwith so I would close the case.  

Understand, that for international sales, it may not work, since those buyers are not particularly threatened by the USPS postal inspectors or their local law enforcement.  However, if should ship to a Freight Forwarder, as a seller, you have additional protections against fraudulent claims so long as you know how and where to report them. 

Again, eBay will likely not help you.  It will always be up to you to proceed according to your own tolerance for monetary loss.  Don't post anything for sale here that you can't afford to lose, and pay extra money for the pleasure (not) of doing so. 

[terrycece62]

Please tell us that you added this buyer to your blocked buyer list so you never have to suffer through another transaction with this buyer again.

[mr_lincoln]

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@pickersparadise wrote:

I sold a clock on ebay and the buyer gutted it and sent back a different clock. I tried to contact ebay for help but nothing was done for me and ebay is refunding the buyer the money. I no longer trust selling on ebay.

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@pickersparadise   When you got the item back you had 2 days to process the refund, if you did not the Buyer could ask eBay to step in and force the refund.  If that happened then you also got a strike on your account.  Here is a link to  your Seller protections, some may have applied for you to reduce the loss your incurred.  You offer returns but Buyers pay. Seller protections | eBay

[pickersparadise]

Thank you for the info, I don't care about a strike from eBay as far as I'm concerned they ripped me off also, I'm closing my store and I'm not going to do business with eBay anymore.

[12345jamesstamps]

So, you are letting one person forever to keep you ever from selling on eBay again? Seriously?

Have to expect a buyer to do such a thing as such from a  seller every now and then. I have been there. 

Imagine getting a dark plastic bag with something gooey in it where not even my mailman wanted to deliver it to me...I had to got to post office to see what it was and refused it...I only sell stamps.

As you can see I am still here...I also remember getting a girlie post card instead of my stamps returned from someone. My blocked buyer list has I don't know...a few hundred or such.

You are considered like a retail store of such and you and I can expect such an incident.

Don't let one person change your way of life.

It's not easy getting an account to sell here. Just my thoughts.

[wmsakalaucks]

If you shipped by USPS file a criminal complaint through their appropriate official.  Maybe if USPS get enough of these, they may do something in coordination with EBay.

[mr_lincoln · Accepted solution]

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@pickersparadise wrote:

Thank you for the info, I don't care about a strike from eBay as far as I'm concerned they ripped me off also, I'm closing my store and I'm not going to do business with eBay anymore.

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@pickersparadise 

You are more than welcome, you would have been able to keep the Buyer's original shipping they paid plus up to 50% of the item sold price since they altered its condition on the return.  Online venues, whether that is Amazon, Bonanza, eBay, Etsy, Poshmark, Walmart, etc. can only do so much with regard to catching internet criminals, and that is what they are.  Believe me when I say I am sorry this happened and it is certainly your choice to leave or not but we've had a number of bogus returns over the years, its part of doing business.  However, those returns are a very low percentage of our overall sales so it's just part of doing business on ANY venue.