eBay robbed me for 8k and blocked my account

[thebarterguy93]

So I sold someone a necklace worth $8,000 and they ask for a refund which was fine . But then ended up sending nothing back to me. eBay sided with them and blocked my account that I’ve had for 3 years . So I lost the money and the necklace and owe what 800 dollars in fees for something that was stolen from me .. I reported the buyer called eBay everyday , did a form for seller protection but nothing worked . eBay wrote be back and said we are sorry your item was returned in a different condition then what you sent but we’re refunding the buyer and your SOL

[dbfolks166mt]

If ebay (or anyone) robbed me of $8,000, I would file a police report.

     For $8K I would be doing a bit more than that. Unless the shipping was to a PO Box or it went through a FF and overseas I would have the buyers address. Too many missing details in OP's post and they have not returned to provide any additional details. Item was listed in the following category but not sure it would have qualified under the specifics of the authentication program. 

To be eligible for Authenticity Guarantee jewelry must be:

• from one of the following brands (Cartier, Tiffany & Co, David Yurman, Van Cleef & Arpels, Bvlgari, Roberto Coin, LeVian, John Hardy, Judith Ripka, Hearts on Fire, Tacori, Chopard, Chanel, Pomellato, Scott Kay, Verragio, Simon G., Effy, Mikimoto, Mastoloni, Vera Wang, Hermes, or Lagos) or unbranded (no attributable designer, brand, or logo)
• loose diamonds $500+ listed in the Loose Diamonds category
• listed at $500 or more, or sold in an auction for $500 or more
  • If the Buy It Now price is $500 or more but you sell for a best offer or auction price of less than $500, it will still be eligible for authentication
• listed in any Jewelry category except: Loose Gemstones, Jewelry Care, Mixed Lots, Loose Beads or Watches (watches may be eligible for Authenticity Guaranteed for Watches)
• contain at least one component from each of the following criteria:
  • A fine metal: Sterling silver (925+), gold (10K+), palladium (500+) or platinum (850+)
    • For plated metal, base metal composition must be fine as listed above
  • If it has a main/side gemstone (0.20ctw or more/per stone) it must be one of the following:
    • Diamond
    • Emerald
    • Ruby 
    • Sapphire 
    • One of these eligible stones:
      • Andalusite
      • Apatite
      • Aquamarine
      • Cat's-eye Chrysoberyl
      • Coral
      • Cryptocrystalline Quartz (Chalcedony, Jasper, Agate, etc.)
      • Diopside
      • Fluorite
      • Garnet
      • Hematite
      • Iolite
      • Kyanite
      • Labradorite
      • Lapis
      • Larimar
      • Malachite
      • Moissanite
      • Moonstone
      • Morganite
      • Mother of Pearl/Shell
      • Opal
      • Pearl
      • Peridot
      • Quartz (all varieties)
      • Rhodochrosite
      • Rhodonite
      • Sodalite
      • Sphene
      • Spinel
      • Spodumene/Kunzite
      • Tanzanite
      • Topaz
      • Tourmaline
      • Zircon
  • If it has a secondary/melee stone (less than 0.20ctw/per stone), it can be any stone except for the following ineligible stones:
    • Amber
    • Jade
    • Turquoise

Jewelry must be sold on ebay.com by a seller located in the continental US, to a buyer located in the continental US to be eligible. Jewelry shipped to addresses outside of the U.S. (including unincorporated territories and armed forces postal locations) will not be covered by the program. Listings where the delivery is local pickup, in-store pickup, or being shipped to a PO box, will also not be eligible.

[ittybitnot]

 but not sure it would have qualified under the specifics of the authentication program. 

@dbfolks166mt 

I looked at the listing last night to see perhaps why it bypassed authentication.  Other than P.O. Box shipping (for which we have no knowledge), it seemed like there was a BRAND entered in the item specifics that was not on the "list".  Though the description and photos did not show a brand or logo, the IS did.  Unbranded would qualify it seems.  

Item sent to a F. Forwarder do qualify, due to the US address.  Items sent out of the US directly do not.  The listing was US only. I could not find any web presence for the "brand" listed.  

[jasoheat_0]

if what you are saying is true , report this case to the USPS ( if you used the USPS ) as mail fraud .  

[orangehound]

I've noticed with shoes that are eligible for authentication, that unless the item is listed with a specific combination of "triggers" in the item specifics, then authentication will not be connected to the listing.

I assume the same is true for jewelry.  With gold chains from US sellers, one can see that most are going to authentication, but some are not ... for example:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/395392231708

[luckythewinner]

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@thebarterguy93 wrote:

So I sold someone a necklace worth $8,000 and they ask for a refund which was fine . But then ended up sending nothing back to me. eBay sided with them and blocked my account that I’ve had for 3 years . So I lost the money and the necklace and owe what 800 dollars in fees for something that was stolen from me .. I reported the buyer called eBay everyday , did a form for seller protection but nothing worked . eBay wrote be back and said we are sorry your item was returned in a different condition then what you sent but we’re refunding the buyer and your SOL

---

Generally speaking, an eBay buyer can steal an eBay item from an eBay seller by filing a fraudulent return or dispute.

This has been true since 2008 when eBay first introduced the Money Back Guarantee for buyers.

Many sellers here have read the eBay Seller Protection policy carefully and realized that asking eBay to step in requires the seller to accept whatever decision eBay renders. For this reason, a lot of sellers seem to have adopted a philosophy of "do not list anything you cannot afford to lose".

[sumsum70]

               "For this reason, a lot of sellers seem to have adopted a philosophy of "do not list anything you cannot afford to lose"."

Which would not be the case if buyers had any fear of loss of freedom, limbs or life. No consequences, so let's just rip everyone off. eBay fully supports this by automating the process.

[ittybitnot]

 for example:

@orangehound 

That one had a "brand" in the IS as well. It is not one of the approved ones for AG.  It also seems to have an unrelated to brand trademark or logo.  

[vintagecraze50]

The best strategy on here is to keep any one purchase under a certain threshold amount, DEPENDING on how much velocity of sales. This so that when you do get a scammer on here AND YOU ABSOLUTELY WILL on here that your loss for ANY individual item is not going to make you go bankrupt. ALSO, put Restrictions on your account where you control HOW MUCH any one buyer can buy at a given time period.