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Seller purposely sent a fake item to a different address.
I’ve been on eBay for more than 20 years. In just the last three months I’ve seen three scammers.
Tell me if anyone has dealt with something like this one.. they sell a widget that’s somewhat expensive ($600 in this case). This item has typically been selling for $750 to $900 on auction… which I admit made me think this is too good to be true as people want to maximize their profit. But I thought perhaps they have these items and just want to sell them quickly and be done with it.. at least that was me trying to rationalize it.
So I buy one on Monday 01/19. A few days later no tracking number or messages. On Thursday the 22nd I get an update at 8:30 am there is a FedEx tracking number. I’m thinking… oh… well maybe he’s legit after all. I click on the tracking number and there’s nothing opening. I’m thinking.. okay.. he just created it and hasn’t shipped it yet. An hour later I get another update the package has been delivered YESTERDAY… Wednesday… and nobody at our house saw anything. This is odd because we get an average of two packages a day for 15 years and nothing has disappeared. I click on the delivery picture from FedEx and it looks like it was left at the base of my garage door. I go home from work searching around for the package but can’t find it. Then I blow up the delivery picture and can determine it wasn’t my garage door… very similar but not my place.
I call FedEx and they ask for the name and address associated with the package and that confirmation number… I give them my name and address.. they tell me no, this package is going to another name and address. I said.. but in my same city of Dover, DE. They tell me yes. The package came from TX. 🤔 So eBay has the package as “deliveredâ€. 🙄
I then go back and look at the seller’s feedback and find someone described a similar situation. Complained the seller sent their package of a gaming system to the wrong address and the dimensions of the package were much smaller than the actual package should be… so they concluded he was a scammer.
Sure enough I was able to access the dimensions of the package he sent to a random house in my city: 10†x 6†x 3†at 2 lbs. I googled the dimensions of the item I purchased and it’s much larger at 22†x 18†x 3.5†at 7 lbs.
So what kind of weird game is this? A seller that sells items, ships out a phantom package to someone in my city so it says it’s been delivered? Of course FedEx won’t tell me who or where the package was sent so I can ask what the heck was in the box. I imagine nothing but an empty box and tissue paper.
Anyone else have something like this happen? What the heck are they gaining from doing this? I’ll get my money back in a couple days.
Just super odd.
eastlaneave
Mentor8 months ago@chiro2007
I'm sorry that happened.
1) You've already done your home work with Fedex, be sure to screenshot anything.
FOR FEDEX
You can usually find the weight and other details for FedEx here:
https://www.fedex.com/en-us/tracking.html
Then click 'View More Details' to see the package weight. Screenshot that.
2) Then, report the seller using this process
https://www.ebay.com/help/action?topicid=4022
Important, select "Suspicious seller activity"
then "Other"
Explain that the seller is using fake USPS tracking numbers
Include these phrases
Don't write a novel, it's initially being read by a computer, that's why I want you to use those 3 specific phrases in the message.
3) Finally, contact Customer Service and inform them that the seller uploaded a "false tracking number" on your purchase. Share any documentation you gathered. Request a refund.
Use the Customer Service that is on social media this way:
- https://www.facebook.com/ebay
- https://www.instagram.com/ebayforsellers/
Just sent a private message to the page. Explain you have a fake or false tracking number situation.
Let me know how this goes, I've been burned a few times myself (including on Amazon), but I have been able to get a refund following this process.
There are additional steps to take if the above isn't effective, just come back and update me.
chiro2007
OP8 months agoThank you for your response. I’m so use to other on here responding in a way to blame me for what went wrong. I posted on a similar thread a little after I saw this and one poster was like… you thought it was too good to be true, you should have trusted your gut. Yes… but that doesn’t excuse the scams that are going on. And correct me if I’m wrong… isn’t eBay about getting great deals?!? I’ve have gotten great deals and they weren’t scams.
I am shocked to learn that this scam has been going on for years and that for some odd reason eBay is sometimes allowing the scam sellers to win in disputes. Don’t they realize how destructive that is to buyer confidence? If you allow sellers to scam buyers on your site then your business will implode, guaranteed. The number one reason buyers buy on eBay is for a great deal. If they lose money then there’s no reason to use eBay.
Again.. thanks for the suggestions. I think I’ve done most of that. I’ll follow up after the date of the 26th when eBay is suppose to step in. They really should be going after these sellers aggressively and removing them as soon as proof is provided they are scamming people.
eastlaneave
Mentor8 months ago@chiro2007
This particular scam happens on many platforms, unfortunately. It's my goal to eliminate these people.
I look forward to hearing what happens on the 26th.
chiro2007
OP8 months ago So this was the seller’s response, which sounds professional… I’m sure eBay will gobble that up. 🙄
But the facts are the FedEx tracking number given is not associated with my name or address which is in the details of the sale. It’s easy for anyone to call FedEx and prove it. The seller also has yet to explain why the package he sent has dimensions of 10x6x3†at 2 lbs and the actual merchandise which comes new, sealed in the box is 22x19x3.5†at 7 lbs.
chiro2007
OP8 months agoI am suppose to call eBay tomorrow 01/28 and they should have answers… so they claim.
This seller sold 12 and 9 units of the same in two listings. Nobody has left positive feedback yet. One has left negative feedback they have not gotten a tracking number and that the seller is not responding.
There is also the negative feedback from about a month ago where it describes the seller sending the item to the wrong address and that the weight of the package was 1 lb when the product is heavier than 3 lbs.
It’s incredible to me eBay isn’t shutting these scammers down immediately. It’s very simple.. have them prove they sent the package to the buyer’s name and address or be banned.
eastlaneave
Mentor8 months ago@chiro2007
Did you report the seller using the form as I showed in #2 above? Do that before you speak on the phone.
Also, I highly recommend using the Social media customer service team instead of the phone customer service to resolve this issue
- https://www.facebook.com/ebay
- https://www.instagram.com/ebayforsellers/
Just sent a private message to the page explaining what happened.
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By the way, eBay doesn't open 'trace investigations' and eBay can't check the GPS of the delivery. Only the shipper can do that. So I think the seller's reply is just fancy-sounding nonsense.
chiro2007
OP8 months agoI went on EBay community chat on FB and they responded. Asked me for screen shots of FedEx showing the tracking number doesn’t match my house address… so they added that to the case.
I think that will help. Thanks. It was suppose to be settled yesterday but then I get this message saying they are going to essentially kick the can down the road another week until Feb 7th. 🙄 Here’s what I know… he sold 21 of these items. No one person has yet to give him a positive feedback. I gave him a negative which eBay removed because he “proved†I received the item. Also, another person gave him a negative and eBay removed that one. So here we are doing due diligence of warning prospective buyers about a scammer and eBay is doing everything in their power to enable the situation. It makes NO SENSE. As of this morning this seller has refreshed the two listings and has added 10 more per listing available… giving it a grand total of 41 of these items if he sells them all. Mind you he hasn’t proved he’s delivered even one yet. Today he has sold an additional 6 of the 20 he’s listed. It’s mind boggling eBay is letting this go his far.
 
eastlaneave
Mentor8 months ago@chiro2007
This seller will be removed from eBay. I wish it was already done, but it won't be long.