BUYERS BEWARE

After I went back and forth with myself about purchasing on eBay, I did just that. Seen a Makita Plunge Saw that was priced too good to be true. Against my better judgment, I went ahead and purchased it. Tracked the item and low and behold, it said it was delivered. I leave work to go check out the item, because I was excited. NO PACKAGE. I went to USPS and they actually pulled up the tracking number and it was a totally different address than mine. I went to the address the Manager at USPS provided. They said they did not receive a package. How they are able to provide a tracking number with no address in your area is diabolical. Now the seller does not have any more products to sell. I read the reviews and the seller had positive feedback, but I'm starting to feel this was a scam as well to bait buyers in. I had actually stopped purchasing from eBay so much because of so many scammers now. eBay used to be where I shopped the most, but now, this will be my final purchase for a while. If I can not get it from the store or Amazon, I think I'm going to have to pass. I am HIGHLY disappointed that eBay has not become more secure and trustworthy.

hencoleman78

77 View listings

Posted 1 year ago · Edited 1 year ago·Last reply 1 year ago

15 comments

mudshark61369

·1 year ago

"There is no such thing as foolproof, because fools are so darned ingenious" (unknown)3113 View listings

@hencoleman78,

You are wiling to trust a seller who tries to obscure where they are actually located, gives an item location that is not formatted the way ebay rules say it should be. Who sent something, probably an envelope with advertising or a small box box with a penny doodad in it, to a different address in your zip code? You asked the supposed recipient of the USPS package if they received a box with a saw in it. Not a piece of mail with your tracking number on it. The only way you are going to get a refund is if you follow the instructions I gave you in the second link I posted in my first reply.

FYI. eBay will not accept any tracking number information that is not from the same tracking number that was posted to the listing. The scammer knows that which is why the sent you a new tracking number through ebay messages.

hencoleman78

OP1 year ago

77 View listings

Update: Product has been received! Things worked out in my favor. Thank You everyone for the tips and advice.

mudshark61369

·1 year ago

"There is no such thing as foolproof, because fools are so darned ingenious" (unknown)3113 View listings

@hencoleman78,

"I did not think I was buying from China, because the sellers profile â€œAbout Usâ€ says an EBay seller based in the United States. I will definitely be reporting the seller".

On the seller's classic feedback profile page It says;

Positive Feedback (last 12 months): 99%

Member since: Nov-28-24 in China.

Getting to the classic view feedback profile is not as easy as it used to be. In the link below I tell you how to tell if a seller is actually located in China and how to get to the classic profile page. FYI. One of the ways to tell if a seller is most likely from China is: The item location not giving a city and state.

On the listing you bought from it says "Located in: MN, United States" That is not the correct way a location should be given. Another indication is Items listed at well below trending prices which often is an indication of a scam no matter where a seller is located.

Click on the Go To Best Answer button in the link below.

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Ask-a-Mentor/Item-advertised-as-quot-located-in-US-quot/m-p/34773467#M783417

Because you seem to have a cooperative P.O. manager/postmaster, You still have a way to get a refund from ebay. To find out how to do that, open the link below and click on the Go To Best Answer button. My reply to that person's issue with fake tracking gives you instructions on how to get the info from your P.O. without a postal employee, violating Federal postal privacy policies. With the info You can contact ebay through one of their Social Media platforms, where actual ebay employees who know about the fake tracking scam respond to messages. They have the power to issue refunds as well.

There are links to the social media sites in the next reply on that page.

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Buying/Need-advice-item-not-received/m-p/34621715#M496499

hencoleman78

OP1 year ago

77 View listings

Update: the seller responded after my not so happy messages and â€œsupposedlyâ€ shipped the product again via FedEx. We will see tomorrow if it shows up at my door or if I will have to go through with requesting a refund. One thing I like about FedEx, they will actually show what address an item is coming from and where it is delivered to. They also take pictures when they drop off the item.

roccotacodad54

·1 year ago

437 View listings

Don't hold your breath. It sounds to me like the seller is trying to stall you into waiting too long to get a refund.

INAD. (get a return label and return what they sent you---nothing)

momtoabeautifuldaughter

·1 year ago

Love my beautiful daughter92 View listings

@hencoleman78 wrote:
After I went back and forth with myself about purchasing on eBay, I did just that. Seen a Makita Plunge Saw that was priced too good to be true. Against my better judgment, I went ahead and purchased it. Tracked the item and low and behold, it said it was delivered. I leave work to go check out the item, because I was excited. NO PACKAGE. I went to USPS and they actually pulled up the tracking number and it was a totally different address than mine. I went to the address the Manager at USPS provided. They said they did not receive a package. How they are able to provide a tracking number with no address in your area is diabolical. Now the seller does not have any more products to sell. I read the reviews and the seller had positive feedback, but I'm starting to feel this was a scam as well to bait buyers in. I had actually stopped purchasing from eBay so much because of so many scammers now. eBay used to be where I shopped the most, but now, this will be my final purchase for a while. If I can not get it from the store or Amazon, I think I'm going to have to pass. I am HIGHLY disappointed that eBay has not become more secure and trustworthy. Beware of the seller "toolsuitable".

You have been given some good advice, also you cannot post user ID's here. Your post will be edited to remove seller ID and you will be given a board violation

hencoleman78

OP1 year ago

77 View listings

So weâ€™re letting scammers scam, got it.

gator08041971

·1 year ago

954 View listings

@hencoleman78

So weâ€™re letting scammers scam, got it.

No, that was not the point of that statement. The problem is, we can't name individuals like that here.

We have only your word that this is an issue (and that statement wasn't to make light of that) and the forum mods (a company contracted to police the forums) will not allow naming individuals regardless of the reason.

Its not about allowing potential scammers getting away with bad behavior but being evenly treated on the forum. Sharing any user ID on the forum isn't permitted, regardless of the reason.

Just wanted to clarify.

ittybitnot

·1 year ago

18 View listings

@hencoleman78

Will add you to the bottom of this list today. This is just this year's so far on one forum board. You can read some of these of other options to get your money back. Just get the idea of "item not received" out of your head, for it will not be productive no matter where you file. Think FRAUD/fake tracking scam/shipped to wrong address. You can read some of these to see what NOT to do as that is as important as taking action on your own behalf.

Jan. 2025

Feb. 2025

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Buying/DHL-Messing-up-shipping-or-a-scam/m-p/34918930#M513039
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Buying/Item-shipped-to-wrong-address/m-p/34918657#M513034
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Buying/Fake-Tracking-Scam-how-do-I-prepare/m-p/34920656#M513092
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Buying/Seller-scamming-me/m-p/34954964#M514849
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Buying/I-just-got-scammed-and-I-don-t-know-how-to-proceed/m-p/34955823#M514900

March 2025

April 2025

May 2025

June 2025

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Buying/EBAY-WILL-NO-LONGER-INVESTIGATE-FAKE-TRACKING-WILL-SIDE-WITH/td-p/35119176

adamcartwright

·1 year ago

46 View listings

@hencoleman78

One thing you can do to protect yourself is to stop buying items from China.

Report the Seller for shipping to the wrong address.

hencoleman78

OP1 year ago

77 View listings

I did not think I was buying from China, because the sellers profile â€œAbout Usâ€ says an EBay seller based in the United States. I will definitely be reporting the seller.

tinsoldierunderground

·1 year ago

641 View listings

@hencoleman78

Fake tracking scam... unfortunately, it happens all the time on ebay. What you can do is open an INAD case (item not as described/item doesn't match description). This puts the ball squarely in the scam seller's court.

Seller will have to send you a return shipping label, if they don't, after 3 business days have passed, ask ebay to step in on the fourth day. They will force the issue and refund you from seller's funds. If seller does issue a label, put a paper clip or rubber band in an envelope and mail it back. Once tracking shows delivered, seller has to refund. If ebay has to step in, seller will get a defect on their account on top of losing the funds.

Currently, it seems the best and most expedient way to handle this situation, largely because ebay is of no help at all.

hencoleman78

OP1 year ago

77 View listings

As long as eBay has been around, you would think they would up their security measures when it comes to sellers and buyers. When you say â€œFake Tracking Scamâ€ and â€œit happens all of the timeâ€ that further lets me know not to shop on eBay. Times are too hard to waste money, especially when youâ€™re trying to purchase tools to make money with. I appreciate your response. It is very informative and helpful.

tinsoldierunderground

·1 year ago

641 View listings

We hear about it far too often on these forums... the other advice given often, is to back up your payment method with a credit card. From the feedback given on these boards, CC companies have no sense of humor when it comes to this nonsense, unlike ebay. Sorry this happened to you.

ed8108

·1 year ago

2507 View listings

@tinsoldierunderground wrote:
@hencoleman78
Fake tracking scam... unfortunately, it happens all the time on ebay. What you can do is open an INAD case (item not as described/item doesn't match description). This puts the ball squarely in the scam seller's court.
Seller will have to send you a return shipping label, if they don't, after 3 business days have passed, ask ebay to step in on the fourth day. They will force the issue and refund you from seller's funds. If seller does issue a label, put a paper clip or rubber band in an envelope and mail it back. Once tracking shows delivered, seller has to refund. If ebay has to step in, seller will get a defect on their account on top of losing the funds.
Currently, it seems the best and most expedient way to handle this situation, largely because ebay is of no help at all.

This is not the proper way business should be conducted.

eBay needs to better address the problem to promote more happy buying experiences