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Latest Scam - Seller send package to wrong address, from an existing account with feedbacks
Just got scammed by this latest seller sending package to the wrong address.
Normally I don't even buy from seller with zero feedbacks, this seller has 20 feedbacks. I should have checked, they're all microsoft windows keys.
As usual with this type of scams, seller sends it to the wrong address. tracking says it's delivered. Below are sequence of events that took place.
1. Filed a did not receive item case.
2. Reached out to ebay asking for guideline on how to handle this, ebay agent suggested that I get confirmation from USPS that the delivery address associated with tracking is not my address.
3. Case was closed, ruled in seller's favor automatically.
4. Got Service Request # from USPS with the email from USPS stating package had wrong address on it
5.Appealed the case, provided document from USPS stating the address on the package associated with the tracking number is not my address.
4. Ebay ruled in favor of the seller again.
I'm getting a sense that ebay may be dealing with a ton of these, and they are just following protocol. there are so many red flags associated with this.
1. The item location is in Texas, tracking origination was illinois.
2. Seller used USPS first class to ship $700 product
3. Seller is engaging in any conversation
4. There were other similar listings of $673 for iphone 14 pro max, these buyers will likely be filing disputes. There were other sub $700 listings, designed to avoid signature requirements from Ebay.
The way how Ebay is handling this is very concerning, it gives the incentive to scammer to keep going at it. Ebay could ask seller to provide document showing send address and return address. Ebay did not even attempt to reach out to seller, just automatically rule in favor of the scammer.
So much for the purchase guarantee. You can be sure that I won't be making large purchases on ebay anymore, certainly not from seller with bunch of fake feedbacks. Scammers are getting smarter but Ebay is not getting up to speed.
kh-stanley1
·2 years agoHi everyone,
Due to the age of this thread, it has been closed to further replies. Please feel free to start a new thread HERE if you wish to continue to discuss this topic.
Thank you for understanding.
mudshark61369
·2 years ago@comptoircharleston,
This topic will be locked soon!
You wrote:
"eBay ruled in favor of seller automatically and again on appeal, even though I provided irrefutable proof in writing from USPS...".
If your "proof in writing" was an email message, ebay will not accept emails as proof because emails can be faked. You need an actual letter on USPS stationary to win an appeal. Open the link below and click on the Go To Best Answer button to find out what you need to do to get resolution through ebay. If you started another dispute with PayPal or your card provider, you no longer have any ebay protections.
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Buying/Fake-Tracking-information/m-p/34266951#M475809
comptoircharleston
·2 years agoHad this happen to me a few weeks ago and eBay ruled in favor of seller automatically and again on appeal, even though I provided irrefutable proof in writing from USPS that the package marked as delivered to my address on eBay was in fact addressed to and delivered to a totally different recipient in my zip code, in order to falsify "delivery." I won't be making any further big ticket item purchases on eBay after 23 years as a member.
xadexane
·2 years agoSimply @comptoircharleston file a dispute here at PayPal if that's how you paid
- choose the "Delivered to the Wrong Delivery Address" reason
- upload your proof in writing from USPS
- and get your refund.
us2014.wojte
·2 years agoI spoke with eBay today. They informed me not to ship the garbage back. They said wait until Friday and give them a call back, at which time I will be able to ask them to step in and help. The rep saw the seller account was just created at the end of December.
worldy-orli
·2 years agoYes, I had a small experience similar to this one. It was for very small quantity, yet the position of ebay was that it appeared as delivered by the post. I tried to follow up but it was involved a third country and all was very complicated... I agree with you that Ebay is failing in this, and to make it worst I was not able to make a review on the seller, therefore he had very good reviews and in high numbers, now is not safe either to guide yourself by the reviews. On the other hand I started a small shop in ebay online and of course the fact that I have no reviews is not helping for sales! I do consider myself a honest person ... therefore is all mix up at the moment... I guess follow your intuition, and if is big money only pay on delivery.... that is my humble opinion... thank you for your posting it helps to understand how the situation is
us2014.wojte
·2 years agoSo let me throw a wrench in here.
I am going through this exact thing as a buyer on a 900 dollar item. USPS recovered the item and it is not what I ordered. It was mailed to the wrong address with the correct barcode. Forgery by seller.
I filed a wrong item received case and the seller accepted sending a label.
I checked the address the label is made out to and it is not a real address. It’s a parking lot and a dilapidated for sale building with nobody living in it. I literally drove there today as it was 15 miles away.
The label is via FedEx with Signature required.
I read online FedEx will return to the sender if it cannot find the address.
I was told in another thread to send it back and eBay SHOULD honor the claim in my favor. However, reading the stories above it seems like eBay goes solely off what is in the tracking system.
So if it takes weeks or even months for the package to get back to me, what do I do in this case? The MBG will be over by the time I get the package back. Will eBay see the seller created this label and rule in my favor?
nenu-5410
·2 years agoDo not contact the seller again. It matters not a zit [sic] what address the seller provided on their label for the return. Whether it is lost, undeliverable, or bounces back -- you will get a refund either voluntarily or forced
-- by the day following 2 business day after it shows delivered anywhere e.g. to you
-- or the return transit times out after 14 calendar days
because the seller bought the label.
us2014.wojte
·2 years agoThanks. If I will need to wait for transit to time out for 14 days, I will be past the money back guarantee window. What should I do at that point?
us2014.wojte
·2 years agoAlso, should I contact eBay and let them know this is happening? Start a ticket or something?
I had a very bad experience about two years ago as a seller. I sold a 700 dollar item and shipped it internationally via eBay international shipping program. The item was lost at the eBay international hub where they exchange the package to UPS. It showed handed over but UPS never received it. Needless to say I lost all appeals because the tracking showed the item was not delivered, eBay took the 700 back from my account and I gave up all hope. I had to contact some executive team and even they weren't very helpful at first. The entire thing took so much of my time. I finally received the item back after over 4 months! Turned out it was misplaced at the hub per eBay. I hope I don't have to go through something like this again.
I am also worried these people now have my address. This could be some organized criminal ring for all I know.
an-57470
·2 years agoAm a victim of this scam. Didn't get any item or money. I won't be shopping on Ebay ever again.
twentyfootfarmer
·2 years agoI've been buying and selling on eBay for 20 years. This latest scam and how eBay is handling it is ridiculous. I'm in an appeal currently. If I don't get my money back soon, I'll be done here. Half the **bleep** arrives broken or wrong anyway. They could definitely do better seller vetting and attend to customers needs a ton better. I've tried to get a call back or speak to a human. They make it far to difficult.
mudshark61369
·2 years ago@twentyfootfarmer,
First off it is better to start your own discussion than to piggyback on another person's topic, especially an older one. Fake tracking number scams have become popular over the last several years because scammers know that all or the 3rd party online shopping site's automated systems for items not received can only access the tracking information and look for a Delivered scan. If there is one the dispute is closed in favor of the seller. To win an appeal does take doing some leg work, and if you do not do it you will lose the appeal, and getting an email from a shipper will not help. If you lose the appeal there is one more avenue left to you. I have described what has to be done in these situations in the link below. If you lose the appeal you can still try ebay's social media sites.
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Shipping/What-do-you-do-when-ebay-support-will-not-help-you/m-p/34080073#M460743
ezpzsalesonline
OP3 years agoAnother update, was going to leave a feedback on this fraudulent transaction and noticed that the seller is now "No longer a registered user." on Ebay.
I'm hoping that means ebay got the money from this scammer.
ittybitnot
·3 years agoAnother update, was going to leave a feedback on this fraudulent transaction and noticed that the seller is now "No longer a registered user." on Ebay.
@ezpzsalesonline
Usually, I tell victims to check that right away before beginning the process if the seller is Naru'd. Lately, it has slipped my mind and glad you brought it back to my attention. I guess your instance was not the 'seller's' first rodeo?
ezpzsalesonline
OP3 years ago@mudshark61369 @downunder-61 @simba6 @rseuqinh @ittybitnot
Quick update, just got notification from Ebay that they're refunding my money.
What I do not know is if the seller still got paid for this scam, the status on the ebay order remains the same.
A valuable lesson here indeed.
Thank you all for helping out here.
ittybitnot
·3 years agoQuick update, just got notification from Ebay that they're refunding my money.
@ezpzsalesonline
Great news! Your update is most appreciated!
nenu-5410
·3 years agoAargh, so sorry to hear that. Notice that eBay says: We changed the outcome because we determined that the item was stolen after delivery.
That's a lie.
You got a courtesy refund. The seller/scammer got away.
downunder-61
·3 years agoYeah, but at least they have been booted of eBay.
rseuqinh
·3 years agoPlease come back @ezpzsalesonline to confirm that your tenacity caused us a great deal of money, when eBay decides to cover your courtesy refund and allows the seller to get away with keeping your payment.
However, if eBay can't exception your loss and you file a payment dispute with PayPal or your card issuer, eBay will recover your refund plus eBay fees directly from the scammer/seller, the way it needs to happen.
ezpzsalesonline
OP3 years agoThank you every one for helping out here. Like most suggested, I went to the post office and got a hand written letter signed and dated, another letter typed up and dated, and finally an email of the same information sent to me. Ebay support on twitter rejected the hand written letter and suggested typed up letter or an email, so I got them both.
Per ebay support, (I've requested that this be reviewed manually to see if an exception can be made to refund this back to you. These reviews can take up to 3-5 business days, but we'll keep you updated here if there's anything that we need from your end.)
Now I play the wait game.
It's disheartening that the buyer has to go through all that, while the seller did not have to do anything. Needless to say, I'm only buying from reputable merchants from now. If something is too good to be true, it probably is. The sad thing is there are plenty of new ebay sellers getting screwed because of these scammers. How are these people not caught? There has to be a trail on where the money eventually end up.
ittybitnot
·3 years agoEbay support on twitter rejected the hand written letter and suggested typed up letter or an email, so I got them both.
@ezpzsalesonline
Thank you for that information. I do hope you will come back and update us. A typical @ tag to your responders here will alert them, otherwise we may never know. Your tenacity and assertiveness displayed is most refreshing.
Though only my observation, it seems like the eBay social media channels have become overwhelmed with these sorts of issues. Typically, they are the only CService people that have the authority to help. They have "newbie" reps now, too, especially on weekends, that seem to have been given the same scripts as those reps in foreign call centers. I always imagined those outsourced chat or call back reps have a keyboard with only two keys that work.....ctrl/c and ctrl/v.
simba6
·3 years agoYou can counter by filling a not as described case. After all, they did not send an expensive item to some random address did they? Then return an empty package just like you received.
Credit card companies will accept an email from a shipper, but that too is not so easy to get.
ittybitnot
·3 years agoYou can counter by filling a not as described case.
@simba6
Yes, that has been an option all along to "beat the eBay bots" at their own game sort of thing. Some feel, however, that it makes the "buyer" victim no better than the scamming crook seller. Interestingly enough, it is what eBay advised the buyer to do in this instance.
The only difference is that the buyer was provided a photo of the label or information as to where the package with that tracking number was actually delivered (gas station in buyer's zipcode) and he was able to retrieve the "box of crayons" instead of the camera he ordered.
Interesting read.
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Buying/Got-Scammed-Ebay-telling-me-I-ll-need-to-return-the-crayons-I/td-p/33959452
It would have worked even if the buyer filed SNAD and sent back a Picture of the camera he was supposed to receive.
simba6
·3 years agoI would use it only as a last resort. The fake tracking number scam has needed to be addressed for some time.
downunder-61
·3 years agoI would INAD in the blink of an eye, this scam has been around for years already and eBay is well aware and yet does nothing, has no interest in even checking the tracking info, so why bother following one protocol when eBay won't allow you to fight using the correct procedure.
Or, the better way is to go directly to a chargeback stating zip code scam (believe me all the banks know about it) and costing the seller another $20 if they try to fight it.
simba6
·3 years agoI do agree the buyer should always act in the framework of eBay. It's long over do that it need to be expanded to cover that scam.
But then the not as described case at NO time asks where it was delivered. That has nothing to do with it as written be eBay. Only that the item did not match the description. The junk item that was send would not. So, it is within the scope on a SNAD case. At the edge maybe, but it's in.
ittybitnot
·3 years agoThe way how Ebay is handling this is very concerning, it gives the incentive to scammer to keep going at it.
@ezpzsalesonline
Yes, it has been going on for years, and continues to be a popular scam. Misdelivered packages and straight up 'fake tracking' scams become the victim's problem. Though it is not published anywhere that I can find, eBay requires written documentation from the carrier which they already know often cannot be obtained. This absolves eBay of having to pay out on any Money Back Guarantee claims if you choose not to simply give up after a couple of "we have found in favor of the seller" denials.
Should you go to PayPal (if you paid that way) or your credit card company you need to make sure that they know that this is NOT a regular item not received issue, but rather a fake tracking problem. Otherwise, they forward the claim to eBay who responds with the same phony "tracking shows delivered", and you will lose again. So before you proceed, you need to find out exactly what would be required in advance of making your claim elsewhere.
The poster in message #2 @mudshark61369 gave you good advice about obtaining documentation from you Post Master. Of course, they don't always cooperate, and part of why the scam is quite successful. After all USPS (UPS, FedEx, etc.) was 'hired' to deliver a parcel to your local CVS, library, or empty lot in your zipcode, and they did their job.
mudshark61369
·3 years ago@ezpzsalesonline,
eBay's automated INR system is not allowed access to anything but the scan information, due to shipping company's privacy policies. When you file a dispute and lose in the message there should be an appeal button. You have 30 days from losing the dispute to appeal, but in order to win you have to do some leg work. The info below is what you have do do when this happens with any shipping agency. If the info you sent to eBay when you filed an appeal was an email from the USPS, ebay will not accept it because emails can be faked. However, there is still one option left. If you follow the instructions below you can contact ebay through their Facebook or Twitter social media pages. I do not think that anyone knows for sure, but my guess is that the Chat reps like the Phone reps work for for a 3rd party Call or Chat center, and can only deal with what info the playbook ebay gave them.
You will have to go to your P.O.. You need to bring a copy of your order details page which shows your address and the tracking number with you. If you bought using a phone or tablet, you can bring that to show the clerk the order details.
You want to ask the clerk to check the label address against yours, and also to check the Package type/size weight info to see if was is appropriate for what you should have received. If the info does not match up, you ask the clerk to write a note on USPS stationary saying in general that the shipping label's address was not yours, and if applicable that the package type/size/weight was not right for what you should have received. Do not ask for specific address or package info, they cannot give it out. Have the clerk sign and date the note.
Once you have the note, contact ebay through their Facebook or Twitter social media pages. (links below) You can write out what happened and what you found out, and add a CLEAR photo or a scan of the note to the message. The reps on those sites know about the fake tracking scams and can reverse the original and appeal decisions. You will need to have the seller's username and the ebay item number. At the end of your message give them your real and ebay username.
https://www.facebook.com/eBayForBusiness
https://twitter.com/askebay
In the future I strongly suggest that you check the feedback profile pages of each seller you intend to buy from, before bidding on or buying their items. On the profile page if the seller has received neutral or negative feedback, click on the numbers of them to read only those comments. Never go by a feedback percentage alone. Some people who have been scammed but did not file a dispute may have left feedback saying they never received their items.