Scammed by seller
I paid for a cordless ryobi paint gun. It was being shipped from china so I knew it may take 6+ weeks. 5 days later I receive an email saying item arrived early. Received tracking # and item is showing delivered 2 days after. I go down to post office and show them the tracking #. They inform me that the item was delivered to a house across town with a completely different address and name but by law they are not allowed to give me the information. Luckily, I talked to the mailman and he agreed to give my phone number to the person and explain what happened to me and hope they call me. She did and invited me over. Here is what I found out today.
The seller ordered some cheap flowers from a nearby town 40 miles away. Then, had the flowers mailed to random lady in my town far enough from me I wouldn't find them. Seller had tracking number emailed to them from flower shop and submitted it to ebay , verifying they sent item. Apparently, all ebay sees is the town and zip code delivered. They should have to show physical address also, this is how they dupe the system.
Luckily, the sweet lady still had the bag with the stores info, tracking number, and her name and address all on shipper. I will upload the pic I took of this to prove the deception today. Understand, This was not easy to unfold, real people bent the rules for me and the lady luckily still had shipper so the stars aligned for this to be uncovered, a true deception that most of you will not be able to prove to win your case. I was LUCKY, and had help. I will be taking a break form ebay after this because The negative feedback I left for seller was taken down 1 hour after I left it and the scamming is getting crazy lately. I can see ebay suffering losses due to scams, a true shame. I wish you all the very best, buyers and sellers....
mudshark61369
·2 years ago@bradlebigle-0,
"wish I had your knowledge when I became a member but live and learn. I will do better research on buyers if I use ebay again".
Back when many of us "rockstars, superstars" joined ebay, internet shopping was in its infancy. There was no online tracking, electronic payments, or very much international buying/selling, and trade with China was still forbidden. As use of the internet for shopping and shipping grew, so did the number of ways scammers could figure out how to beat the systems. When I joined ebay there was no money back guarantee, and proving scams was harder to do, but there were many fewer of them to worry about.
Despite what happened to you and many others, the number of scams v. the total number of sales on ebay is still very small. In many cases the Money Back Guarantee will protect you, but only if you read its terms and time frames. If you use what you learned in the last few hours, that took us years to figure out, you can protect yourself from many of the online scams not just on ebay, but on most of the online shopping sites.
mudshark61369
·2 years ago@bradlebigle-0,
"The seller is from Israel and was supposed to ship from china. All things that would have thrown up RED FLAGS had I done my due diligence".
The seller registering from Israel, but shipping from China is actually a new wrinkle in the scam. Most of the sellers registered in Israel, drop ship from Amazon, using the ebay approved, Fulfilled By Amazon (FBA) system. Think about it a bit, China is supplying weapons used against Israel to their enemies, so why would an Israeli support them?
Because of the number of scams and scammers there are online these days, doing your due diligence is an imperative, to prevent being scammed. It starts with being wary about items being priced lower than trending prices, then looking for any inconsistencies in seller/item locations, and other things that are off.
Below is a list of things that I've look for when checking listings and feedback profile pages to avoid china based sellers who perpetrate many of the scams, but also can help spot other scammers.
On Listing pages:
On a Feedback profile page:
It may take a little time to use the above lists, but in the long run can save time and possibly money.
Never go by a feedback percentage alone, and don't let a low price sway you.
bradlebigle-0
OP2 years agoGreat advise, wish I had your knowledge when I became a member but live and learn. I will do better research on buyers if I use ebay again. Thank you for sharing this, Its been very helpful for me personally. You have single handedly answered everything and I'm more at peace with the entire situation.
mudshark61369
·2 years ago@bradlebigle-0,
"Apparently, all ebay sees is the town and zip code delivered. They should have to show physical address also, this is how they dupe the system".
The first stage of an item not received dispute is done by computer which can only look for a Delivered scan. The second stage, the appeal, which involves a real person, has to get the info from the Buyer. Because as the clerk at your P.O. told you, they cannot give you the shipping label address. So ebay who is not a part of the shipping transaction, can't get it either. However, ebay does not need the actual address on the label. Open the link below, and click on the Go To Best Answer button and read the instructions on what you have to do to get info from the USPS or other shippers to win an appeal.
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Buying/I-tried-contacting-seller-i-tried-contacting-fedex-i-tried/m-p/34179867#M470545
Your feedback was removed probably because you mentioned the item not being delivered. After having your INR dispute denied. If you lose a dispute you cannot leave a negative for the seller. The time line for an appeal is 30 days from the date your initial dispute was closed. So it isn't extremely pressing unless you need the money back ASAP.
In the future do not buy items from sellers located in China. Many companies items they sell are made there, however, they are not allowed to be sold by chinese sellers to customers in the U.S..
bradlebigle-0
OP2 years agoThanks for the info. Its partly my fault for not checking seller before buying. It wasn't expensive, I was just mad at what the seller was doing with me by playing dumb. I really do not want anyone on here to go through this and just wish everyone, buyérs and sellers could have good transactions without scammers ruining it. The seller is from Israel and was supposed to ship from china. All things that would have thrown up RED FLAGS had I done my due diligence.
slyders_finds
·2 years agoI have never heard Ebay is satisfied by it just being delivered to right zip code. It should be that it is delivered to exact address. Strange if true.
bradlebigle-0
OP2 years agoI believe that the automated system will find the seller in the right with the current info they have. I know when I appeal that decision , and a real person gets involved, the pic of the shipper will prove my case hands down. Its frustrating to me due to a of a lack of guidance and support as a first time victim. Timelines must be met, constant run a round by seller, running around town, calling in favors trying to find proof. Its a stressful nightmare honestly.