Seller listing the same item from different locations in the US but are actually located in Europe
I just purchased a Lego set that was listed from a seller who apparently was located in Ohio. Condition was stated as "New in box" and the photos of the set/box look legit from what I can tell.
Now the strange part is I had originally bid on this item and lost out on it. In fact, I had bid on this same item across 3 different listings. All listings from sellers (apparently) located in various US locations. Well I just happened to receive "Second chance offers" from all three of these listings claiming the item didn't sell. I did end up accepting the one that I initially bid on and proceeded with payment.
Come to find that the seller messages me and tells me the item shipped, but the tracking is from a Courier service "UСS Logistics" and the item is coming from Italy.
I was curious so I decided to check back on those second chance offers I received, and if you look at the seller profile for each one it shows all of them being located in Italy as well. So it seems like this one seller listed the same item for auction across 3 different accounts all stating the item was located in the US.
I'm now waiting on the item, but I'm not sure what to think. It seems like they were just trying to get more exposure to potential US sellers? They offer 30 day returns and even paid for the shipping but does this potentially violate eBay's seller policies? Obviously I'll need to verify when I receive the set that its actual authentic Lego as well (Or if I even receive the item).
andspagandr
OP11 months agoFinal Update:
Opened the INR claim. Waited the full 3 business days. No response at all from the seller in that timeframe, so I asked eBay to step in and they thankfully just issued me a full refund after just a couple hours of review.
Very happy that eBay sided with me on this one. I also made sure to report this seller for violating eBays Item Location Policy along with falsely advertising the method of shipping.
Will definitely not be buying from sellers with barely any reputation after how annoying this whole ordeal turned out to be, that's for sure.
andspagandr
OP11 months agoUnfortunately the avenues of social media have not been very helpful. Maybe if it eventually shows as delivered they can take action, but until then I suppose my only option is to open an INR claim. Will see where this goes.
tobaccocardyahoo
·11 months agoThe listings might actually be from different sellers. Sellers who are using a dropship company to supply them, and fulfill their orders.
Even if this is not intended to be a fraud, you might discover that service levels are inferior.
Caveat emptor.
janet9988
·11 months agoSo it is okay for sellers to sate the item is located in the USA and yet it ships from Italy?
I would call that fraud.
mudshark61369
·11 months ago@andspagandr ,
You may have run into the European boycott on shipping items to the U.S. , which I hadn't heard about when I last replied on the 23rd. Below is a link to one of many news stories about it.
https://apnews.com/article/us-tariffs-goods-services-suspension-85c7b36b9e92c0e640dfe2ac418cd907
I do not know if things have been resolved, but maybe that is why the USC tracking has been updated to show the package has gone to Italian customs. USC Logistics may be shipping to the U.S. when many other international services are not.
andspagandr
OP11 months ago@mudshark61369
I am still fairly certain this is bogus tracking from a bogus company regardless. Below is the detailed tracking for the item. One of the first things I noticed that was off about this was the timestamp for the acceptance of the item.
08:02 UTC which should equate to roughly 4:02 AM EST on 8/21. Well I didn't actually purchase this item until approximately 9:25 AM EST on 8/21.
Time of purchase (in Ebay PST)
So just another layer of this pointing to an obvious scam as if the bogus item location and shipping method advertised weren't enough.
At this point I'm just not sure if I should open an Item Not Received case and hope for the best or just wait until it says delivered and then file a claim.
janet9988
·11 months agoOpen up the item not received case.
You stated that the item location was listed as in the USA. The seller is violating the item location policy and you can report them.
https://www.ebay.com/help/action?topicid=4022
andspagandr
OP11 months agoLatest update:
So the August 29th estimated delivery date came and went, and what a surprise, no delivery. Its now the 30th, and the tracking on UCS-Logistics is showing that the item just entered Italian customs.
I reached out to ebay via social media and explained the entire situation in regards to the invalid item location and the falsely advertised shipping method. The best they could do was just point me in the direction of opening an Item not received claim.
I have a sneaking suspicion that in the 3 days this seller has to respond, that the item will magically enter the US and claim delivered.
Anyone have any thoughts on what my next steps should be?
mudshark61369
·11 months ago@andspagandr ,
You have to wait at least one day past the last estimated delivery date shown in the order details before you can take any action.
While you did get a call back from an "ebay" rep, they do not actually work for ebay. They work at a contracted 3rd party call/chat center, and often give out bad or misleading information, because the playbook they get their information from doesn't cover all issues that pop up on ebay.
If you have other issues in the future and want accurate info, it is best to come to the Community and ask for help with the problem. We are real people, and many of us have years of experience helping people with ebay policies and issues.
jonathanbrightlight
·11 months agoI didn’t notice this policy being shared yet, so just so it’s in the thread, the specific policy being violated here is the Item Location policy: https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/listing-policies/item-location-misrepresentation-policy?id=4244
There is a “Report an item†link at the bottom of that page. Obviously it’s probably not feasible to report all of the seller’s listings individually, but I would suggest reporting that one you purchased. Even if action is not taken immediately, and you wouldn’t be informed either way, it at least gets it on record.
You can also report the seller here: https://www.ebay.com/help/action?topicid=4022
You’d need to just choose “The seller has violated one of eBay’s policies†on the first page, then I’d just choose “Other†on the second page and enter the details manually.
mudshark61369
·11 months ago@andspagandr ,
"now the strange part is I had originally bid on this item and lost out on it. In fact, I had bid on this same item across 3 different listings. All listings from sellers (apparently) located in various US locations. Well I just happened to receive "Second chance offers" from all three of these listings claiming the item didn't sell".
Now that i can see one of the listings, the 2nd chance offers make some sense if the three sellers are all new to selling like the one whose listing we can see. They all would have run into the 21-30 day payment hold, ebay places on all new or returning seller's first few listings. Especially, on expensive items.
Still just in looking at the item I see the listing or 2nd chance offer for the AT-AT was listed for about 25% lower than the other ones that are currently for sale. How did you receive the USC tracking info? Was it posted to the listing or its Order details in your history, or sent through ebay messages? Does that tracking show origination from Italy?
If this turns out to be a fake tracking scam which the use of UCS logistics suggests, since the listing shows an item location in Ohio with Free Priority mail shipping, If you do not receive anything but get a delivered scan with the USC tracking, skip using the Money Back Guarantee Item Not Received (INR) option and go directly to ebay's social media platforms to report what happened.
When you write a message on one of them, give the ebay item number and the seller's username. Then tell them you received a USC logistics tracking number (either in the details or through messages) and the origination of the shipment if it was not Ohio. Then point out that the listing was to be sent from Ohio using USPS Priority Mail. Then say you did not receive anything but there was a Delivered scan. The misleading item location and shipping service info should be enough to get the rep who gets the case to issue a refund. Sign your message with your real and ebay username.
The good part about going the social media route is you can leave feedback for the seller saying what they did.
https://www.facebook.com/eBay/
https://www.instagram.com/ebayforsellers/
https://x.com/askebay
andspagandr
OP11 months ago@mudshark61369
Appreciate the advice. I'll likely need to do just that. The seller directly messaged me the tracking from the UCS logistics site as well as updated the tracking number within eBay itself. It shows in the tracking as the package coming directly from Italy.
I called Ebay support and spoke with a person about my concerns in how the listing shows a US location while the tracking they gave me shows Italy. They ensured me they would side with me if the item is never delivered and I filed a claim, but I've heard otherwise when it comes to the fake tracking number scam.
From what I've read they wait for you to file an IND case and then quickly update the tracking with a USPS tracking number showing a delivery to your zip code and eBay's bots just auto decline the claim. I even mentioned this to the rep I spoke to and they said if that happened then I'd likely need to make a trip to the post office to prove it never got delivered.
mudshark61369
·11 months ago@andspagandr ,
"I called Ebay support and spoke with a person about my concerns in how the listing shows a US location while the tracking they gave me shows Italy. They ensured me they would side with me if the item is never delivered and I filed a claim".
There is no phone number to call ebay directly, so if you found one online and called it, you never spoke to anyone connected with ebay. You may have given your account info to a scammer.
"From what I've read they wait for you to file an IND case and then quickly update the tracking with a USPS tracking number showing a delivery to your zip code and eBay's bots just auto decline the claim".
First off the dispute/claim is an Item Not Received (INR) one.
A seller cannot update/change a tracking number if one has already been posted to the listing. Those sellers/scammers message a buyer with a tracking number or just mark the package as shipped, then when a dispute is filed they post their fake number to the listing.
Because ebay's system starts with a computer search of a tracking number for a delivered scan, it is turned down the first time. Sometimes you can get info from a shipper you can use to win an appeal, but not always. The appeals may be fielded by a 3rd party rep, who is not an ebay employee, which is why I suggested going directly to their social media platforms, where the reps are actual ebay employees who have the power to issue refunds.
I didn't think of it this morning but if the tracking information that shows delivered does not also show a signature that to is another policy violation. Items that cost over $750 have to be sent with a signature required service.
https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/member-behavior-policies/signature-confirmation%20policy?id=5154
Your seller has also violated another shipping policy "
"Sellers must not:
You received enough info from myself and @jonathanbrightlight to make contacting ebay through a social media outlet and noting the various policy violations a slam dunk for a rep to authorize a return.
andspagandr
OP11 months ago@mudshark61369
Sorry misspoke on that one, I had an Ebay rep call my number using the "have us call you" option, but I can assure you that I did speak to a genuine eBay employee.
Clearly there is a whole mountain of evidence I can use. Do you recommend that I make my case via social media asap or should I just wait until after the estimated delivery date has elapsed?
Again, really appreciate the insight on this issue.
Also to just note in regards to the status of the item on ebay, its currently at "Tracking number provided" but the status has not been marked as "Shipped to you" as of now.
simba6
·11 months agoIf the listing said it was being shipped from the US, they were breaking the rules if it was not. Keep an eye on the delivery date and file a case if it does not arrive. Watch out for the fake tracking number scam. If it says delivered but was not, DO NOT file an item not received case. You will lose since it says delivered. You have to file an item not as described case for that. Not saying that scam will happen. Just that you should be ready in case it does.
soh.maryl
·11 months agoJust curious: In this scenario, you recommended opening an item not as described case rather than an item not received case. And have seen several other recommendations of that way of handling this particular situation.
When you open an NAD case, but actually have nothing to return for refund, what happens next?
powell-collectibles
·11 months agoYeah, grab a box from home, probably put something in it like trash to make the weight, consistent, tape it up, slap on the label for the return, take it to the post office. I’m not saying I condone it 🙂 – but that’s what I would do.
mudshark61369
·11 months ago@andspagandr ,
There have been several posts on these boards recently about counterfeit Lego sets coming from European locations. It would help if you would post the ebay item number for the listing you bought from. It can be found in your order details under the item title.
I looked up UCS Logistics online and there are several bad reviews about the company and its tracking.
andspagandr
OP11 months agoI looked into the company as well and apparently this seems like a recent scam that's been popping up.
eBay item number: 396980970846
lacemaker3
·11 months agoHere's a link to that listing:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/396980970846?&nordt=true
Are you sure they said "UCS Logistics"? I checked to see if they were maybe a shipping company that might offer DDP shipping (delivered duty paid) but it doesn't look like they offer shipping at all. Management, refurbishment and returns of IT tech equipment.
https://www.ucslogistics.com/
andspagandr
OP11 months agoI had to search a bit for it myself but this is the site that the tracking they provided links to: https://ucs-logistics.com/
lacemaker3
·11 months agoOK, that does look like a legitimate shipping company that offers international shipping. Some sellers in Europe are reporting that their post offices will not ship to the USA at the moment, so it does make sense that other companies would have to be used.
Now you will have to see what you receive when it gets to you.
andspagandr
OP11 months agoThe issue is there isn't much information on this company. The only thing I was able to find was a reddit thread asking if it was a scam and others confirming that they never received any item shipped from them.
I also wouldn't think anything of it if the seller was honest about where the item was coming from. To pretend like its shipping from the US? That is a pretty big red flag in my opinion.
ittybitnot
·11 months agoI also wouldn't think anything of it if the seller was honest about where the item was coming from.
@andspagandr
I would think "something" about it anyway. Seller registered in Italy (Nov. 2024), only two feedback for buying (none for selling), now selling an item of that dollar value with no regards to any 'newbie' selling limits would, for me at least, cause for concern.
Do let us know what you get, or if it is eventually marked "delivered" and nothing arrives to you.