Reporting to eBay
Again today I was reminded how futile it is to report anything to eBay. No matter if its reporting a listing for a counterfeit item or reporting a seller who defrauded you, it does absolutely nothing! You are told how much your attempt to make eBay a safer, better, forum is appreciated ( I think to smooth your feathers) and then its totally ignored!
DON'T BOTHER WASTING YOUR TIME, AS LONG AS EBAY GETS IT'S CUT, YOUR REPORT MEANS NOTHING!!!!
23 comments
albertabrightalberta
·1 year ago@art-at-50
Did you file a NAD (not as described) claim for the alleged counterfeit coin you claim to have received?
If so, you would (and should) have returned it and received a full refund.
As for sanctions on the seller, you have no way of knowing what action ebay may have taken against the seller or what was put on their record.
art-at-50
OP1 year agoI did file, send back the coin, and got a refund for what I paid the seller. I lost $ 187.00 on the whole mess because I sent it off to be graded only to find out it was counterfeit. As you are a mentor, it might be worth while mentioning, eBay authenticates other items like shoes, bags, etc., why can't the authenticate ( not grade ) coins are real ????
As for sanctions on the seller, all I know is he is continuing to sell on eBay and for all either of us know he may sell the counterfeit coin again to someone who might not pay to have it graded.
worldcoinauctions
·1 year agoI had a listing removed due to a shopper complaint (supposed policy violation). I appealed the removal by sending the particulars to ebay on facebook and they removed the restriction so I can relist.
They do listen, even if they don't always get it right.
sonomabarn67
·1 year agoI remember the advice given to Grasshopper: "Like grains of unruly sand on the beach, so go the days of our lives."
art-at-50
OP1 year agoA , ok , so???????
melda58
·1 year ago"No matter if its reporting a listing for a counterfeit item or reporting a seller who defrauded you, it does absolutely nothing"
These 2 actions are not equal. In the latter case, you can file a complaint on your own behalf. In the former case, you are asking for ebay to evaluate a listing that has had no direct effect on you.
Rita
art-at-50
OP1 year agoI have done both and found neither do any good , you are simply wasting your time.
mre_bidder
·1 year agoI'll address the latter first.
A few years ago, I purchased a ring which purportedly was 14k gold and listed as such. I did not check the seller's feedback rating (which at the time was a whopping 1 positive), until after I received the ring. I tested it and also took it to a jeweler who also tested it. It wasn't real gold. It was GOLD PLATED COSTUME JEWELRY.
It wasn't until the foregoing occurred that I checked the seller's feedback rating. His first feedback was for the purchase of JEWELER'S STAMPING KIT that consisted of tools with 10k through 24k (as well as .925 which signifies that an item is sterling silver) on the end. Using a ball peen hammer, he was able to imprint a gold imprint fraudulently misrepresenting that gold plated jewelry was real gold. By that point, he had 5-6 negs as other innocent buyers were being defrauded.
Consequently, I opened a NAD to obtain a refund. The seller's insolent response was, and I quote, "If you're stupid enough to buy precious metals online, you deserve what you got". It took nearly 1 MONTH to get my money back.
Despite the above, that seller was allowed to continue listing and selling fraudulently altered jewelry for months while his negative feedback rating grew to somewhere around -20 (negs) before his account was finally suspended.
I (and several other buyers) notified Ebay that there were dozens of sellers (mainly from the UK) who were selling jewelry stamping kits to defraud consumers on Ebay. Ebay DID NOTHING. In fact, Ebay still ALLOWS such kits to be sold TO THIS VERY DAY (type "jewelry stamping kit" in the Ebay search bar and see for yourself).
As to the 2nd type of complaint or report of fraud, I've taken screen shots of some of the individual listings as well as the search results and saved them. I've called Ebay recently about a few listings, mostly by 1 seller who was selling an 18K gold ring listed for $3, 250 but for only 3 days with the "threat" that if it didn't sell he was going to "scrap" it (spot price was about $2,200). I downloaded 1 of the pics in the listing which clearly showed it had a 9K hallmark (but listed in that category, NOT, 18k) and pointed out to Ebay's "Fraud Team" that no one in their right mind would pay the cost of transport, insurance + cost of refining that and about 50 other items with the same treat to scrap them if unsold which would result in a net loss to the seller. Ebay did nothing.
The point is rampant fraud does exist on Ebay (take a look at sections devoted to Rolex watches, Gucci handbags, other designer items, etc.) which are cheap knock-offs. Ebay allows fraudulent sales on its platform because it derives not only listing but FV fees and is thereby facilitating fraud on its platform for which it can be held liable.
If the OP and others can't get recourse thru Ebay, feel free to contact me directly. Please provide the item No.'s, screen shots of the listings and seller's names and I'll maintain a depository to preserve them.
soh.maryl
·1 year agoRegarding "reporting a seller who defrauded you", do you not have access to eBay's Money Back Guarantee for buyers?
You are somewhat vague about how you have been defrauded, but eBay's MBG DOES offer a solution for that if you use it correctly.
art-at-50
OP1 year agoeBay not only requires you to return the counterfeit item to the seller for your refund allowing them to sell it again, they take ABSOLUTELY NO ACTION against the fraudsters!
soh.maryl
·1 year agoYes, I am aware of how eBay handles such cases. So, given that information, you prefer NOT to open an item not as described case?
art-at-50
OP1 year agoI did open a not as described case, returned the counterfeit coin, and was refunded what I paid the fraudster. I lost $187.00 paying for the coin to be graded, which only certified that it was a phoney which I believe the seller knew all along.
soh.maryl
·1 year agoSo you prefer NOT to return a counterfeit item so you can be refunded? Isn't that in the category of cutting off your nose to spite your face.? Glad to hear someone can be so cavalier about their money.
art-at-50
OP1 year agoYou are making assumptions that are simply not true. It was returned, and refunded, even though I fear that the unscrupulous seller will sell it again. Had it not been an very expensive item, I would have preferred to send it to the FBI along with the sellers information. I simply couldn't eat that kind of loss, as it was I lost $187.00 in having it graded only to be told it was counterfeit.
art-at-50
OP1 year agoThe seller sold me a coin which went I had it graded by PCGS was returned to me as a counterfeit! I did get what I paid the fraudster but lost $187.00 on the deal because of the grading fee.
 
.....i get these
art-at-50
OP1 year agoMost times, reporting a counterfeit for example, I get the response that it didn't violate their listing practices. As lakefor94 stated in his response most complaints are not seen by humans but dismissed by AI.
mre_bidder
·1 year agoI never once received the kind of notification displayed in your post whether through Ebay's messaging system or to my email tied to my account.
i have received several... they come to both my eBay messages and my gmail
 
here's one straight from eBay Messages
lakefor94
·1 year agoWhat you say is true. Ebay processes all these reports by AI. EBay has 2.3 billion listings.
If 1 % of eBay listings are reported every year, that would be 23 million listings.
No humans are reading your reports. It is all AI.
If enough different members are reporting the same listing or seller, perhaps that might trigger the bots to do something.
art-at-50
OP1 year agoThat's why I posted. To make a report to eBay isn't worth your time or trouble, its a sham to make you think they care. You may as well save your time for better things!
lakefor94
·1 year agoYes, copy that.
We see these same posts all the time.