Bulk CPU return issue – something feels off, need advice
Looking for some advice from anyone who deals with CPUs or bulk electronics.
I sold a multi-quantity order of Intel CPUs, and the buyer opened a bunch of returns on the same order.
What’s bothering me is the condition of what’s coming back.
The CPUs being returned have obvious physical damage, mainly busted or missing caps on the bottom side. Not small stuff either — the kind of thing that sticks out right away, especially under magnification.
We inspect everything twice before it gets listed.
My coworker checks them first, then I go over them again using a microscope connected to a PC monitor in real time, as you can see from the images below. We specifically look for things like missing caps or other damage. There’s just no way this many CPUs with damage like this made it through both of us.
I’m not saying mistakes can’t happen, but this is way beyond one or two slipping through. It’s multiple units, all from the same order, all coming back with similar issues.
For some context, outside of this order I usually only see maybe 7–15 returns a year total, and most of those are just buyer-side issues — wrong socket, not compatible with their motherboard, etc. Any damaged returns I do get are almost always obvious shipping damage, like crushed packaging or clear impact damage from the carrier.
This situation doesn’t match that at all.
simba6
·4 months agoThat is a risk of selling. Like five finger discount at stores. Just add a bit to all your prices to cover such loss.
poopshake
·4 months agoI was told by eBay to just accept the return and issue a full refund. Even if the buyer is admitting to damaging items, showing generic pictures showing damage and not even showing the packaging the units arrive in, just take the loss. Even after having issued refunds (wether the buyer send the items back or not) just take the negative feedback (violation of policy).
Block the buyer, record the transaction record and if they purchase again under a different username, just repeat the process. It's literally the only way to do it unless you stop using eBay altogether.
tarotfindsandmore
·4 months agoWhy would you tell the OP this is the only way to handle his situation? That is absolutely false. The OP has an immaculate and lengthy history on ebay, with exactly ONE neutral on his account for using a shipping carrier the buyer didn't like. Your history is very different. The advice you got is based on your history.
The OP has the right to challenge the return, prorate refunds, and report the ONE buyer who opened what appears to be close to a dozen returns for a variety of items that he claims were damaged. The OP actually has an obligation to use his seller protections so that this one crooked buyer doesn't exploit other sellers, especially sellers that sell in his category like yourself.
The OP is not protected from defects by rolling over and taking a massive hit here. If he's going to get defects, he should do everything he can to fight the refunds and avoid those defects.
itsjustasprain
·4 months agoJust curious: do any of those components carry serial numbers that would make it easy to detect a return swap?
luckythewinner
·4 months agoWhat advice are you looking for? Are you looking for reassurance that it is not your fault? Or are you looking for advice about handling the return?
Never mind, I'll give you both. Your buyer is probably defrauding you. But if they file a dispute and you want to avoid a defect, you will probably need to accept it and deal with the loss that comes with it.
legacylaptops
OP4 months agothese are the kind of defects he's returning this is clearly something that would have been caught very quickly
tarotfindsandmore
·4 months agoOof, those are pretty gnarly. Even a half-blind, layperson (me) can see them. Contrary to what others are saying here, the sheer number of their returns in conjunction with your history, and the dollar amounts here mean you should definitely fight this. You'll see a lot of advice from the schadenfreude brigade telling you to just take the loss (keep in mind, this is the advice they give literally everyone, regardless of whether it's appropriate or not). This is NOT a good idea.
It represents a huge loss, from an obvious scammer, and you have no reason to just accept it. You could potentially end up with a defect, but with that many returns from a single buyer after decades of outstanding service and tens of thousands of happy, trouble-free transactions, I would definitely take the risk. Plus, if you get a defect, you can appeal it and you also have the right to post follow up feedback on every single purchase with an update on what has occurred. Note, you cannot call names or get hostile, but you can certainly post a follow up stating something like "buyer removed components, returned unusable damaged item" so others can see what has transpired.
Also, keep in mind, with a scammer like this... you most assuredly could end up with a defect (or several) even if you do give the refunds. In that scenario you lose both your account standing and your money. So, if it were me, I would absolutely fight this to the bitter end.
kalyoth
·4 months agoto clarify - did they come back in the same box you used, packaging inside etc? Partial or complete return? Any indication shipment was damaged upon delivery? Was shipment insured originally? The possibility exists something decided to eat this package. That would have been written up someplace in the original tracking. If not, if you are rated high enough & qualify, you can as was mentioned deduct up to 50% from the refund amount if you suspect return abuse or fraud. Then, also report the buyer to ebay. Doesn't stop you from still going thru a chargeback etc. Might be eligible for insurance claim also.
tarotfindsandmore
·4 months agoDo you have the items back yet?
If you do and you have already inspected the items for damage, do not process the refund until you speak with someone. In the meantime, report the buyer for returns abuse for each and every listing. It sounds like someone with a lot of old, broken trash on their hands may have tried to pull the old switcheroo on you.
You do have the right to deduct up to 50% so hopefully that will help you at least break even, but this is a nasty scam that the buyer should be removed from the platform for...assuming that's what happened of course.
kensgiftshop
·4 months agoYou don't want to get Ebay involved until after the buyer is refunded.
tarotfindsandmore
·4 months agoNope. The OP needs to call customer service now to speak with returns. The seller has 2 business days from the time of the delivery of the return to issue a refund. If the buyer's account is already flagged, as well as the transactions, the system has been alerted to potential problems. That way, when the partial refunds are issued, the likelihood of seller metric dings goes down substantially. Customer service will be able to see what the buyer is attempting and knows the seller's history.
The OP is in for a very large, very nasty hit from what is looking like a "bad buyer" (seriously, how does one buyer receive that many bad parts from a seller with over 78K sales and perfect feedback??) so he should start preparing to cover his backside right now. Too many times a seller shows up crying here on this board AFTER they've lost their money when some buyer scams them, and ebay can't/won't do a darned thing because the refunds have already been issued. Seller rights are quite limited, but in this case, the seller most assuredly does have the right to "get ebay involved" right now.
What you don't want to do is get ebay involved when you, as a seller, are in the wrong. That's when you issue the refund before reaching out, and generally don't reach out at all if you're smart.
legacylaptops
OP4 months agoexactly , it would be one thing if it were one or two chips. im human, i make mistakes but this however is clearly some one either new at their facility using their account to pocket good processors and returning junk / broken or straight up a company scamming one of the two no way that many cpus are bad in one go
vintage-camerastuff
·4 months agoYou probably already know that if they are not returned in the same condition that you sent them you can deduct up to 50% of the selling price. That is really the only thing you can do. Just show the before and after pictures with your explanation.
colfaxstation
·4 months agoIf you shipped USPS you might also want to contact them for mail fraud.