Buyer Return Fraud
Summary: cleardhot6puf shared their experience of selling an item on eBay, dealing with what they believe to be a fraudulent return request, where a buyer claimed to receive an empty package. christworks and other participants pointed out that as a seller, it is their responsibility to deal with insurance claims, not the buyer's. There was a debate over eBay's handling of the situation, with frustration expressed about the company's return policies and potential reliance on AI for decision-making. Some participants advised refunding the buyer and moving on, while others suggested possible ways to investigate further or report the buyer.
I sold an auction item for BIN price $59 on 7/23/2026. I had no recollections of prior dealing w/ this buyer, but he had 20 yrs history on eBay and Feedback score over 1,000 (based upon buys only--zero sales feedback). You might think this was a low risk buyer for problems, but you would be wrong! Usually I post Buyer feedback as soon as the item is mailed, but, fortunately, I delayed in this case, because of excessive messaging which occurred between sale and after mailing 7/24/2026 (which date he also requested). The item was what I consider to be a "soft" item (canvas w/ insulation) but had metal snaps and M1910 style bent wire belt hanger, so I was planning to mail in a USPS PM FR Padded Envelope. Weirdly, the buyer was demanding that the item be protected by a padded box (to protect from potential USPS damage!); I could fit the item into a USPS PM FR Small Box, but there was no room for padding. I messaged him to clarify his requirement, and gave him until 3 PM EDT to respond; when he did not respond within time frame specified, I placed the FR Small Box inside the FR Padded Envelope. The item was delivered to the residential address in Piscataway NJ 08854 on 7/28/2026. Buyer messaged (and sent photos) showing that the envelope had been cut open near the flap and was devoid of contents. USPS usually affixes pre-printed labels to items which arrive at their facilities in damaged condition; there was no such label shown in Buyer's photos, which means the theft may have occurred after delivery to Buyer's mailbox! Instead of opening an insurance claim w/ USPS, Buyer started an eBay Return process, reporting to eBay that he received a damaged item (the cut-open envelope)! When a Buyer starts a Return, the Seller has two (and only two) choices: issue a return mailing label for Buyer to Return the item (upon delivery he will be refunded), or allow the Buyer to keep the item and issue a partial refund. Since this was clearly a fraudulent and inappropriate "Return," I called eBay Customer Service the same day (7/28/2026) and was advised to "Report a Buyer," as he has done this w/ other sellers, and it would not be necessary for me to do anything more. Nothing changed in the status of the Return, however, until 8/01/2026, when I was informed that eBay actually provided this Buyer with a mailing label he could use to return the empty cut-open envelope within 14 days. I again called eBay Customer Service, speaking with a different Representative, who informed me, "we don't know what the buyer received," when the Buyer himself reported receiving the empty USPS PM FR Padded Envelope, and "we have to follow the process." The C/s Rep told me that I will have two days to report on the condition of whatever buyer returns, and if he returns an empty box or envelope, I can execute another "Report a Buyer." I didn't wait, I did another Report on 8/01/2026. Obviously some of these eBay decisions are being made by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the human C/s Reps do not know how to interrupt the process. I have never utilized the EBay "Community" before, but I want to alert other Sellers to this type of fraud. It is new to me, but you don't have to search very far in the Community here to see that it has been happening for at least past few years. If I had known that eBay was actually going to issue a prepaid mailing label to this Buyer to return an empty envelope, I would have chosen to let him "keep the item" and paid him a dollar. Maybe he doesn't want to do a USPS Insurance claim because his mail carrier knows that the padded envelope contained a box he could feel, and his Postmaster knows that if the envelope had arrived already cut-open, it would have been labeled as "arrived damaged."
authentic*vintage
·4 days agoFile your insurance claim with USPS using the buyer's messages and photos as evidence.
dariudaudery_0
·4 days agoToo long, did not read...
If buyer said that something is wrong - accept return or offer partial refund for the damage.
Deal with what comes after item is returned if it is returned.
Some buyer open returns fishing for free money, you never know if they will even return the thing.
cleardhot6puf
OP3 days agoI'm new in community, but IDK why you would comment on a post you didn't read. Buyer claimed to receive padded envelope that had been cut open & missing contents. EBay still sent him a mailing label to return the empty envelope! Ultimately they released the hold on my Payouts, but they also refunded the buyer for price plus mailing cost on the item I sent him! They also told me when I called today (the third call I have had to make to eBay C/s in 8 days) that they would "remove him from the platform," but I doubt that, considering he has been w/ eBay x 20 yrs and has 1K+ Feedback score. I think the envelope was cut open after delivery to his mailbox, and eBay told me he has done this to other Sellers!
inhawaii
·3 days agoThe reason he commented without reading is because IT DOSN'T MATTER what the circumstances are. He's given you good advice, accept the return.
profitweb
·5 days ago · EditedWow. You're right. That could be a really big scammer. That's pretty slick.
As a buyer, they can't even get negative feedback.
I'm going to guess they keep their purchases "Private". If not, can you look at their Recent feedback and reach out to a previous seller they used, ask if they experienced the same thing?
It's probably a complete waste of your time to do it. Especially if you're unable to add that info to one of your "Report a Buyer" tickets.
I'm trying to brainstorm how one could've navigated this better, so it could be done differently next time, but I can't think of anything except what you already stated to choose to let them to "keep the item" rather than return and pay for a shipping label.
It's never fun to lose on a sale. That sucks. Thanks for the warning. It may save some of us wasted shipping.
:/
gurlcat
·5 days ago"Instead of opening an insurance claim w/ USPS, Buyer started an eBay Return process, re"porting to eBay that he received a damaged item (the cut-open envelope)!"
Why would he file an insurance claim? He didn't buy the item from USPS; he bought it from YOU. The buyer is your customer, and you are the USPS customer. You are the one who decided which carrier to trust, and bought the shipping label from them. It is NEVER the buyer's responsibility to go through the hassle of an insurance claim. It's what the seller does, in the event that they had to refund a buyer (which should always be handled before filing the insurance claim, and not contingent upon whether or not you win the claim).
Basically what you have here is a lesson that should teach you all the things you wrongly believed about who-has-what rights and responsibilities, in an eBay transaction.
cleardhot6puf
OP3 days agoThanks for your comments. USPS website states that an insurance claim can be opened by sender or addressee. Since I mailed an intact padded envelope w/ contents, and he received the envelope w/o contents, and has that physical evidence of theft, I thought it would be easier for him to file the claim. He lives in a one Zip Code town, and his postal staff would know whether an envelope which arrived in that condition would be endorsed by pre-printed label as damaged. EBay has released their hold on my Payouts, but they have also paid the buyer a refund of price + mailing cost. So there will be no need for either of us to file an insurance claim. Most likely the envelope was cut open after delivery to his mailbox. EBay told me he has done this to other sellers, and they would "remove him from the platform," but I don't actually believe them.
stuff4divas
·5 days ago@cleardhot6puf OMG!!! Paragraphs badly needed
dhbookds
·5 days agoYou are "assuming" alot of things........ Ebay can't react on assumptions...it has to happen before anything can be done.......
christworks
·5 days agoI shouldn't give you the time of day for writing one long block of text. Please. Use paragraphs from now on. It makes it so much easier to read so that people who are volunteering their time to help can actually give you help.
In short, it does not matter what customer service told you. You are required to follow eBay policy. You should know that as a seller. You should also know that it is not the buyer's responsiblity to file for USPS insurance. That is YOUR responsibility. Let me spell that: Y-O-U-R.
It is your job as a seller to get their item to the buyer until there is a delivery scan. Something gets lost? It's on you. Something is stolen? It's on you. If a package is stolen after delivery, that is on the buyer.
Your buyer did not do wrong by opening a return. That's what they are supposed to do. Your job it so issue a refund or ask them to return what they received, then issue a refund. You will have to file insurance with the carrier.
If the buyer lies, you can report them. You have no idea if they are lying. Maybe they've done 'this' before. Maybe not. You can investigate by calling your buyer's local post office and talking to the Postmaster. They can speak with your buyer's carrier to see if the package was damaged at the time of delivery. You've honestly wasted too much time to make it worthwhile now. I'd refund and move on from this.
I recommend you spend time reading through eBay's policies and what your responsibilities are as a seller before you sell another item.
mam98031
·5 days agoI'm glad you responded to them. I didn't want to read that wall of text.