EBay seller support process does not support sellers- scammed by buyer for return
1. Sold an item and buyer initiated return case- in his comments he said he had a question
2. Messaged buyer to try and discover what was wrong (twice)- no response from buyer
3. EBay Approved his return
4. Item was confirmed as delivered- but was not delivered
5. Buyer received refund
6. Went to post office using tracking number provided by EBay to figure out where my item is
7. Post office confirmed the tracking number that the shipping label did not match my address- only the City, State and Zip Code
8. ^ this should confirm that this was a return scam right?
9. I replied to return case with this newly provided information- EBay seller support immediately closed the case stating it was delivered- no timeline or additional time was provided for me to give additional information
10. Contacted Ebay Seller Support again and the rep stated I needed an official letter from the post office stating the label did not match my return address and they will continue my claim
11. Received official stamped letter from post office and uploaded letter as requested by EBay seller Support
12. Again, seller support has denied my claim because I was past my first verbal appeal
13. Seller Support mentioned the buyer chose an EBay provided shipping label- but the label did not match my return address? How does this happen? I have provided everything they've asked for immediately
EBay does not support their sellers. As a 10+ year seller, I have just lost $450 in the blink of an eye due to this buyer scam
superstar856
OP3 years agoWanted to give everyone an update.
After 2 months of back and forth with ebay seller support- constant live chats, phone calls that ran me in circles or no-replies.
Thank you for the suggestion to reach out to ebay for business- after submitting the details and proof of non-delivery official letter from the post office, I was able to receive my refund the next business day.
assortedcollectibles
·3 years agoAh yes, the age old zip code scam and ebays automated response... lovely. How many years has this been going on for now? A decade?
stainlessenginecovers
·3 years agoBuyers (scammers) have NO WAY of modifying the ebay issued label to ship an item (probably a rock) to a 'different' address.
Buyers CAN upload their own tracking number from a return label that THEY purchased, then; it could be of the same zip but different address.
ittybitnot
·3 years agoBuyers (scammers) have NO WAY of modifying the ebay issued label to ship an item (probably a rock) to a 'different' address.
@stainlessenginecovers
Of course they do, and it is not new. It is a simple matter to "adjust" the label before printing it. That way it retains the original tracking number provided by the eBay return label, while the "from address" and "ship to address" can be changed to anything you please. It is becoming more popular as opposed to purchasing a cheap item and having it sent to the local CVS or Walgreens in the seller's zipcode.
No need to purchase shipping on your own, when as a scammer the already provided/paid for by the seller label can be altered for the same results.
windycityart4u
·3 years agoSame thing happened to me earlier this month. eBay sent the item to the wrong address and I was out $500.00. Watch them like a hawk. I had the same error. Make sure your return address is correct because eBay will send the return to other addresses as well. Careful when they get involved, they will create a bigger and bigger mess until you will want to pull your hair out. In the future, only sell big ticket/ large items items locally. Refuse to list large items if I can take such a big hit for forced return shipping. Seller support is low. Best of luck. After this month like I said, no more listing large scale items on this site. Oh well, its eBay's loss.
soh.maryl
·3 years agoSorry to hear this happened to you.
But eBay does not ship anything, so how did eBay send the item to the wrong address?
You seem to be posting as a seller, so is this an item that was supposed to be returned to you, but buyer had the wrong delivery address?
lamber9347
·3 years ago@superstar856 You should have won your appeal. You need to try again using social media at either of the links below. If you don't have a social media account, create one just to contact them and get your money refunded to your account. No reason for you to have lost your appeal with that signed letter from USPS. You can always take the buyer to small claims for this amount. Cases are now handled via Zoom, so no need to be present at the buyer's location. You have all their details that you need to open a claim against them. Many times just filing a claim is enough to scare a scammer into returning your item. Best of luck to you....
https://twitter.com/askebay
https://www.facebook.com/eBay/
ittybitnot
·3 years ago@superstar856
Your only hope is to contact ebay through one of their social media portals. You can use the blue MESSAGE button on this page, to state your case (provide item number, user ID's, and timeline and ALSO upload the supporting document you need to demonstrate you are victim of the 'fake tracking return scam'. These are US reps that do have the authority to help you, unlike the auto process and/or customer service that you get via call back or chat that is from people in foreign call centers.
Though eBay's basic attitude for years has been "too bad to be you/part of doing business" once in a while you can get redress with the documentation you have. Whether you are a buyer or a seller involved in a fake tracking issue, the more people that eBay can get to simply give up and go away, the more money they save. Be sure to use the report the buyer feature first, and then proceed:
https://www.facebook.com/eBayForBusiness
Do let us know how it turns out for you.
heckofagame
·3 years agoDid you respond to the return case? Did you accept the return?
superstar856
OP3 years agoReturn was automatically authorized by Ebay and return label was provided by Ebay. But the buyer must of modified it to where it show a different return address but the same tracking number? I only have one return address on my account.
I responded via message to the return case stating the item was not delivered and after speaking to the post office rep, they provided me the information that my address was not the address on the label- and my return case was closed after
I then spoke to another seller rep who asked me to provide a official stamped letter from the post office noting this information for the address mismatch and again- case was closed- and multiple times seller reps telling me they can't submit a re-appeal even though the seller rep told me they would continue the claim after documentation is provided from the post office