Fraudulent Return not covered by seller protection
After more than 23 years as an eBay seller specializing in electronics, I’m extremely disappointed with how a recent case was handled and I’m hoping someone from eBay support will take a closer look.
A buyer returned a graphics card claiming it was defective. However, the unit I received back was clearly tampered with—the serial number had been scratched off, making it impossible to verify that it was the same item originally sent. The item I shipped was brand new and factory sealed. I submitted documentation to support this, including my purchase invoice and evidence showing the item was sealed before shipment.
Despite this evidence, my appeal was denied and the buyer was refunded $4,008.26.
The explanation I received was that my account had already received two “courtesy credits” under seller protection within the past 12 months. Unfortunately, situations like this are completely outside of a seller’s control. When buyers abuse the return system or commit return fraud, seller protection is supposed to exist to protect legitimate sellers who provide proof.
I’m respectfully asking eBay to review this case again. The returned item was tampered with and the serial number was intentionally removed, which strongly suggests fraudulent activity. Sellers who provide clear documentation should not be penalized because they have previously needed to rely on seller protection when dealing with bad actors.
I’ve been a loyal seller on this platform for over two decades and have always conducted my business honestly. I hope someone from eBay’s support or trust & safety team can take another look at this case.
Thank you.
tobaccocardyahoo
·5 months agoSellers who offer graphics cards, which may be used for crypto mining, often experience higher than average levels of returns fraud. Many plan ahead for this behavior.
christworks
·5 months ago@hardtofindtreasures You are very lucky to have ever received any courtesy credits. Many sellers do not get those.
Your protection from things like this is to be a Top Rated Seller. If you were, you could have deducted 50% of the refund which would have hopefully offset your cost of goods. For some reason you made the choice not to meet TRS qualifications, and this is the result.
I, for one, do not think eBay should be in the habit of refunding sellers as a courtesy if they are not TRS. That waters down the TRS program, and the money for such refunds has to come from somewhere and it isn't the CEO'S wallet.
By the way, nobody from support is here. You will have take this one as a tax write off.
hardtofindtreasures
OP5 months agoHi I do qualify to be a top rated seller. Why would I deduct a 50% refund for an item that was returned back to me different from the condition I shipped it out in? That doesn't make sense. I also sell on amazon and Im able to charge a 100% restocking fee for the same scenario like this.
lakefor94
·5 months ago@hardtofindtreasures
From eBay:
Protections for Top Rated Sellers
Top Rated Sellers sellers are eligible for these protections when all the following criteria are met:
A buyer falsely claims an item was not as described
When you report the buyer and we determine the buyer made a false claim:
Ensure you have completed the return and issued a refund to the buyer. You can also use the Report buyer option within the return request.
An item is returned after it was used or damaged by the buyer
If you accepted a buyer's return request but the item is returned in a different condition than it was originally sent:
- If the buyer had requested the return because the item didn't match the listing, we won't count the return in your "Item not as described" rate in service metrics
See our guidelines on how much you can deduct.Make sure you report the buyer and send the refund within 2 business days after receiving the item back. You can do this from the return request. Keep in mind that you're not eligible for fee credits when you deduct from the buyer's refund for a return that was used, altered or damaged, and you'll no longer see this option if eBay steps in to help with the return.
lakefor94
·5 months ago@hardtofindtreasures
Sellers who are not Below Standard are eligible for this protection for listings that offer free returns.
If you accepted a buyer's return request but the item is returned in a different condition than it was originally sent:
- If the buyer had requested the return because the item didn't match the listing, we won't count the return in your "Item not as described" rate in service metrics
See our guidelines on how much you can deduct.lakefor94
·5 months ago@hardtofindtreasures. If the "pro scammers" recognize your seller account as one that can do the 50% refund, they tend to avoid those accounts. They want the whole 100% refund up front without having to appeal to ebay.
Does not mean you won't run into a knucklehead here and there.
And of course, graphics cards are one of the most, scammed items. Too bad you used up your mulligan(s). Hope those previous bad transactions were worth it.
hardtofindtreasures
OP5 months agoHavent seen one seller yet that accepts returns on 5090 Graphics Cards.
lakefor94
·5 months ago@hardtofindtreasures how did that work out for you? You would be accepting that return on AMZ as well.
hardtofindtreasures
OP5 months agoSo all these sellers could face the same faith your saying
hardtofindtreasures
OP5 months agoAll these scammers must be salivating then
hardtofindtreasures
OP5 months agoYes at least with amazon I can charge up to 100% restocking fee.
shopbags
·5 months agoWoW thats terrible to read about. I'm surprised people doing any decent volume of sales, especially with electronics can maintain such top ratings. It's impressive because the quality of buyers is sinking fast and as the economy tanks it will get worse. The way you were scammed is very common not just with online sales but also with actual stores. People will buy an expensive item and return it with some piece of junk in the box. Some clerks will check the box and some will not giving the scammer a nice score. The stores like Walmart do not care because they have a 100% chargeback policy with their suppliers who take the complete loss. Maybe you can check with your supplier about such a thing. The amount is pretty high. If you can't get an exchange from your supplier maybe you can open the component and there may be a specific id inside to prove it is not the same returned item. Hopefully eBay like Amazon does will keep tabs on serial scam returners which there are many.
roccotacodad54
·5 months agoTax write off...........................