Return Scam
I sold a MTG card a week or so ago and the guy opened a return request saying that the card was a counterfeit and also not foil as listed/shown. The card is definitely real because I personally pulled it out of a pre order booster box and then immediately put it in a card sleeve and protector. I feel like the guy is trying to get a refund and send me a fake card back. I asked if he bought another one and maybe thought that was the one I sent him and is now wanting a refund. That's the only thing I can think of as to why he is saying it is a counterfeit and not foil. I'm not sure how to go about it and if there is anything I can do to not get scammed over this.
9 comments
onefootflipper
·2 years agoThe customer might just be mad that the price on that card has dropped 10 percent since he bought it.
There is also no difference in value between the foil and nonfoil version of that card as the non-foils are actually far more rare.
fashunu4eeuh
·2 years ago@twiggy11137 wrote:
†…and if there is anything I can do to not get scammed over this.â€
The optimum time to determine one’s risk tolerance is prior to listing, as @ittybitnot suggested upthread.
Once a sale takes place, options to avoid any liability dwindle considerably. eBay policies substantially support protection of buyer interests— first and foremost, and by design—and indeed can be carried out at seller expense.
eBay reserves the right to penalize sellers who fail to complete their transactions. “Seller-initiated transaction cancellations†are specifically grounds for a killer account defect.
The result is that sellers cannot successfully use sales termination as a method to protect themselves, or to ward off suspected scams. If a seller chooses not to follow thru on a sale, there are painful consequences.
ittybitnot
·2 years agoand if there is anything I can do to not get scammed over this.
@twiggy11137
No, not really. Once the buyer files a claim for a "not as described" reason, the item becomes for the purposes of eBay whatever the buyer says it is. It matters not if it is the truth. Nobody will look or intervene on the seller's behalf. You are expected to accept such a return and provide a return shipping label, or eBay will take over for you. Then you get a serious defect against your account for "case without seller resolution", and eBay will allow the buyer to keep the item for free at your expense. In addition, it won't even matter what the buyer sends back. A paper clip or an empty box will suffice, and eBay will grant the refund from your proceeds.
eBay considers this part of doing business on this platform.
Anything can be had for free on eBay at the seller's expense with the right kind of phony scam claim, and there are very few exceptions. Know your risk tolerance going in, and don't post anything for sale that you cannot afford to lose, and pay extra to just "maybe" get it back.
isaiah53-57
·2 years agoIf this is a simple mistake on the part of the buyer, hope he owns up to it - Otherwise the odds of this going well for you are about the same as a snowball's chance...
Maybe this is your first time dealing with a scamming buyer... For us, our confidence in the site and its buyers took a nosedive after our first - Why wouldn't it when you realize thievery here is as simple as a buyer claiming you sent a "this", rather than a "that"...especially when dealing with pricey items.
Its the main reason we no longer list here.
Best of Luck to you
12345jamesstamps
·2 years agoCareful how you email the buyer. Do not give them a hard time. That will get a maybe not nice feedback.
Be very business like.
You have to offer a return. We sellers take a chance on what is returned.
I got a post card instead of my stamps returned once.
Not much a seller can do. I got over it.
If you can't afford a loss...don't sell it...unless buyer has feedbacks(not just one)...buys similar items...is not a new buyer and so on.
orangehound
·2 years agoHere are all the possible reasons that your buyer is saying it is counterfeit:
In my observation, #1 and #3 are by far the most common reasons.
mr_lincoln
·2 years agoHi @twiggy11137
If he files a return request accept the return and get the item back. Depending on what they return to you some of your Seller Protections may apply. Further down is a link to the eBay Help Pages on Seller protections for your reference.
If he files a return and you decline it because you do NOT accept returns eBay will side with the Buyer when asked to step in and refund them from your account, let them keep the item and give your account an unresolved issue strike. Is that the $ 95 item you sold recently?
Whether the Buyer is being honest or not makes little difference to eBay, they are on the outside looking in. You may want to consider accepting returns on all of your listings int he future. No returns accepted does NOT mean no Refunds because Buyers are protected by eBay's Money Back Guarantee.
Seller protections | eBay
twiggy11137
OP2 years agoOkay I'll wait to see what he replys back and if he is still saying it's counterfeited I'll just accept the return and see what he sends me. And yes this is the recent $95 one I sold. I appreciate your help.
kensgiftshop
·2 years agoDon't wait to long to accept the return.
You only got 3 days to accept the return and provide a shipping label, or the buyer can ask Ebay to step in.