Want free stuff? Just say your package arrived empty
Buyer states that item arrived with no DVD. Dvd is even in the photos. He's going to return the empty case at my expense. Won't answer questions about does the package look opened. Report this to Ebay multiple times and get ignored. I bought the DVD, listed the DVD, lost DVD, money for it, and shipping both ways. Even Amazon has better seller protection than this.
16 comments
vintagecraze50
·2 years agoIf the problem IS rampant which probably it is not because most people are honest, then there should be a rule that says if this package shows delivered that should suffice.
kabilab
·2 years agotucson,
DVDs are my primary sales item on e-Bay. In my store's current location, I have tracked seven returns out of 26K sales. On this platform, however, it has been 37 returns out of 3K sales.
If online selling causes you grief and you are unable to adapt to unfavorable situations, unless your financial situation dictates remaining, simply close up shop. Life is far too short to continually experience aggravation.
Personally, I would like to list my comics and records from the late 40s to early 60s, BUT, I am not willing to walk away from potential fraud. The number ONE lesson I have learned from this forum is to "not list any item you are not prepared to lose."
shar_27
·2 years agoYes, The vast majority of e-commerce frauds nowaday stem from buyers.
Buyers can play tricks with empty boxes, switcheroo, deliberately file unrecognized transaction disputes to dodge payment, false INR, fake INAD, use a faulty address to deceive USPS scans, and even resort to extortion with negative feedback... all sorts of neglected buyer fraudulent schemes.
Buyers could even use multiple schemes one after another in the same transaction to utterly devastate sellers.
Do we still need to endorse the outdated notion that 'the customer is God! and is always right'?
Time has changed, the extreme buyer-centric transaction rules have turned 'the customer is God' from a godsend into a devil.
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luckythewinner
·2 years agoI think that is because most venues these days give buyers recourse against sellers.
But on venues where buyers have no recourse against sellers, most fraud comes from sellers. This is the way it was in the early days of eBay - you sent a money order, and the seller did not send merchandise ... and also gave you a retaliatory negative if you dared give him one for cheating you.
shar_27
·2 years agoYou are talking about ancient history.
Nowadays, very few people use money orders for online shopping, and buyers attempting fraud are even less likely to use money orders.
Buyers have too many convenient ways to commit fraud, and it has become widely circulated on the internet.
I have listed many, and the empty box scam mentioned by OP is just one of the more basic scheme. Buyers could go much further if they want to.
Time has changed, the extreme buyer-centric transaction rules have turned 'the customer is God' from a godsend into a devil.
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You are assuming the buyer is lying. Both seller shipping the item And buyer receiving empty package can be true. You are asking for eBay to trust you that you sent it - a leap of faith - whilst hoping that they won’t take a similar leap of faith with the buyer.
epowerbargains
·2 years agoYou are making a good point. I had a buyer tell me that on an order for 2 brooches one was received fine, and the other was an empty box. I told her that I was not sure what happened, and I would refund her in full for the missing brooch. The buyer was very pleasant and even left me positive feedback. Several months later, I found a box under a piece of shelving and inside was the missing brooch. Totally 100% my mistake - I have no memory of dropping the box, picking up an empty box and it is my practice to double check my orders prior to mailing - clearly missed that step as well. So...epic fail on my part, and it made me think - we all make mistakes. Yes, there are scammers on all on-line sites and sometimes we all goof up.
lakefor94
·2 years agoSeveral years ago I had the AMZ buy box on several similar items and was selling about 10 per day. Small items I shipped in 6x4x4 boxes. One day, I caught myself shipping an empty box. After that, before heading off to the post office, I added shaking every box to make sure I had actually put the products in the box.
m60driver
·2 years agoIt is just part of online retail just as shoplifting is part of running a brick mortar store. You just have to have the margins to absorb these losses. Most of your recent DVD sales are relatively low dollar items so it is probably not worth having the buyer send the item back as postage represents a high percentage of the sale. Just refund and move on as your sales seem good enough to absorb these losses.
tucsonlynx
OP2 years agoYou're right. It's not the money so much it's just having terrible people be able to take advantage avery time they want something. You're right most of my DVDs are low value. This one was more but what is stopping them from doing it with a $100 book? Ebay should at least stop using the phrase "Seller Protection."
luxgoods
·2 years agoand make sure you block this scammer
simba6
·2 years agoIt's become a popular way to steal merchandise from mail order stores. Also does away with the risk of being "perp" walked to the malls security office.
luckythewinner
·2 years agoBuyer states that item arrived with no DVD. Dvd is even in the photos.
If a photo in a listing was all it took to win an "Item Not As Described" dispute, eBay would not longer exist because scam sellers would have driven all the buyers away by now.
Won't answer questions about does the package look opened.
eBay's Money Back Guarantee eBay does not require buyers to answer questions about packaging before filing a dispute.
Report this to Ebay multiple times and get ignored.
If reporting a buyer to eBay was all it took to win an "Item Not As Described" dispute, eBay would not longer exist because scam sellers would have driven all the buyers away by now.
Even Amazon has better seller protection than this.
How exactly does Amazon protect third-party sellers from "Not As Described" cases?
tucsonlynx
OP2 years agoIf a photo in a listing was all it took to win an "Item Not As Described" dispute, eBay would not longer exist because scam sellers would have driven all the buyers away by now.
With the fortune in commissions Ebay should reimburse the buyer and make a note of both. If a pattern emerges get rid of the one doing it.
eBay's Money Back Guarantee eBay does not require buyers to answer questions about packaging before filing a dispute.
Maybe it should. What's the point of tracking if it's meaningless.
If reporting a buyer to eBay was all it took to win an "Item Not As Described" dispute, eBay would not longer exist because scam sellers would have driven all the buyers away by now.
With the fortune in commissions Ebay should reimburse the buyer and make a note of both. If a pattern emerges get rid of the one doing it.
Even Amazon has better seller protection than this.
I've had Amazon reimburse the buyer under certain conditions. I also know of buyers who were banned from Amazon for abusing it.
luckythewinner
·2 years agoWhat are the "certain conditions", specifically?
mickmeymouse
·2 years ago@tucsonlynx ,
Yep.
arrived empty.
I never go it works just as well (even with confirmed delivery).
Return empty box or a different item on sellers dime, works also.
I get that there needs to be buyer protection, but this has gotten out of hand.