Scammed on eBay

[chuhsing.chien]

Buyer beware, too cheap to be true.

In mid-August, two new sellers listed the same "Portable Air Conditioners, 4500 BTU Outdoor Camping RV Tent Air Conditioner" priced at $69.99 and $55.99 respectively. The $69.99 one went on sale first, followed about two or three days later by the $55.99 one. Both sales pages are identical, both state "No Returns" and will be shipped from GuangZhouShi, Guangdong, China via Free SpeedPAK Economy and this item has an extended handling time and a delivery estimate greater than 24 business days.

Unfortunately, On Aug 18, I ordered the first one. Later, on Aug 27, I received an email from eBay informing me that the item had been shipped and the estimated delivery date is between Sep 16 and Sep 26. The shipping information on the page said that it had been shipped, but there was no tracking number at that time. A few days later, the seller provided a tracking number ending in "CN" indicating that the item was shipped from mainland China.

Today is Sep,3, 2024. And this morning, I noticed that the tracking number had been changed to an USPS tracking number and it says the item had been delivered on Aug 21. I immediately reported this issue to eBay and received a call back from an eBay representative.

On the phone, I told the representative all the details of what I had discovered, and pointed out that it was impossible to receive the items so quickly from Mainland China. And, on August 21, eBay did not deliver any packages to my address. No message from eBay that day either.

The representative responded that they would look into this and told me to reopen the case on Sep 27 to ask eBay to step in.

If you purchased the same item, you'd better check your purchase page. If you encounter the same issue as me, report this issue to eBay asap.

[mudshark61369 · Accepted solution]

@chuhsing.chien,

"Buyer beware, too cheap to be true".

If your gut told you the item's price was too good to be true when you saw it, you should have listened to it, especially if the item location was in China.

"Today is Sep,3, 2024. And this morning, I noticed that the tracking number had been changed to an USPS tracking number and it says the item had been delivered on Aug 21".

Did you check the USPS tracking number to see when the label was created and what zip code it was delivered to? If not, do that and hope that it was printed before you made the purchase or that the zip code was not yours. Then you will have the info you need to file an item not received dispute.

If the zip code is yours, and  you call the USPS customer service phone number you can tell the rep what you found out. Tell them your address and also ask if the package type/size/weight was appropriate for a portable air conditioner. (you may want to look up the Mfr.'s unit specs online to see what its shipping size and weight is)  If the delivery address was not yours and the package info was not appropriate for the A/C unit. Ask the rep to send you an email stating that.

If you open the link below and click on the Go To Best Answer button. You can read what will happen when you file an item not received dispute, and what to do when it is initially declined. If you do receive an email from the USPS take it with you when you go to the post office. It may help if the clerk doesn't want to write you a note.

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Buying/Fake-Tracking-information/m-p/34266951#M475809

For future reference it may be wise to sign up for USPS Informed delivery. It will clog up your email inbox unless you check it daily, but its info can be used as proof of an item not received. I also suggest signing up for FedEx Delivery Manager and UPS My Choice. All three services are free.  If you want create an email account only for those service's emails.

[chuhsing.chien]

Thank you for replying.

Did you check the USPS tracking number to see when the label was created and what zip code it was delivered to? If not, do that and hope that it was printed before you made the purchase or that the zip code was not yours. Then you will have the info you need to file an item not received dispute.

Yes, I checked. The label was created the next day after I ordered it. Also, the city zip code it was delivered to was mine.

I just tried signing up for USPS Informed Delivery. Since there was an issue with my phone, I was asked to verify it in person. I will go to a nearby USPS office tomorrow to check it out.

Thank you again for replying and the information. If there is anything new, I will update here.

[aproudparent2010]

Do not open an Item Not Received case because you will lose because seller shows delivery of something to your zip code and that is all eBay will look at and close your case.

[mudshark61369]

@aproudparent2010,

Even though an INR dispute will be closed in a seller's favor on the first try, because of its automated system people need to do that in order to Appeal to a live rep. 

[mudshark61369]

@chuhsing.chien,

As long as you are going to the Post office bring your order details with you.  If there is still Informed delivery available for your address on the delivery date the clerk can look up.  If they will not write a note saying anything about the label address or package info, IN GENERAL not with specific info address/package info. Ask them to print out the informed delivery information on USPS stationary which will show no packages were brought to your address on that day. Ask them to print their name then sign and date the note. 

[chuhsing.chien]

Thank you all for the help. It seems like a good news.

I went to my local post office this morning and asked for more shipping details to be printed. It appears to be a parcel-like letter, weighing just 2.56 ounces, $3.76 postage with a label created on 8/18/24, and shipped out from a nearby city on 8/19/24, delivered to another address in my city on 8/21/24.

The post office clerk kindly reminded me that there's no way to throw an air conditioner in a mailbox and have it shipped from China that quickly. And, as I said before, it doesn't make sense to deliver a package before shipping it out.

I then chatted with two eBay representatives. After they realized what was going on there, the first one couldn't press the button to enable INR. I told him that I was in the same situation because of the record of the delivered item in the eBay system. He asked for help. The second representative finally reopened the case of "item not received" for me. I immediately received an email from eBay after chatting. There is a link that shows the shipping status of the one which looks like I saw earlier with the tracking number ending in "CN". In the email, it says I need to wait for a response from the seller first. If my request is not resolved, I can ask them to step in and help beginning on 9/10/24.

Currently, on my purchase history page, it shows "Item Not Received Case Open".

[simba6]

That is the popular fake tracking number scam.  It requires an item not as described case to be filled.

If eBay can't help and you paid by credit card, contact your card company.  They know all about that scam.

[chuhsing.chien]

Let me update this.

On the evening of Sep,4,24, eBay emailed me that the seller changed the tracking number back to the USPS tracking number. As of today, Sep,10,24, the seller still has no further response.

This morning, I contacted two agents by phone and asked for my money back. At that time, the system did not allow me to chat online I don’t know why. The first one asked me to upload relevant photos as evidence. After uploading via "Message to Seller", the second agent said the eBay system was investigating my case and simply told me to wait until tomorrow.

About an hour later, I successfully chatted online with another agent. I try to tell my story as briefly as possible. After reviewing the information, the agent finally saw the point and decided to give me a full refund in one go, including the original shipping cost.

He told me that the seller "somehow" fulfilled their obligations, the refund will come directly from eBay. The seller has been notified.

A while after chatting, I received an email from eBay informing me that a full refund was coming and my case was closed. Later, I saw a refund pending on my credit card account.

Each time, I had to tell my story from the beginning to a different agent. In my experience, it's better to chat online rather than over the phone. The people on the other end of the phone all tried to push me away. And, it looks like the scammers got the money after all? I don't know.