Reporting a scam in a simple manner

[1313.musicmonger]

Right now there is an ebay listing (eBay item number: 313474890236) which uses identical text and photos (3 personal non-stock photos) with my recently won ebay auction of an Access Virus TI desktop synth (eBay item number: 154369850912). I have not received my item yet and do not believe I will because neither ebay nor the seller has provided tracking details. Upon further investigation (google search: “access virus ti desktop” / images) I found out that there was an almost identical listing on gumtree 27 days ago (same 3 photos, text was one sentence longer):

https://www.gumtree.com/p/synthesizers/access-virus-ti-desktop/1398988812

This (identical fake listings) has happened to me before (I alerted ebay as soon as I realized it the first time it happened but I had to wait until I had the right to open a case and get my money back because the item never arrived) so I know what to expect.

What annoys me is that the new listing will probably trap another unsuspecting ebay buyer when it ends tomorrow and there does not seem to be a simple way to alert ebay to these scams. I tried the “report item” – it does not work.

What also annoys me is that ebay keeps sending me notifications that the item is on its way without providing me – the buyer – with the tracking details for an item worth hundreds of euros. No seller will send an expensive item without tracking. In my opinion if the seller is not willing to forward the tracking details to ebay (and the buyer) then he simply has not sent it. It really is that simple.

[eburtonlab · Accepted solution]

Not sure why the "Report item" link is not working for you -- it seems to have worked for me when I just reported the active listing you mentioned by number.

I have previously seen reports from others that say that the menu drop-down options do not appear; at least one user said that he was able to submit reports with one eBay account, but not another. Trying another browser, or reporting on another eBay country site may help in some cases, though that does not seem to work for every user.

You can also report a seller for policy violations using this link:

https://www.ebay.com/help/action?topicid=4022

Although sellers are not required to provide tracking, when a buyer files an Item Not Received case, if the seller is unwilling or unable to provide tracking that shows delivery the buyer should win the case automatically.

You can avoid many headaches by choosing to purchase items only from established sellers that have a track record of receiving positive feedback for selling items in the same category that you are purchasing in. You might miss out on a good deal from a new seller once in a while, but you can save yourself from having to invoke your money back guarantee.

[1313.musicmonger]

Thank you eburtonlab for your reply, which was helpful. Regarding the “Report item” link – in my case the drop-down menu was not active both in this case and when I first faced this scam and tried to report it. I am registered in www.ebay.com and almost always use this site (and firefox) to browse on the listings since the US site acts as a master site – it will run smoother, I am more familiar with it, I can find listings from other international ebay sites when I do a search and I understand the language.

The link you provided usually gives the runaround (in order to sort out the nature of the problem) and ends with “contact the seller” (and wait forever for his reply) and / or “if you don’t get the item you will get your money back through the buyer protection program” (again, after you have wasted a month or more waiting for the item). I have not gone through all the permutations of the link, obviously. Upon closer inspection, however, you are correct – the last option does allow one to report a seller for violation of ebay’s policies. The report will probably be reviewed by an AI bot and since the evidence is photo-related, primarily, I am not sure whether it will be understood.

Yes, I will get my money back eventually (thank you very much) but from where I am standing it appears that I have loaned my money for free to a scammer with the intervention / unintentional assistance – call it what you will – of ebay. I have also wasted (some of) my time and energy trying to think of ways to minimize the occurrence and duration of this scam as this affects not only me but others. That is why I believe that making it mandatory that the seller provides tracking details for items over $$$ would lower the rate of this particular scam. One might argue that it would push scammers to the next level (e.g. send dummy packages etc. with tracking) but that type of scam has always been possible.

I have reported my own seller and in that report I mentioned the situation with the active listing, your previous report covers the active listing, so both sellers have been reported individually.

[pureinnocenthelp]

yeah lots of scammers on here.  ebay sucks, won't help at all

[eburtonlab]

@1313.musicmonger 

The report will probably be reviewed by an AI bot and since the evidence is photo-related, primarily, I am not sure whether it will be understood.

I have had good luck with reporting suspicious items and sellers, particularly when it comes to items that I have not purchased. Many of the sellers and listings that I report are taken down by eBay, though not necessarily right away as a direct result of my report. I doubt eBay will act on a single uncorroborated report unless the violation is severe and obvious. But the more independent reports that eBay receives, the more likely eBay is to take action quickly, I think.

Once you have purchased an item, your options are limited until the last estimated shipping date has passed unless eBay removes the seller before that. Which is another reason why it is a good idea to vet your sellers thoroughly before committing to purchase an expensive item.

[teffy20151]

Why in the world is this link so difficult if not impossible  to get when we look for it on the Website.  Thank you very much, I just report a scammer seller through that link.

[eburtonlab]

Why in the world is this link so difficult if not impossible to get when we look for it on the Website.

You can currently reach that "Report a Seller" link by going to Help & Contact: Buying: Working with Sellers: Report an Issue with a Seller.

Or you can bookmark that link for future use.