Return Scam?

[redbullclio]

I sold a brand new iPhone 16 Pro at the beginning of the week. Buyer paid immediately (full price, no offer made). I shipped the item Special Delivery and it arrived the following day.

That evening the buyer started a return stating the phone would not turn on and was defective. Having no option but to agree to the return I declined ebays return label and again paid for Special Delivery to ensure it would return to me.

I received an email notification from Royal Mail stating it had been delivered to my address. Surprise surprise, when I returned home, no parcel. There is an image attached which clearly shows a different front door to my own and a signature that is very clearly, not my handwriting.

This is clearly some kind of scam. I have reported the concern to ebay but assume they will somehow favour the buyer and blame the courier. What are my options here?

[kensgiftshop]

You need to contact Royal mail and see what you can find out about the package.

Where was it delivered?

Was it addressed to you or someone else.

The buyer will still get a refund, but if you can get a letter from Royal Mail saying the package was not addressed to you, you might get refunded?

[redbullclio]

Predictably eBay supported the buyer. Even when I provided evidence that I could not possibly have received the item back.

I'm now without expensive phone and down £900.

[kensgiftshop]

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@redbullclio wrote:

Predictably eBay supported the buyer. Even when I provided evidence that I could not possibly have received the item back.

I'm now without expensive phone and down £900.

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What evidence did you provide?

[redbullclio]

This is the thing. What evidence can I provide?

This is the thing, what evidence can I provide? The Royal Mail tracking shows a delivery. The buyer has fulfilled their end of the deal.

Only it isn't my house and RM won't look at it until next week. 

eBay have charged my account for the refund so now I'm down money I don't have. 

[kensgiftshop]

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@redbullclio wrote:

This is the thing. What evidence can I provide?

This is the thing, what evidence can I provide? The Royal Mail tracking shows a delivery. The buyer has fulfilled their end of the deal.

Only it isn't my house and RM won't look at it until next week. 

eBay have charged my account for the refund so now I'm down money I don't have. 

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You need to get a letter from RM stating that the returned package was not addressed to you.

They don't need to include the address it was shipped to, just it was not shipped to your address.

[redbullclio]

I really appreciate you taking the time to give advice with this.

If I enter the tracking number I purchased onto the RM website it says there's an error.

It looks like buyer purchased postage (somewhere) with RM using a guest account and added my contact details for the tracking.

It's just a challenge to speak to RM. My local DO only opens for a couple of hours each day. Is that the best place to seek help?

[fab_finds4u]

When a buyer wants to return it you need to use the label eBay provided. 

[bennotbill]

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@redbullclio wrote:

My local DO only opens for a couple of hours each day. Is that the best place to seek help?

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My local one is just a couple of guys looking up and handing out parcels that the posties were unable to deliver. But there's a good chance they would be able to check your tracking and perhaps hand out some solid knowledge of the correct RM procedures in these sort of cases.

[redbullclio]

If that's true then why do they allow you other options?

I chose a significantly more expensive option with full tracking and insurance. Seemed like a no-brainer.