Possibly Getting Scammed?

[ettab_33]

Hello, 

I've got myself a scammer issue that i haven't been able to find help with online. So on April 10 i sold a VCR to a buyer. He sent me a message offering me a price and i accepted it. He also said that he had bought one the week before and it arrived not working and was a hassle sending a dead unit back and forth. I didn't think much about that at the time. April 15 he gets the VCR and messages me saying that I didn't pad the VCR enough and that it arrived with the front panel broken off. I packed it very safely as i do with all of my items, but i understand that damage could still happen. He then told me that if i wanted it back i needed to pay the return shipping, which was over $40. I then asked him if he could send me pictures of the VCR because i padded extra on the front panel and thought it was strange. He then says "Yes, i will send you a picture" and then continued to say i didn't have enough padding and how much it would cost me to send it back. He didn't send a picture so i messaged him again and said "Please send me pictures of the VCR along with the box i packaged it in and packaging material i sent along with it." The box had handwriting on it all over so if he was to send a picture i would know it's my box, and if needed i would file a case to USPS. He did not send any pictures or even try to get into contact with me until today, April 25, saying the same things and that he wants me to issue a refund because his money has been tied up in this for two weeks. He also did NOT at any point send me pictures of anything. I read that this is a type of scam where they say that the items broken then try to basically get a free item after refunding. His account has over 4000 reviews all being 100% positive, but he has not had anything for sell or is selling anything. He also has his feedback on private so i can't read any reviews. I then started to refresh the page on his profile and have seen his reviews actually go up, i actually have video proof of it. Now i am relatively new to eBay, a little over a year, but i'm pretty sure theres no way to leave feedback on a profile that hasn't sold anything or is selling anything right? So what should i do in this situation? He's had the item for almost 2 weeks and hasn't provided any proof that the item's actually broken even though he agreed that he would. Any feedback or tips would be great. Thank you. 

[comics-scifi-collectibles · Accepted solution]

@ettab_33   If the buyer files a refund request saying that the item is not as described then you need to accept the return and issue the return shipping label.    Or refund without a return, sadly the scammers know this.

The eBay Money Back Guarantee overrules your no returns policy. 

If you do not accept the return willingly then the buyer can ask eBay to step in and forces a refund. You do not get your seller's fees back, you get a defect and the buyer may be allowed to keep the item.

If the buyer abuses the eBay MBG in some way then you can report them but it doesn't get your money back:

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/resolving-buyer-issues/report-issue-buyer?id=4084&st=12&pos=3&quer...

Sellers have protection for return abuse if they offer FREE RETURN shipping on their listings OR if they are a Top Rated seller and offer 30 days or greater returns.  The seller can then reduce the refund amount by up to 50% if the buyer sends a different item or somehow reduces the value of the item.

Seller protection: 
https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/selling-policies/seller-protections?id=4345&st=12&pos=4&query=Sel...