Bayer scam

[yardeyarde]

The buyer purchased a mobile phone for $450. I shipped the via USPS item. After five days, the buyer requested a return, claiming that the phone’s battery overheats and the frame is damaged, even though the phone was in perfect condition. The buyer asked for a refund and and have  to return the item.

I agreed and go with return process. However, on the same day, eBay accepted the buyer’s “new arguments” and allowed them to keep my item while charging me the full price of the product.

The buyer kept the phone, which was in perfect condition, and received a full refund for it. All of this happened without my knowledge, and the case was closed within one day.

My losses:

• Pixel 9+ phone

• $450

• eBay fees

This is theft.

The buyer had good reviews, but all of them were written within one month, and the account was created just a month ago.

How can I fight against such scams?

[bonjourami]

Did you respond to the case with a return label, and refund after return?

[buyselljack2016]

Probably used that bogus "hazardous materials"  "can not be shipped" due to the overheating battery ploy to be refunded by eBay without return.

[inhawaii]

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@buyselljack2016 wrote:

Probably used that bogus "hazardous materials"  "can not be shipped" due to the overheating battery ploy to be refunded by eBay without return.

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That is possible.

However I would lean more towards - the seller did not handle the return properly.

[mam98031]

@yardeyarde 

Since you are new to all of this, when your buyer filed the Request for Return, did you go and approve the request and issue a return label to the buyer from inside the claim?  This is important.  The seller has 2-3 days in which they have to do this or Ebay can step in and resolve the issue with the buyer and likely not require the buyer to return the item to you while forcing you to fully refund the buyer.

So how did you respond INSIDE the Request for Return once the buyer filed it?  What day did they file it?  What day did you approve it inside the Request for return, not anyplace else, it has to be inside the Request.

[yardeyarde]

Yes, I am a new as eBay user. I only had two sales and one purchase this year.

Why do I think I was scammed? 

On December 11, I sold a phone on eBay. On December 19, the payment was released from hold, and I transferred it to my bank account. On December 25, the buyer requested a return. There were two options:

1.Issue a return label.

2.Offer a partial refund, and the buyer keeps the phone.

If I didn’t choose either option, eBay would make the decision for me.

On December 26, I accepted the return and issued the return label. The buyer was supposed to ship the phone back to me. On the same day (as I later found out), the buyer contacted eBay and provided evidence that returning the phone was “impossible due to hazard concerns.” eBay made a decision that same day, allowing the buyer to keep the phone without returning it.

I found out about this on December 27. I immediately called customer support and filed an appeal. However, nothing has changed since then. I don’t even know the case number.

That’s why I’m truly desperate.

Additionally, I reviewed all the buyer’s feedback. It turned out all reviews were dated the same month—November. The account was also created in November. The delivery was most likely to a warehouse in Delaware

[yardeyarde]

Yes. 

Exactly, that’s how it was described. It’s very disappointing.

I sent the phone in perfect condition, and in my opinion, the buyer is simply a fraudster. They provided false information, and as a result, I lost both my phone and my money.

[yardeyarde]

I responded and allowed the return. The buyer was supposed to ship the phone back within a couple of days. But everything went wrong. Bayer never intended to send it back. Instead, they provided “evidence” that shipping can be unsafe "hazard"

[mam98031]

"The delivery was most likely to a warehouse in Delaware"  This may be you implying that the buyer used a Freight forwarder, not sure why.  It would be the buyer trying to scam you, NOT the Freight Forwarder.

I see what you are saying about the buyer and the stunt they pulled.  Does any of the Feedback they left for other sellers hint at this type of abusive activity?  If it does that is evidence Ebay will accept.

I would try to contact Ebay again on this.  Make sure you tell them the reason they buyer used and that it was a flat lie in order to get to keep the phone and get ebay to refund them.  I would politely stress that Ebay should have allowed the Request For Return to run it's course since you already had accepted it AND issued the return shipping label to the buyer.

OH I would also stress that it wasn't a hazardous product when you shipped it to the buyer, what made it hazardous on the way back???  That really does not make any sense, at least not to me.

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On each Ebay page there is a link to contact Customer Service at the top of the page and again at the bottom of the page.

I would suggest that you contact Ebay for Business on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter for the better trained CSRs.

Here are your options for contacting Ebay Customer Service. Please be aware that for social media CS, you send them a Private Message and briefly explain what your problem or issue is. Feel free to leave your Name, address, phone number and/or your email address in this message. It is private and secure and it may help to speed up the response for you.

https://twitter.com/askebay

https://www.facebook.com/ebay

https://www.instagram.com/ebayforsellers/

Your options will be on the left. If you use the link below you can only get to the Automated Assistant or Chat box type AGENT in the box and hit enter. You will then get more options. Not all options are available 24/7. It will depend on staffing available. So sometimes you can request a call back and sometimes you can't. Sometimes you have the Chat option available and other times it won't me. If it is important to you to use one of those options, just try back later.

If you use a cell phone or other mobile device, you may need to turn off your Spam filter so that Ebay can call you.

If you are a seller outside of the US or Canada, you will need to use the Chat Option.

https://www.ebay.com/help/eua?id=5275&mkevt=1&mkpid

https://www.ebay.com/help/home

[fbusoni]

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@yardeyarde wrote:

Yes, I am a new as eBay user. I only had two sales and one purchase this year.

Why do I think I was scammed? 

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@yardeyarde 

Very sorry this happened to you.

You were scammed because you are new and inexperienced AND you were selling an item that is highly vulnerable to theft on these sorts of selling platforms.  

The fact of the matter is that any seller on eBay, regardless of experience, can be the victim of thieves.

But selling anything electronic on eBay is an especially risky proposition.  I am not nearly courageous enough to do so.

The silver lining is that it was a $450 item.  If you read these forums you will see that some sellers have lost  thousands and even more.

Although banal, the old saying about selling online bears repeating:  Be prepared to lose your entire  investment in the most expensive item you sell on eBay. 

[stephenmorgan]

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[chienoir]

Welcome to eBay's longstanding, absurd bias that 'the buyer is always right'. We can't change the policies of eBay but we can try limit the damages incurred by a lying seller. In your listings, state that you don't accept returns unless the buyer can prove actual damage. Always appeal the decision made by eBay's bias to believe the lying seller. If the malicious buyer leaves you retributive negative feedback, respond to it and expose the liar. And always block that buyer from any future transactions with you.

[luckythewinner]

My losses:

• Pixel 9+ phone

• $450

• eBay fees

You did not lose the phone AND the $450. You were never entitled to both the money and the phone - you were only entitled to one or the other.

[janet9988]

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@luckythewinner wrote:

My losses:

• Pixel 9+ phone

• $450

• eBay fees

You did not lose the phone AND the $450. You were never entitled to both the money and the phone - you were only entitled to one or the other.

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The buyer has both.

[luckythewinner]

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@janet9988 wrote:

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@luckythewinner wrote:

My losses:

• Pixel 9+ phone

• $450

• eBay fees

You did not lose the phone AND the $450. You were never entitled to both the money and the phone - you were only entitled to one or the other.

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The buyer has both.

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The seller does not have either one, but he did not lose both. 

The seller started with a phone, and in the end he has no phone. So he lost a phone (and the cost of shipping it).