Bitterly let down by eBay and a very nasty scammer

[sandrjohnson]

I sold my iPhone 12 in good faith on eBay. When it arrived the buyer wrote an angry message accusing me of being a scammer and sending them an iPhone 6S. She provided a photo of said iPhone with the packaging I had sent. It made me so upset. I obviously wrote to eBay who said they had a means of helping me but I can't see how. She is now returning the iPhone 6S and obviously I am now £245 out of pocket.

It is interesting that she sent the message after receiving the parcel and told me she had received an iPhone 6S - but there is no way of knowing what type of phone it is by just looking at it, you need to power it up to find out this information.

[the_fancy_fox]

I would report the phone you sold as stolen to the carrier. Brick it. You’re not getting it back but it will be useless to them as well. 

[rugerskick]

Actually there probably is a way to tell, as an iphone 12 has larger overall dimensions than an older, smaller, iphone 6s.  

[gurlcat]

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@sandrjohnson wrote:

 I obviously wrote to eBay who said they had a means of helping me but I can't see how.

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What exactly did they say these "means" are?  If you don't even know yet, why is this thread titled "Bitterly let down by eBay ......"  What did eBay do wrong?  Allow the return?  How is eBay supposed to know if you advertised a 12 but sent a 6s?  How can anyone know what you actually put in that box?  There are tons of scam SELLERS on eBay, not just scam buyers.  Keep that in mind, as you picture what you would do if you were an eBay employee seeing these 2 sides.  

[slati_2013]

I would try to get the negative removed. If eBay says no, and they likely will, reply to the negative with the facts as you have stated here. It is not just bad that the buyer scammed you, she seriously damaged your reputation with a feedback that will really hurt. As others have suggested, brick the phone by reporting it stolen. iPhones and scams go hand in hand. Almost every scam reported here starts with I sold a Apple.....

[dbfolks166mt]

     When I read IPhone and scammer in a post it does not surprise me in the least.  They have to be one of the favorite targets of every scammer out there. You will probably get something back from the buyer  but who knows what it will be, it may not even be a phone.  I would never sell a cell phone on eBay but I always advise those that do to make sure they retain the IMEI number of the phone. It won't stop you from getting scammed out of the phone but if you do you can always report the IMEI number to the blacklist which basically renders it useless to the buyer. 

[12345jamesstamps]

Not much can be done.

I am trying to understand why you sold your iPhone 12 online. I mean, I can turn in my latest iPhone for a credit to upgrade to a new iPhone. Or I could sell my iPhone to a friend, relative, co-worker without a hassle.

And to only sell just one item at a time is not a good thing. 

Did you check feedback of buyer...and how new this buyer on eBay is...and did they buy anything from other people?