Buyer Making Multiple Accounts and Purchasing Items

[game-_-seeker]

I have a fascinating issue. I have a buyer who keeps making accounts and purchasing 1 or 2 items under that account then creating a new account and continues to make purchases. They've made several orders. The first 3-4 orders it was no big deal figured eBay would have my back if something happened. Buyer charged back on one order but since the item showed delivered eBay didn't hold me at fault. I've been able to tell it's the same buyer because they used the same name but slightly changed their address by inputting characters to make it unique. Something along the lines of " 123 street.. Or 123 Street,,,

Each order has had a variation of the same address except this morning they used a different address but the same type of variation and now a different name. I'm going to contact eBay to get these accounts linked and I'm going to cancel the orders after contacting support. Each account this buyer is using has had zero feedback and it was made recently or they were made on the same day 3 years ago. 

Anyone ever run into this? First time for me. Buyer is most likely a scammer who got a hold of a card that hasn't been flagged yet or they're on some vendetta to get as many free items from someone as possible. 

[frommichel]

Hello. So, I think you are saying that this buyer has made several purchases that completed without any issues and that on one of them the buyer filed a not received claim that cost you nothing? I don't see a scammer here. I see a buyer who might be doing some odd complications with accounts though. I suppose it is  slightly possible that the buyer is trying to hide their purchases from someone. But, if they are, then they are very bad at it. I've never had a buyer do this particular oddity - but, I have had to significantly widen my definition of 'normal' from buyers. But, you are getting paid. So, what are you worried about? When you look at their current account (or at however many of their accounts you can see) do you see bad feedback or other indications of trouble? Are you the only vendor they buy anything from? It is possible that this is a large family who is trying to put something on the shipping label to identify who bought what - of course, that is just a guess though. I suggest that you ask the customer. Good communication, especially when something looks odd, is crucial. If it is somehow nefarious, then you politely asking about it will probably make them move along. Please let us know.

[game-_-seeker]

Mystery solved! Just got charge back notifications on all these orders. Buyer is a confirmed scammer. Had a good feeling they were. 

[frommichel]

Oh - I am so sorry! Fortunately, eBay usually refunds all fees. But, what a waste of your time and energy! My sympathies.

[redmodelt]

"charge back notifications" I think you mean the sales got cancelled by eBay?  Charge backs usually happen later and are started later through the buyers credit card company not through eBay. 

[buyselljack2016]

Could be an actual card owner "charge back"  that could start quite quickly 😎

[vintagecraze50]

Not necessarily, I had a chargeback that happened BEFORE the item even got to the customer. Another poster on another thread said he got a chargeback 1 hour after he sold the item. They come o OUT of nowhere really fast sometimes like a thief in the night with a loaded credit card. LOL!!!

[vintagecraze50]

THAT’S REALLY SCARY. AND IT’S NOT HALLOWEEN.

[vintagecraze50]

ABSOLUTELY get ebay to look at those transactions and if this is a scammer get them to remove any defects from cancelling the orders.

[vintagecraze50]

Good God!! What are these criminals thinking on here so obvious. 

[vintagecraze50]

Did ebay shut them down immediately?

[game-_-seeker]

Nope. Not all their accounts.

Another update. The buyer opened a new account and claimed INAD. Said I sent a bubble mailer instead of 1k worth of goods. I contacted ebay and linked all of these accounts together because it was clear as day it was the same person. Name, addy, etc. Ebay shut down some of the accounts but not all of them. I sent the scammer screenshots of all their other orders which they first claimed wasn't them (a liar will lie no matter what) but eventually, they gave in that they were caught. Ebay incorrectly gave the buyer a full refund stating they had provided evidence that they didn't receive anything. I appealed. Ebay at first stated I had to respond to the payment dispute (there wasn't one for this order at the time). I had a back and forth with eBay help and finally someone realized what had been done incorrectly. The buyer had filed ANOTHER payment dispute but apparently when the INAD case was closed out someone closed it incorrectly which defaulted me a loss. After someone looked at and read what was happening they quickly approved my appeal. 

Now, I have another order for a similar item going to the same exact city as the scammer. Big coincidence, huh? They gave a fake name and phone number on this order and I did confront the buyer. They responded in the same exact frantic manner as the scammer. Ebay support that I've emailed has been absolutely useless. They told me if I cancel the order I'll get a defect on my account. 

[sextons-sweet-deals]

Not here to smack your hand, buy you did notice this person using this pattern and you kept shipping. 

When you smell the rat, you should pause and do some homework. 

1. Do I really want to ship to this person and risk losing the item and money?

2. Did you Google the address?

3. Have you thought about paying for signature required? Scammers don't like that!!! You will most likely get your item back in about 3 to 4 weeks.

4. check their complete profile. Their location. All feedback history. When did they become a member?

We sellers and buyers are dealing with people on the internet. We rarely ever meet unless it is a pick-up only transaction. 

[game-_-seeker]

I didn't notice the same person was using multiple accounts until around the 4th time they purchased from me. I had no reason to look that hard until chargebacks came through. For the 1k item, I used signature, they still fought it anyway and almost won. Each account they have has been different. Some accounts were from several years ago and some were created a few weeks before the purchase. Some had several feedback while others had 50+ feedback and 100+ feedback. Obviously, they don't care or else they wouldn't be on their 10th/11th order attempting this same scam. I had canceled 2 other orders where it was obviously the same person using a different address in the same city. 

I've done nothing wrong here.