Buyer requested a return and sent back different item than what was sold.

[pacificsales805]

I sold some new Bose earbuds that were new in the box and sealed.  They buyer claimed they were opened, used and not as described. They returned an old broken set of earbuds, and the serial number does not match what was sent to the buyer. 

They are a complete different set of earbuds all together.

Am I out of luck and got scammed or is there recourse I can take here.

[kensgiftshop]

@pacificsales805 

You'll still have to refund the buyer.

Then, file mail fraud and a police report, then use those reports to appeal the case.

[inhawaii]

Refund and take the loss.

You can report the issue to ebay, but (most likely) nothing will happen.

You can report the issue to other authorities, but (most likely) nothing will happen.

Forget it and move on. Make lots of money selling other things.

Hopefully this kind of thing will not happen too often.

[duffy4444]

   Do what @inhawaii says in message 3. Refund, take the loss, forget it and move on. Keep your sanity, even though it is theft that all sellers here have to occasionally deal with.

Cheers, Duffy

[vintagecraze50]

Offer free returns on all your listings if you can and then when they send you back the wrong stuff take the up to 50 percent deduction off the refund. It is one of the best things you can do on here with a scammer.

[robxznyc]

To get your money back

1. Refund the buyer

2. Report a buyer - buyer misused returns

3. File a complaint on ic3.gov

4. Open a case on eBay against the buyer and submit the IC3 complaint 

[mr_lincoln]

@pacificsales805   You can follow @robxznyc 's instructions for reporting the Buyer.  I do what @vintagecraze50 suggests and have been using Free Returns on everything I sell.  I have only had to use the full benefits of that setting a few times.  However, in those instances I was able to retain part of the item price along with their original paid shipping.  It is one way the venue helps Sellers cut their loss on return scams like the one you describe.  Sadly, not all Buyers are honest and no venue can weed them out before they purchase ...

Regards,

Mr. L