Buyer returned wrong item. What can I do?

[sai83her]

I sold a item to a buyer recently. As soon as the package was delivered to the buyer, they open a SNAD return case saying it was defective/damaged. I offer a 30 day return so therefor the SNAD return was automatically approved by ebay.

Today, the package came back and the item that the buyer sent back is not the same one I sent to them. They have bought my item which is an identical models to theirs. They swapped/switch out their defective one and sent their broken unit back to me. I checked the Serial numbers and the Unique ID numbers on my item from the pictures in my listing and they are totally different from the one they had sent back to me. I am a Top rated seller. What can I do?

In the return, I am given an option to "report the buyer", and from there a list of option to choose from. There is one where you can click "Buyer return wrong item". When I choose that option, it tells me to escalate the situation to customer service. Should I do it? What are my chances that I will win since I have read through numerous threads here and from most of them, ebay sides with the buyer and the sellers gets a strike.

I provided some pictures for insight.

[gramophone-georg]

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@sai83her wrote:
I doubt that the buyer made an error. The item they bought from me was the same exact make and model. So their intention was to buy mines, have it replaced, and then open a return and claim it was damage. Then later to have them send the one that they had that was defective for a full refund.

Seems like the buyer had done this a few time and got away with it with unsuspecting sellers. I did a little history check and the buyer is also a seller that had made a few purchases and then resells them back on ebay for more.

I did message the buyer a few time to inform them incase it was a mix up and to correct it. I did not get any replies. Not Until I told them I will be calling customer service with proof for wrong item returned, filing mail fraud with the Postal inspector and would be contacting their local department to file a police report, that they decided to close out the return. I hope this deter the buyer from doing this to other unsuspecting sellers. Let just say, I got very lucky.

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This tells me that there was NO mistake.

Yes, you got lucky. Hopefully there's no PayPal case or credit card chargeback headed your way down the pike.

[mam98031]

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brian@ebay wrote:

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@mam98031 wrote:

There are some really good questions on this thread.  Not just the OP's story but some of the posts have great questions too.  Could we get some clarifications on them please.

tyler@ebay 

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Hi @mam98031, while not always an option, there may be times when customer service can help protection a seller in situations where they've received a fraudulent return (a different item from the original one sent out). For this reason sellers should consider calling customer support when if they've received a fraudulent return to see what their next best step is. I'm glad to hear that the OP's return was closed by the buyer. 

If you have questions from this thread that you'd like me to look at then please feel free to specify the question or questions and we'll be happy to answer 🙂 

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While I mean absolutely no disrespect as I know you are the messenger I unfortunately have not had CS handle it that way.  I'm not trying to rehash anything, just experience since Simplified Returns started the fall of 2018 has taught me different.  

[vintagecraze50]

A most excellent outcome with the preventative measure of letting the scammer know you would be reporting this to the authorities. So far, one of the best deterrents after the fact when they do this stuff. Good job.

[classic_luxe]

LOL...thanks for the giggle.😂

[ersatz_sobriquet]

Most of us weren't born yesterday and we can see that the "buyer" got cold feet on the false claim. 

[engro]

I've had this happen as well within the past year. A buyer bought two sealed boxes of rare 1988 trading cards. He waited until the 30th day, then returned them as "Doesn't Match Description or Photos." As per my return settings and eBay policy, eBay issued a shipping label automatically. I tried contacting the buyer with no response - the first red flag.

When I picked up the box from USPS, it was light. I mailed it out to the buyer weighing four pounds, and it came back, weighing only two pounds. I opened the return to find that the buyer had stolen all 72 rare 1988 packs he received and returned 31 common 1989 packs. The thief then stuffed cardboard in the boxes to make them appear full. 

I contacted eBay to report this blatant fraud immediately. I informed the rep that I took a video of myself opening the return and would share it with them as evidence. She was very supportive, and she only offered me the opportunity to return 50% based on my excellent seller history. Nonetheless, it was a significant loss for me.

At first, I was upset, but after thinking it over, I do understand their position: eBay doesn't have definitive evidence of what I sent to the seller in the first place. Although the seller's message in the return claim didn't match what he sent back, I had a video of me opening the return, and I took loads of photos, eBay only has our word as sellers and no definitive proof. As a result, they "split the baby."

While I am sure most sellers are honest, I am also certain there are at least a few unscrupulous sellers out there who try to game buyers and eBay. It stinks, but I get it. 

In the end, losing 50% is better than losing 100%, and hopefully, we can attempt to resell what the returned item(s) and recover a bit more of our loss at some point. Situations like this part of the cost of doing business, and hopefully, you only experience fraud like this very rarely, if at all. For me, I've had only two or three cases like this in 21 years selling on eBay. I like those numbers, and in the end, two or three corrupt turds won't stop me from continuing to have a positive experience selling on eBay. I hope the same for you.

[sai83her]

I think I just got luck on this one. I have a good feeling that this isn't the first time the buyer pulled this type of stunt. I think I'm the first one that actually really fought back and he/she probably got scared. Things like this is what ebay really need to look into and do something to protect future sellers.

[estella5624]

For future reference
https://ehome.uspis.gov/fcsexternal/default.aspx
and
https://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx

Also, file a police report with the buyers local police department.
Often this can be done online.