eBay

vintagecraze50 · ‎05-09-2024

THIS has got to be the most insane message after a sale and with an item not yet delivered. Buyers messages “ I need to get a refund. My boyfriend said he is not going to give me the item when it is delivered and said he is going to destroy it or put it in a dumpster when it arrives”. I am homeless and he will get them package”.

So, I assuming this is some kind of REALLY REALLY DUMB SCAM OR SOME REALLY desperate lady who just got kicked out of her boyfriend house. SO WHO PAYED FOR THIS? IT’S IN I ASSUME BOYFRIENDS NAME. A male buyer. This is about a 300 buck ring. I tell her. NO RETURN, no refund. And that I will be happy to do a package intercept to prevent boyfriend from getting his hands on this. They reply, no thanks. I will keep it. WTH is this. I am still trying to recall this package.

mam98031 · ‎05-13-2024

@vintagecraze50 wrote:
@vintagecraze50 wrote:
@mam98031 wrote:
@vintagecraze50 wrote:
I just have to tell you all that this sage is still in progress. It just goes to show how intent these scammers are in their plans. So they have all the messages from me saying this package is being intercepted and that is how we are going to deal with this issue with a refund when item returns. Now they have been allowed to open a return request for this item and they message me, “can I get my refund now please?” So I am off calling the concierge service on ebay again and they say of course you cannot have a open return request for an item that has never arrived and is showing tracking back to be on the original listing. The concierge employee said that they could use the free shipping label they printed which was shown to have been used and send an envelope with nothing in it. Meanwhile, he cannot close the return request one yet. He says wait for the item to get back then call back and then they can do something about the Duplicate TRACKING NUMBERS. The one that shows return to sender and then the one that shows buyer has a return shipping label. It just does not get any crazier than this on here.
How did they get a return label?
We have auto accept free return shipping. So they hit the return function and got their label to return the ring theY never got. LOL and I paid for it along with my intercept fee Yay!!!!
I suppose that having the ability to start a return request is allowable EVEN with tracking showing Return to Sender. Just in case the seller, not me of course, tries not to refund their purchase. But that does not really make sense because ebay will have the tracking showing delivered back to me and buyer would then have to open a request to make sure they get their refund. A little messy.

IDK that there is any kind of a verification process done by Ebay before a buyer can file an INAD. There may be one, but I've never heard any particulars about it or if it even exists.

mam98031 • Volunteer Community Member • Buyer/Seller since 1999

vintagecraze50 · ‎05-13-2024

@mam98031 wrote:
@vintagecraze50 wrote:
@mam98031 wrote:
The Op needs to answer this as they are the only ones that know how their account is set up.

Yes, an automatic return label can be issued to a buyer when they open an INAD IF and only IF the seller has their Return preferences set up to auto accept return requests.

This option is not dependent upon the type of return policy the seller states on their listings.
Yes, we have free returns auto accept.
A way you can at the very least review an INAD filed before the label gets issues, is to require an RMA issued by the seller. If that is of interest to you. You could have had at least 3 days to issue the RMA and see if the item was returned to you before you had to issue the label.

Since they used the label to ship something back, I'm sure you know you are now out that shipping cost to, along with the cost of the intercept. Still likely money well spent since the item is a $300 sale.

That is a good idea. Thanks for the info. I think I may also discuss getting that return shipping label refunded back to me as well because of this mess when I call ebay back.

vintagecraze50 · ‎05-13-2024

@mam98031 wrote:
@vintagecraze50 wrote:
@mam98031 wrote:
The Op needs to answer this as they are the only ones that know how their account is set up.

Yes, an automatic return label can be issued to a buyer when they open an INAD IF and only IF the seller has their Return preferences set up to auto accept return requests.

This option is not dependent upon the type of return policy the seller states on their listings.
Yes, we have free returns auto accept.
A way you can at the very least review an INAD filed before the label gets issues, is to require an RMA issued by the seller. If that is of interest to you. You could have had at least 3 days to issue the RMA and see if the item was returned to you before you had to issue the label.

Since they used the label to ship something back, I'm sure you know you are now out that shipping cost to, along with the cost of the intercept. Still likely money well spent since the item is a $300 sale.

Believe me the cost of the shipping label and the intercept was priceless.

12345jamesstamps · ‎05-13-2024

Working for a non-profit in San Francisco for a number of years...not really.

I work the front desk of intakes and people walking in for help. Not an easy job. A lot don't even look homeless.

They know where to get free food and free toiletries...anything else is not easy.

City provides a free very limited cell phone for local and 911 calls only for low income.

The homeless who go into the libraries usually are to clean up...not to read or use the computers.

Homeless or low income get a snaps card for food(about 200.) and about maybe 300. cash on the card for a month. Not sure what is provided in your city but in my city of one million there are benefits...but most do not have electronic payment methods of some kind.

gurlcat · ‎05-13-2024

The EBT card itself is an electronic payment method, and can be used online or anywhere else that takes credit or debit cards.

But I think we're straying off topic here. Your original comment about this pertained to the buyer claiming she was homeless while asking for a refund on this ring that she hadn't even received yet. -Now with @vintagecraze50 's updates, it would appear that anything this buyer claimed was not worth any benefit of the doubt. When she was describing what sounded like an abusive partner situation, I thought maybe she was saying "I'm homeless!" in a somewhat hyperbolic way to make her need for money sound more urgent, like maybe she had just been kicked out of the shared home by the boyfriend, even if she had a family member's home to go to (although YES that still counts as homelessness). But I didn't get the sense that she had been living on the street, or homeless for any lengthy amount of time.

Now it seems like everything she said was probably just scammy manipulation. Being someone who works with the poor, I think you would agree it is so repugnant when people use fake poverty to scam, because it makes it all the harder for real poor people to be believed when they need real help.