Buyer scammer how to fight it?

[bids-man]

I sell retro computers. Sold the kit(motherboard+cpu+ram+heatsink) to a buyer in the USA. I carried out pre-sale diagnostics and it did not reveal any problems in the working capacity of the motherboard, processor, RAM and cpu fan. Confirming screenshots of the monitor screen for checking the RAM and the system boot are given in the lot description. I have already sold several of these kits and there were no problems with these boards, CPU and RAM.

After receiving the goods, the buyer immediately opened a request for a refund, arguing that none of the items sent were working.
In my attempts to clarify the situation, he speaks in general phrases and did not provide either photos, videos or any information to understand what he is doing. He even made a mistake in the testimony asserting first one, and then the other.
At the same time, the buyer has a similar computer board for sale and I realized that he a scammer. In this way, he takes away goods and money and resells them.
How to deal with this? Request ebay about fraudulent actions of the buyer did not give anything. I have little time left.

reference to the sold kit

[ittybitnot]

The cost of returning from this country to my country is comparable to the selling price.
There is no guarantee that the person will return the goods in the form in which they received it.

That is exactly why the scam most  often works.  

[fashunu4eeuh]

Thank you for your answers, @bids-man.

Here in the forum, we feel for you as we know the financial losses sellers can suffer when dealing with returns. Unfortunately, since the buyer opened a Not As Described claim, you must accept the return and refund the buyer, despite your No Return policy. Ebay policies override seller’s in these cases. 

The other thing is if you want the item back, you must pay the return shipping. Those are the eBay rules. I completely understand your outrage, but there is no alternative if you want to keep selling here. If you do not comply, you will also be stuck paying the Final Value fees. Ebay will not credit your selling fees without your cooperation on the refund. 

Below is a link to eBay’s Money Back Guarantee covering this situation. You need to read it as it explains what your responsibility is to the buyer.

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy...

It is in your interests to comply with the policy because there is no benefit fighting it. It is a rigged system where the financial burden falls on the seller, even if the buyer is a scammer. That is the risk in selling here. It is particularly costly to international sellers where the return shipping can be exorbitant. So you must decide whether to pay the return postage or refund without it.

To be blunt—you are going to lose your funds or your item or both, and there is little that can be done now to change this.

Also let me reiterate, there is no proof yet you are being scammed. (You may well be, but for Not As Described claims, it makes no difference, i am sad to say.) I understand you are careful to send a working item to your buyers. But things can happen in transit beyond your control. (Shipping insurance on expensive goods traveling internationally helps protect sellers from financial loss.)

If i were you, i would accept the return because that will help mitigate some of the consequences. There is no good choice or action you can make, you can only choose the lesser of two evils, so to speak.

I am very sorry for your predicament. Don’t forget that your only play now is to challenge the claim after the refund and then present your evidence to eBay, in hopes they will reverse their decision. Good luck.

[kensgiftshop]

If buyer has filed an INAD, you have a couple choices.

Refund buyer and let them keep the items.

Accept the return and provide return shipping and give a full refund once something is returned.

If the items are returned and working fine, you can report the buyer for abusing the MBG.

If buyer sends back a different item, let us know.

[tellmemama]

This is common advice on the boards but does anyone have actual first hand knowledge of this doing anything?

They have giant scams like fake inheritances and lottery winnings if the person pays a fee, money laundering, etc.

A single theft of a one online purchase isn’t a blip on the radar.

I have actual first hand knowledge of this doing anything.  Last year I had a scammer purchase an item only to return it stripped of most of the components.  I read these boards religiously so I took the advice and filed reports with USPS, IC3, and my local police department.  As soon as I provided those reports, the case was decided in my favor.  So I guess in my case it did create a blip on that radar.

There are people who refute information solely because they have had no reason to use it.  That in itself is great for them but not everyone has led such a charmed life for never being in that situation.  There are some sellers who do in fact have bad things happen to them and to dismiss filing these reports because you don't believe in them is a disservice to everyone.

I've never personally seen a blue whale.  That doesn't mean they don't exist.

[bids-man]

I detailed the situation in Report an issue with a buyer.

Let the auction decide in this situation, I’m not ready to lose a motherboard with a rare CPU and money. Probably have to finish the trade here.

[wesk_36]

I would think that selling anything worldwide from the Russian Federation with a no return policy could be problematic.

First, there is no such thing as "no returns"; if a buyer files a not as described claim, then you would be required to accept the return, pay the return postage, and refund the buyer, or offer a replacement, or offer a partial refund and let them keep it,

Failing any of those remedies to the buyer, ebay would force a refund to the buyer and let them keep the item.

Proof of fraud on the buyers part would be very complex and difficult to prove, not saying that you shouldn't try, but especially to ebay who generally sides with a buyer. 

[this*old*attic]

Yes, this is good info - in a different context.

So the reports convince EBAY a seller is "probably" telling the truth, they don't initiate any legal problems for a scammer.

Seller gets a COURTESY refund.

Useful advice - except no one clarifies that or identifies the purpose.

[bids-man]

Hi,
A few days ago, I discovered that the buyer was selling my product on which the proceedings were opened. The buyer put this product on sale simultaneously with the opening of a dispute at the end of January. This is a serious violation, i.e. he was not going to return my goods in any way.

I found that the buyer put up for sale one of the items that I sold to him. But it is included in the kit lot eBay 

In listing eBay  i see CPU fun and Heatsink which was part of my lot eBay item 

These products are rare, but in the past many firms were engaged in their production. Each company had its own sticker.
He just took this fan and heatsink from my kit!

This product is sold by me to this person:

And this is my product put up for sale for which the buyer demanded money back. This was done before the dispute was transferred to ebay.

I advise you never to have business with a scammer: 

I believe that he is a fraudster who stole goods and money from me.
Very disappointed with ebay policy.

[bids-man]

The problems did not end there.
Ebay billed twice as much as the sale price.
I will explain my words.
I see paypal accaunt:
Purchase details: Item #264537555020 120.00 USD
Shipping 23.00 USD
Tax 5.72 USD
Total This payment 148.72 USD
Fee 6.84 USD
Tax collected by eBay -5.72 USD
You will receive 136.16 USD

The amount 136.16 USD was HOLD and Refunded – Payment Received.
I also paid selles fees 17.16 USD.

And i see: You have an unpaid balance of US $143.00 in connection to a case/or cases in the Resolution Center.

148.72-136.16=12.56 USD
Why 143 dollars? What is it?

When contacting support, they cannot tell me where this amount came from. But they insist that I have to pay it. Error?
How to deal with it?

[fashunu4eeuh]

Hi @bids-man 

What a nightmare you have been going through! As for this "new" charge of $143.00, could it be another different return? That's what strikes me as a possible explanation. How on earth can eBay say they don't know what that charge is from? Hopefully others will be along to offer advice.

I was thinking that fewer people might see your new post here at the tail end of your original dilemma. In order for others to respond to this new wrinkle, you might find it better to start a new thread. 

[bids-man]

Hi, @fashunu4eeuh I had no other sales, I did not use any paid services. I think it makes no sense to start a new topic, because the logical chain of events will be interrupted.

So far I do not see a way out of this situation, unfortunately. Ebay continues to ignore me and no longer answers.
Those. at first they ignored my arguments about fraud and the sale of part of the goods until the end of the proceedings, and now they can’t explain the amount that they require me to pay. I am disappointed.

[equid0x]

As an ex computer store operator... I would be careful about selling these combos if they're not pre-mounted and installed. A lot of customers don't really know what they're doing and short the board out on brass standoffs when installing the board. Sometimes, that'll fry it and sometimes you get lucky. 

[equid0x]

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@this*old*attic wrote:

@gracieallen01 

This is common advice on the boards but does anyone have actual first hand knowledge of this doing anything?

They have giant scams like fake inheritances and lottery winnings if the person pays a fee, money laundering, etc.

A single theft of a one online purchase isn’t a blip on the radar.

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Mmmm... I think a one-off case is unlikely to get traction, but if the same buyer is reported over and over it'll eventually hit the radar. The key thing here is that the defrauded seller must report in order for the scammer to get caught, regardless if the seller ever recovers anything. In my opinion, its critical that sellers do report these buyers and keep doing it too. 

[equid0x]

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@this*old*attic wrote:

@gracieallen01 

I come from a more cynical place.

There are online bullying laws - but when my daughter was threatened the police said it was free speech and the school said it was an off campus issue

There are sex crime laws, including endangering someone online, but when I had the nerve to move back into my house 2 years ago - the jerk renters were so mad I didn’t renew the lease that they put explicit ads on Craig’s List with all my contact info inviting unwanted attention. Police insisted no law was broken, I pushed and got a detective moving on it - district attorney declined to file because I had no “damages.”

Sorry, there’s no justice for the small stuff. Waste of time.

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I happen to have known someone who was investigated and busted by the FBI for selling brick-in-a-box laptops on eBay. He did 4 years for it. 

So, its not a waste of time.