Dedicated scammer

[baiweel0]

Hello! 
I am brand new to the selling world of eBay. I listed a valuable electronic (Nintendo 3DS XL) and it wasn’t in perfect shape as it showed some signs of wear and tear like scuffs and there was a corner piece that was cracked. I pictured all of this and knew I wouldn’t get top dollar. With all that said, I received a fair offer for it and sold it. Everything since has been downhill and I have no idea what to do. I mailed it with an eBay label the same day the order was placed, I got confirmation that it was delivered early which was great. Coincidentally, the same day it was delivered (March 31st), the buyer said he never received it and “this has happened a few times before, I would just like a refund.” I didn’t cave as I had plenty of proof it was delivered to the correct address and asked eBay to step it. They did, sided with me and life went on. Yesterday, I got a return request (April 12th) cause he is saying it was broke in transport, which is also impossible as it was strapped in a hard shell case and the box was stuffed with padding. He wants a full refund yet again. My options are accept the return or refund it now. I would like to accept the return, but I fear I wouldn’t actually get my product back. What should I do? If I did accept it and he didn’t send the item back, do I still have to refund him? This is literally the first thing I have ever sold and I honestly don’t know if I will sell anything else. 

[12345jamesstamps]

Buyer open a eBay claim of item not received and then opened a eBay claim of 'broke in transport'?

Or is this the first and only claim done? 

[baiweel0]

He did an item not received claim, which was resolved and has now filed a claim saying it was broke in transport so two separate claims. 

[kensgiftshop]

@baiweel0 

Since the buyer has filed an INAD, you don't have many options.

If you want something returned before refunding, accept the return and provide a shipping label.

The buyer could ship back a rock and you would still have to refund.

[baiweel0]

If they ship me something other than the item, why do I have to refund? It says I can inspect the item then issue one. I’m genuinely trying to understand cause it sucks having to know I’m getting scammed. 

[fashunu4eeuh]

Since the buyer is now claiming damage in transit, i am assuming this is a Not As Described claim, which invokes the eBay Money Back Guarantee. If so, you have no choice but to accept the return/ send him a return label, and wait and see what he sends back. Don’t ask eBay to step in to make a determination. You will automatically lose. Give the buyer time to return the item.

Buyers do not have to provide evidence or backup claims of damage. EBay accepts them at their word. At this point, there is nothing you can do to minimize your liability except what i have advised. Any buyer can defraud any seller by invoking the Money Back Guarantee. It is the risk all sellers face when choosing to sell here. Below is the policy page outlining upur obligations in a Not As Described case.

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

[kensgiftshop]

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@baiweel0 wrote:

If they ship me something other than the item, why do I have to refund? It says I can inspect the item then issue one. I’m genuinely trying to understand cause it sucks having to know I’m getting scammed. 

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Right now you don't know if you're getting scammed.

Why do you have to refund, because it's Ebay.

They give you an option to report the buyer, but it doesn't do a lot of good.

[baiweel0]

This may be a dumb question so I apologize in advance. How do I make a return label? I tried to go through with an eBay label, but it is saying it can’t create one for my address and I have to upload one, but I don’t know how to do it otherwise. 

[a_c_green]

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@baiweel0 wrote:

This may be a dumb question so I apologize in advance. How do I make a return label? I tried to go through with an eBay label, but it is saying it can’t create one for my address and I have to upload one, but I don’t know how to do it otherwise. 

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The problem might be connected to the fact that your buyer is now Not a Registered User (or NARU). Exactly why eBay has booted him is unclear, unless he's pulled the fake-damage or return-swap stunts before, and they finally pulled the plug on him.

Another possibility you should doublecheck is that you have a full Return Address for yourself stored properly in your account settings (here), because that is the Ship-To: address that would be used for a Return label generated by eBay.

Incidentally, that false-Positive feedback you left for the buyer might be removeable by eBay if he complains about it (though that seems unlikely now).

[mam98031]

Damaged in transit and not as described are two different reasons to file for a Return at the seller's expense.  They are both treated the same in the Ebay system.

When a buyer files an INAD, they are required not to attach a picture.  However that doesn't mean it won't be a useless picture.  The requirement is that they just have to attach a pic.

It isn't that Ebay takes the word of the Buyer over the seller.  It is that Ebay has no way of knowing who is telling the truth.  

[baiweel0]

It worked great when generating the label to send it, I just can’t generate one to get it back to me and nothing changed name/address wise. Do I upload one, call eBay, leave it for now? I’m so lost and overwhelmed. I thought I would have had a bit more time to gain experience selling before something like this happened. 

[pickapaper]

@baiweel0 

I'm sorry you are having to go through this.  

Electronics are one of the biggest scam items on eBay and you, as a new seller, are a prime target because scammers assume new sellers don't know what they are doing.   This is kind of late to tell you now but new sellers should never sell expensive items until they get a lot of experience under their belts, and you should never sell anything you can't afford to lose.   There are a lot of us "old timers" on this board who have been selling for years and a lot of us no long sell anything over a certain dollar amount (determined by our comfort zone) just because of the potential for scamming. 

I hope this all turns out well for you. 

[mam98031 · Accepted solution]

@baiweel0 

Under normal circumstances when a buyer files a Request for Return a seller needs to process it and either allow the return or just give the buyer a refund.  Keep in mind that giving a refund to a buyer before an item is returned to you will pretty much insure that you will never get that product back.  So don't do that.  Follow the instructions in this link.

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/managing-returns-refunds/handle-return-request-seller?id=4115

HOWEVER, you have a more complicated problem because the buyer has been NARU'd [no longer a registered user].  There is no way of knowing if that was voluntary by the buyer or something that Ebay forced due to bad behavior.

This also might answer why you are having trouble printing a return shipping label in Ebay.

I would strongly suggest that you contact Ebay directly before doing anything at all.   And I hope you will come back and tell us what they advised you to do or what they did for you.

****************************************************************************

On each Ebay page there is a link to contact Customer Service at the top of the page and again at the bottom of the page.

I would suggest that you contact Ebay for Business on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter for the better trained CSRs.

Here are your options for contacting Ebay Customer Service. Please be aware that for social media CS, you send them a Private Message and briefly explain what your problem or issue is. Feel free to leave your Name, address, phone number and/or your email address in this message. It is private and secure and it may help to speed up the response for you.

https://twitter.com/askebay

https://www.facebook.com/ebay

https://www.instagram.com/ebayforsellers/

Your options will be on the left. If you use the link below you can only get to the Automated Assistant or Chat box type AGENT in the box and hit enter. You will then get more options. Not all options are available 24/7. It will depend on staffing available. So sometimes you can request a call back and sometimes you can't. Sometimes you have the Chat option available and other times it won't me. If it is important to you to use one of those options, just try back later.

If you use a cell phone or other mobile device, you may need to turn off your Spam filter so that Ebay can call you.

If you are a seller outside of the US or Canada, you will need to use the Chat Option.

https://www.ebay.com/help/eua?id=5275&mkevt=1&mkpid

https://www.ebay.com/help/home

[baiweel0]

Thank you! I messaged them on facebook with all the information you mentioned and I will definitely update with a response. I will also be taking this as a massive learning experience. 

[mam98031]

Thank you.  I look forward to learning what you find out.