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Devastating Scam

With Pokemon going crazy at the moment I figured now would be a good time to get some extra cash before Christmas.

I sold a Sealed Booster box. The buyer paid with Paypal.
I shipped it express post with insurance.

The buyer has now just sent me a video of him opening the box (not of him cutting the plastic seal, just opening the cardboard box) and inside is two cans of Tuna instead of booster packs. 

He has made a complaint saying the product is not what I claimed it was.
I've called eBay and created a case file for it. I've spoken to Paypal and also created a case file for this issue.

What do you think the chances of me getting this issue resolved? I understand that eBay prefers to side with the buyers.
Any advice of what to do next would be much appreciated. 
is it 2021 yet? these years been rough

Message 1 of 37
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36 REPLIES 36

Devastating Scam


@kieramannin_57 wrote:

What do you think the chances of me getting this issue resolved?


Chances of getting it resolved? 100%

Chances of getting it resolved in your favor? Less than 1%. 

 

Message 2 of 37
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Devastating Scam

Your chances are slim, sorry to say. You've been scammed.

Message 3 of 37
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Devastating Scam

Chances are the "buyer" opened the box from the bottom, inserted the tuna and then did the video.   Why else would he have done a video of him opening the package?   Do you or anybody you know do videos of opening packages?

 

What you can do:

1) report the buyer for fraud to ic3.gov

2) report the buyer for mail fraud to usps.com

3) reort the buyer for fraud to your police department

4) report the buyer for fraud to his police department

5) report the buyer to ebay for misuse if the MBG.

 

All the above should be doable on line and all should provide you with a report number.

 

Once you have done all that, contact ebay CS with all the report numbers and ask that the case be closed in your favor.

 

In the future, only sell Pokemon cards locally for cash.  They are a scam magnet.

 

Message 4 of 37
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Devastating Scam

You have a few choices. You dispute the issue and the buyer will probably win then you have a scam and a defect on your account.

 You tell them to return the cards and you may get two cans of tuna back and NOT your cards.

You message them telling them that you absolutely sent them the cards and that you are filing a police report in their city for attempted fraud and will file a police report and Mail Fraud report if they send you back tuna instead of your cards. Sometimes you can scare a scammer with this and they back off.

These are the bad risks you taste selling on this website or anywhere else on the internet, but here scammers will always usually win.

Message 5 of 37
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Devastating Scam

If  the buyer opens a Return request, citing 'Not As Described'... approve it. Save your Seller Metrics.

Refund the buyer in full only when the tuna comes back to you.  With any luck at all, your 'buyer' has done this too many times, and can't file for a Return... and is simply hoping for a refund.

 

I hate to chase good money after bad, so consider the return postage... it's on you, too. Sorry, Charlie.

Message 6 of 37
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Devastating Scam

You may want to post this on the AU board if the buyer is also in Australia. Some rules and policies may be different there.


____________________________________________________________
Never sell anything on eBay that you can't afford to lose.
Message 7 of 37
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Devastating Scam

Do you or anybody you know do videos of opening packages?

+++++++++++++++

 

Youtube is full of ridiculous  "unboxing"  videos.

Message 8 of 37
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Devastating Scam

Very good concise advise that the poster should do as these types of buyers should not be allowed to get away with this stuff here or anywhere else. You wanna play this game, them pay the consequences. With Mail fraud that means long prison time and huge fines. All for a few Pokémon cards. Really worth it is is not. NOT!

Message 9 of 37
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Devastating Scam

This is the problem of selling 'new' sealed items. If you open to check, it isn't really new anymore.

 

You have to rely on the honesty of the buyer. But I'm not sure you should blame this buyer. YOU may have been scammed when you first bought it.

 

(And some people do video themselves opening packages. Check out online and you'll see thousands of examples. It's quite the thing.)

Message 10 of 37
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Devastating Scam

.... and i thought Americans were sneaky.

China Girl - David Bowie
Message 11 of 37
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Devastating Scam

Filing these reports sounds really great. The dream of getting justice on a scammer, seems so sweet. 

 

Then reality sets in. You spend your time filling out the forms, all upset because some LOWLIFE **bleep** stole from you. It's a little time down the road that you realize, that no one is even working on the "case" because frankly, even though it seem like a LOT of money to us, it's a pimple on a elephants butt in comparison to other crimes (which are actually getting the attention and investigations). The likelihood ANYONE will investigate, is next to none. The likelihood of you seeing a DIME, is zero. 

 

There is a REASON, I don't sell things in the highly likely to be scammed categories.  MOST eBay buyers are honest, good people. Then there are a certain percent that are liars and thieves. It's also the reason I offer no returns, as is only to international buyers.  If you can't afford to have it stolen, then don't list it on this platform. While the advantage is the maximum number of willing buyers on the platform, it's also the easiest to steal from. You have now paid for your first lesson in how scammers work and get away with it here (meaning you aren't gonna win your case). Learn all you can from that lesson, or there WILL be more of them. 

I certainly hope the very first thing you did, was add them to your blocked bidder list.....

Message 12 of 37
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Devastating Scam

Well this sucks.
So what's stopping me from buying something worth $10000+ and doing the same thing to that seller if Ebay just always sides with the Buyer anyways. (obviously not going to cheat anyone out of hard earned money just a thought)

Message 13 of 37
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Devastating Scam


@kieramannin_57 wrote:

Well this sucks.
So what's stopping me from buying something worth $10000+ and doing the same thing to that seller if Ebay just always sides with the Buyer anyways. (obviously not going to cheat anyone out of hard earned money just a thought)


@kieramannin_57 ... You'd win that case. ^^^

Message 14 of 37
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Devastating Scam

They had removed the plastic seal before starting the video. I believe they just opened the top of the box, removed the packs, inserted the tuna. 
I'm hoping that the weight of the tuna cans vs the weight of the package is enough of a discrepancy for me to sway eBay. 

Message 15 of 37
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