Devastating Scam

[kieramannin_57]

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

[worldwide_ship]

Over the years out of 100's of scam returns I've had 2 of these types of scam cases closed in my favor...

1) I called eBay, eBay escalated the case and asked the buyer to provide a police report. The buyer never responded and the case was closed in my favor. 

2) I looked at the buyer feedback, see if any other sellers left him feedback recently. I contacted those sellers and asked if they'd recently been scammed by this buyer. Two of them replied "YES!" eBay saw those messages and closed the case in my favor

[ssvilponis]

I have recorded videos of how I open package. Even directly at post office. If I see, that there is something fishy (the package has suspicious weight, makes suspicious noise when tilted, has visible damages, seems to be opened while beeing in the middle of shipping etc), then I have to protect myself somehow. Too much selling scams are performed nowadays, not only buyers scam.

I suggest you to make video in postal office how you pack and hand over your  packages, noting package numbers and dates. And in case of dispute, send your video as a proof.

[nuvistors]

Play videos made anywhere will not provide you proof of anything.

[gracieallen01]

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@kieramannin_57 wrote:

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. 

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Don't hold your breath.  To ebay, faulty returns is generally considered to be a 'part of doing business'.  However, if you don't file the complaints as mentioned above, nothing will ever be done about such 'problems', whether you see any results or not.

[jbjbj_7]

Insist that they file a police report. If they do then give their money back. If they don't then you file a police report when you get it back. 

Nobody videotapes when they open packages. It is obviously a scam. 

[jack_bucks_ghost]

this is probably a silly question, but I'm going to ask it anyway. I've read numerous posts on these forums about buyers doing chargebacks (I think that's what it's called) through their bank or credit card company, ultimately getting their money back from a seller. my question: could the OP utilize the chargeback approach, assuming the thieving buyer files a case with eBay and wins?  of course, this would only be feasible if the refund was funded through a bank or credit card. I realize there's probably a bunch of things I'm not considering or aware of ...actually, that's partly why I'm asking the question. at the very least, i'm guessing eBay would punish a seller pretty quickly for sidestepping the system. sorry if it's a naive question, but I often wonder if the chargeback system works for unscrupulous buyers, is there a way it can work for sellers who are getting ripped off.

[tellmemama]

First I'm so sorry this is happening to you.  Right now you do nothing until the buyer opens a case.  As mentioned upthread, he may have lost his MBG protection for opening too many and is just trying to shake you down.

That said, it's never a waste of time to file those reports (whichever of them are available in Australia) but particularly the IC3 and any postal fraud complaints.  If the buyer opens a NAD case and you agree to the return, you will be refunding regardless of what you get back.  But appealing the decision to eBay with those report numbers in hand usually will result in eBay issuing a refund to you.  Yeah, it still sucks that the buyer gets the item and his money back but at least you are made whole and that buyer is now on eBay's radar.  If he isn't already...

Telling the buyer you will be filing these reports might  get him to back down but telling him there's a good possibility a postal inspector may be coming to visit in order to inspect the item and packaging may do so even further.

Only had one of these (knock wood) so far this worked for me.