Ebay is Not Protecting Sellers

[badspellar]

As a top-rated, twenty-five year member of ebay, I'm no longer content to keep my mouth shut about ebay's poor management and anemic seller support.  Other sellers deserve ample warning about the brand of apathetic treatment they are sure to receive.  Since ebay doesn't want to offer us phone support, and since helpers are not available to field my concerns via chat, I'm posting them here.

I just sold an iphone on ebay.  The buyer's account was a bit suspicious: the account name differed from the shipping recipient's name.  Both names were rather strange.  The user only had one feedback from the past year, and it included a dire warning from an established seller accusing this user of being a thief/scammer.  I looked back through the user's earlier feedback and there were other similar warnings from other ebay sellers.

I reached out to three different sellers who recently transacted with this user.  All three of them wrote me back immediately with an identical experience: 1. They sold this user an iphone.  2. The user reported it defective and requested a return.  3. This user mailed them back an empty dummy box.  4. Ebay sided with the scammer each time and the sellers were left as victims.  The other sellers are all furious that this scammer's account is still active.

I understand that ebay can't prevent a scammer from pulling a stunt like this once.  It's even reasonable that it might take two instances to clearly identify such a pattern as a scam (though the second time I hope ebay would side with the seller).  But three, four, or five times!?  How the #$@% has this user not been banned by now, and why is ebay repeatedly siding with this piece of trash and costing reputable sellers hundreds of dollars?

It was only through personal initiative that I did not fall prey to sending this scammer my iphone.  Ebay obviously isn't protecting me - or you.  Ebay has more than enough information to know that this user is a scammer who was obviously going to rob me with the same tired tactic they've been employing to victimize other ebay members.  I've about had it with this dumpster fire of a company.  Their organization, policies, and customer service have really tanked during the past few years.  It would be nice if they'd at least pretend to care.

[mtgraves7984]

Well said and good for you!

[donsdetour]

"and it included a dire warning from an established seller accusing this user of being a thief/scammer."

Lucky for you, they did not know how to get that removed: No negative for the buyer anymore...

Its what feedback for the buyer was used for back in the day...

[titipeo]

Thanks for sharing, and good for you for taking the initiative to research the buyer before proceeding into the rabbit hole situation that would have awaited you after you sent the package. 

Something I find odd, and perhaps maybe I missed or misinterpreted, was that you reached to 3 separate previous sellers that all had negative/scammed experience from the buyer, yet only 1 negative feedback from the past year. What happened to the feedback? This proves your point, I'm sure those 3 sellers have complaint to eBay on this matter, and yet the buyer is still there. 

[mstmarie1]

I was one of the sellers that was scammed. I hadn't even received the fake package before eBay refunded the buyer. I then got a bill from eBay for the return shipping!!! They aren't getting that money. I had already removed all my payment options from eBay and PayPal. I found other avenues to sell my used goods. I will never use the eBay platform again. They are clearly only focused on their cut of the action, on both sides, and will do little to actually protect their users. I appreciate the OP, as I will be gathering this additional information and adding it to the claim I have against this transaction at my bank. I will never let up until I have my money back.

[badspellar]

Hi there!  Yes, sorry - my wording sounds a bit confusing.  This buyer only has one or two instances of feedback from the past year.  He does have several others which are accessible, but they have all "fallen off" from his official feedback tally since they are more than twelve months old.  I was able to contact the most recent victim, from a few months back.  Additionally, I contacted the most recent victims from among the "expired" instances of feedback.  All three sellers I messaged said that they have complained repeatedly to Ebay in an effort to ban this account, and they are all still embroiled in disputes with their respective banks trying to recover their money from the transaction.  Ebay apparently threw these sellers (and I suspect others) under the bus.  If Ebay doesn't lose money, it seems that they don't care.  I'm just appalled that ebay hasn't taken any action despite numerous, consistent complaints of outright fraud against this shady account from several established sellers.   

[badspellar]

I remember those days, too!  I understand the philosophy of not allowing sellers to leave negative feedback for buyers, but I personally think that policy is a huge misstep.  More than anything, it protects serial scammers.  In the very least, if ebay is determined to dispense with negative feedback for all buyers, I believe they have an obligation to monitor and proactively weed out scammers, since sellers are no longer able to protect themselves by being informed.  Based on what I've observed lately, I don't believe that ebay is adequately looking out for any of us.

[gabriels_yardsale]

Ebay stopped caring about the sellers a long time ago. Your best bet is to leave ebay, because its only going to get worse.

[badspellar]

You are probably correct.  I love the idea of ebay and I'm very disappointed with the direction of this once innovative company.  I feel like it's impossible to locate and petition anyone within the company who might actually have the clout required to intervene and address these wrongs.  Further, I feel like ebay has structured the company this way intentionally.  Any time I send an email to customer service, I receive back a dismissive cut-and-paste job from an apathetic employee who speaks poor English and fails to address the concern entirely.  I will probably leave the site for good.  It's just a shame.  I've been an enthusiastic ebay member for more than half of my life.  Watching the mismanagement of ebay must feel a little like watching your childhood home get burned down.  The place I once loved seems to be gone.       

[badspellar]

I would like to add to the thread that two of the reputable sellers who were victimized quit ebay for good.  I'm sure there are others who did the same, and I may well add to this total myself.  It's extremely shortsighted of ebay to lose good sellers this way.  Many sellers - including me - currently pay ebay over $10,000.00 annually in fees and commissions.  I'd be happy to continue this arrangement with them for the next three or four decades of my life, but I refuse to do that for an unethical company.  Ebay does not like to forfeit the nickels and dimes they pocket from bad sales involving scammers.  But they'd make exponentially more money if they weren't chasing away their moneymakers, the sellers.     

[henkakamaduaka]

You are not alone. I feel the same. I just got scammed of my apple laptop. The buyer pretended the laptop arrived defective and needed to return. I provided return label. The thief refused to use it. Shipped a package to another address in my zip code and state. Shared the tracking with eBay. eBay refunded them, never heard from me and this thief still has my laptop. eBay will not even pay attention to my story. I went to the post office and was told the package was not delivered to my address. 
 

I am going back to the post office to file a mail fraud report and try to get a document that will show the package was not delivered to my address. EBay facilitates scammers when they don’t protect sellers. At this point, I will not be selling or buying from eBay. I had to remove my other listing as I cannot deal with this again. 
 

Never ship to the above address. It is a forwarding business used by scammers.