Help! Am I screwed and SOL?

[rix9321]

Buyer claims shipping damage to a laptop that I shipped him. My wife in a rush to buy the postage left with the package and went to USPS to ship the product and didn't buy shipping insurance.

The buy sent some not so clear, highly suspicious, and self incriminating photos and claims the unit powers on and can see the keyboard light and hear a chime, but no picture on the screen and wants a refund. See the hammer on the bottom right of one of the pictures? The marks on the box look like the hammer was used.

What can I do to prevent being taken advantage of? I've never had to deal with this before, so any help is appreciated!

[mg152]

That’s too funny. 😂😂😂
I do feel bad for the op though.

[southern*sweet*tea]

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@lintbrush*wrote:

Even if they went away, I'd still submit the scam attempt to the Post Office with the pictures

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Yep, at least put them on record.

[davidelane73]

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@mg152wrote:
Oh my gosh! They definitely used the hammer. What is wrong with people? I don’t understand this new world at all.

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I ask myself this every day.

[springs_2013]

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@lookng2015wrote:
There's no way the PO would have delivered that outer box without a note attached re the damage

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I have had many packages shipped to me over the years.  More time than not, a package will be delivered with the outer package damaged without any notice on the outer box.  Especially when it's from FedEx or UPS. 

I do not have an opinion on the original post, but just want to share my experience regarding damaged outer shipping box.  Sometimes, things do fall through the crack.

[bubbleman2010]

Notice would have been placed on the package about the damage and a notice shown on the tracking info. Just a swapper free shopping on ebay happens everyday day in and day out. Seller not enough feedback to sell those items no returns listing and nothing mentioned about the item in the original listing and no insurance,but would have been voided anyhow due to improper pacakging... That listing had STEAL ME!!!! all over it...

[bubbleman2010]

UPS and Fedex if they notice package damage just drop it and run and will Sgt. Schultz you if you ask about it later on...

[castlemagicmemories]

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@luxe_auto_partswrote:
Doesn't filming of the unpacking process help? I though the video-record can be used as an evidence you had been scammed (when it comes to sellers) or didn't do anything to the item you just got (opposite situation, when you're a buyer). I was 100% positive it would help! Now I'm kind of worried. It never happened to me (thanks God), so I'm not sure if it works. I mean I do record every parcel I receive (when I buy things), so I can prove I didn't do any harm to the item I get. It helped me once when I got broken phone (there was a power button problem) and I put my record as an evidence.

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Sorry but filming does no good.

[dazzlecity]

wow - I ship very small items and actually never get this kind of return - I'm shocked (don't know why) that a buyer would go to these obvious lengths to do a really **bleep** job of destroying a package then be stupid enough to leave the hammer in the danged picture. Jesus - I sure hope you make out ok on this one. Has it been resolved yet?  One more thing - gotta learn something new everyday - I'm very happy to see that now the post office is noting damages in the tracking process.

[castlemagicmemories]

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@awesome-altered-apparelwrote:

And thus we have a moniker for this thread; The Hammer Scammer.

I don't know what y'all open your tough items with, I always open stuff with my trusty hammer;
aspirin bottle, whack, open! 
new "stuck" zip-lock baggie, whack, open!
can of tuna, whack, open! 
screen door, whack, open! 
hood of the car, whack, open! 
bracelet clasp, whack, open! 
glass jar of pickle relish, whack, open! 
IT'S HAMMER TIME!

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Now I have that running through my mind...can't touch this!  M.C.  Hammer

[timemachine777]

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@daneiacwrote:

coulod be forklift damage rather than hammer claw?

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A forklift blade is as wide as your hand and as thick also. The holes left by a forklift blade would be very big.

[sandmansales]

[d.clawed]

It doesn't seem like the damage to the inside box matches up with the damage to the outside box.

I'm not sayin'...I'm just sayin'.

[missjen831]

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@lintbrush*wrote:

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@coolectionswrote:

The buyer had to have been very irate because I cannot see any buyer doing what they did just to not have to pay postage for the return. Can you give some details on what led up to a buyer doing such a thing ? Nobody orders an item just to smash it upon arrival. Did you refuse the initial refund ? Is the buyer claiming the computer had many problems that you did not disclose in the listing ? Did you purchase something from them and give bad feedback/make a claim ? Not saying the buyer is right and in fact he is very wrong, but something seems missing from this story.

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Funny how we read things differently.  I see a buyer who is trying to get a refund maybe without having to return the item (or to return/swap their defective one).   

But yes, there are people who purposely damage things so they don't have to pay to return.  The OP seller doesn't accept returns and if they did, see that $31.80 label cost?

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Yep I believe the OPs buyer is trying to pull a switcheroo under the free replacement plan aka money back guarantee. Some buyers do intentionally destroy items so they can return them but I don’t get that vibe here. 

[retrose1]

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@castlemagicmemorieswrote:

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@luxe_auto_partswrote:
Doesn't filming of the unpacking process help? I though the video-record can be used as an evidence you had been scammed (when it comes to sellers) or didn't do anything to the item you just got (opposite situation, when you're a buyer). I was 100% positive it would help! Now I'm kind of worried. It never happened to me (thanks God), so I'm not sure if it works. I mean I do record every parcel I receive (when I buy things), so I can prove I didn't do any harm to the item I get. It helped me once when I got broken phone (there was a power button problem) and I put my record as an evidence.

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Sorry but filming does no good.

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Actually filming does less than zero good and is detrimental to the seller, because sellers who film believe that it's concrete evidence in their favor and ignore the basics they need to do to protect themselves in a dispute........Just like sellers who list with no returns believing that no returns also means the transaction is over and so there are no refunds.

[*eponymous*]

@rix9321  I'd point out to eBay that the neg says the buyer has spent hundreds and is waiting on a refund from eBay, not that shipping damage to the item made it returnable as SNAD.

The pic of the laptop doesn't show any damage, and the "shipping damage" claim (the BOX? or what?) totally conflicts with the "spent hundreds...waiting on refund" story.  Liars often need to be educated:  Pick Story A or Story B, and stick with it.

The hammer in the pic is so Freudian...I laughed out loud  because it reminded me of my son at 20 months  covering his eyes as he reached into the cookie jar while saying "you can't see me". LOL

...sorry for the seller, who is new (or at the username is new) and selling a Mac, which is a recipe for disaster.

Print your labels online OP and save money on postage/get $50 free insurance, rather than implicating your Mrs., who was in a rush but knew the buyer's info to handwrite a label - but not enough to grab a free PM box or to add insurance.

If I were eBay, I would look askance at the totality of the circumstances here...