How to protect myself against buyer return fraud ??

[vonsworld]

Hello

I am considering auctioning an expensive item of jewellery on Ebay, but before doing so I wanted to ask how effective are eBay in protecting sellers against fraudulent returns?

For example, what is to stop the buyer requesting a return, but then sending back a different less valuable item or even an empty box?

In such a situation, how could I prove to Ebay that a  different item was returned and so stop them issuing an automatic refund?

Your advice is appreciated 🙂

[rainbowcolorz]

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@vonsworld wrote:

Hello

I am considering auctioning an expensive item of jewellery on Ebay, but before doing so I wanted to ask how effective are eBay in protecting sellers against fraudulent returns?

For example, what is to stop the buyer requesting a return, but then sending back a different less valuable item or even an empty box?

In such a situation, how could I prove to Ebay that a  different item was returned and so stop them issuing an automatic refund?

Your advice is appreciated 🙂

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Hopefully someone will come by to give you some great advice.    I have none to offer because, well, because I have read this forum for a while and the horror stories posted here by sellers who have lost very expensive items is almost enough to make someone cry.  

I used to list very expensive items back when eBay was THE place to sell and buy.   I was never afraid (back then) of anyone claiming the box they received from me was empty.   

I wish you the very best of luck.  

[ittybitnot]

how effective are eBay in protecting sellers against fraudulent returns?

Basically, ebay will do nothing except for refunding the buyer from YOUR proceeds in such situations.  All risk is transfered to the seller. 

[atikovi]

Expensive is a relative term. How much? List it for local pick up only. If it's a $10K+ piece, buyer should have no problem spending a couple hundred on a plane ticket to pick it up and pay in person.  Alternatively, you could offer to hand deliver after getting a $500 deposit.

[18704d]

"For example, what is to stop the buyer requesting a return, but then sending back a different less valuable item or even an empty box?"

If eBay would always take the seller's side, what would stop bad sellers from actually sending a different less valuable item in the first place?

"In such a situation, how could I prove to Ebay that a  different item was returned"

How could a seller prove that the correct item was initially sent?

?

Lynn

[18704d]

Generally speaking, neither buyer nor seller can 100% prove what they shipped or received.

So during Not As Described cases, eBay almost always refunds the buyer out of the seller's money

(without needing the seller's agreement on this issue) ..

.. once delivery confirmation indicates that a package (hopefully containing the correct item) was received by the seller from the buyer.

Lynn

[ersatz_sobriquet]

The sad truth about ebay is....don't list anything you are not willing to take the risk to completely lose. 

If that thought bothers you with any one item, don't list it here. Don't list it online. Sell it in person. For hundreds less? More than likely. Which is worse, losing $1,000 online, or losing $500 by selling in person to perhaps another dealer, but cash in hand? 

[yellow-snapdragon]

Don't do it! I received a return from a fraudulent buyer who only returned part of his order and eBay would not help me...until I contacted the buyer and he admitted to only sending part of his order back in an eBay message. I've also seen something along these lines on Judge Judy years ago where a buyer returned a CZ instead of diamond shipped and the seller lost because of not having proof. Buyer's word against yours and you will lose unless your buyer admits to it like my dumbass scammer.

[emerald40]

You are not new so not as big a target as a newbie.

Yes my first question would be the value of the piece of jewelry.

If over $5,000 I would have local pickup only where you meet him at a Police Station.

Make sure you have good paperwork through a third party gemologist of the exact description of this ring with a good solid  photos as it adds credence that you know what you have.  Never put in your description that this is first time selling expensive jewelry as that will show vulnerability on your part to attract every scammer out there.

Do know that there are sure fire ways to get it to the buyer but none of us have a full proof way to fight SNAD.  You just have to read the long thread on the woman with the $6,000 Chanel purse that even if you can prove it with ebay and the buyer is NARU'd he can still fight you with his credit card company.

[myboardid]

Cardinal rule - Don't ever list something that you cannot afford to lose.  ebay will NOT protect you, no one will.  It is very easy for the buyer to steal your jewelry and get away with it. 

[southern*sweet*tea]

How to protect yourself from buyer return fraud, guaranteed:

Do not take an online payment, not here, not anywhere. Period. Buyers can do a credit card chargeback for at least six months after the fact, sometimes up to a year or more.

While you may list online, do not take online payments. Take cash only, in hand when the buyer pays.   Buyer inspects the item, then the buyer hands you the cash, which you will check with a counterfeit bill checking pen, and then hand them the item. You're done.  Hopefully you have done this in a safe place, like the police department parking lot, otherwise if you have a thug they could pull a gun on you, take their money back and take off with both the item and the money, leaving you with nothing.

There are risks to selling both online and offline. For an expensive item, there is NO WAY I would sell it online, anywhere.

CASH ONLY, in hand when the buyer picks up the item from a safe, prearranged meeting place.

[retrose1]

There is nothing a seller can do to protect hemselves against a scammer on ebay if the buyer wants to scam you.  And if you are lucky and ebay finds for you, the buyer still has paypal protections to run throgh.  And after that, their credit card chargeback.

But the more feedback a seller has, the less scammers target them.  The reason being is that experienced sellers know the rules and how to beat the basic scams.  But ebay has recently revealed that there are 'hidden' policies that can and will over ride any written policy, so no seller has a chance anymore.  They are now at the whim of ebay and ebay believes that all buyers are honest.

I will never list anything valuable on ebay anymore....but I have no problem listing high dollar items on other sites.

[jole_5732]

eBay Sellers are so whiny. Think about this logically. A Seller could take detailed photos of a laptop, along with the serial number, and send the Buyer a box of rocks. And when the Buyer returns the box of rocks, the Seller could accuse them of return fraud. The police, FBI, USPS, and eBay all know that it’s impossible to prove either way. That’s why they don’t bother to investigate. Not one of you can link to a story where a person was criminally charged for eBay return fraud, so stop wasting your time complaining. File a police report, give eBay a headache, and they will reimburse you out of their pocket. Simple.