How to stop getting scammed by buyers claiming to not receive items

[genx-collects]

I mostly sell Magic The Gathering cards and average sale is not over 20 dollars so I use the eBay standard envelope. The problem is getting out of hand with people claiming to not receive their orders and eBay always forcing me to refund.  I am really at wits end. I make pennies on these cards after the fees from eBay and my cost for shipping supplies so I can't justify continuing if eBay just refunds the scammers. It is very similar to the DoorDash scam that is out of hand where the delivery driver keeps some of your items and you just have to get a refund in the app no questions asked. Can any veteran sellers let me know a solution? I am about to cancel the orders I have and just pull out of eBay altogether. Thanks in advance for any help.

[sextons-sweet-deals]

envelope is the red flag!

Ship either in a bubble padded envelope or a 6x5x5 eBay box with a purchased eBay with tracking. 

You adjust your weight in each listing for correct shipping charges. 

[genx-collects]

Ouch! I deserved that. Sorry I am just frustrated. How can a company so large not have more than an office in the Philippines with people who Deny and Defend? Sellers should be the priority not buyers.

[gurlcat · Accepted solution]

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@genx-collects wrote:

Bro it says to wait 30 days.  I will try it on older orders but anything in last month I can't do yet. But thanks for the link. I am wondering though, I just got a claim on a 2 dollar card. My profit is roughly 17 cents. Is it better to just quit while I can or spend additional man hours to file the claim?

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It sounds like you really want to quit, so yeah you probably should.

[gurlcat]

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@genx-collects wrote:

How can a company so large not have more than an office in the Philippines with people who Deny and Defend? Sellers should be the priority not buyers.

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Do you think the buyers get some white girl in Minnesota who answers on the second ring? 

-I'm going to give you the very best advice you'll ever receive here. BUY some stuff here.  See what it's like from that end.  From what I can tell, you have no idea what it's like when your money is tied up in a purchase form a seller who is in no hurry to ship, doesn't think it's their problem if your item doesn't arrive quickly, or in one piece, or at all.  Oh and wait til you buy from a scam seller -they do exist you know, not just scam buyers.   Only when you know the buyers' experience can you really be a good seller.

[pastimpressions]

@genx-collects wrote:

"Bro it says to wait 30 days.  I will try it on older orders but anything in last month I can't do yet. But thanks for the link. I am wondering though, I just got a claim on a 2 dollar card. My profit is roughly 17 cents. Is it better to just quit while I can or spend additional man hours to file the claim?"

You say your net profit is 17 cents per.

You need to do some Soul searching. 

Is that dollar amount your norm? or is it the anomaly quoted here for effect?

If the Post Office & eBay are making more than you on each transaction you are working for them & not yourself.

My friendly advice is to:

a. Re-evaluate your selling game plan to make it work for you -OR-

b. Fall in love with a different category to sell in.

Either way, if your "17 cents" quote is the norm, obviously you cannot sustain this unless that is a total net profit after ALL costs & expenses & you are processing at least 1/3 of a million orders per year.

[genx-collects]

Thank you. Deuces

[inhawaii]

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@genx-collects wrote:

Thank you. I will probably just focus on other platforms. My friend and his wife had an eBay business for 18 years and warned me.  They said they were closing their eBay down because of fees being to high but MAINLY because of refunds.  And they didn't do small items, they do tools and equipment in the 100's to 1000 dollar range. I should have listened. 

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Most of us don't have the same problem your friend or you are having.

Some people can make ebay work for them, some can't.

[toyfinder]

I've had this issue with cards as well. My get-around has been to let the buyer know in the listing that, in order to save them money on shipping, their card(s) will be shipped in a standard envelope without tracking. I then inform them that without tracking, delivery cannot be tracked and verified and, like any envelope, it runs the risk of late or incomplete delivery. I have it stated that their purchase serves as acceptance of these risks and terms, and that refunds cannot be offered for late or undelivered items.

Unfortunately, is does have the mixed affect of deterring some legitimate buyers, but it has saved me when folks want a refund on an item I have no doubt they've actually received. And I'm sure it's scared away a good share of scammers, too. Any unreasonable negative feedback can be removed by an eBay support agent as the listing included the terms of the sale / shipping risks. 

[a_c_green]

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@genx-collects wrote:

Bro it says to wait 30 days.  I will try it on older orders but anything in last month I can't do yet.

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Right; the window for filing is between 30 and 90 days from the date that the label was printed. 

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@genx-collects wrote:

I am wondering though, I just got a claim on a 2 dollar card. My profit is roughly 17 cents. Is it better to just quit while I can or spend additional man hours to file the claim?

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From what I see of the claim checklist, that doesn't sound like something requiring man-hours to file, even for multiple claims; the checklist looks to be mostly copy-and-paste data: 

• Your first and last name
• The buyer’s first and last name
• Shipment tracking number
• eBay item number
• Screenshot of eBay Order Details
• Screenshot of buyer’s complaint message or dispute details regarding the lost or damaged item

Ref: https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/shipping-items/setting-shipping-options/ebay-standard-envelope?id=... 

Quantity-wise, if you're selling only single items per buyer and getting an inordinate number of INR claims, then 17¢ profit does seem to be a waste of time as your labor is worth something, too.

OTOH, if most of your sales with eSE shipping are for multiple items per purchase, then maybe continue what you're doing, but realize that you will need to be making regularly-scheduled reimbursement claims, in order to maintain your income despite some percentage of INR claims needing refunds.

[genx-collects]

I am a good seller. I have given free stuff to many customers. I used to refund instantly and never ask questions. I have top rated seller status. I always went above and beyond. I never make much money and always put customers first. I have messages to prove this. I also was a HUGE buyer and seller on eBay from the beginning to 2009.  I just came back last year because I am battling some auto-immune disease that makes it hard for me to even take care of myself when it flares up. I sometimes go almost blind. I have never given up though and I thought eBay was a way to support myself while I am getting all these tests and brain scans.  I thought "community" was a great idea to ask how to avoid these scammers. Sorry. I messed up. I have de-listed everything and I will fill this last order of the Roomba I sold last night and leave. I saw all the bullying in other threads so I know it's nothing personal against me it's just what you guys like to do. Deny and Defend.

[buyselljack2016]

it's just what you guys like to do. Deny and Defend.

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Presenting facts is not Deny and Defend. YMMV

[buyselljack2016]

standard 1st Class envelope costs more and provides no seller protection.

and those stated "terms of service" are oh so unenforceable.

a good scammer would just be ROFL at such terms.

[genx-collects]

You do know that what you just said is EXACTLY how Deny and Defend works, right?

You denied then defended.  It what shills do. It always has been.  Go on any mobile game Discord and the deny and defend crew will descend on you instantly.  If you bring up anything wrong with a companies practices the company uses it's minions instead of directly addressing anything. Why do you think you can't just pick up the phone and call eBay? Why do you think there is a forum called community filled with rabid attack dogs ready to deny and defend.  It's in almost every thread I have looked at. A problem is brought up and the loudest and quickest to answer ALWAYS DENY and then Defend. Am I in a dream world? I literally could send you screen shots all day of what is going on in this forum and even with the proof you would make a denial statement and defend eBay

[grand-and-glorious-purpose]

I stopped selling MTG cards in a retail store in the 00s because of the customer base.

I cannot imagine that same customer base with anonymity.

[gurlcat]

What did you hope we could tell you?  That there is a way to not have to refund buyers for items they paid for and claim they didn't receive, when FOR ALL YOU KNOW they really didn't receive them, and have no way to prove they did?  Think about that for just a minute.  If that was possible, just imagine how many sellers would be offering cool stuff, getting paid for it, and shipping nothing.  You wouldn't do it because you're a good seller, but that's exactly what they would say too.  Do you get the conundrum there?  Do you realize how many buyers would just abandon eBay and never come back if this was a place where that could happen to them so easily.

You've been given multiple GOOD answers to your question.  1. Focus on categories with higher margins so you can afford tracked shipping. 2. Offer cards in bundles so can afford tracked shipping. 3. Get reimbursed for INR losses with eBay's insurance (I didn't even know that existed until today, and buyselljack even went to the trouble of finding the link for you) 4. Put statements in your listings to deter scammers -I'm surprised that could work, but if toyfinder says it does I'm not going to call them a liar. 

I'M the only one in this thread who has pushed back on the whole idea of your post, and not to "defend eBay"  -you can find posts and replies of me ticked off at eBay all the time, but in this case it appeared as though you have a problem with critical thinking (like how is it not self-explanatory that using untracked shipping is risky?) and a hostile attitude (your very first reply here, you called youn's reply an "a-hole answer" even before acknowledging they were right, plus in that other thread you talked about packages not being your responsibility after you hand them over to the carrier). 

You seem to do a lot of self-fulfilling prophecy.  You think there are buyers out there to scam you, then you use a shipping method that enables them to scam you.  You think the Community is full of attack dogs and tell the first one who replies to you they gave an a-hole answer.  You think maybe eBay isn't for you ... well like I said, maybe it's .not.  And I see you chose that as Best Answer.  I am truly sorry for your health problems.  But having such a negative attitude certainly will not help