I was scammed- Empty box Returned

[ultracoolguy9000]

https://www.ebay.com/ReturnCase/5319360701

The buyer claimed that the phone was locked even though it was not. He then returned the empty iPhone box instead of the iPhone. Ebay sided with the buyer. This is not fair. I have been on Ebay selling since 2001.

[mam98031]

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@shipnfast wrote:

Hey CoolGuy, welcome to selling online!

You are seller number 127, 568,229 that has experienced the empty box return scam on ebay...

You've been robbed; sorry. There is no recourse, you lose, lesson learned?

As a rule, do not sell anything online that you could not stomach having it stolen via the "empty box return" scam".

Craiglist, FaceBook Market and local sales only with cash payment.

I suggest you contact your phone carrier and report the phone as stolen; that will brick it and the thief got nothing.

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I would never advise a seller to just give up and accept it.  This seller has options as I outlined in my post above.  Of course each seller has the absolute right to decide for themselves if they want  to sit back and do nothing or get busy and try to fight the issue.  It is a choice for each of us to make.

[mam98031]

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@shipnfast wrote:

Long shot...but...I would contact the buyer and tell them you intend to file a police report for the theft of an item unless they return it.

You have their name and address so you can file a crime report. The cops won't do squat, but it will be on record and searchable by government agencies, and anyone running a background check...insurance, landlords, etc. Relaying this information might be enough to get them to send you the phone back..

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I've been know to do something like that.  I email the buyer in Ebay and notify them that I have notified Ebay that it was an empty package received, noting the weight of the packages shipped back vs the weight it should have been.  Also I will be notifying USPS as it is a federal crime to use them in an effort to defraud someone else and I will be filing a Police Report.  However if they would like to return the item in the same condition it was when I sent it, I will refrain from doing this.  Your call.

That has been known to work for me, but not always.

[ms.rodriguez*]

See if you can report that phone as stolen so that the phone company locks it up.    An expert scammer will still be able to unlock it but this is about the only thing that you can do.

[ms.rodriguez*]

That proves nothing. you could have sent the buyer anything after posting the photos. They could have sent you the real phone and you take the photos of an empty box.  Unfortunately, sellers are never 100% safe here.  Try not to list anything that you canNOT afford to lose.

[mam98031]

Or on any internet site, not just Ebay.

[greatmidwestcoin]

I Google most every address on my buyers. I get an empty field once in a while. I then call the local PO of the servicing area and ask if this is a good address, as a house could have been built since Google went by.

And yes, I actually received a bag of dog poop back from a Texas sale once. I reported it to the Postal Inspection Service as they considered it hazmat.

[showmecurrency4u]

i would contact my local postmaster  and have then to talk to a postal inspector if it was  mailed by usps.  so ebay seem to accept anything  buyer  says and does not accept what the seller says.  the fact is that the seller is ebays custoner  not the buyer. but evidently they dont know this.  

[mam98031]

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@showmecurrency4u wrote:

i would contact my local postmaster  and have then to talk to a postal inspector if it was  mailed by usps.  so ebay seem to accept anything  buyer  says and does not accept what the seller says.  the fact is that the seller is ebays custoner  not the buyer. but evidently they dont know this.  

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It really isn't so much as that, it is Ebay won't get involved in a he said / she said situation.  Which does make it seem like the buyer is always right, but it is different.

[sin-n-dex]

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@12345jamesstamps wrote:

It does happen. My thoughts are did you check buyer feedback...and google address of place where buyer lives? I would not sell an iPhone to someone with no feedback or has a new account....or not very good feedback. Buyer would have to be established pretty much for me to sell one to them.

I had two returns as such. Not as expensive. It's a part of selling here.

I tell my friends about my returns:

One was just a girlie post card...and another one was a dark bag of something mushy or gooey in it I refused at the post office...contested it and got charged another $20. by the bank.

The feedback you left might get removed by the way. Can't use certain words or wordage. It can be removed by eBay or the buyer. 

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Oh my, you sell stamps from what I can see of your user ID, and I can't imagine sending a stamp to someone who sends me back a bag of doggy doo.

I did have a couple particularly horrible buyers that tried to initiate returns, and after doing my legwork I determined no good could come of accepting it, I'd either get an empty box or something very undesirable (but Canada Customs might not allow doggy doo to be shipped to me here, their scanners are looking for anything "organic".)

C.

[juvikingnorway]

I wonder what percentage of iphone sales end up in this situation. I have a feeling it is higher than what ebay would like to admit.

They should warn people who sell these things at this point, but that won't happen of course.

[ultracoolguy9000]

I'm going to sue eBay in small claim's court if they do not refund the money. I've been a member for over 20 years and eBay can go to hell.

[silverstatetreasureboxes]

@brightlightbookseller 

Thank you, yes, the carrier can block/blacklist but I believe the OPs phone was brand new and not set up. OP was also advised to file a police report, ebays fraud division among other stuff.

    OP just wants to sue ebay in small claims court as evidenced by their last post.