Identifying and ridding eBay of fraudluent buyers

[new_escapades]

I have blocked more buyers in the past couple of months then the whole 5 years I have been on this platform.

There seems to be NO end to the demands and fraudulent claims by buyers. If there a way to identify potential problems before we even mail their purchase? I would be willing to search a data base prior to shipping, if it would save me the aggravation of these unscrupulous people. I know times are tough - but lying, cheating and stealing is WRONG and needs to be addressed by Ebay to protect their sellers.

Any suggestions from other sellers would be wonderful, as I am ready to go on vacation till the economy get better. (have nearly 13k items can't just shut it down) - HELP

[gracieallen01]

"If  (Is?) there a way to identify potential problems before we even mail their purchase? "

Quick answer - No.  Long answer - Occasionally.

Be alert and if you have doubts, come to the forums.  ebay is in it for the money - you need to protect yourself with knowledge.

[m60driver]

Nothing will change unless Ebay is held at least partially liable for aiding and abetting theft.  And good luck finding a lawyer who wants to take that on.  In effect Ebay is acting as the middleman fence.  But in this case it is the buyer and not the seller who is perpetrating the crime and the laws do not reflect that scenario.

[1tuna]

I am happy you are making the sales that you have......you seem to be doing well with that

maybe you should try to manage your expectations better...............customers can be frustrating.

try to say yes to a return and just let them roll off your back..i woud tend to think your buyer crowd is younger and harder to please

good luck and keep on selling

[luckythewinner]

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@new_escapades wrote:

I would be willing to search a data base prior to shipping, if it would save me the aggravation of these unscrupulous people.

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The idea of a "problem buyer" database is appealing but has many practical issues.

The first problem is that to be effective, it needs to be hosted somewhere and be widely adopted. There are millions of sellers here, and without decent participation it will not be effective.

The second problem is that buyers can change email addresses and eBay user IDs at the drop of a hat. The "best" scammers do not use the same ID and the same email.

The third issue is that there are unscrupulous sellers as well as buyers. A devious seller would report his BEST buyers as scammers, to discourage them from buying from others.

[penguins_dont_fly]

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@new_escapades wrote:

I have blocked more buyers in the past couple of months then the whole 5 years I have been on this platform.

There seems to be NO end to the demands and fraudulent claims by buyers. If there a way to identify potential problems before we even mail their purchase? I would be willing to search a data base prior to shipping, if it would save me the aggravation of these unscrupulous people. I know times are tough - but lying, cheating and stealing is WRONG and needs to be addressed by Ebay to protect their sellers.

Any suggestions from other sellers would be wonderful, as I am ready to go on vacation till the economy get better. (have nearly 13k items can't just shut it down) - HELP

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@new_escapades 

Don't shoot the messenger... but I have a few suggestions for you.

1) DESCRIBE your items.  Most (all?) of your descriptions are 1-line and only consist of a copy of the Title.

Yes, it takes a tiny smidge longer to list, but it will save time and heartburn down the road.

2) You offer Free Returns ... honor that.

The proper response to an unhappy buyer is ... "We are sorry that you are unhappy with your item.  We offer Free Returns for any reason. Please return the item for a full refund" ... Full Stop ... rinse and repeat as necessary.

3) Be professional in all of your communication with buyers.

Most of your negs and neutrals say "rude" ... this is business, keep emotion and personal stuff out of your responses to your buyers.  Write your angry responses in a text document ... and then delete them. Keep everything polite and professional.

[spreadlovelikefire]

While I do receive my share of unscrupulous buyers, the negative feedbacks you have been left and your responses are not professional at all.  The common theme that I read in most of the negs you have received all say "rude seller".  Which means a lot of your responses to buyers could be earning you those negs.  A couple of them could probably be removed, like the one that shows delivered and the one where they claim they ordered a certain size and in the listing title it actually shows the size they ordered.  I'm talking about the ones where you have replied harshly to them.  You offer free returns, just say "offer free returns, please open a return for a full refund".  Something along those lines.  But even then, a lot of them are for $6 items.  If they email you ahead of time and say something like "you sent me the wrong size" or "I just don't like it" or "I'm not happy this item", instead of becoming combative, maybe say "please open a return for a full refund as I offer free returns, I'm so sorry you are not happy".  Either that, or if it was me, I'd simply refund based off of their tone and what the item is.  Mistakes happen all the time, on both sides.  I've accidentally shipped the wrong item, swapped items, or the item isn't the condition as listed.  I just refund those immediately, no questions asked.  I've also had where buyers make mistakes.  But that usually is uncovered by a polite back and forth email.  The first stage in politeness is from the seller.  Even if the buyer is rude, you can always be polite.