New ebay scam after 23 years of selling

[paraquip]

I ran into a new scam that happened 4 times this month alone but never in the past 23 years.

I had 4 purchases where the buyer purchased an identical item to match theirs and then claimed I sent them beat up and used product.

Since I sell factory refurbished items that are like new and I use stock images and thus have no proof if I file a claim.

Cost out of pocket for the month of August.......$380

Just another day in the Wild West of selling on ebay.....haven't seen it this bad since 2010

HK

[caldreamer]

That's horrible....so sorry that happened to you.   It seems people don't have integrity anymore.

[joseh1445]

Several questions.  1.  Why do you use stock pictures.  2.  Start taking your own pictures.  3.  What have your learn from what has happen?

[paraquip]

 I usually sell 30-100 of the same item.....so I cant really takes 100's of pictures a week.    This is similar to anybody that sells factory refurbished items in bulk.

Not sure what the lesson is here except....increasingly this platform is letting the seller down

HK

[joseh1445]

@paraquip 

Just start to take your own pictures. It will save you a lot of trouble, and returns.  

[richard1rst]

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@paraquip wrote:

 I usually sell 30-100 of the same item.....so I cant really takes 100's of pictures a week.    This is similar to anybody that sells factory refurbished items in bulk.

Not sure what the lesson is here except....increasingly this platform is letting the seller down

HK

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Well, then how about this.

If you are going to sell 100’s of items that are noticeably different from each other than the price of doing that is to take a picture of each. You comment that you “can’t” really means you don’t “want” to be bothered putting in the effort to protect yourself.

So the underlying lesson is:

If you’re going to play the game you’ve got to learn to play it right.

You can also file a reduction of the refund by stating that the buyer did not return the item in “original saleable condition”. But of course to prove that you will need those pesky pictures.

[gurlcat]

If the units don't have serial numbers, what (other than photos) could you possibly use to prove what you sent them?  You have to realize, there are actually SCAM SELLERS out there, so when a buyer tells ebay they received worn-out junk, why shouldn't ebay believe them?  

[ms.rodriguez*]

I would NEVER just use a stock picture.  These scammers know that you can prove what you sent. At least, taking a photo will show that each item is unique.  Goodluck on your future sales. Be sure to report those bad buyers. Block them. Incase you did not realize those 4 losses are a business tax deduction.

[paraquip]

Folks we're talking identical units here.

HK

[gurlcat]

Can you explain what you mean when you say "increasingly this platform is letting the seller down"?   What exactly is the platform doing wrong?   Believing buyers who probably have photos of (their) worn-out items, claiming that's what you sent them?   What are you offering to prove they are lying?   

[joseh1445]

@paraquip 

If you want to continue to have the same issues, keep doing what you are doing.  If you want changes, start to take your own pictures.  I have about 13 returns, from 598 sold items.  According to ebay its about 2.17% returns.  For some people, it might be high.  For other people it might be low.  At the end of the day, its your hustle.  That you are always complaining, about this or that.  

[mandisattictoyz]

I’m sure us busy sellers learn there is never enough time to take pictures, crop pictures, and post new listing afterword to worry about it.  Nobody likes a loss but the money lost still isnt worth the time to be doing all of that.  

[richard1rst]

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@paraquip wrote:

Folks we're talking identical units here.

HK

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You said " factory refurbished items that are like new"

And there are no, even minor or cosmetic, differences?

[lonebuck-books]

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@paraquip wrote:

 I usually sell 30-100 of the same item.....so I cant really takes 100's of pictures a week.    This is similar to anybody that sells factory refurbished items in bulk.

Not sure what the lesson is here except....increasingly this platform is letting the seller down

HK

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If you are selling multiples of the same item, you don't need to take hundreds of photos.  Just take a few of one to represent what you have.  That way you aren't using stock photos.  You will probably get better sales too.  I know I rarely buy from someone who uses stock photos.  I will scroll through until I find someone who takes pictures of what they actually have. 

Also, taking 100's of pictures a week is very doable.  If you set up your photography session in an assembly line fashion, getting a few hundred pictures taking in a half day can be done without too much difficulty.

[stephenmorgan]

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@paraquip wrote:

 I usually sell 30-100 of the same item.....so I cant really takes 100's of pictures a week.    This is similar to anybody that sells factory refurbished items in bulk.

Not sure what the lesson is here except....increasingly this platform is letting the seller down

HK

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Are you stating that buyer sent back for a refund a different item than you sent them?  If this is what happened then it does not matter if you had taken picture or used stock photos.  eBay will force you to issue a refund no matter what was sent back to you. 

In this respect, I agree the seller is being let down.  However I really do not know what eBay can do other than to restrict buyers who have done this more than once.