eBay

ageofreason66 · ‎10-04-2019

Apparently, this is a well-known/played scam practice: A buyer takes advantage of a zip code discrepancy where an adjacent zip code Post Office serves more than one zip code. I have been assured by two USPS employees who were kind enough to spend a good amount of time on the phone with me AND give me their first and last names that according to their records AND the known zip code issue, the package was duly delivered to the correct address in 97218 (even though the delivery zip shows as 97213). They both also said they would be glad to speak to an eBay rep directly to explain exactly how this happens ON A DAILY BASIS. (Yay, USPS in Portland!) So I have offered all of this information (TWICE), including the names of the two employees and the direct line to the 97213 Post Office. He seems to refuse to call them himself. At least he hasn't acknowledged the info... (I guess I should be thankful that as an eBay seller for 15+ years, this is only the second attempt to scam me. This particular type is new to me though. If I lose, it won't put me out on the street. But it will hurt like hell.)

So he files an INR, even though it shows as delivered. He waited for a week before first contacting me, saying he didn't receive it. I didn't realize he was actually based in the UK. He had the package (item value $500) delivered to what Post Office employees told me is one of seven third party re-shippers they serve in the Portland area near the airport that receive hundreds of packages everyday. (It looks like he buys cameras cheap here, uses a re-shipper to avoid customs, then re-sells them in the UK for a profit.)

So eBay will see our exchanges and is scheduled to step in on 10/11. Aside from having a 100% rating and being a member/seller for 15+ years, is there anything else I can or should do in the meantime to strengthen my case?

brian@ebay · ‎10-15-2019

@carlqsportscards wrote:

Tagging ebay employees for you

brian@ebay

tyler@ebay

Hi @carlqsportscards, as long as either the delivery zip code or city is correct then we will close it in the sellers favor if we are asked to step in on an Item Not Received case. The OP's case was mishandled at first, but has now been resolved.

Brian,
Community Team

dtexley3 · ‎10-15-2019

@ageofreason66 See the blue's response above. Has it been resolved?

Member of the Grumpy Old Man crew

dtexley3 · ‎10-15-2019

brian@ebay wrote:
@carlqsportscards wrote:
Tagging ebay employees for you

brian@ebay
tyler@ebay
Hi @carlqsportscards, as long as either the delivery zip code or city is correct then we will close it in the sellers favor if we are asked to step in on an Item Not Received case. The OP's case was mishandled at first, but has now been resolved.

Just wanted to say that these zipcodes belong to one of the larger forwarding agents on the west coast and I've recommended several times that eBay track the larger forwarding business addresses and flag contested transactions that go to known forwarding companies to be handled by a team that KNOWS 1) the rules around shipping fowarders and 2) it familiar with the companies on the list. Imagine how seller perception of eBay would improve if eBay was PROACTIVE in stopping these false INRs!

Member of the Grumpy Old Man crew

itsjustasprain · ‎10-16-2019

brian@ebay wrote:
@carlqsportscards wrote:
Tagging ebay employees for you

brian@ebay
tyler@ebay
Hi @carlqsportscards, as long as either the delivery zip code or city is correct then we will close it in the sellers favor if we are asked to step in on an Item Not Received case. The OP's case was mishandled at first, but has now been resolved.

brian@ebay - I dont know about anyone else but now Im totally confused. The OP just told us that it WAS resolved on the 10th but was then REVERSED on the 15th which is the opposite of what you have posted above. What is the status now?

I also thought the INR dispute had to show a match of BOTH the City AND the Zip - not either or. In the case of a large place like Chicago here there are a bazillion Zip codes. Just saying that a package was delivered in 'Chicago' is not going to cut it. But in the case of a reshipper who had their own Zip code or a really big apartment or office building that might have their own inside of a regional Zip - there must be some way to make a note that some specific Zip should be considered the equivalent of 1 or more others for delivery confirmation.

brian@ebay · ‎10-16-2019

@itsjustasprain wrote:

brian@ebay wrote:

@carlqsportscards wrote:

Tagging ebay employees for you

brian@ebay

tyler@ebay

Hi @carlqsportscards, as long as either the delivery zip code or city is correct then we will close it in the sellers favor if we are asked to step in on an Item Not Received case. The OP's case was mishandled at first, but has now been resolved.

brian@ebay - I dont know about anyone else but now Im totally confused. The OP just told us that it WAS resolved on the 10th but was then REVERSED on the 15th which is the opposite of what you have posted above. What is the status now?

I also thought the INR dispute had to show a match of BOTH the City AND the Zip - not either or. In the case of a large place like Chicago here there are a bazillion Zip codes. Just saying that a package was delivered in 'Chicago' is not going to cut it. But in the case of a reshipper who had their own Zip code or a really big apartment or office building that might have their own inside of a regional Zip - there must be some way to make a note that some specific Zip should be considered the equivalent of 1 or more others for delivery confirmation.

Hi @itsjustasprain, this case was previously mishandled, but has now been resolved. I won't be able to provide more details than this, though the OP is welcome to return to the thread and add more information if they would like.

As for item not received protections, only the city or zip is needed to provide protection. We work closely with USPS and have determined that successful delivery (ie. delivery to the address the buyer provided) does not always show the city and zip code for the buyer's address in the tracking information. Because the city or zip code shown in the tracking details commonly differ from the address the item was shipped to in situations where the item was in fact successfully delivered, we do not require both to match.

If a buyer has reason to believe that the item was delivered to a different address, they can easily provide additional documentation from the courier that confirms delivery was not successful to the address they provided and we would hold the seller accountable for a refund.

Brian,
Community Team

autopiacarcare · ‎10-17-2019

@ageofreason66 wrote:
The plot thickens! I got a notice that the case was closed IN MY FAVOR on October 10th, then on the 14th THEY REVERSED IT. EBAY JUST COST ME $500!!!!!! WHY would they do this???

Yet another example of cases being closed correctly and then incorrectly reversed. Why/how is this even possible?

At the very least, it should be a process, not just a push of a button. For example the process could be, if someone at eBay thinks the wrong call was made when the case was closed, it gets escalated to a senior team (based in the US) that is well trained in subjects such as dispute resolution and fraud prevention. The team could then re-open the case, if warranted, and most importantly, notify the seller that it has been reopened and allow for a time period to respond with additional information before reversing the decision.

We had a similar issue but kind of in reverse. Basically we were being targeted by a fraudulent buyer who repeatedly filed false "not as described" claims against us and then provided falsified tracking numbers on the returns. Those fake tracking numbers had the correct zip code for our city, but were not sent to our street address.

One of those fraudulent returns did not have a tracking number uploaded, and it was past the 5 days that they had to do so, so we called eBay and had them close the return in our favor. A day after the case was closed, the scammer called eBay CS and provided a false tracking number showing delivery to our city and zip code. The case was reopened, immediately found in the buyer's favor, and the funds were deducted from our PayPal account - without any communication at all with us first. We eventually did get eBay to reimburse us, but it was an ordeal.

I hope @ageofreason66 checks back in on this thread to confirm if the situation was eventually resolved in their favor.