Possible Scam Question

[pappy-alaska]

I just received a message from a buyer that he just received (after 4 months) a card he purchased from me but indicted I sent him the incorrect card.  The card he said he didn't receive was just over $100.  He sent me a picture of a card that I supposedly sent to him (same player), but only worth a fraction of the value.  I didn't catch that he was out of the country but using an address in the US.  Says his mail is sits in the US for a while before it is sent to him.  I know mistakes can happen, but I honestly am very sure I sent him the correct card.  I have searched my inventory and do not have the card in question.  I want to give him the benefit of the doubt, but my gut is telling me something different.  Any advise?

[inhawaii]

I wouldn't do anything.

It is way past the ebay return deadline.

It's also past the chargeback deadline i believe.

I would just block and ignore this buyer.

[joseh1445]

If buyer bought what ever you were selling, on a credit card.  Buyer has 6 months to complain.  So you are not off the hook just jet.  Just let it play out.  DO NOT ISSUE A REFUND.  Just wait it out.

Best luck on your selling journey! 

[dbfolks166mt]

     If the buyer utilized a freight forwarder, which your post indicates, their MBG coverage ends when the item is delivered to the FF. Although eBay has waffled on this in several instances. All of this is probably irrelevant given the timelines. When did the buyer actually receive the item?

[pappy-alaska]

Buyer said he received the item yesterday.  He indicated it went to his US address, but then it doesn't get sent out to him for "a while".  Doesn't sound like a prudent way to conduct business on his end as he would lose out on the Ebay protections.  I have my account set up to where I only ship to folks who reside in the US, however, I don't think Ebay has a way to exclude this type of transaction.   

[toomuchstuffagain35]

Probably not likely but "possible' also that if his stuff "sits for awhile" at the FF the card could have been switched out.

[hartungcards]

Listen to your gut.

[mam98031]

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@joseh1445 wrote:

If buyer bought what ever you were selling, on a credit card.  Buyer has 6 months to complain.  So you are not off the hook just jet.  Just let it play out.  DO NOT ISSUE A REFUND.  Just wait it out.

Best luck on your selling journey! 

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That isn't quite accurate.  On Ebay they have 30 days.  

If the buyer paid with a Credit Card or Debit card, some carriers offer up to 6 months for the consumer to put an item in dispute.  However MOST cards only allow 90 days or less.

Oh and if the buyer paid with PayPal, they have a 6 month policy to file a claim too.

[mam98031]

@pappy-alaska 

If this were happening to me.  I would remain polite and professional but firm in the fact that it was too late for me to offer any kind of help in the situation.  

[monster-deals]

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@pappy-alaska wrote:

(after 4 months)   Any advise?

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BBL and ignore forever.

[pappy-alaska]

Is there any way for me know how this individual paid?

[mam98031]

NO.  Ebay doesn't allow us to see that information anymore than PayPal did before them.

I honestly don't think this is anything to be worried about.  They emailed you because they knew they were outside the Ebay window.  Just be nice, polite and professional at all times.  Simply tell them too much time has passed to do anything for them.

I wouldn't even consider refunding a buyer on something like this.  My mind would not entertain that thought at all.  While I don't think the buyer, at this point, is trying to "Scam" you either.

"Scam" is a much over used word and many times in situations that are nothing like that.  So people are not impacted by the word as much as they once were.

No you can turn this into a "scam" if you willingly refund the buyer.  Then they were successful in talking you out of some money.  But it doesn't have to go that way.

[mantle1951]

The US address a buyer uses doesn't have to be a FF, I've had buyers overseas that have me ship to a friend or relative in US and he or she mails overseas or in some cases the foreign buyer comes to US once in a while and picks up his stuff, never had a problem yet.

[onefootflipper]

When I worked at the card store freight forwarder scams were constant on our tcgplayer orders. They would order cards under the dollar amount to require tracking and then always claim they never got them. Same would happen with stamp and envelope cards on ebay.

I was getting these false claims constantly for the first few months of ebay standard envelope as well, and then all of a sudden they almost totally dried up.  Every few months now I get a "message" (never a claim) from someone using a forwarder and I always just respond with "your order was delivered to (name of forwarder) on X date, I suggest contacting them, might want to ask for X Name (if I can find a single name associated with the forwarder)." That lets them know that I totally understand what is going on.

Don't do a thing and don't answer any other messages.

[mam98031]

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@onefootflipper wrote:

When I worked at the card store freight forwarder scams were constant on our tcgplayer orders. They would order cards under the dollar amount to require tracking and then always claim they never got them. Same would happen with stamp and envelope cards on ebay.

I was getting these false claims constantly for the first few months of ebay standard envelope as well, and then all of a sudden they almost totally dried up.  Every few months now I get a "message" (never a claim) from someone using a forwarder and I always just respond with "your order was delivered to (name of forwarder) on X date, I suggest contacting them, might want to ask for X Name (if I can find a single name associated with the forwarder)." That lets them know that I totally understand what is going on.

Don't do a thing and don't answer any other messages.

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@onefootflipper 

If you follow the rules for Seller Protection, you really don't have to fear FF.  It is clearly written in the MBG.

See this post for the details.

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/Possible-Scam-Question/m-p/34004079#M2281119