SCAM, SELLERS PLEASE BE AWARE!

[shop_happy_shop]

Sellers! Do NOT ship your items to: 

This is not a physical address of the customer, this is a Freight forwarding warehouse that scammers use often for scam. We are only warning regarding this particular location!

As soon as you sold the item mark it shipped,  but wait to ship the item for 2-3 days. Most likely,  buyer will ask or open a dispute outside of ebay as soon as he/she see the item was shipped.  Also, do not change the address of shipped item if the buyer will ask to change it. Next, do not accept a return or refund request associated with this location.  Call ebay immediately and say the buyer used Freight forwarding services from this address, thus no refund or return is allowed as it was not a customer physical address.

It has come to our attention that a particular freight forwarding service has been involved in at least 780 cases since 2017, primarily affecting eBay sellers, Amazon, and other platforms. While our shop has not suffered any losses, we believe it is crucial to alert the seller community about this alarming address.

Here’s how the scam typically unfolds:

1. Dispute Initiation: Once the seller ships the item, scammers open a dispute with their financial institution, bypassing eBay’s resolution process. This action puts the seller’s funds on hold for 2 to 8 weeks.
2. Package in Transit: During this period, the package is in transit to the freight forwarding location.
3. Return Attempt: Upon arrival, scammers attempt to return the item, citing various reasons. They manipulate shipping information to falsely indicate that the item was returned to the seller.
4. Investigation Delay: The seller, noticing discrepancies, initiates an investigation with the postal service, which takes additional time.
5. Refund Issued: Meanwhile, eBay often sides with the buyer and issues a refund, leaving the seller without the item or the payment.

Additionally, scammers frequently use stolen credit cards to make these purchases, further complicating the situation. We strongly advise eBay sellers to be cautious when dealing with this specific shipping address, especially for items valued over $200, aso we practice mark it as shipped for a day or two, but not releasing the item right away. Most times, scammers will initiate the dispute and try different approaches to confuse the seller as soon as the item will be out hands for shipping. 

According to data from the Better Business Bureau (BBB), most complaints against this freight forwarding service remain “unanswered,” indicating that the company does not respond to or address these issues, nor does it protect its business reputation, thus cases are piling up or simply closed without resolution. Cybercrime units SC3 and SC1 report approximately 200-300 cases linked to this location. Additionally, data from the Miami and New York local police departments show hundreds of fraud and theft reports associated with this address (including Amazon and Sporting Goods data). When combined, these sources suggest close to 780-1000 cases all together (that we stumbled  upon our investigation), highlighting a significant concern.

The primary reason scammers frequently use this location is the company’s lack of response to claims and poor communication with claimants and customers. Overall customer ratings for this service are extremely low. We have also identified a common scam linked to this location, where scammers manipulate shipping information to falsely show that items were returned to sellers, leading to financial losses. We hope some sellers will find this information helpful and be extra careful. We urge eBay sellers, especially those dealing with items over $200, to be cautious when shipping to this address. Numerous stories from affected sellers can be found with a simple Google search upon location, providing further evidence of the issues associated with this freight forwarding service.

[mam98031]

"Reviewing businesses and leaving public reviews is a right guaranteed by the US Constitution under Freedom of Speech."

That doesn't apply here.  This is a private site.  We all have to comply with the rules of the Community as set forth by Ebay, the owner of this site.  And Ebay can censor what we say here.

I'm not saying or suggesting you have done anything wrong.  I'm simply commenting about the Freedom of Speech comment.  Often times people misunderstand the actual meaning of that right that we have.

Freedom of speech is the right to speak, write, and share ideas and opinions without censorship from the government.   Government being a very important word.

[mam98031]

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@shop_happy_shop wrote:

You are obligated to ship within several businesses days, ebay specify the due date under your shipping management. 

A buyer can open a dispute within their financial institution and claim they did not recognize the transaction. 

However, buyer-scammers also can use stolen credit card, in this case it gets complicated,  as another inosennt party is involved.  In this case, most likely seller will not fall under sellers protection program.  The financial loss of a seller can be covered by requesting to apply "sellers fees" curtesy as allowed once a year. 

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When a buyer opens a Chargeback using that reason, Ebay sends off the documentation proving the transaction.  Most of those are won without the seller having to lift a finger.

This reason and /or INR reasons are likely the easiest of the Chargeback reasons for a seller to win.

[mam98031]

Keep in mind that a company that is not accredited by the BBB is not required to respond to anything the BBB might ask them to.  That then would be a voluntary response.  While it is likely that most businesses do respond to the BBB, it just isn't required nor can the BBB enforce it unless they are accredited by the BBB.

The lack of response to claims of course affects a business's rating by the BBB as they rate companies that are both accredited and not accredited. 

It is likely that many of the **bleep** that get caught up in these situations are just as much a victim to the actual bad actor, which is the buyer.  The FF doesn't control the actions of the buyer.

[mam98031]

"You are obligated to ship within several businesses days, ebay specify the due date under your shipping management. "

Sellers are required by Ebay to ship within the seller's stated handling time.  Longer handling times of several days are discouraged by Ebay as buyers don't typically like them.  

[inhawaii]

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@shop_happy_shop wrote:

Hello, 

When we receive an order with a freight forwarding address, we typically mark the item as shipped but wait 2-3 days before actually releasing it to the carrier. While this may be inconvenient for the customer, it helps us detect potential scammers. Most scammers open a dispute with their financial institution outside of eBay as soon as they see the item is marked as shipped. This tactic places your funds on hold, as the external investigation can take 2 to 8 weeks to complete.

For this particular freight forwarding location, we do not ship due to the high risk of fraud associated with this business. If we identify this address, we cancel the order and apologize to the customer. If the buyer does not require an explanation for the cancellation, we simply state that we are unable to ship due to undisclosed difficulties. If the buyer asks for more details, we honestly explain that this business is marked as high risk by reports. 

In case of any further issues, we contact eBay to explain the situation and seek advice. Unfortunately, some of eBay’s policies tend to favor buyers over sellers (ebay is working on it ) so we do not take for granted the assurance of “go ahead and ship the item, you are protected.” Scammers are constantly evolving and finding ways to manipulate shipping or other phases of transaction.  Specifically, scammers  target sales of cellphones,  other high-priced electronics, and jewelry.  

As a seller, you can always weigh whether your sale is worth the risk of potentially losing the item and if you can afford those risks. If anything is unclear, we ask eBay for advice on further actions. By the end of each transaction, it is important to remember that you are in charge of the transaction, and eBay’s platform acts as an intermediary to introduce the buyer to the seller but does not always protect either party due to imperfections and loops in policies. 

According to eBay, if sellers are transparent with their services and act openly in accordance with eBay’s policies, it is encouraged to be proactive. This approach helps prevent fraud and reduces the need for eBay to provide unnecessary coverage under their protection policies. By taking preventive measures, sellers can contribute to a safer marketplace for everyone.

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You did not answer the question.

Ebay requires a reason when you cancel the order.

What reason do you use?

[stainlessenginecovers]

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@shop_happy_shop wrote:

You are correct, many FF are fine to deal with. Yet, this particular address has close to 1000 open cases from victimized sellers since  2017.  We described the scheme in reply to other post under this discussion, hope it helps.  Of course,  the company itself is legitimate and has a valid USDOT license. Boxpaq (freight service under this address) is closing eyes regarding complaints from BBB, cyber crimes, and other entities involved in investigation, that leaves ebay sellers almost always at loss. 

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That particular Address is NO different than any other address. 

If you search Google or Search the BBB- you will find that EVERY FF'd has 1000's of reports.

If you also search JFK Assassination, the 1969 Moon Landing and Covid 19 you will find 1000's of pages of information about how fake it is- if that is what you want to find out about. 

Bottom line- there is NOTHING different about this FF as there is at any other FF. 

[chariot_badges]

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@shop_happy_shop wrote:

You are correct, many FF are fine to deal with. Yet, this particular address has close to 1000 open cases from victimized sellers since  2017.  We described the scheme in reply to other post under this discussion, hope it helps.  Of course,  the company itself is legitimate and has a valid USDOT license. Boxpaq (freight service under this address) is closing eyes regarding complaints from BBB, cyber crimes, and other entities involved in investigation, that leaves ebay sellers almost always at loss. 

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So ... why was the information that would help us ACTUALLY HELP us ... the address and name of the ripoff deleted from the message?

Is eBay a participant?   Do they split the proceeds of the ... income?

[chariot_badges]

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@mam98031 wrote:

@shop_happy_shop 

Thank you for coming and sharing your story.

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Ya know ... that is the same condescending sentence that was said to me once in the Emergency Room by a nurse trying to shuffle a dying old lady out of the building because they didn't want to treat.  Not enough money for them. 

Yea ... I went to jail that night -- and my mom was admitted to the hospital for treatment because the newspapers showed up with cameras.

Fair trade in my book.

But, that is the same attitude:

"Too bad.  Nothing you can do about it."

[itscalledapostingid]

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@chariot_badges wrote:

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@shop_happy_shop wrote:

You are correct, many FF are fine to deal with. Yet, this particular address has close to 1000 open cases from victimized sellers since  2017.  We described the scheme in reply to other post under this discussion, hope it helps.  Of course,  the company itself is legitimate and has a valid USDOT license. --------------(freight service under this address) is closing eyes regarding complaints from BBB, cyber crimes, and other entities involved in investigation, that leaves ebay sellers almost always at loss. 

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So ... why was the information that would help us ACTUALLY HELP us ... the address and name of the ripoff deleted from the message?

Is eBay a participant?   Do they split the proceeds of the ... income?

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Naming and shaming is against the rules in the Community. You can read the rules.

The FF is not the criminal in these cases anyway. I believe that was explained at least once already.

[mam98031]

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@chariot_badges wrote:

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@shop_happy_shop wrote:

You are correct, many FF are fine to deal with. Yet, this particular address has close to 1000 open cases from victimized sellers since  2017.  We described the scheme in reply to other post under this discussion, hope it helps.  Of course,  the company itself is legitimate and has a valid USDOT license. Boxpaq (freight service under this address) is closing eyes regarding complaints from BBB, cyber crimes, and other entities involved in investigation, that leaves ebay sellers almost always at loss. 

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So ... why was the information that would help us ACTUALLY HELP us ... the address and name of the ripoff deleted from the message?

Is eBay a participant?   Do they split the proceeds of the ... income?

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Because there are RULES in the Community, there always has been.  One of those rules is you can't publish  names and addresses.

If you aren't aware that there are rules, here is a link to them.  They are mostly very logical.

https://community.ebay.com/t5/About-the-Community/Community-Guidelines/td-p/26164369

[mam98031]

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@chariot_badges wrote:

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@mam98031 wrote:

@shop_happy_shop 

Thank you for coming and sharing your story.

---

Ya know ... that is the same condescending sentence that was said to me once in the Emergency Room by a nurse trying to shuffle a dying old lady out of the building because they didn't want to treat.  Not enough money for them. 

Yea ... I went to jail that night -- and my mom was admitted to the hospital for treatment because the newspapers showed up with cameras.

Fair trade in my book.

But, that is the same attitude:

"Too bad.  Nothing you can do about it."

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I hold no responsibility for what has happened in your life.  It has nothing to do with me or my post.  

Sorry it brought up bad memories for you, but beyond that, it was just a post.

[robbie31415]

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@shop_happy_shop wrote:

You are obligated to ship within several businesses days, ebay specify the due date under your shipping management. 

A buyer can open a dispute within their financial institution and claim they did not recognize the transaction. 

However, buyer-scammers also can use stolen credit card, in this case it gets complicated,  as another inosennt party is involved.  In this case, most likely seller will not fall under sellers protection program.  The financial loss of a seller can be covered by requesting to apply "sellers fees" curtesy as allowed once a year. 

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I'm sorry but this is very wrong.

Stolen CC chargebacks are almost always 'Not recognize charge' chargeback and is one of the chargebacks that eBay gives good coverage for.

All the seller has to do is get the item shipped and delivered to the address on the order.

Nothing tricky about it.

[mam98031]

Ebay usually handles these and the seller doesn't have to get involved.

[robbie31415]

Yes I'm aware.

However, they are clearly misinformed because they said "most likely seller will not fall under seller protections".

Two chargebacks that eBay provides good protection for are unauthorized charhes and item not recieved.

As long as seller did what they are supposed to, eBay takes care of them.

Item not described chargebacks, that's when you gotta start writing a good argument.

[mam98031]

I'm aware, it was explained to them a couple times, at least, in the thread.  Hopefully they understand now.