Scam buyers

[bea.hugh]

Scam buyers : One that buys and wants a refund because of damages,

but there are no damages in the original pictures. Hoping that the seller refunds and doesn't want the item back. Now the scammer can sell it .

[7606dennis]

I'm afraid I don't follow your logic.  It is unlikely that any seller would show pictures of a damaged item while claiming the item was not damaged so the original pictures of the item are pretty meaningless when it comes to defending against a damage claim.  It is not the condition of the item when shipped that matters but rather the condition  of it when it is received by the buyer.

[kensgiftshop]

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@bea.hugh wrote:

Scam buyers : One that buys and wants a refund because of damages,

but there are no damages in the original pictures.

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Just because there is no damage in the original pictures, doesn't mean there isn't any damage by the time the buyer receives the item.

[southern*sweet*tea]

"Dear buyer,

I'm sorry you're not happy with the <thingamajig>. Please return it for a full refund.

Thank you,

Seller"

Send that once. Don't engage anymore. If they open a return request, accept it and send the return label.

[cream_couture]

Shipping damage happens. What I do is apologize for the issue, ask for photos and file an insurance claim. 

[lightlily_arts]

Did they send you any pictures? If you think this is a scam, Tell them I'm sorry for any damage and to return it for a refund. If there isn't any damage then they won't return it.  I had a buyer claim my item was damaged and I asked them to return it for a refund and I never heard from them again.

[reallynicestamps]

@cream_couture 

and file an insurance claim.

Yes but....

The seller is responsible for getting the purchase to the buyer without damage.

So she can still request return before refunding (she may have to pay for return shipping).

She can refuse to refund without a return.

She can refund without a return but with photographs for her insurance.

The point is that the buyer must be made whole, even if the seller's insurance claim is still underway.

Most Dispute are not scams. They are disagreements.

Not every transaction will go perfectly.

It's business, not personal.

@bea.hugh 

The occasional Claim is one thing.

If you are getting  a lot of damage claims, the problem might be your packaging.

Your package may drop two feet from one conveyor belt to the next and the package that falls on top of it could weigh up to 50 lbs.

That's what you package against.

[cream_couture]

Didn't know I had to spell out that the buyer should be made whole, or that it is the seller's responsibility to get it to the buyer without damage. lol But to clarify, as soon as I get the evidence that it is damaged, I refund the buyer and I pursue the insurance claim to get reimbursed. If the buyer refuses to send pics, I tell them to open a claim on eBay or complete a quick (30 sec) online form for my insurance. Scammers usually refuse to complete the form or follow up with eBay. Both my shipping insurance and USPS insurance have refunded me without having pics (in those cases, I have used an eBay case with a buyer claiming damage and the refund I provided the buyer as evidence it was damaged). 

And it terms of getting it back, some insurances require that it not be shipped until the claim is decided on. That is up to the seller if they want the item returned to them for inspection, but they should make sure it doesn't void the insurance (if they have it).

[fashunu4eeuh]

Hi @bea.hugh  what item is it the buyer is claiming damage on?

It is pretty important to acknowledge that a buyer with an issue or concern doesn't automatically equal scammer. It is usually better to give the buyer the benefit of the doubt when they first contact you with a problem as opposed to jumping straight to suspicion. Lots of things happen in transit, some of it may be beyond our control. What is within our control is our packaging and the carrier we choose. If one of those things fails in transit, then it is the seller's responsibility to make it right with the buyer.

That said, what has happened to make you suspect the buyer is a scammer? A few details would help us to understand what you are dealing with.

[reallynicestamps · Accepted solution]

@cream_couture Most posters handing out free advice here (like me!) have been around a while and know the details.

But the number of readers far outnumbers the number of posters, so I like to go on and on and on in excruciating detail.

Because some people need to be excruciated.

And I moonlight as the grammar police....

[bea.hugh]

It is true what you said, something could of happened in transit. 

When I received the garment back you could clearly see it was cut with a sharp object . It was most likely an accident. 

I went to help topic with my original pictures and some new pictures of the damages. No box to check for that.

I did refund the buyer but not their conscience.

[bea.hugh]

That us what I did.

[ed907]

This type of issue seems to be on an uptick lately. I've had my second damaged item request in two weeks. Buyer either doesn't send photos or goes down a long and strange trail to obtain a refund with photos of a smashed box, but no damaged item.  I've turned buyers over to Ebay to be investigated. Same issue with buyers who are not paying. Follow up after follow up and open cases.  Don't buy if you can't pay!  And the word to those that abuse the system, it will catch up with you eventually.

[lightlily_arts]

In my experience when a buyer receives a damaged item they will send you pictures of the damage. Over the past 20 years there has been the occasional buyer whom uses the damage claim to get a free item. I’ve had two in the past year that opened a damage claim without pictures or contacting me first. The first thing I did was message them to request pictures so I could file an insurance claim. Many buyers know that sellers will refund them without requesting that they return the item back.

The first never responded to my request for pictures so I accepted the return and had eBay issue the return label as I believed the item wasn’t really damaged. She never used the label, and I never heard from her again so the claim was closed when it timed out. The other buyer I was suspicious of immediately as he had requested a cancellation of the purchase after I had already shipped it. I believed he was attempting to return the item on my dime since he really didn’t want it. I sent him the message requesting pictures of the damage so I could file an insurance claim. I already knew he was lying as it wasn’t possible for the item to be damaged since it was stone. Instead, he closed the return request claim.

Although I reported them I know eBay won’t do anything as they always find an excuse to believe buyers. However, I felt it was important that eBay be notified that these buyers were attempting a fraudulent claim. Any buyer with a legitimate claim will submit pictures.