eBay

judto_45 · ‎09-08-2023

I recently sold a Gotham Knights Collector's Edition Diorama Statue for 130€ approximately. This user in question sent me a good offer and I accepted it as he seemed like a "reputable" buyer and had impecable reviews, his account also has some listings and it's completely dedicated to Batman articles, so I wasn't suspicious.

From payment to shipping everything went smooth, the item arrived on the expected date with no delays or incidences.

I sent him a message after the package was delivered thanking him for his purchase and hoping it had arrived in good conditions, which I am **completely** sure it did.

To my surprise, I got a message from him last evening and he told me that "The box was empty". Of course, rest assured I did not send an empty box.

I sent him a message afterwards stating my surprise because I did not send an empty box, and I politely asked him to send me pictures of the box to check if it had been manipulated.

As I got no replies from him I sent another message stating Postal Theft is a serious criminal offense, thus I would file a report with the Postal Inspection Office and the police department, and that I'd like him to send me the pictures of the box, which I would attach as evidence in addition to my recordings and pictures of the whole packaging and shipping process. I told him to send me his phone number, and that I would file it without his phone number if I got no reply in less than 24 hours.

So far I still haven't got any replies from him.

I'm confused about how I should proceed. Despite the buyer's impecable account, I'm 99% sure I'm getting scammed. I mean, who on Earth would simply accept an EMPTY package that's supposed to carry a STATUE inside it.

He hasn't put a "not as described" claim and he is not replying my messages.

Should I file the report anyway? Should I wait for a response? If I file a report and the buyer remains disappeared, will eBay refund the buyer or will I be able to withdraw the funds?

Any help is appreciated, thanks.

soh.maryl · ‎09-08-2023

Would wait for a response.

And how would a picture of the empty box be of any value?

If I want to claim the box arrived empty, wouldn't I simply remove the item and photograph the resulting empty box?

mtgraves7984 · ‎09-08-2023

He hasn't put a "not as described" claim and he is not replying my messages.

@judto_45

Reading this ^^^ makes me think you're worrying too soon. I'd not make a move until you're required to. Good luck.

judto_45 · ‎09-08-2023

First, to make sure he can't say he has thrown away the box when I ask him to send it back to me to offer him a refund (item missing is still not as described so I can ask him to send it back) .

Second because the box would have to be retaped fully to remain closed if the content had been stolen (because I had to adjust the box and tape it from 4 sides). Otherwise the delivery man would've literally given him a completely open, empty box. If he sends me a picture and the tape is in the same position as in my pictures I can be sure it's a scam and hopefully have some extra evidence. Tho I know that's pretty useless in Ebay.

spark-chaser1 · ‎09-08-2023

You say the buyer has a clean record … they most likely do.

As a buyer , if I was being accused of this, not only would I be frustrated at being accused of fraud after receiving an empty box, I’d also find myself in the position of having to prove a negative?

Tread carefully. If you are mistaken, it may backfire on you.

fab_finds4u · ‎09-08-2023

You should never follow up and ask a buyer if they received it or if everything is OK. That's an open invitation to be scammed.

You know you put the item in the package and taped the package so nothing could fall out.

If the buyer files a not received dispute respond with the tracking number.

If they file a not as described case you have two choices; to provide a return label and refund when the empty package is returned, or to save the return shipping cost and refund ASAP.

cstpos · ‎09-08-2023

@judto_45 I would wait to see if they open a case for Item not Received or INAD. If you have or can get the details of your shipping, you should be able to see the weight and dimensions from the carrier which would back up that you did send the item. I know ebay can be fickle, but I wonder how it plays out that buyers can claim they received an empty box and get fully refunded, but sellers cannot do the same when a buyer scams them.

When I process orders, there is always a phone number on the sales record. Sometimes it is not valid, but usually is. I would not pursue the Postal theft route yet. Since the buyer just sent you a message and did not open a case, you would just be wasting your time for nothing. You could contact your Postal service and ask them how you would proceed if you do get a claim of an empty package. Make sure you keep copies of anything related to this sale - ebay sales record, all shipping info and messages between you and the buyer. They could open a case that could drag on. By then, some of that info may no longer be available to you.

I would stop messaging the buyer. You've shown due diligence by asking them to provide pics and they have refused to answer. It's hard to tell more since the account you're using to post never had any sales.

Good Luck! Maybe they'll just drop it.

spark-chaser1 · ‎09-08-2023

Also, as others have stated, pictures and videos are useless,,they can be manipulated. A picture of a closed full box could be a photo of a closed empty box.

An open empty box is an open empty box. And the potential for photoshopping could render any possible evidence void.

it has been known to happen where items have been stolen in route to the recipient… if it happened here, why make the recipient shoulder blame for an already frustrating situation for them?

luckythewinner · ‎09-08-2023

I sent him a message after the package was delivered thanking him for his purchase and hoping it had arrived in good conditions, which I am **completely** sure it did.

IMHO: There is no need to follow up with a buyer after an item is delivered, especially if you are saying things like "I hope" or "if there is a problem". All this does is make you look passive and remind the buyer he could take advantage of you.

judto_45 · ‎09-08-2023

Everything is possible, nevertheless, that situation would be **extremely** unlikely.

First, both the recipient and the postal office would've noticed the box didn't weight 1.6 kg upon arrival.

Second, the thief wouldn't have picked a box that would take him so much time and effort to retape (read above)

Third, the recipient would be way more rushed to fix the situation if his hands were empty of a 130+ eur. Collector's statue. He hasn't contacted me since the first message? Not much interest shown for someone who's a big fan of Gotham knights and has spent 130 eur in an exclusive item.

Fourth, the recipient would have already filed a report with eBay if he isn't interested to keep contacting the seller (weird).

Fifth, if his story was true, he would not mind getting his 5 star rating account under the radar and opening an investigation as early as possible.

I'm going to treat him, professionally, as if what he's saying is true and proceed with an investigation and a refund in case he files a report with Ebay. But personally, I think he's scamming me so I won't move a finger until he files a formal claim.

lakefor94 · ‎09-08-2023

@luckythewinner wrote:
I sent him a message after the package was delivered thanking him for his purchase and hoping it had arrived in good conditions, which I am **completely** sure it did.

IMHO: There is no need to follow up with a buyer after an item is delivered, especially if you are saying things like "I hope" or "if there is a problem". All this does is make you look passive and remind the buyer he could take advantage of you.

Agreed.

@judto_45 @ There was no reason to follow up with communication after delivery. You may have invited the response by the buyer

Might have shook them up with the message about filing the reports.

You mentioned statue. Was this a heavy item? Shipping heavy items takes some expertise. They can tear up a box if not packed correctly. Just throwing that out there.

Posting ID

albertabrightalberta · ‎09-08-2023

@judto_45

You made a newbie error.

As others have said, there's no need to follow up with the buyer and in fact for future reference, even if there's no "delivered" scan in tracking, NEVER contact the buyer. You can be certain that if an item wasn't delivered, the buyer will open a claim.

But poking the sleeping bear is never smart because it can serve as notification to a scammy buyer that they may have a situation in which they can get a free item. (Most buyers and sellers are honest but in cases in which one or the other isn't honest, you don't want to tempt fate.)

However after making your newbie error, your next response was good, letting him know that you will file for an investigation (whether you will do so or not) because it puts him on notice that he might get caught in a lie.

At this point, let it go unless and until you find yourself in a dispute. IMO, his silence tells me that he may have lied about the empty box and when pushed for pictures, he backed down.

albertabrightalberta
Volunteer Community Mentor

I can explain it to you but I can’t understand it for you.

judto_45 · ‎09-08-2023

It weighted 1.6kg. I think there's no way it fell, the statue was compressed like a mould in a plastic cube that fit the exact size of the box, which was completely sealed with strong tape.

I don't know how filing a theft report would scare the buyer, I think it should scare the thief.

flmerchants · ‎09-08-2023

Hello: Here in the states we have the ability to bring a package to Postal Service and ask for a receipt. Not only does it cover you as far as when you sent package, that the postal service is also now in possession of package but they also must verify weight of package when processing your receipt. This covers you in all aspects of the package shipping details. If you just drop it off without a receipt you stand the chance of items being processed but still missing. Unfortunate that we have to think of individuals in post office stealing but it is not always the buyer. of course the majority of the time it is the buyer but its a different world we live in today.