Sketchy Buyer and Return Help

[mshelton1984]

Recently upgraded the CPU in my PC to a 9900K, so I listed my old CPU (8700K) to make up some of the difference. I'm just a casual seller and I do my best to avoid scammers by using Buy it now listings with immediate payment required and only sell to the US. Only problem I've ever had was with a credit card charge back from someone who claimed they didn't buy and Paypal ruled in my favor there.

Shortly after I listed it the CPU sold to a brand new, zero feedback account created that same day. This should have been my first warning, but I ignored it. I immediately printed out the ebay shipping label and sent it off Priority Mail the next day. The same day the CPU showed as delivered the buyer initiated a return request saying that it didn't work with an error message. I know it worked 100% as it was literally installed in my functioning PC just days before.  I quickly replied to the return request asking him what was the error message and if he could send me a picture. I'm still waiting on his reply.

Even then, I wasn't too concerned. I would have no problem accepting the return if it was mailed back in the same condition I sent it. But I did some further digging into the Paypal transaction and noticed this was a non-US Paypal account and the name attached to the Paypal was different from the ebay user account (though both Asian names). Looking into the shipping address connected it to a company called Sky Walk Express Corp (reshipper?) in Newark, DE.

And that's the position I find myself in now. I have until the 24th to accept the return, and I pretty much have to before ebay steps in. I'm 95% certain whatever I receive back will not be what I shipped to the buyer and I will be scammed for over $315. I regret not looking further into things before shipping the CPU. Otherwise I would have just cancelled once seeing it was a non-US Paypal account along with the other red flags. BTW, Paypal has a setting that allows you to block money sent from non-US accounts. That would have also been nice to know beforehand as I could have avoided this whole situation.

Does anyone have any advice? My next step will just be to wait and see if the buyer replies with any kind of information I could help them with before the deadline (doesn't seem likely). If not, I will have to accept the return and cross my fingers.

[nkmipgolf]

Suspect you're  going to get a pr shoes returned. Now that you have his address you should mail him some nice things back. He still has to pay the reshipper.

[ittybitnot]

Does anyone have any advice? 

Once a buyer requests a return with a SNAD  (not as described)  you don't have many options.  It does not matter if the buyer is telling the truth or not.

Up until recently, sellers were 'protected' in a sense from problems related to shipping to reshippers.  The idea was once the item was "reshipped" someplace else the "money back guarantee" was void. eBay is backing off that program now, but you might want to first call customer service and plead your case.  

If you don't get help there, (I would try a couple of times), then you will have to proceed just like any other return case.  Understand it does not matter what your return policy is in this circumstance. 

You can accept the return, fund a return shipping label (for you it will be the re shipper address regardless if the buyer is in some other country) and refund when you get the parcel back.  It does not matter to ebay what is in that box that comes back. You will be refunding regardless, even if it is empty.  

OR

You can simply refund and let the buyer keep it for free. 

If you choose neither, ebay will choose for you and award some unsavory  consequences as well. 

Good luck with this.  Let us know how it turns out. 

[patd3283]

they may not be trans-shipper.  look at owner's name.  is this who bought your item?

http://www.buzzfile.com/business/Sky-Walk-Express-Corp-302-898-2288

[mshelton1984]

Unfortunately no, that name is not associated with either the ebay shipping address or the Paypal account.

[mshelton1984]

This is **bleep**! ebay closed the case and refunded the scammer. I never received anything. The buyer didn't use my shipping label created by ebay, which was issued on January 23 when I accepted the return. Today the scammer added a tracking number for a delivery that was supposedly sent out on the 22nd (before I even accepted the return) and delivered on the 25th. But I never received anything!

[myangelandmyprincess]

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@mshelton1984 wrote:

This is **bleep**! ebay closed the case and refunded the scammer. I never received anything. The buyer didn't use my shipping label created by ebay, which was issued on January 23 when I accepted the return. Today the scammer added a tracking number for a delivery that was supposedly sent out on the 22nd (before I even accepted the return) and delivered on the 25th. But I never received anything!

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you need to file an appeal with ebay. 

[mshelton1984]

I see no way to appeal it. On the closed case page it just says "If you're not satisfied with this outcome, you can send us an appeal" and links to this URL: https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/managing-returns-refunds/appeal-ebays-decision-return-missing-item... with no mention of how to actually submit an appeal. Starting to really hate ebay...

[mshelton1984]

Is there a way to see what address something was actually delivered to using a tracking number? I rechecked all my mail and asked the neighbors. Nothing was delivered to me. All the tracking shows is something was delivered to somewhere in my zip code at 10:56 AM. Our mail carrier never delivers that early. Always between 2-4 PM.

If it doesn't show that it was shipped to my actual address (like the ebay provided return label I created would have), what's to stop a buyer from just sending a post card to a random address in my zip code and submitting that tracking?

[kensgiftshop]

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@mshelton1984 wrote:

If it doesn't show that it was shipped to my actual address (like the ebay provided return label I created would have), what's to stop a buyer from just sending a post card to a random address in my zip code and submitting that tracking?

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Take the tracking number they give and take it to your PO and see if they will tell you  where it was addressed or delivered.

[st.margaritalago]

Well, here is a great example that buyer's feedback is meaningless.

[mshelton1984]

Some new development. I called my local PO and they confirmed my address was NOT connected to the tracking number the scammer gave ebay. It's literally just a random address in my zip. Said I could come in and they would give me a print out with more details and the actual shipping destination associated with that tracking number. My question, does this help me in anyway?

Can't believe ebay would allow this. A brand new, no feedback buyer can literally just ship a random item to any address in a sellers zip and ebay trusts it without question.

[gamegallery]

have been buying/selling on eBay for 25 years

and for the 1st 20 or so there were no returns...

Then Amazon changed the game and put the

customer on top...over there sellers are getting

rocks back in the mail for $2000 computer parts sold!!!

On Walmart, it's free shipping free returns.

Basically, any dishonest buyer can rent anything...

In short, returns are now a cost of doing business.

In 2018 we had $11K worth of refunds for adjustments, returns, etc.

in 2019 it looks like it's below $10K on six figures worth of sales so...

returns have gone from 0% to half of sales depending on the

category/item, etc.

The best way to handle tough customers

is by giving them a choice...i.e. would you

like a refund, exchange, replacement, etc.

[mshelton1984]

He shipped something (not my CPU) to a KFC store. And apparently USPS recovered it because they called me today saying it was a package from Amazon with some kind of tape as the only contents. Called up ebay and they said I need some kind of internet report showing it wasn't shipped to me. **bleep**! They could literally call my local post office, talk to the person I did for 2 minutes and have their answer. USPS has been great BTW, ebay a complete nightmare.

[3eyedfishcatcher]

Sounds like your buyer was actually over seas and used a 3rd part shipping company. In the past using such services voided the eBay money back guaranty. You should take the address you shipped to and google it. If it shows such a company associated with the address you could prove this. Also if the buyers profile now shows them to be in another country this would also prove they used a 3rd party shipping service.

If they are in another country and the shipping was domestic. since the 3rd party shipping company would have to forward with international shipping to the buyer, it is highly doubt full the same day tracking showed delivery that they actually could have installed the CPU. Most likely it would not have actually been received by them. Probably the buyer has some kind of history of buying items and claiming a defect before they actually received them.