I am a 23 year veteran top rated seller. 15k plus Positive feedbacks no negatives There is a new scam and buyers are signing up, using fictitious names and stealing merchandise and eBay is helping them do it. I warned eBay and I have that S.R. Number to prove it.
Not really a new scam this has been going on for awhile. These cases can be won by the seller but it is painful process.
I sold a $200 plus item and it was to a 0 feedback buyer who registered that morning. I have customers world wide and sell lots of combined shipping items so I can not use immediate payments It does not work for my business model and I don’t block newbies as many have become wonderful repeat buyers and blocking them would be a mistake.
I grew suspicious when the “not as described case” was started exactly one minute after the USPS time stamped scan showed up on my package being delivered. The immediate “not as described” used one of my 10 pictures which actually supported my description. It was strange no messaging just a well planned out immediate claim. I contacted eBay as first I live in a non-smoking household and I use brand new packing materials. I sell mostly brand new or like new items and have sold 50,000 items with no complaints like this one. The buyer stated I packed with grease dirt and hair and the items were sticky and reeked. Interestingly We have no smoke nothing here reeks and there is no grease nor hair anywhere around my shipping station and 15,000 postive feedbacks with no one ever making a complaint like this is certainly alerting. I reported the buyer. Then I looked at the name on the shipping label, which I found out was a name stolen from a fictional character not one that was living at the address I shipped to. I knew this was going to be trouble so I asked eBay what to do . They said pay for a return label and then appeal once the item is returned.
‘’the scam “
and you need to know this because it will expand as this buyer got away with it and other attempts will surely follow,
I approved the label a few days later I get the eBay Package returned notification only the package was not returned. The buyer simply pasted his name over mine on the label walked into his post office and they delivered the package back to him 16 hours later.
It's not the name the buyer altered on your return label it's the shipping address. USPS does not deliver by name they deliver to an address. You can put Santa Clause on the name and they will delivery to whatever address is on the label. You need to supply eBay with a coup of your shipping label and then get the detailed tracking information from USPS showing the actual address the package was delivered to. They may even have a picture and the GPS information associated with the delivery address. Contact eBay through the FaceBook connection and have them assist you with the problem. The bot software only recognizes that the item was delivered not specifically where it went.
At first I thought a USPS mistake but as I use my Post office regularly and know all the employees I had them check the tracking scan which uses GPS tracking and sure enough the package tracked right back to the buyers house. 16 hours after he dropped it at his post office . I contacted eBay and they supposedly closed the case and released my funds. That was until the buyer told eBay “I sent the package back it was delivered but have not been refunded “
so eBay removed the funds from my account stating that there is no way to appeal the case. This alone is a violation of eBay’s policy as sellers are supposed to have the appeal process. EBay’s directly stealing money from my account. I was able to contact eBay using what I call the back door. The agent tried to help but only was permitted to report the mistake in the hopes I might get an appeal which takes another 48-72 hours.
Make sure you provide eBay with the USPS tracking information and a copy of the return label you provided to the buyer. You should be able to win this appeal.
Stealing is a criminal act
i am tired of hearing these thefts called errors and eBay violating their own rules directly stealing money when there has not been a return. Robots are stupid and do not know how to read tracking. People are gullible and will believe anything. And sellers are still taken advantage of, stolen from, abused, and stabbed in the back when they follow the rules and they get black marks instead of praise for doing the right thing. So I did not refund as I did not get the item back so now I am in violation an eBay seller criminal. What a crock! You can just forget seller protection it is a farce.
I am actually surprised eBay has not already refunded the buyer.
EBay was warned early on, rather than heeding a warning that something bad was happening, I am out my second shipping label the money I spent on the first shipping label and my item and my time. Something I can not get back.
Warning $200 is only the beginning this is going to get bigger and bigger until eBay tells sellers there is a scam a foot. I don’t think that we will ever know the truth, like tech never puts notices on the board when they know there is a tech issue This Company is not managed well, The bottom line has become strictly profit and eBay abuse to sellers is running rampant.
