what if i sold a used laptop my buyer returned but he swapped housing and contents with a bad laptop

[dakbat-61]

Recently, I sold a used laptop. After the buyer got it, he informed me that it was not working and returned the laptop. I was surprised that he opened the device and took the motherboard, the hard disk, the RAM, and all the contents of the device. He put another damaged motherboard, a damaged hard disk, and a damaged RAM. For a moment, I thought it was my laptop. Because the cover itself did not change the cover.. What can I do to prove my right?

[orangehound]

I doubt you photographed the insides of the laptop for comparison.  So, I don't think you can prove you are right, to eBay or anyone else ... you are a victim of theft. 

I am assuming you are a novice seller selling a high-priced item, and if so then thieves and scammers target people like you.  Is there anything you can do?

• If you listed the laptop under the provisions of Seller Protection, you can withhold some of the refund.  But, most novice sellers are unaware of how to list in such a way as to have seller protection.
• You can report the incident to eBay, indicating that the user is a bad buyer and abused returns.  This doesn't help you in your particular situation, but it flags the buyer ... and if they do this multiple times then eBay will suspend their account.
• You can file a police report against the buyer.  This probably won't help you retrieve your stolen property, but (like the bullet point above), it would flag the buyer to police and they might use this to build a case in the future.

[ittybitnot]

 What can I do to prove my right?

@dakbat-61 

Do you mean you want to prove it to eBay so you get your money back? 

[sextons-sweet-deals]

this is a common scam with electronics. It would have been best to sell local and the buyer test it and then pay in person. 

[conservitvs]

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@dakbat-61 wrote:

Recently, I sold a used laptop. After the buyer got it, he informed me that it was not working and returned the laptop. I was surprised that he opened the device and took the motherboard, the hard disk, the RAM, and all the contents of the device. He put another damaged motherboard, a damaged hard disk, and a damaged RAM. For a moment, I thought it was my laptop. Because the cover itself did not change the cover.. What can I do to prove my right?

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Sadly, nothing via eBay.

If (IF) you photographed the insides before posting the item for sale, you might (MIGHT) have recourse through small claims.

Still your word vs buyer’s… but your only option now, I think. 

‘’Sorry this happened to you. 😞

[dakbat-61]

yes exactly

[kensgiftshop]

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@dakbat-61 wrote:

What can I do to prove my right?

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Nothing.

You can't prove what was sent and Ebay has no way of knowing if they switched out parts or not.

[ittybitnot]

yes exactly

@dakbat-61 

eBay will do nothing to help you.   The buyer will be refunded from your proceeds regardless of what they return.  If you are a TRS seller, or otherwise qualify, you may be able to only refund 50% for a faulty return. 

[mybigsale]

@dakbat-61 

What can I do to prove my right?

To eBay? Nothing (you may be able to recover 50% - see below)

Collect all your evidence if you are considering small claims court, if not you should still report this CRIME to Police, Internet and postal authorities. You should also report the buyer to eBay.

Report an issue with a buyer | eBay

5 Ways to Report Fraud on eBay - wikiHow

At best, you can recover 50% of the purchase price if you offer free returns (check qualifications for your future sales):

See: How to deduct from the buyer's refund when the item is returned in a different condition

How to handle a return request as a seller | eBay

Seller protections | eBay

[kensgiftshop]

Is this the item you dropshipped from another seller and the buyer wanted to return it?

[itsjustasprain]

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@kensgiftshop wrote:

Is this the item you dropshipped from another seller and the buyer wanted to return it?

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That was this thread which may or may not be about the same thing: https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/i-listed-an-item-of-another-seller-someone-bought-from-me-now-... 

But the OP has his item returned (with swapped-out parts) already. The issue here now is what the buyer did.

[gator08041971]

@dakbat-61 

Not sure you will have much recourse here.

Other than what was already suggested, your options are limited as to what you can do.   I also sell used laptops on here, and I generally take a lot of photos of them, sometimes even of the inside if it has removable panels.  But especially serial numbers and the like.

To date, I haven't had this experience, but I know it can happen.  I also list them with the option of returns, and send the buyer pictures of their item as shipped when doing my orders so that those pictures are sent through the eBay messaging system.  Might not be a proof against these kind of issues, but may be enough to discourage it.

Good luck, hopefully you can get some sort of resolution.

[cstpos]

@dakbat-61You can also buy special labels that will show if an item has been opened/ tampered with. I do take a photo of the HD information on an app like CrystalDisk, which contains the serial number of the HD. CPUs have very tiny numbers on one of the outer edges. Make sure  you post pictures in your listing showing these details - it might make a scammer think twice about switching parts.

[kensgiftshop]

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@itsjustasprain wrote:

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@kensgiftshop wrote:

Is this the item you dropshipped from another seller and the buyer wanted to return it?

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That was this thread which may or may not be about the same thing: https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/i-listed-an-item-of-another-seller-someone-bought-from-me-now-... 

But the OP has his item returned (with swapped-out parts) already. The issue here now is what the buyer did.

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I was asking because if it was, the OP wouldn't know what the other seller shipped so they wouldn't know if parts were swapped or not.

[mordecai8614]

This guy again, you sure run into a lot of problems on eBay...