( LONG POST INCOMING, IM SORRY, JUST STRESSED ANY INFO WOULD BE HELPFUL/Cross Posted in discord Help-me) I’m having issues with a buyer on ebay, its a very obvious scam, some backstory, i auctioned off a binder lot of cards, the buyer wins the auction, messages me to confirm ill be shipping with signature, as it was over the $750 threshold, I would be and it was required, Buyer receives the item and that afternoon begins a wild story of the item not being delivered and that his ring doorbell has the postal worker dropping off the package but when he got it home it hadn’t arrived (his house was gated and I’d imagine if somehow somebody opened the gate and walked onto his property it would catch it) Times were also all off based off the delivery proof I received from USPS which also had his signature on their from him receiving it. He at this point expects me i guess to offer some kind of refund, I confirm this is between him and the post office, he then tells me they forged his signature and he’s going down to the police station to file a report against them, he goes silent, opened a dispute of items not being received, I Provide that information (proof), he realizes he will lose, so then opens a payment dispute with his bank for charge back, ebay confirmed ill be covered through buyer protection and I provide those documents, of delivery, tracking and proof of signature. A Week passes and the case closes in my favor? He waits until late last night to reopen the case as items not being as described now through his payment institution. This is either a case of really bad buyers remorse or he’s trying to get a free lot of cards, I’m just confused how his bank can go from being provided that proof to now saying items are not as described because I’m sure magically the cards appeared and I don’t have details if he doesn’t like conditions, or is going the route of potentially saying I shipped an empty box. Whatever the case, I’ll call and talk with ebay when their hours resume, but any insight please!
I went through something similar in the summer of 2021. Long story short: The buyer got away with my cards, and I got nothing.
However, it looks like eBay’s terms and services have changed since then. When it happened to me, eBay had a pretty convenient loophole in their seller protection policy that said the protection doesn’t apply if/when the customer files a chargeback with their payment processor.
Just a heads up, their policy pages are a maze of clickable links that qualify and specify for every imaginable scenario, so even if it looks like you’re covered in the link above, there may be a subtree of 4 other links that somehow makes your situation an exception.
The whole situation for me was time-consuming and stressful, and eBay support at all levels is nearly incompetent. Hopefully you will have better luck now with the updated seller protection policy. If you want to send me a DM, I can forward you a better version of eBay support that will give your case a much closer look than anything you’ll get via their automated website/phone system.
I honestly, am just concerned a bit because previously they released the hold on my funds right away and ensured me I was protected by eBay’s seller “protection” this time around everything is back on hold and they wanted my return address just in case, I really don’t mind losing the case and having my items returned, I’m just concerned at this point that if it goes that route this seller will send me back an empty box as he’s already made this much of an effort. I messaged you about the potential better version of support i can follow up with. Thanks so much for the Information and help.
Hopefully this works out in your favor. it’s BS what some people do. and I’m sorry to hear this happening to you. Please share their user name when you can.
You’ll likely be forced to accept the return. Buyer will likely send you an empty box or an unrelated item worth nothing. You’ll inform eBay that you received an empty box back, they will ask you to sign an affidavit stating that you received an empty box. Ebay will return your money to you and cover the cost of the chargeback.
This is what should happen, request a new rep/supervisor if the one you speak to tries to deviate from this process.
Good to know, i’ll make sure to follow this route when i cross this bridge, also for anybody wondering, the user is kg1190 on eBay , he has been buying a lot over the past month so beware.
Update below, I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt, the proof of delivery has his signature but not sure how binding that is, But is this a little damning? he’s admitted at this point that the item was just never received but his bank is attempting multiple attempts/“loopholes” to get his money back, which if he is genuine is fine and i understand, Would ebay take any responsibility here and cover both of us, or am i leaning more towards me just being the one liable.
Some USPS drivers where I live (and I’d guess elsewhere) ask if it’s okay to keep a signature card on hand so that they can deliver Signature Required packages without having to go up to the door, check if you’re home, get the signature, etc.
Sorry this is happening to you. This is one of my fears if I ever get a somewhat high-value sale. If it was really stolen, it’s not really the fault of the buyer or the seller, but in the end, someone might have to take the hit.
I think during COVID times, the postal workers were just signing for packages requiring signatures (I remember reading a thread on E4 about this). Maybe some of the postal workers are still in the habit of just signing for packages in proxy of the recipient? And if so, the collection really may have been stolen (in this case, only the buyer has knowledge of what really occurred).
Not that it’s the same as your situation (and it’s definitely a lot less money), but I ran into a buyer filing a payment dispute from an outside institution before, and ultimately, the institution won the case (buyer was refunded), but Ebay also covered me under the seller protections, meaning they covered the cost of the item and I was able to keep the money (see below). If I remember right, all I did was provide proof of delivery.
I had a $3500 package from PSA left on my doorstep during that time period :^) Luckily I made it home before someone had the chance to steal it, but nobody was home to sign for it and that didn’t seem to matter.
The practice of “delivering” packages by simply leaving them out in the open on someone’s front porch is so utterly and incomprehensibly absurd to me. I’m sure there’s reasons for it being that way in the US, but I’m very happy it isn’t a thing here in the Netherlands.
You can get valuable packages in your letterbox (most people here don’t have one with a lock, and if you’re in a single home unit it’s usually a little distance from the house) but this only happens with really small packages sent with the most garbage shipping, and even then you can avoid it simply by specifying it when you order something (I don’t mind personally.)
After 3 months all together, Multiple talks with eBay reps of different levels and having nearly 2k USD tied up, it was released today and decided in my favor. Initially I was very stressed about this situation and I really appreciate anybody who helped here on the forums and in the discord with information to help calm my concerns. I think they could have handled this better from the start but overall the outcome is all that i cared for.
