Pretty sure I'm being scammed on eBay...

[SamGad]

So, I'm hoping the knowledgeable PH masses might be able to help with a little advice on what to do here:
I recently sold a brand new, unopened, pair of Sony earphones on eBay (My first mistake...) and, surprise surprise, the buyer has now decided that they are faulty and they need to be returned.

His message: (Sorry, it is slightly painful to read...)

"Hi there, I got the sonny earbuds, I am very happy with them , it was packed well , but soon as I started them, the call quality was worst. I am office guy and have to use them for calls all the time but all my friends and customer can’t hear my voice very well. People often cannot hear me, I ve not had a single phone call where people can actually hear me. The voice started carp and reliable while on call. I really like my new earbuds, especially regarding sound quality...I ve tried both with and without NC. I ve also tried prioritize connection vs audio in the app. even updated the firmware that came this morning. I tried the buds with my wife iPhone, but the call quality was still bad. I called to Sony and discussed with them, they saying if you got the receipt then returned to us or contact where you bought them. If I would buy from Argos or curry then I can return to them or swap with same model earbuds I have gone though Sony website and there have many people have same problem. One of the review of Sony website I copy here for you. …..Experiencing the same problems as you guys. I called Sony Support today and they kept asking me to repeat myself because they couldn t hear me when I was using their earbuds They told me to return them so I did and received a new pair... can t say they were any better. Perhaps a little but still very bad. Everything else seems to be working great but the call quality (microphone) is utter crap, to that degree that it is useless. Going to return theses and take my money elsewhere it Sony does not solve this soon! Please advise me what I shall do now. Kind Regards"

Now- I would say he's pointed out himself from reviews that these earphones just intrinsically crap for in call, and since he says they are functioning perfectly otherwise, this is a design issue rather than a faulty item?
Do I have any chance of eBay seeing this, and allowing me to decline since they are not faulty, or do I just need to lube up and take it? (And pay for the bloody return post.)

And once that eventuality has played out, (I'm pretty sure I'm stuffed) what are my best steps to take to ensure I keep the money when he inevitably returns me a brick in a box?

Any advice will be gratefully recieved, I'm just hoping to avoid getting scammed out of the earphones and a couple of hundred quid.

[rsbmw]

How is he going to return your earphones when he states he already sent them to Sony?

[Shiv_P]

Sounds to me like he is covering his ass for sending you back a faulty pair. He has probably had a previous pair of these, bought yours, and wants to return his old ones to you.

[Lonely]

rsbmw said:

How is he going to return your earphones when he states he already sent them to Sony?

That was from a review he copied not the buyer

[Lonely]

Tell him they work as intended. Just because they are poor quality does not mean you have to refund him.

[Helicopter123]

If he opens a case, eBay will ask him to return them to you via recorded mail.

Once received, a refund will be processed.

Doesn't scream "scam" to me at this stage, but make sure the ones you get back are the same as sent out.

[PhilboSE]

Except what is coming back, at best is his original buds, now used, in opened packaging. Not the BNIB ones he sent out. What's the resale values of what he's getting back? 10% of the list price? If that?

Hard to say if it's a scam as yet, but the OP is going to be out of pocket one way or another.

[Helicopter123]

PhilboSE said:

Except what is coming back, at best is his original buds, now used, in opened packaging. Not the BNIB ones he sent out. What's the resale values of what he's getting back? 10% of the list price? If that?

Hard to say if it's a scam as yet, but the OP is going to be out of pocket one way or another.

True, but it's possible that the buyer is genuine and the buds are faulty?

I know this is PH and everything is a scam, especially on eBay, but sometimes, just sometimes, the simplest answer is the right one (until subsequent facts prove the buyer to be a con-man then it's out with the frozen sausages, of course)

[MrGman]

and to top this off, PayPal will be on his side.

[deggles]

nobhead ebay buyer said:

They told me to return them so I did and received a new pair... can t say they were any better

So he's already returned the ones he bought from you to Sony? In that case, I'd suggest:

• Politely tell him you can no longer help and his beef is now with Sony
• If he opens a return request, decline it, explaining the reasons to eBay
• If you haven't already done so, withdraw all funds from your PayPal account and disconnect any cards and bank accounts, in case they try to refund him on your behalf

Good luck!

Edit: just realised the buyer was quoting someone else remaining advice still stands

Edited by deggles on Monday 16th December 18:26

[A1VDY]

As above, remove money from PayPal account and card details, never use ebay again, job done..

[Humble Pi]

Removing your PayPal funds will not work. They’ll still refund him then chase you for payment.

[MrGman]

Humble Pi said:

Removing your PayPal funds will not work. They’ll still refund him then chase you for payment.

Exactly this, it’s essentially like having another bank account.

A friend of mine done this in a similar situation to the OP and PayPal definitely weren’t going to let it go.

[Durzel]

PhilboSE said:

Except what is coming back, at best is his original buds, now used, in opened packaging. Not the BNIB ones he sent out. What's the resale values of what he's getting back? 10% of the list price? If that?

Hard to say if it's a scam as yet, but the OP is going to be out of pocket one way or another.

Welcome to eBay.

You’re running the gauntlet selling anything techy and popular on there. Last few bits of Apple kit I’ve sold has been on Gumtree, might have lost a bit of money but gained so much peace of mind.

[Fore Left]

He's about to return some faulty earbuds in place of yours.

Call his bluff, tell him you have spoken to Sony and they have informed you that all replacement earbuds are quality checked before dispatch so it is impossible for them to be faulty. It must be his phone. More so, you're not willing to accept earbuds back that are, by his own admission, not the ones you sold him.

ETA; you could also ask him to send you photos of the communication with Sony along with postage tracking info.

Edited by Fore Left on Monday 16th December 20:15

[Fore Left]

He's about to return some faulty earbuds in place of yours.

Call his bluff, tell him you have spoken to Sony and they have informed you that all replacement earbuds are quality checked before dispatch so it is impossible for them to be faulty. It must be his phone. More so, you're not willing to accept earbuds back that are, by his own admission, not the ones you sold him.

ETA; you could also ask him to send you photos of the communication with Sony along with postage tracking info. That would prove whether he did actually get them replaced.

Edited by Fore Left on Monday 16th December 20:15

[Truffs]

Also, if you know the serial number of the ones you sent him now is the time to tell him that you know the serial number.

Then to ensure he still wins a bit and goes on his merry way, if you do have a receipt then send it to him, checking first it does not have your card details on it. Then he can scam Sony instead of you.

You keep the cash, he gets a scam. Both win.

[elanfan]

Tell him you put a secret security mark on them before dispatch. Tell him he can return them but if Ted may know is missing there will be no refund. Make him think twice.

[johnoz]

SamGad said:

So, I'm hoping the knowledgeable PH masses might be able to help with a little advice on what to do here:
I recently sold a brand new, unopened, pair of Sony earphones on eBay (My first mistake...) and, surprise surprise, the buyer has now decided that they are faulty and they need to be returned.

His message: (Sorry, it is slightly painful to read...)

"Hi there, I got the sonny earbuds, I am very happy with them , it was packed well , but soon as I started them, the call quality was worst. I am office guy and have to use them for calls all the time but all my friends and customer can’t hear my voice very well. People often cannot hear me, I ve not had a single phone call where people can actually hear me. The voice started carp and reliable while on call. I really like my new earbuds, especially regarding sound quality...I ve tried both with and without NC. I ve also tried prioritize connection vs audio in the app. even updated the firmware that came this morning. I tried the buds with my wife iPhone, but the call quality was still bad. I called to Sony and discussed with them, they saying if you got the receipt then returned to us or contact where you bought them. If I would buy from Argos or curry then I can return to them or swap with same model earbuds I have gone though Sony website and there have many people have same problem. One of the review of Sony website I copy here for you. …..Experiencing the same problems as you guys. I called Sony Support today and they kept asking me to repeat myself because they couldn t hear me when I was using their earbuds They told me to return them so I did and received a new pair... can t say they were any better. Perhaps a little but still very bad. Everything else seems to be working great but the call quality (microphone) is utter crap, to that degree that it is useless. Going to return theses and take my money elsewhere it Sony does not solve this soon! Please advise me what I shall do now. Kind Regards"

Now- I would say he's pointed out himself from reviews that these earphones just intrinsically crap for in call, and since he says they are functioning perfectly otherwise, this is a design issue rather than a faulty item?
Do I have any chance of eBay seeing this, and allowing me to decline since they are not faulty, or do I just need to lube up and take it? (And pay for the bloody return post.)

And once that eventuality has played out, (I'm pretty sure I'm stuffed) what are my best steps to take to ensure I keep the money when he inevitably returns me a brick in a box?

Any advice will be gratefully recieved, I'm just hoping to avoid getting scammed out of the earphones and a couple of hundred quid.

My son had this recently with an iPhone.

Sold on Ebay, couple of weeks later said it was faulty, emails back and forth...

He opened a case on Ebay, Ebay then send the returns label to him for the return of the item.

This is where its gets interesting, The scammer them alters the address label (we know this because we via the post office have recovered the envelope)

Package was delivered to a different address couple of streets away in our case.

Parcel delivered = refund in eBays eyes.

So with the help of the post office, the tracking number remains the same, just the address, the post office recovered the envelope from the address and as clear as day it was not ours.

Passed back to Ebay and they refunded our money and will then look into the other party and his history.

Thats the to the point short story, many calls to Ebay and the postoffice

As for the contents of the envelope... that remains a mystery !!

[Belle427]

The wording alone screams scam to me. As said if he intends returning make sure you tell him they are security marked/you have the serial number and to please return the original items.
Sometimes the small things work with these muppets.
Boils my p i s s when people do this.