Possible new eBay scam & help wanted
Discussion
I’ve recently sold 3 items on eBay. They have been Rab and North Face jackets. Top notch stuff. I bought these when I was camping and walking a lot. These were items I hadn’t worn and subsequently grew out of.
I listed them on eBay as New over 3 months. Each buyer came back with there was a thread loose and therefore would I give a discount. I ended up giving 2 of them £30 discounts as I thought it would be too much hassle paying return postage and packaging and getting them to send back and then wait for a discount listing offer from eBay. Is this a new scam? Buyers claim there’s a bit of bobbling or loose threads and ask for a discount? One even claimed they had it repaired by North Face but wouldn’t provide a photo of the repair or any receipt.
On the last one, they claimed a hole in the jacket and oil stains. This like the others, was brand spanking new. I refused to refund. I didn’t check my eBay. They claimed a full refund and eBay awarded it. So now the buyer has been refunded £130 and has the jacket. I’ve asked for them to send back. The problem is they are in USA. I sent it via the GSP (global shipping post) whereby I send to an address in Lichfield and eBay forward it to US. They’ve asked for me to pay postage and provide a QR code. Any idea how I buy cheap postage from overseas to a UK address? I’ve checked on UPS and DHL and both are coming out at about £95 airmail. The jacket is very light (less than 1 kg). The other thing is the buyer will only give a US GSP address and I’m not sure any Joe Public can send to that address. EBay have washed their hands of this as they said I should have replied within the reply period.
Any ideas on how I get my jacket back or provide a prepaid postage label to the buyer?
I listed them on eBay as New over 3 months. Each buyer came back with there was a thread loose and therefore would I give a discount. I ended up giving 2 of them £30 discounts as I thought it would be too much hassle paying return postage and packaging and getting them to send back and then wait for a discount listing offer from eBay. Is this a new scam? Buyers claim there’s a bit of bobbling or loose threads and ask for a discount? One even claimed they had it repaired by North Face but wouldn’t provide a photo of the repair or any receipt.
On the last one, they claimed a hole in the jacket and oil stains. This like the others, was brand spanking new. I refused to refund. I didn’t check my eBay. They claimed a full refund and eBay awarded it. So now the buyer has been refunded £130 and has the jacket. I’ve asked for them to send back. The problem is they are in USA. I sent it via the GSP (global shipping post) whereby I send to an address in Lichfield and eBay forward it to US. They’ve asked for me to pay postage and provide a QR code. Any idea how I buy cheap postage from overseas to a UK address? I’ve checked on UPS and DHL and both are coming out at about £95 airmail. The jacket is very light (less than 1 kg). The other thing is the buyer will only give a US GSP address and I’m not sure any Joe Public can send to that address. EBay have washed their hands of this as they said I should have replied within the reply period.
Any ideas on how I get my jacket back or provide a prepaid postage label to the buyer?
Sorry, but it does sound like you have been scammed. Judging by the costs involved, you are probably better off writing it off to experience however annoying it may be.
A friend of mine does a great deal of selling on various online auction sites and he always takes a great deal of photographs of each item. From time to time, a buyer will try it on, but once he explains that he has extensive photos of the item and asks for a photo of the problem, they have always backed down.
Personally, this sort of problem is why I don’t sell items on auction sites, as there are too many people who expect used items to be perfect.
Good luck OP.
A friend of mine does a great deal of selling on various online auction sites and he always takes a great deal of photographs of each item. From time to time, a buyer will try it on, but once he explains that he has extensive photos of the item and asks for a photo of the problem, they have always backed down.
Personally, this sort of problem is why I don’t sell items on auction sites, as there are too many people who expect used items to be perfect.
Good luck OP.
sorry to hear this. ebay just isnt as nice a place to trade as it used to be.
i havent listed anything for years but recently decided to clear out few bits and I couldnt quite believe how much harder it is to upload a new listing now with the Item specifics section being like an assault course on the brain !
why they make it harder i just dont know and you are right there is now so much scope for scammers to do their thing.
i havent listed anything for years but recently decided to clear out few bits and I couldnt quite believe how much harder it is to upload a new listing now with the Item specifics section being like an assault course on the brain !
why they make it harder i just dont know and you are right there is now so much scope for scammers to do their thing.
I won't post to non UK addresses. It's too much of a risk and too much of a hassle to recover the items when scumbags game the system like this.
I just sold some Linn HiFi components and I refused to even post it, stating collection only. Despite this, I've had plenty of people ask me to post the various items but I just won't. Fortunately there are still people wanting what I'm offering and a chap has collected £600 worth of it all this evening. Just one CD player to go which I'd rather keep than post it.
I just sold some Linn HiFi components and I refused to even post it, stating collection only. Despite this, I've had plenty of people ask me to post the various items but I just won't. Fortunately there are still people wanting what I'm offering and a chap has collected £600 worth of it all this evening. Just one CD player to go which I'd rather keep than post it.
My other half sells her unwanted clothing on Ebay. She's had several of these type of things. The last one was a brand new coat. First, the buyer wanted a refund for no reason, then they claimed the packaging was poor, then the jacket smelled fusty. All total BS - we reckon it didn't fit the buyer, and they were desperate for a refund. After a lot of emails and phone calls to Ebay, they dropped the case - result!
Thanks all. It sucks that I have to accept such a big loss.
I’m peeved that eBay have just washed their hands of it. All they say is contact the buyer. But the buyer doesn’t want to play. He’s got all his money and a free top of the range Rab jacket. The money was in my bank. EBay removed it and refunded it.
I didn’t know that GSP comes with a no refund policy.
And whilst Facebook etc might offer a cash only policy it does mean meeting up somewhere or having someone come to your home. Both carry their own risks.
Aaaah well….
I’m peeved that eBay have just washed their hands of it. All they say is contact the buyer. But the buyer doesn’t want to play. He’s got all his money and a free top of the range Rab jacket. The money was in my bank. EBay removed it and refunded it.
I didn’t know that GSP comes with a no refund policy.
And whilst Facebook etc might offer a cash only policy it does mean meeting up somewhere or having someone come to your home. Both carry their own risks.
Aaaah well….
Another thing to consider, if you get into dispute over anything, YOU need to be the one who calls eBay to put your case to them. I've had to do it three times over the years and they have settled the cases each time in my favour. I'm convinced it's a first-come-first-served thing, and once there has been a ruling, they NEVER revisit it.
This scam has been going on for ages. I had the same about 10 years ago when I sold a phone, absolute perfect condition within a few days a message saying the screen was cracked asking for a discount. I then checked the buyers profile and realised he was selling loads of second hand phones and told him to jog on.
Feedback score was 100%. They are a reseller. My feedback was also 100%.
I asked buyer for an address so i could buy postage. They replied ‘ask eBay’. I rang eBay, they wouldn’t release an address due to ‘data protection’ but showed how to navigate to an address on buyer’s profile. I found it and sent it to buyer and asked is this your address. They said yes.
But a slight worry I had was that where I navigated to also stated ‘do not post to this address’. I asked eBay about this and they said yes it’s a GSP address in the US and a member of the public can’t send any old package thru that service. So now what? They said work with buyer, eBay can’t help. As I said eBay has left me high and dry.
I’m not paying £95! to have it sent to a GSP address only for it to be lost there. On google there seem to be firms that will give you a US address to send to. They bundle that up with other packages going overseas to say, UK and then send at a much cheaper rate than DHL or UPS. Anyone used these?? Just exploring in case the buyer is actually honest!
I asked buyer for an address so i could buy postage. They replied ‘ask eBay’. I rang eBay, they wouldn’t release an address due to ‘data protection’ but showed how to navigate to an address on buyer’s profile. I found it and sent it to buyer and asked is this your address. They said yes.
But a slight worry I had was that where I navigated to also stated ‘do not post to this address’. I asked eBay about this and they said yes it’s a GSP address in the US and a member of the public can’t send any old package thru that service. So now what? They said work with buyer, eBay can’t help. As I said eBay has left me high and dry.
I’m not paying £95! to have it sent to a GSP address only for it to be lost there. On google there seem to be firms that will give you a US address to send to. They bundle that up with other packages going overseas to say, UK and then send at a much cheaper rate than DHL or UPS. Anyone used these?? Just exploring in case the buyer is actually honest!
Another for 'write it off'
eBay is pointless now unless you list everything as 'for parts', not sure if you can do this for everything.
I buy old computers things like Psion's every now and again, just to play with and collect, I've noticed recently, a large number are being sold as 'not working' even though the images show they are and look in good condition.
I think this is the only way around eBay selling now, show the item very clearly and list it as damaged, not working etc.
Or just chuck it in the bin.
I feel really sorry for anyone who once made a living from it, it's utter crap now!
eBay is pointless now unless you list everything as 'for parts', not sure if you can do this for everything.
I buy old computers things like Psion's every now and again, just to play with and collect, I've noticed recently, a large number are being sold as 'not working' even though the images show they are and look in good condition.
I think this is the only way around eBay selling now, show the item very clearly and list it as damaged, not working etc.
Or just chuck it in the bin.
I feel really sorry for anyone who once made a living from it, it's utter crap now!
I find it amazing the amount of people who seem scared to have someone pick up a coat or item of clothing from their home.
Answer the door, heres your coat, give me the money.
I understand it if you're selling a motorbike or something, but otherwise whats the worry?
I'm sure thousands of deliveries are made to your homes by people you don't know and no one seems to have an issue with that.
Answer the door, heres your coat, give me the money.
I understand it if you're selling a motorbike or something, but otherwise whats the worry?
I'm sure thousands of deliveries are made to your homes by people you don't know and no one seems to have an issue with that.
I'd second the above, I've bought a lot off eBay over the years, and in recent years I've noticed how many people want you to pay via PayPal (or the eBay equivalent now) if collecting in person for "security". I struggle to see how getting paid in a way that could result in someone playing the system better than you and you losing the money, is safer than someone stuffing pound notes in your mitt and walking away. Bizarre.
I stopped selling on eBay equally years ago. Because the issues were becoming more hassle than they were worth. eBay just want income, it's not a community, they don't care about sellers at all (don't care much about buyers but they do realise that sellers will come and go but buyers need to keep buying). Their priority is the volume sellers, selling Chinese crap for 99p who will write it off without an argument if something goes wrong as this is the most profitable model for eBay. This is why it's now so hard to speak to a person. You can do it, but it's not just a case of ringing them like it used to be. They don't want that.
Unfortunately eBay has become a game, and how well you play it dictates the outcome of claims.
If a buyer puts a claim in and you don't respond (for any reason, it doesn't matter if you choose to ignore or are at deaths door in hospital). Seller loses.
If a buyer puts a claim in, seller disputes it properly, but buyer has submitted claim in the correct category which results in eBay issuing a return label which is always for a light parcel and the parcel is heavier. Buyer wins. Not sure if eBay stand the cost of writing the item off or the seller. I've had this a few times with heavy stuff ordered that's turned out to be unusable, put a claim in, got a return label for 1kg. Item is a 50kg hydraulic press. eBay say keep it here's your refund. You then have the hassle of disposing of it. (If you were bent like some of the buyers this would be your intention of course).
If buyer puts claim in, in wrong category, doesn't supply enough or correct info, doesn't follow the procedure. Usually seller wins.
It's all about doing it eBay's way. Whether it's common sense, legal or right, it's their game you have to play by their rules if you want to sell or to an extent buy on their platform. Horrible company, terrible to sell on, especially if selling things that scumbags like such as phones, designer clothes, consoles, bits for Mx bikes, bits for tuned cars.
On another note when I did sell on there I went in to settings and changed which countries I would sell to. In fairness USA was one I would sell to, but Africa/Russia were turned off (although I did reactivate Russia for one transaction as the buyer seemed genuine and he was although it was a nervy few weeks till it arrived) but especially Italy, not sure what it was about Italy but almost every parcel "got lost".
Now if it won't sell on market place or similar I just bin it. Not worth the hassle.
I stopped selling on eBay equally years ago. Because the issues were becoming more hassle than they were worth. eBay just want income, it's not a community, they don't care about sellers at all (don't care much about buyers but they do realise that sellers will come and go but buyers need to keep buying). Their priority is the volume sellers, selling Chinese crap for 99p who will write it off without an argument if something goes wrong as this is the most profitable model for eBay. This is why it's now so hard to speak to a person. You can do it, but it's not just a case of ringing them like it used to be. They don't want that.
Unfortunately eBay has become a game, and how well you play it dictates the outcome of claims.
If a buyer puts a claim in and you don't respond (for any reason, it doesn't matter if you choose to ignore or are at deaths door in hospital). Seller loses.
If a buyer puts a claim in, seller disputes it properly, but buyer has submitted claim in the correct category which results in eBay issuing a return label which is always for a light parcel and the parcel is heavier. Buyer wins. Not sure if eBay stand the cost of writing the item off or the seller. I've had this a few times with heavy stuff ordered that's turned out to be unusable, put a claim in, got a return label for 1kg. Item is a 50kg hydraulic press. eBay say keep it here's your refund. You then have the hassle of disposing of it. (If you were bent like some of the buyers this would be your intention of course).
If buyer puts claim in, in wrong category, doesn't supply enough or correct info, doesn't follow the procedure. Usually seller wins.
It's all about doing it eBay's way. Whether it's common sense, legal or right, it's their game you have to play by their rules if you want to sell or to an extent buy on their platform. Horrible company, terrible to sell on, especially if selling things that scumbags like such as phones, designer clothes, consoles, bits for Mx bikes, bits for tuned cars.
On another note when I did sell on there I went in to settings and changed which countries I would sell to. In fairness USA was one I would sell to, but Africa/Russia were turned off (although I did reactivate Russia for one transaction as the buyer seemed genuine and he was although it was a nervy few weeks till it arrived) but especially Italy, not sure what it was about Italy but almost every parcel "got lost".
Now if it won't sell on market place or similar I just bin it. Not worth the hassle.
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