Could this be a scam by an eBay buyer?
1968forEver
Posts: 19 ✭
Has this happened to anyone else?
A buyer opens a request with eBay wanting a refund because the package you sent was badly damaged in transit as well as the card they purchased. Yes, they have pictures.
You ask that the item be returned before issuing a refund. Two days later eBay claims that the card was returned to you and that you should issue a refund by the following day, except you never received the returned card.
The tracking shows that the item was sent right back to the buyer who's requesting the refund, however eBay just see's that the item was delivered, according to the tracking provided by the USPS, and they expect you to issue a refund or they will deduct the funds from your account.
This might be completely innocent, and I hope it is, but it seems strange.
Thank you in advance for your input.
Comments
Well, did you issue a ebay return label? If not and they just uploaded a tracking, open a chat with customer service and explain the situation.
Could be a scam, Maybe they didn't remove the entire old label and it got redelivered. What is the feedback level of the buyer? Does the user sell things?
I think your right about the old label. The buyer has a good feedback rating but only as a buyer. Thanks for the input.
I think it'a a scam. The same thing happened to me but on Amazon. Buyer got a refund from Amazon. Amazon says the tracking shows it was delivered. Well it wasn't delivered to me.
What are you selling on Amazon?
Feebay doesn’t care because they get their money either way. Sellers can’t leave negative feedback for buyers. You can start doing a search on badbuyerlist.org before you ship stuff out, but I’m not sure if sellers update too often anymore. Too many scammers on eBay for me to sell anything I won’t give away for free.
The email prompt to issue the refund is an automated prompt. You can reach out to customer service and I would think the tracking would need to show delivered in your area for them to force the refund
Thanks to everyone who weighed in so far. Here's an update:
It's been more than a week now and I am still waiting for the damaged card to be returned, to me. When I confronted the buyer about the damaged item being sent back to him, he apologized and he told me he went right back to the USPS and sent it out again. However, the tracking number he gave me turned out tp be the same as the one from the original return, which he claimed was normal, and he reassured me that it should be delivered to me by Tuesday (4/27). Still, nothing yesterday or today. I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt since eBay hasn't stepped in as of yet and forced me to issue a refund.
Jim
If it turns out to be a scam please give me the ebay ID of this person so I can block them.
Updating my update:
I just got an email from eBay saying that they issued a refund and they're taking the funds from my account they have on hand. The buyer blames the post office claiming that as far as he's concerned, the card must have been returned to me, even though the only tracking number shows it was returned back to him. He claims they failed to assign a new tracking number when he sent it to me the second time, telling him that the same tracking number would be used. My wife, who worked for the USPS for thirty years calls BS on reusing tracking numbers.
Jim
It makes sense that ebay issued a refund on their own because the buyer entered tracking for the return and the tracking shows delivered. The system doesn't look to see where it was delivered to, they are just getting data with the word delivered which triggers the clock for you to voluntarily issue the refund or for eBay to do it after the buyer asks for eBay to step in.... You should have gotten an email reminding you to issue a refund possibly. ( I realize after typing this, that pretty much what I just said was in your original post!)
Anywho, have you opened a chat to explain the situation? Also, you never mentioned whether YOU issued the return label, or did the buyer do it on their own accord? Also, what was the dollar value of this transaction?
Also, that fact that the buyer ADMITTED to receiving the item back is good news as eBay will see this part of your communication when you contact them..
Thanks again for your insight. I told the buyer that I'll wait until the end of the week to see if I receive the returned card. if not I will open an appeal with eBay and an inquiry with the USPS.
In answer to your question, yes I issued the label at the assistance of eBay. All I did was agree to paying for it. I assume that eBay sent him the label to the buyer to download. Obviously they have my address.
Finally, the buyer was very defensive when I confronted him about getting eBay involved on forcing the refund, and not waiting to see if I receive it over the next couple days. He kept ranting about the USPS screwing up and how he wasn't going to pay for their mistakes. He ended by saying that if the card is returned to him again he will pay the postage and send it on to me, and making sure he gets a new tracking number. I bet that magically happens tomorrow or Friday.
Have a nice evening.
There is no reason for you to wait to see if you get it.... You can always re-refund him if it turns up. You have to tell eBay immediately that they issued a refund when you did not get the item back, and the tracking and communication with the buyer backs that up. You are being too passive and nice, that's a sucker's game. The buyer will be made whole in the end if you actually get it back, but right now you are NOT whole.
Thanks Again, everyone, for your comments and suggestions. I finally got the returned card back this past Saturday, so no scam. The buyer agreed that the whole incident seemed suspicious, even to him.
Best Regards!
Jim