I got scammed on ebay from a ebay buyer with a PSA item
coolstanley
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I sold a sealed UNOPENED authenticated PSA signed baseball in perfect condition. The baseball and case was in mint condition. After the buyer received the baseball he then opened up the PSA case, therefore breaking the seal on the PSA case. He then asked me for a partial $25. He tried to scam me for a free $25. Then two days later, he wants a full refund. I refused so he then leaves me a negative. After he leaves me negative feedback, he then opens up a case to send the ball back for a refund.
Seems like its getting more difficult to have perfect feedback on ebay. I did nothing wrong, yet ebay lets these people get away with this crap. The scamming buyer has low feedback.
Terry Bradshaw was AMAZING!!
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You can appeal the negative feedback and probably have it removed.
Did he tell you he cracked it open or did you assume?
If your item arrived damaged the buyer can totally return it.
Like a year ago I heard a stat, I think it was, 50% of everything being purchased online through Amazon and such is being returned.
I requested to have the feedback removed, and was denied. From the stuff I have been reading online, ebay rarely removes negs anymore like they used to. So I am stuck with it. I dont see anyway how the case could've been damaged during shipment. I had it in a secure box with plenty of padding. The buyer claims the seal was broken. It was not compromised when I sent him the ball. Unless a postal worker opened the box and opened the case which is unlikely. Its also the first time a buyer left me a negative before he opened up a case.
Terry Bradshaw was AMAZING!!
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Has eBay decided on the outcome of the case?
I suggest skipping that podcast. Month-to-month the average return rate for all amazon orders is around 8%. 3% of those, on average, are not shipped before the return is initiated. Or, feel free to assume 50% is accurate. I'm not sure where you heard that or read it, but it could be someone trying to mislead people by selecting specific stats. Some categories at Amazon, might be as high as 50% -- such as clothing. Electronics is also pretty high, but there are also completely different percentages based on Amazon fulfilled vs Amazon delivered.
No, but I am sure he will win because he claimed 'item not as described.' So when he sends me the ball back, I will be getting a worthless PSA ball because someone compromised the two seals on the PSA case. He opened up a case yesterday on the 27th, and it says that ebay wont take action until July 3rd.
Terry Bradshaw was AMAZING!!
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I think It was on NPR.
I’ve been through a similar situation. The only difference perhaps was that the card had gone through eBay auth before heading to the buyer.
He tried to get me to refund him partially out of eBay. And then to return outside of eBay. I told him I would allow the return through eBay but not outside. He threatened me with negative feedback and when I would not send him money he followed through. I spoke with representatives from eBay and PSA stepped in and provided information on the condition. In the end eBay gave the guy $200 and paid me and removed his negative feedback. Now my card (his now I guess) is his eBay avatar. Guy had 26 feedback at the time. 100%.
I wish you luck but eBay has been reasonable for me so maybe you will get a good rep for your case.
Could be someone reporting something incorrectly to make their point or maybe they don’t know.
I’m aware of these numbers because one of my companies is in this industry and Amazon is also a customer. That being said that only speaks to why I follow these numbers and not a see look “I’m the authority”. This information is publicly available in their filings. So check my work. 50% would be a pretty massive number.
Sounds like you won your case because the guy threatened to give you a neg. That's feedback extortion. In my case, the guy didnt threaten feedback. He just gave me a neg before he opened a case. First he asked for a partial refund, then 2 days later he wanted a full refund.
Terry Bradshaw was AMAZING!!
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I only remember it because the number was massive. They were discussing it in relation to free return shipping policies. I'm not interested enough to check your work. Let's just go with, massive returns on online purchases.
It is against eBay rules for a BUYER to ask for a partial refund via messaging. It is considered buyer abuse. A Buyer is only allowed to open a NAD case, and then it is up to the seller how to proceed and offer a partial should they choose.
Mention this in your response to the open case. If you win the case, the neg will be removed
Are you sure about this? Is this in the ebay terms? This is all I could find. Says nothing about partial refunds.
https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/rules-policies-buyers/buying-practices-policy?id=4374#section2
Terry Bradshaw was AMAZING!!
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It's not the answer you're looking for, but the neg will fall off after a year and (assuming you don't get any more) you'll go back to 100% positive feedback.
95% of all statistics on the internet are pulled out of one's posterior.
You're on the wrong section of that page.... but it is there though under the heading things not mentioned/offered in the listing... Also, did the buyer send you a pic of the damage?
I've posted this advice several times before, and it has worked out extremely well for me over the years.
If you sell an item on Ebay, and you'd be "uncomfortable" getting scammed on it, then you should do some due diligence before shipping it.
Quick example - Say you sell a high priced item, and the shipping address is a low rent apartment on the bad side of town. Now what is someone such as this doing purchasing a high priced collectible, when probably he has trouble paying the rent each month? Well, I'll tell ya...because their intent is to somehow scam you.
I just cancel the sale, they get their refund, i immediately block them, and that's that. If they neg me which they usually don't, then I don't care. I'd rather have that than get scammed.
The "problem" with mentioned Amazon, is a seller is not allowed to block buyers. Actually there is no mechanism for doing it. Which is one reason why Amazon is well known as a scammer's paradise.
.> @Groo said:
NPR, not the internet. National Public Radio.
Whether the Amazon return rate is 50% or 8%, my wife is responsible for 33% of the 50% or 8%, so unless you sell to her, your odds are better than you think. And the upside is if you do sell to her, she’s going to keep one of the 5 sizes she buys 🤣
I was selling multiple 89 Upper deck Griffey’s from boxes I’d opened, and had some nut case think I was scamming him when a new auction started after he’d won the previous. Tried to explain, even showed him pictures of all the Griffeys I was selling. Told him if the card arrives, and he’s not happy for any reason, send it back for a refund. This only made him crazier, he was convinced I’d changed the pictures, and description, even though you can’t change either once a bid has been placed. 2 decades of selling, not a single negative or neutral, and I run into this whack job:
“ DO NOT BID ON ANY OF THIS GUYS CARDS HE IS SCAMMING BIG TIME. HE WILL CHANGE PHOTOS ON A GRIFFEY JR ROOKIE THAT SHOWS MINT UNTIL LAST MIN. YOU WANT PROOF CONTACT ME OR EBAY. EBAY IS WATCHING. DO NOT BUY FROM”
When sellers could actually leave negative feedback this sort of thing happened less. All the power is with the buyer.
Sounds like you found a special kind of moron there. I’ve thankfully avoided that.
That really sucks.
I agree with you about nearly all power being w/Buyer. I say nearly as we have someone in another thread (see below) claiming the exact opposite. Then take into account the outright scams Probstein gets away with, so perhaps it's actually 90% of power w/Buyer?
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1105037/do-not-list-or-consign-with-pwcc#latest
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
I'm not sure about Ebay, but on the Amazon seller forum, there are threads stating that there are forums out there dedicated to providing techniques on how to scam sellers on Amazon.
I'd be certain that likely the same goes for Ebay.
Another important thing to remember. When ya start selling on Amazon or Ebay, read the rules, and don't deviate from the rules one iota.
When ya read the rules, and don't quite understand it, then read it again until you do. Don't presume that a minor deviation from the rules or lack of understanding, if a scammer strikes, will get you off the hook. Even if the evidence seems to clearly point in your favor, chances are high if not certain, that the venues are going to make a decision in favor of the buyer.
Apparently that is no longer the rules. They ruled in the buyers favor.
If anyone would like to block this scammer. His ebay username is geralwrigh12
Terry Bradshaw was AMAZING!!
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That will be the LAST time I ever sell a PSA baseball in a sealed case on ebay. It's way to easy to scam someone.
Like mentioned before by some other members here...All the power is with the buyer.
Terry Bradshaw was AMAZING!!
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Did you speak with someone? If not it’s possible this was an automatic ruling and you can contest it and someone will evaluate it.
How can I contest it when they already gave the buyer instructions to return the ball?
Terry Bradshaw was AMAZING!!
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What really makes me mad is ebay lets buyers get away with leaving negative feedback, even before opening up a case. And then they refuse to remove it.
Terry Bradshaw was AMAZING!!
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Have you spoken with anyone at eBay? If you haven’t I would suggest calling them.
Did you mention to eBay that the buyer first asked for a partial? (I got the sense that the case was already at the review stage when you posted here). Also, you never said if the buyer sent you a pic of the "damage". You should appeal the decision, open a chat, only take a few minutes of your time....
Would it be better if I appealed the decision after I received the ball back? Yes I mentioned he asked for a partial several days before they reviewed the case. He opened the case on June 27 and they just reviewed the case today. He did send pictures of the item which means nothing in my opinion. If a buyer compromised a PSA sports cards, wouldn't it be easy for him to take pictures of the broken PSA case?
Terry Bradshaw was AMAZING!!
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I contacted ebayer and she told me there is nothing she can do. She also said she is unable to remove the negative.
So they cant remove the feedback. Its really unfair that he gets to scam me plus ruin my feedback. Thats like a double whammy. Thanks ebay for stabbing me in the back. Been a seller for 10 years.
Terry Bradshaw was AMAZING!!
Ignore list -Basebal21
Never refuse to accept a return on an item. Accept a return request graciously. Here's why.
First off, ebay will honor the return and charge your account for it anyway, and by not being gracious what you are doing is setting up for the strong possibility of a negative with a scathing comment that ebay will not remove and can possibly dissuade buyers that read it. Ebay is very hesitant to remove negative feedback unless the commentary greatly digresses from the parameters of the sale.
Also, when you accept a return, the buyer has to return the item and you get a chance to inspect it, then authorize the refund.
The alternative is a chargeback. Which can occur up to 180 days after payment is received. Most credit card companies do not require a buyer to return the item. So accept returns graciously. It's better to get your item back, have a chance to inspect it, issue the refund, and then be able to resell it rather than to wind up losing the money anyway up to 6 months later and then not even have the luxury of having the item back to resell, a double whammy.
Also, as far as seller security goes with respect to transacting, ebay has shot its load. These type of return and chargeback scenarios won't plague you if you deal with an auction house. They sell your item, you get paid, and if there's a hassle later on, they deal with it, that's what your paying them the seller's fee for.
I'll be selling more items through auction house for sure. I dont need these headaches. Reason I didnt accept his return is because how am I going to re sell a PSA sealed baseball that is now unsealed?
Terry Bradshaw was AMAZING!!
Ignore list -Basebal21
Did you submit the baseball to PSA yourself??? When you send a baseball to PSA for autograph authentication you get a certificate (and a letter if you want if not included) and then an identifying hologram sticker is placed on the autographed item that matches the certificate sticker. Are you saying that with the cubed ball, there is no PSA hologram sticker on the baseball? Also, PSA doesn't offer encapsulation of baseballs, did you say in your listing that the item was sealed by PSA like the cards are, tamper-proof. Sounds like the ball was put in/displayed in a cube display case, which can be opened (top popped off)..... So might be that the top popped off in shipping, and the buyer was expecting a sonically sealed cube, but didn't get that freaked.
I figured when you said you sold an unopened graded baseball, that PSA had started to encapsulate baseballs, but I can see that is still not the case, so something is off here..... I don't think this ball was every "sealed" to begin with!!! Beginning to look like, though unintentional, you deserve the negative feedback you received
Unless it was something like this with PSA tape/stickers which I don't think they do anymore.
Yes. The case was sealed with two PSA tape/stickers just like the one in your picture. No way those two seals could've popped off during shipment.
Terry Bradshaw was AMAZING!!
Ignore list -Basebal21
Sadly, that doesn't matter on ebay where the playing field is drastically slanted towards the buyer at an 89 degree angle, lol. On ebay, the buyer is always right; even when they're 100% wrong. As far as ebay is concerned, if the buyer states that the stickers were amiss, it really doesn't matter whether the seller shipped it that way or if the buyer finagled them loose.
Keep in mind, a buyer doesn't have to really make a case on ebay. Any return for "changed my mind", or "found it elsewhere cheaper", or "item not as described or pictured" typically generates an automatic return. With returns for any reason, right or wrong, and the ever-present specter of cc chargebacks, never consider an ebay item as a final sale until 180 days from payment has elapsed! Until 180 days has gone by, the chances of a return or chargeback loom large. Think quality auction houses for the secure sales of your expensive items. It'll cost you more, in most cases up to 25%, but it's a sure thing and they deal with any of the fallout from buyer flim-flam that may occur for up to 6 months after payment. The extra ducats shelled out on a larger selling fee than ebay is well worth the peace of mind in many cases.
I am really surprised ebay did you this way. You probably heard about the fake Jordan red "PMG" that was purchased on ebay last month. well, it was a $20k sale and ebay both let the seller keep the money and refunded the buyer for that purchase. they stood up for both buyer and seller big time on that one.
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
This is why I don't accept returns.
eBay usually does what craig stated when it's unclear where the fault lies or it can be assumed the shipper is to blame. Buyers still have a 3 day window with 'no returns accepted' on any ebay money back guarantee item.