How many of you have been scammed by a buyer on eBay?

291fifth · November 27, 2006 10:29PM

Let's list the ways it can happen:

Stolen credit card results in a chargeback after the coin has been mailed.

Returned coin or coin set was switched in whole or in part.

Buyer doesn't pay for optional insurance on a very low value item. He sees the item was shipped without delivery confirmation and claims non-delivery. He wants a refund.

Buyer claims a package arrived with the contents missing and wants a refund.

Buyer claims payment has been sent when it hasn't been. Threatens negative feedback if the coin is not sent to him.

Others?

Barndog · November 27, 2006 10:30PM

not happened to me yet

ebaytrader · November 27, 2006 10:36PM

I've only been burned once for an inexpensive item on eBay. Late check return (any domestic check after 5 business days is a 'late' return and you shouldn't be liable. Fed regulations limited the time for returns among banks to 4 days but not chargebacks to the depositor). I took it up with the branch manager. She punted and then I went up the CS ladder. They really wanted to keep their $12 so I let them have it.

BillJones · November 27, 2006 10:39PM

It has not happened to yet, but I've limited my purchases to those who have had thousands of transactions with a 99%+ positive feed back rating. I also mostly purchase modern coins in their original mint packages or poltical items, which are less prone to grading issues. There is no 70 point grading system for them. They are either nice, decent or yucky, and most you can almost alwys spot the yucky ones from the photos.

bhartman35 · November 27, 2006 10:45PM

Hasn't happened to me yet, but I've only got 52 feedback, and most of that is as a buyer. I also usually sell low-priced items, so I guess there's less of an incentive to scam. It's not like I'm selling MS gold Liberties or something.

I have, however, been scammed by a seller. I fell for one of those auctions where they present one coin in the title but buried in the description they say the coin is "one of several you might get". Ebay canceled the auction after I'd won and sent the money by Western Union.

This is one of several reason I almost exclusively use PayPal for bidding now.

JPerry · November 27, 2006 10:52PM

Sent payment. No delivery. Many years ago for non-coin item. He was charged and convicted. Needless to say I was not the only victim.

SmallSizedGuy · November 27, 2006 10:59PM

Not yet, but close. Sold a $500 bill on eBay, buyer tried to scam a "partial refund" for made up problem that did not exist several days after he had received the note. Luckily for me I was prepared for such a scam...I had excellent scans of the note and I had not left feedback (he had not either). I offered a full refund, but the buyer wanted to keep the note. I eventually blocked the buyer, and the buyer accepted the note - and then left positive feedback!

jayboxx · November 27, 2006 11:10PM

I believe I had someone try to do it. Someone claimed a coin I sent was never received, and it wasn't until I went to the Post Office and got a copy of the insurance sheet showing that it was signed for, and by whom, and emailed a scanned copy to them, that they suddenly "found" the coin...quite a coincidence.

Flyfishguy · November 27, 2006 11:20PM

Twice. Once in the early days of eBay with a stolen credit card on a $200 coin. And a few months ago on 1 oz of Platinum. In the case of the Platinum, the item was paid for through PayPal and shipped to a confirmed address. Two weeks after the fact, I get this message from Paypal telling mr to NOT ship because the funds are not there. Turns out it was some guy using his bosses credit card for purchases. PayPal in all of their kindness refunded me $600 of the $1200. The PayPal refund took 4 weeks, but before that I tracked the guy down, found his mother and she made good on the $1200.

jonathanb · November 28, 2006 12:26AM

I had a buyer un-scam me once. I sold a $500 item to Mexico, which isn't insurable by the post office. That made me nervous enough that I bought third-party insurance out of m own pocket. A month and a half later I hadn't received feedback from the buyer, and I was honestly curious if the package had arrived, so I followed up. Turns out that the package in fact had not arrived, but the buyer was ok with that. He didn't want his money back, and he didn't want to file an insurance claim even after I told him that I bought insurance. He even left me positive feedback. It was very weird...

mrearlygold · November 28, 2006 12:42AM

lkenefic · November 28, 2006 12:55AM

Once...but not on a coin. The buyer "peaches" in South Carolina elected to not insure a ceramic cookie jar and another item. One of the items broke in-transit and she insisted that "I make it right". I've packaged ceramic items that have made it safely to Germany. I asked her to take pics of the broken item...she couldn't do that either. Essentially I was held prisoner by the spectre of getting a negative feedback (she had over 500 positives...I think I was at 50 at the time). I bent over and gave her the money back. I figured $20 wasn't worth it.

Leo

PerryHall · November 28, 2006 1:14AM

<< <i>Once...but not on a coin. The buyer "peaches" in South Carolina elected to not insure a ceramic cookie jar and another item. One of the items broke in-transit and she insisted that "I make it right". I've packaged ceramic items that have made it safely to Germany. I asked her to take pics of the broken item...she couldn't do that either. Essentially I was held prisoner by the spectre of getting a negative feedback (she had over 500 positives...I think I was at 50 at the time). I bent over and gave her the money back. I figured $20 wasn't worth it.

Leo >>

Can we assume you blocked her from future auctions?

53BKid · November 28, 2006 5:57AM

Exactly at this time last year, a seller sold me a Library of Congress bi-metalic $10 commemorative. He claimed that because Pay Pal stiffed him on a purchase he made, he wasn't going to clear up my transaction until Pay Pal worked out his situation. Pay Pal froze whatever little balance was in the account, and paid me all of it, though still short about $450. The guy later took off for Vegas. It still stings.

Russ · November 28, 2006 6:52AM

I see some people didn't read the question.

I've been scammed by a buyer once. Guy said the money order was on the way and signed his eMail "Reverend" so and so. I figured it'd be safe to cross ship to a preacher, so I did. Of course, the money order never showed up and he never reponded to eMail again. Last, and only time, I made that mistake.

Russ, NCNE

flaminio · November 28, 2006 6:58AM

Just once, for a small dollar amount item. I had to leave the country on an emergency, and so I shipped the item before receiving payment. The buyer had low feedback, but no negs (at the time). When I got back, I still didn't have payment, so I did the usual routine: reminders, NPB, etc. Nothing. I leave a negative feedback for the guy, and wham! mere hours later (after weeks of noncommunication) I get a retaliatory neg back -- still my only neg. The loser got a few more negs, and was ultimately NARU'd.

But wait -- there's a postscript. About a year or so later, I got an email from the guy. He was apologizing, and said that his wife had toasted his eBay account, and was now divorced and trying to get his life back together -- so could I remove the neg that I left on his account? I told him, gently, to pound sand.

DJC · November 28, 2006 7:01AM

Only once, by a buyer or a seller. Since about 1997, under three different IDs in total (one abandoned in 2000ish, simply because I forgot about it, one I started in around 2001 that I use for selling only, and one I started around 2004 for buying)... around 2000 total transactions, and only the one problem. Even that was relatively harmless... buyer claimed a package never arrived (worth about $50) that I had signature confirmation on. I took a neg, and so did they... end of problem.

GAT · November 28, 2006 7:16AM

Russ, I know another person you shipped a coin to once without first receiving payment.

DorkGirl · November 28, 2006 7:22AM

Never by a buyer, but 3 times by sellers.....

joeyuk · November 28, 2006 7:47AM

Twice for small amounts.

First time a forum member purchased a couple baseball cards for $50. I sent them insured with delivery confirmation. He claimed he never received them despite DC sayine he did. I refunded payment after receiving payoff from ins.

Second time I didn't receive cent rolls from e-bay purchase. Seller would refund winning bid but not shipping cost. I threatened a neg. and asked the forum for advice. You guys said I was holding feedback hostage so I let it go.

sinin1 · November 28, 2006 8:11AM

almost once

buyer had about 20 feedback, claimed pacjage did not arrive on $15 coin

no insurance, I had already left feedback

I said fine I will send refund but will have to amend feedback to say buyer claimed item not received, refund sent

let me know, they said forget it

lordmarcovan · November 28, 2006 8:49AM

Got taken for $200 once. Guy took the money and ran.

Once out of several hundred times- I would say my victimization rate is below a quarter of a percent.

Edit: whoops- sorry- didn't read your title carefully enough. I was taken by a seller. Never yet by a buyer.

Goober · November 28, 2006 9:05AM

Sold item for $900 on Ebay recently. Customer paid, I sent goods. PayPal locks my account saying they believe my account has been compromised. I go through a half a day of work to get it unlocked. Tranfer the funds to checking. Four, maybe five days later Ebay tells me the item was purchased with a stolen account and that said auction is now null and void. I'm so pissed I remove all information from PayPal and close my account. I also go so far as to close my checking account and cancel credit card. I tried to get some help from customer service but it's "so sad, so bad". I still have the $900 but I'm waiting now for PayPal to come screaming once the credit card company from the stolen party does a chargeback. I want to be able to say "so sad, so bad", and hear the threats.

How many of you have been scammed by a buyer on eBay?

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