This Buyer is an outright cheat

[bobbiej7523]

SELLERS BEWARE, SELLERS BEWARE, SELLERS BEWARE

Re item:

254170448696

I am aware that eBay has a policy of the buyer always wins but I am still smarting about their 'SIDING' with this buyer.

I sold this buyer a front glass for an 27 inch iMac and posted it securely packed with multible layers of bubble wrap. Some days later I received a return request from the buyer with photos showing an iMac completely smashed front glass in my still undamaged packing. I was not concerned as I had paid extra insurance on postage.

However, on checking the photos I realised that the smashed front glass was not the front glass the that I sent as it did not have two labels that mine had on the rear side.

I could have claimed insurance fron Aus Post but I thought that I would catch this cheat out.

How wrong was I. After MANY HOURS on eBay's chat lines I may as well been chatting to a brick wall. With all the facts, photos etc., they still refunded the cheat from my PayPal account.

Note: I refused to spend more money on return postage to accommodate this cheat and also it woud have been dangerous to post HIS smashed front glass.

[Anonymous]

254170448696 leads me nowhere and there is no record in your sold items section.

Mainly trying to find a photo in your listing showing these labels.

The switcheroo must be the oldest scam on ebay and one that the powers to be

must do all they can to stamp out.

eBay appears to be making a mockery of sellers who 'mark' their items to prevent

this scam.

[clarry100]

Hmmm!! This is an oldie on Ebay where the buyer switched their damaged item for the good one they have received, and then claim it arrived broken/damaged.

Unfortunately ebay will normally side with the buyer on these kind of claims as you can see.

I don't have too much for you at the moment except to suggest you get the Australian Federal Police Fraud Squad involved now.

This can be done online via the link below.

The ACORN

Gather all the evidence you believe supports your assertion that the buyer has committed online fraud and make a report.

Once submitted you will get a report registration number.

Pass that report number to ebay in support of an appeal to reverse their initial desision.

You might also pass it to your buyer so they know they are under formal investigation for online fraud.

It's very important to remain calm and profesional as you deal with this.

Especially don't give the buyer any ammunition to come back at you with.

Just be factual and non-accusatory.

Does the item you sent have a serial number at all? 

If so, was that serial number clearly displayed on your listing?

[performance_parts_clearance_centre]

Shows up under the negative feedback the buyer left:

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Genuine-Apple-27inch-iMac-Front-Glass-Late-2009-2011-Renew-your-broken-G...

[locall1961]

The most annoying part about this is the fact that the buyer then leaves you a negative but you can’t. Ebay needs to change their policy back to when sellers were able to leave negative feedback for buyers when they deserved it. Please dispute this and contact the police as someone said. Probably not the first time this buyer has done it or will not be the only time if he gets away with it. I have had it happen to me when I sent an item that was ok when I sent it but the buyer has obviously bent something internally so was not able to charge it again and blamed me three weeks later, and this was after he had given me glowing positive feedback stating everything was fine with the item, EBay allowed him to return the item for a refund. Thought once feedback was given that a buyer then couldn’t try and get a refund, how wrong I was. Bloody annoying as I couldn’t resell and lost a very expensive item. Ebay are all about the buyer and that is why buyers are allowed to get away with what they do

[clarry100]

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@locall1961 wrote:

The most annoying part about this is the fact that the buyer then leaves you a negative but you can’t. Ebay needs to change their policy back to when sellers were able to leave negative feedback for buyers when they deserved it. Please dispute this and contact the police as someone said. Probably not the first time this buyer has done it or will not be the only time if he gets away with it. I have had it happen to me when I sent an item that was ok when I sent it but the buyer has obviously bent something internally so was not able to charge it again and blamed me three weeks later, and this was after he had given me glowing positive feedback stating everything was fine with the item, EBay allowed him to return the item for a refund. Thought once feedback was given that a buyer then couldn’t try and get a refund, how wrong I was. Bloody annoying as I couldn’t resell and lost a very expensive item. Ebay are all about the buyer and that is why buyers are allowed to get away with what they do

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The reason it was changed was because it was being used by sellers as a retaliatory weapon as you are suggesting now.

If they did change back then how would it be good for you apart from satisfying your personal need to retaliate?

The only way it might be useful is if they also introduced some mechanism by which a seller could auto-block buyers who had received a certain level of negative feedback. In a way similar to what we can do now with non-payment strikes for buyers. Then it might have some usefuness.

The returns process has always been independent of any feedback a buyer might leave.

Yes ebay always tend to side with the buyer as you have experienced.

You can only combat this by adding a small amount onto the sale price of each item so that when it happens you can just accept the loss and move on without stress. On this selling platform it is very near impossible to "teach buyers a lesson" so that they no longer do what they get away with. Kind of like shoplifting in a B&M store. It's a part of business and you have to price it in.

I'm assumng that your item was returned in an unsaleable condition. By ebay policy it is supposed to be returned in the same condition it was sent. But once again this is very difficult to prove as you have discovered. Again add a factor into your pricing to cover this event.

[bobbiej7523]

Thanks Clarry100 for this link.

While the case was open I went to our local Police Station where I spoke to a policewoman who firstly vertually told me to get out as it was not a matter for the police. When I argued that this should be a police matter she got rather abusive so I took her advice and got out.

Whist communicating with the cheat I had threatened to got to the police. He just communicated back writing - HA HA got ahead.

It is obvious that he had done this before and knew all the answers.

[springyzone]

The local police won't deal with a lot of matters where you might initially think they may be involved. eg i know a woman who paid a tradesman to finish some fencing. He started then never came back, leaving her out of pocket a couple of thousand dollars or more.

Police told her it is a civil matter.

You can certainly sue people but it is expensive.

ACORN is the best way to go for online fraud, I guess.

[clarry100]

As Springy says local police will do nothing and your buyer appears to know that and that's why they have laughed in your face.

The ACORN is administered by the Federal Police and exists purley to deal with Cyber Crime.

So your best bet for police action is to gather as much evidence as possible that indicates online fraud by your buyer and take the time to raise a formal case with The ACORN.

Then as I said above let both ebay and the buyer kbow the case number once you have it.