I have a feeling we fell for a scam - buyer claiming counterfeit on a genuine very expensive item

[bright_tomato]

I have listed my husband's very expensive phone (it's over $5000 brand new) and finally sold it at best offer for only $1300, much less than what we were hoping to get. But we really needed the money. I took all precautions - took very detailed photos, sent the buyer the IMEI number  and tracking number, insured the phone for $1300 when posted. She received the phone and literally the next day I receive a message that she believes the phone to be a copy or a fake. I am in a state of shock, I am not a retailer, I only sell my own second-hand goods and this phone was a gift from a close friend of my husband's. There is absolutely no chance that it is fake or a copy. She didn't even investigate,  i suggested that she takes the phone to a TAG store to check and she completely ignored that. I have a feeling this is a scam artist who is now requesting a return for refund and will send us back a fake phone to scam us.

My questions is, does anyone has any experience with what kind of process ebay/pay pal follows when a buyer claims the item to be fake? I listed the item with "no returns accepted" condition so I am also wondering - am I able to reject her return request?

[clarry100]

Yes *sheep* I would think that to know the unique IMEI number of the fake phone would be a crucial piece of evidence in this case.

I would think that the case managers (ebay.ca) should be requesting the buyer to provide this crucial piece of evidence.

Once that is known it should be a simple matter to compare the life history of the genuine article the seller has packed & sent and that of the fake one the buyer claims to have received.

The life story of the genuine one is going to align with the stat decs sworn by the seller. That of the fake one would almost certainly show no history in Australia and, in fact as someone else on here posted before, if it shows history in Canada or the general location of the buyer then that would be pretty damning evidence against the buyer I would think.

It is perhaps for this reason that the buyer might be reluctant to divulge this unique number to anyone. But if they have to get a report done by TAG then hopefully this number will be on the report.

[clarry100]

Just wondering if there might be any updates on progress on this one. Haven't heard anything for a couple of days now.

[i-love-my-sheep]

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@clarry100 wrote:
Just wondering if there might be any updates on progress on this one. Haven't heard anything for a couple of days now.

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You beat me to it Clarry, I was about to ask the same thing!

[onei0403]

Look after yourself Bearded 1....:)

[punkybird_indiebee]

Bumping to see if BT has had any news regarding this?

Very much a newbie now but used to buy/sell quite a lot and was previously a fan of high end designer bags. Which of course are ripe for bait and switch - not just on ebay, but anywhere that's not a authorised re-seller and authenticator.

I can't help at all regarding this BT as I'm honestly lost as to how it's all dealt with now and obviously you've got some experienced members here backing you up. 

One thing I wanted to say though is that when it comes to international scams on designer goods and dealing with bait and switch scams specifically, there is a forum that is US based but has members worldwide who know every little detail on dealing with this sort of thing.

Have you heard of The Purse Forum?

It's populated by lovers of designer accessories, not just bags. All high end brands - Birkin, Louis Vuitton, Christian Louboutin, Chanel and the like. They have a specific ebay forum that's had every type of issue and scam discussed over the years, and all the ways of dealing with international ebay sites, paypal, fraud etc.

It's quite possible someone has dealt with a Tag bait and switch before, and there are certainly many Aus and Canadian members. It *may* be worth also asking there to see if there's anything at all further that may help? It may not, I haven't been a member for a while, but it's certainly still very active.

Not sure if I'm allowed to link it, but it's easy to find - simply search The Purse Forum via google, and you can't miss it. Ebay forum is down the page a bit.

[i-love-my-sheep]

The case was on hold until 17/1/15 US/Canada time, so today our time, to allow for the buyer to get relevant documentation(or something to that effect). Hopefully we'll know something in the next few days. There are plenty of members here who are sitting here with baited breath waiting for news!

Even if it happens that PayPal refunds the buyer out of their account, not BT's, I'd still be pretty pished knowing that he has got both the phone and a rather large refund. Not much we can do about that though. Better to come out of their pocket than BT's. It would prove to the buyer that you can scam to your hearts content and no-one can stop you.

[kopenhagen5]

Sheep, providing a switcha-roonie was done by a carrier employee.

Especially if declaration was on the outside of package.

(We don't either for sure yet and may never know) 

[bright_tomato]

Hi guys, IT IS OVER AND WE'VE WON!!!!!! The buyer had until the 17th (Canada-time) to provide appraisal documentation from an authorised dealer and looks like they have failed to do that. Ebay kept the case on hold until then but had 2 additional days to decide on the case after that. So we received an email last night that the case has been closed!!! Not only that, but I think my feedback and everything else has been restored also! I just want to thank everyone who helped me so much with valuable advice and moral support, I really appreciate it and I am so so grateful!!!! I really hope this thread helps someone else in the future. I really can't believe it's over.

Here is the copy of the email:

Hi bright_tomato,

eBay Customer Support has reviewed the case and made a final decision.

We decided not to issue the buyer a refund. You don't need to do anything else for this case. Decision: This case has been decided in your favour. Comments: For more information about this case, please refer to the email we sent you. Because we decided in your favor, this case, any feedback left, and all detailed seller ratings left, will not affect your seller performance. In addition, any feedback left for this transaction will be removed. Note: It may take up to 24 hours for these updates to reflect in your Seller Dashboard. You can also view the details of this case in the Resolution Centre.

[crazyplacecostumes]

This is fantastic news!!!! 

VERY pleased for you 

[cq_tech]

Congratulations BT, I'm very happy for you! A well-deserved win indeed.

I'm just sorry that you had to go through all of that aggro.

You won't hear anything about it, but I hope the ba$tard is prosecuted.