Sold a 32gb iPhone 3GS, buyer claiming it is not

[els19689]

Hi everyone,

I would really love some advice, I'm only new to selling on eBay, as I've always been the buyer, not the seller.
On August 31st of this year, I listed a 32gb iPhone 3GS for sale for $180.00. I included photographs of both the front and back of the iPhone as it was very well used and had some damage, stated that the lock button did not work, but other than that, the phone worked perfectly (I had been using it and tested the phone not only before I listed it, but before I sent it).
Within 15 minutes of my listing being for sale, a buyer had purchased the iPhone.
I received payment of the iPhone 3 days later and promptly posted the phone to the address listed. This was the 4th of September.
Today, the 24th of September, I have received a PayPal message stating that the buyer is requesting a refund.
The reasons listed for this refund request were:
Internally Damaged
Different Category
Different Model
Missing Parts

The buyer states that the iPhone I posted to him was not a 32gb iPhone, but instead was a 16GB iPhone and that when making calls, cannot hear anything.

The iPhone I posted to him was MOST DEFINITELY a 32GB iPhone 3GS, as I have never owned any other type of iPhone 3GS.
The photographs in the listing even show the back of the iPhone which says 32gb.
He also has listed that there are missing parts, there are no other parts to the iPhone. I listed this iPhone as JUST the iPhone, no accessories.
I am also positive that there was no internal damage to the iPhone, other than the scratching and lock button not working.
It took the buyer at least two weeks to inform me of any problems with the iPhone and even then, there was no communication via eBay, it was just straight to a refund request, which has taken $190.00 from
My account until the issue is resolved.
I am very sure that this particular buyer is trying to scam me, as this blatant lie of receiving a 16gb iPhone 3GS is just absurd! An iPhone cannot just lose 16gb of storage and change its back casing in the mail!
I did not offer refunds as part of my eBay transaction, but it has still occurred regardless.
Can anyone please help me?
What can I do to prove that this buyer is not being truthful, other than photographs of the iPhone?
I feel very helpless in this situation!

[els19689]

Very true, excellent, I will be checking all three if I do receive the phone back! If I don't receive the phone back, I hope it is because the refund was rejected and the claim finalised in my favour!

[els19689]

Also, I have no intention of ever opening the phone! I have no idea how I would ever go about doing that anyway!

[bsal6160]

So long as you have learnt that just like "motor oil and milk", mobile phones and eBay JUST dont mix well.

[patchoo78]

The only listing I can find of yours where you have sold an iPhone is this one:

Apple iPhone 4 - 16GB - White Smartphone Cracked Screen, perfect working order

Maybe you mixed up the packages?

[els19689]

Patchoo78, I did also sell that iPhone at the same time, and that was received by the buyer who was perfectly happy. They are different models of iPhone and look completely different, also the iPhone4 hadaccessories and the original packaging with it, whilst the iPhone 3gs was just the iPhone itself, so I know it most certainly wasn't a mix up.

Since investigating the situation more, I'm beginning to realise that this particular buyer is a little bit on the dodgy side.

[flotsam-jetsom]

Patchoo78, I did also sell that iPhone at the same time, and that was received by the buyer who was perfectly happy

Maybe that was because they got a 32g phone when they paid for a 16g? Just a thought

[els19689]

Flotsam-jetsom, the other buyer certainly did get the iphone4, they are twocompletely different models of iPhones, they don't look similar at all, so there was no way that they were mixed up. Also, I had to transfer the iPhone4 into the buyers name, which confirmed that they had the correct item.

[tcrazer]

any update to this story?