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!

[a_beautiful_room]

To be truthful, your best option is to go to the paypal transaction and to agree to issue the refund on return of the item by tracked and signed for post. (this is the method of return that paypal will specify)

Paypal cannot get involved in a "he said", "she said" argument and they won't .. to them it is one of millions of transactions happening every day and they cannot get involved in these disputes. They will probably mechanically process the dispute so that the customer is refunded on return, so you might as well do it yourself now and get it over with.

Then at least you can re-sell it.

If you get the item back damaged, then you will need to come back for further advice, as that is a bit more complicated. The buyer will need to prove to paypal that they have returned it before they issue the refund, so despite all the blah blah and feeling of disappointment, you might as well take the easiest course of action to end this, and get the phone back and re-sell it. If you sold it so easily last time, add $20 to the price this time to compensate for the hassle !

Buyers rarely read descriptions, so make the faults REALLY obvious in your description. Might not help, but at least if you get another dispute ebay can see that you have described it correctly.

[els19689]

Thank you for your help, maybe I should just process the refund, though I am concerned that in the two weeks since receiving the iPhone, the buyer has damaged it and decided to say that it was sent damaged, furthering complications, it's very disheartening!
Though I do very much appreciate your advice, thank you!

[leader-of-the-band]

Thank you for your help, maybe I should just process the refund

DO NOT refund until the item is returned to you.  If you refund on the 'promise' of the item being returned you may never see it again.  You already have doubts about this buyer.

[els19689]

Very true, thank you! I certainly do have more than doubts about this sneaky little buyer!

[bombbloke]

I suggest that, when you receive it back, you double-check that it is in fact a 32gb iPhone.

Inside are three connectors that attach the display and top speaker to the internal main circuit board. The third, which deals with the speaker and a couple of sensors, is the best secured of the these; while the other two tend to come off on their own, that one will only realistically budge if someone tries to eg replace the screen. It's also the connector that people are most likely to break when poking around inside.

So I'm thinking that the buyer opened the device, and maybe switched the internals with that of another phone - or at the very least pulled out that speaker cable.

So if you receive the device back, you'll want to check the serial number (which iTunes shows you on the device summary page). This should be compared to the serial number displayed against any backups you might still have of the device, or against the serial written on the little SIM card tray that slides out of it.

[a_beautiful_room]

I will preface my further comment by saying that even after all of my transactions I have never had a case opened against me for item not as described (so I am not entirely sure of the procedure) BUT I believe there is an option to select refund on return or something like that meaning that once the buyer has proved return shipping, then paypal automatically refunds. Don't process the refund manually, no. I am sure someone more experienced than me can help with the actual process of this.

[dickos-extreme]

Love it when I read things like this.;-)

Some awesome advise here, really nice work and help by some..

I do hope you can get it all sorted. Good luck els.

Buyer does sound a little sus to me.?:|

Over 2 weeks before contacting about a problem. Very sus.

[els19689]

Bombbloke, that is so helpful, I would never have thought of that and it is certainly a possibility. If I still have the IMEI number written down, will this be something I can check if/when I get the iPhone back and connect it to iTunes?
If I do get the iPhone back and it has been tampered with, would this possibly be a case to cancel a refund?
I can't thank you enough for this tip, it will certainly help me to confirm if the phone has been switched or something similar.

[els19689]

A_beautiful_room, thank you, if the refund does go ahead, I will select that option, thanks for the tip!