Scam Attempt?

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iamsmart

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I've been using ebay for a while now, but not nearly as much as I used to, so I'm not always on top of the various tricks and such that potential scammers might use. The CAG community has been helpful in the past, so I wanted to run this by you guys to see what you think:

-I sold my Playstation 4 on ebay last week to a buy with relatively low feedback (22), but otherwise nothing really suspicious about their profile.

-Late Sunday night, the buyer messages me saying the PS4 crashes after a few minutes of playing games, and they want a return. They open a case immediately after.

-I tell them to ship it back and I will refund when it arrives (and I make sure it's not just a box full of rocks); the next morning they give me a tracking number and say it's going out via NEXT DAY MAIL (from California to Maryland!?) and it will arrive tomorrow afternoon.

-While I wait, the buyer sends me some messages saying they are strapped for cash, and would appreciate it if I refunded them by emaling the paypal payment, so it wouldn't be refunded to their credit card. I politely decline, then cock my eyebrow and go "hmmm...."

-Just a few minutes ago, after reading some messages from the buyer asking if I received the package, I check on the tracking, and it turns out it was a package sent via FIRST CLASS MAIL, and it traveled a whopping 30 miles before reaching it's destination in the buyer's hometown.

What do you guys think? From the tracking, it looks like the buyer pretty much just sent themselves a package, but I don't know how they would plan to screw me over with such a plan. Then again, as I said I don't do ebay stuff much anymore, so before I asked the buyer about it I wanted to see what you thought... is this some new trick I don't know about, or does this guy just not know how to ship a package?

Thanks!

 
Edit: never mind, the guy gave me two different tracking numbers. This whole thing is still a bit iffy, but a lot less iffy than it was five minutes ago.

 
Don't issue a refund until you've received your console back and verify it is the same console you originally sent (hopefully you recorded the S/N somewhere or have the original receipt).

Only refund through the dispute (assuming everything went okay with the return). If you send him a separate payment as a "refund" he can hit you twice.

It looks like you figured out the tracking fiasco but remember only parcels up to 13oz can go first class. If his original payment was over $250 (I'm assuming it was if the item was a PS4) you were supposed to add signature confirmation to the package and he will be required to do the same. 

I once had a buyer claim a 3DS I sold them was defective so they said they were going to return it. Well they mailed some magazines to an address in my zip code but not to my house. They did this intentionally knowing that the tracking would show "Delivered" to my zip code which is all eBay requires for proof of delivery on items less then $250. Thankfully I live in a small town and someone at the business it was sent to knew me personally and gave me a call. I picked up the package and was able to win the case showing that the buyer A) purposefully sent the item to another address B) mailed back magazines

 
GBAstar, thank you. I made sure I covered all of those things before shipping, and it was for that very reason you mentioned that I didn't want to email a refund. I took a photo of my S/N as well, but I never quite understood how that protects me... why would Paypal side with me instead of saying "hey, that could be a picture of anyone's PS4"?

eulogywerd21 said:
Come on man. Live up to your screen name.
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They are like 20 digit tracking numbers with only a three digit variance between them... I'm not rainman!

 
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iamsmart said:
GBAstar, thank you. I made sure I covered all of those things before shipping, and it was for that very reason you mentioned that I didn't want to email a refund. I took a photo of my S/N as well, but I never quite understood how that protects me... why would Paypal side with me instead of saying "hey, that could be a picture of anyone's PS4"?

They are like 20 digit tracking numbers with only a three digit variance between them... I'm not rainman!
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I'm just messing with ya. Trying to lighten the mood. I hope it works out.

 
Well, this case took a whole new, sucky twist. The buyer shipped next day priority on the 13th.... it still has not arrived. The tracking updates end on the 13th after it departs the sort facility in San Diego. I've been keeping an eye out, and the buyer has been asking about it, but nothing has shown up: now the buyer is telling me the USPS said it was probably delivered, and he's saying "c'mon, just refund me my money." 

I've followed every rule, so I feel I'm in the right on this, but it still makes you nervous with so much money on the line.

 
Call USPS yourself with the tracking number.  If the tracking info has not updated, I doubt someone would have told him that it has "probably been delivered".  Do not send a refund until you have the item back and have verified that it is the same console.

I'd also see if there is any way they can verify the package weight, just in case.

 
iamsmart said:
GBAstar, thank you. I made sure I covered all of those things before shipping, and it was for that very reason you mentioned that I didn't want to email a refund. I took a photo of my S/N as well, but I never quite understood how that protects me... why would Paypal side with me instead of saying "hey, that could be a picture of anyone's PS4"?

They are like 20 digit tracking numbers with only a three digit variance between them... I'm not rainman!
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be rainman...always be rainman

edit- probably delivered? this guy is probably lying to you about that. USPS doesn't talk like that.

 
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Yeah, I do think that was BS, but he later came forward with something worthwhile: apparently on another call with USPS, he found out that the barcode was scratched-up on the label, so it's just been sitting at my post office for the past three days. Lo and behold, the tracking information updates later tonight. The thing that pisses me off is that it says that they tried to deliver and left a note on the 14th. They definitely did not leave a note, but because it says so (probably because it's just their boilerplate response) the guy is giving me shit, like I've been putting it off and lying to him this whole time.

So I guess we'll see what comes in the box tomorrow: a broken system, a box of rocks, who knows. To be honest, given his very urgent nature (he asked me if I could refund him tonight again), I think he probably bought it on a whim and couldn't really afford it... I wouldn't be surprised if it's in great working condition. Then again, who knows. This wasn't the worst exchange I've ever had, but it was definitely one of those very frustrating ones that you just have to vent about, so thanks for putting up with my baloney.

 
Sadly, ebay has changed since I last sold there and I couldn't tell you how to do it. You may not be able to due to the buyer's dispute. On the other hand, if you can prove that there is no problem with the system, you may get past that.
 
thelonepig said:
Even if the system comes back clean and in good working condition, you can impose a restocking fee.
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Went through this SAME issue with a buyer on Amazon. Sold my old PS3 with a game and HDMI cord. They told me they couldn't get it to work for them and sent it back to me.

Box looked like fuck ! Console was cracked but working. No HDMI cord or game came back with it, but everything else did. I called Amazon and talked to their pros and they told me I could do a restocking fee of up to 60% restocking fee (I think, it was high nonetheless) due to the missing items and it being cracked. She also said I could deduct BOTH shipping costs from the entire payment.

Lady paid me about $180 (shipping included) and ended up getting like $75 back from me. I am still not happy with how she shipped it back to me. Why would you treat such a defenseless system like that? :cry:

Anyway, not sure how ebay is but considering they're not that much different than Amazon (especially since they're competing with each other), I'd say call them up and ask them what you should do in such a case and if a restocking fee is a good idea.

 
Found more info about restocking fees for ebay sellers for you;

Returns



You're required to specify your return policy in your listings, even if you don't accept returns.
If you accept returns, a buyer can return an item for any reason, including when they change their mind about a purchase—as long as the return meets the return requirements—for example, returning an item within your stated time frame, and meeting item condition requirements.
We encourage you to accept returns—it helps increase buyer satisfaction.

What to do

Specify if items can be returned.

If you accept returns, you must specify:


  • The time period in which a buyer must notify you about a return
  • The restocking fee, if any
  • Who pays for return shipping*
  • If there are item conditions required for return, and clearly state those conditions*
  • How the refund is issued
Even if you specify that you don't accept returns, a buyer may be able to open an eBay Buyer Protection case for eligible items if the buyer didn't receive an item or the item doesn't match the listing description. Learn more aboutResolution Center cases that might affect your selling status.

*If you've opted in to the eBay returns process, some return requirements are automatic and can't be changed.

About restocking fees

If you charge a restocking fee for returns, we recommend that you only ask for a reasonable amount.

You shouldn't charge restocking fees for items returned due to damage, defects, or not-as-described in the listing.*

*If you've opted in to the eBay returns process, you can't charge a restocking fee in these instances.
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Source: http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/selling-practices.html

 
Thanks! I will keep that in mind for future transactions, though from what I gather it sounds like it wouldn't work in this instance as they filed a SNAD complaint. 

 
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