Ebay/PP scum
- Thread starter RavenXXX2
- Start date
I ran a fairly successful pc component store on ebay for a while (apple bits, laptop spares mainly) and lost about £600 a month to scammers. Eventually we started to security mark every item above £20, etc, it did nothing. When claims were made the paypal team always always sided with the buyer, no matter the evidence we supplied.. Missing UV markers, completely different items returned (videos of unboxing returned items, comically detailed) blah blah, it meant absolutely nothing. Policy is to side with the buyer, unless the police are directly involved. I once lost £1400 in a day to a French buyer. Took every conceivable precaution.. He ticked one box and that was that.. I was pretty much on the phone to paypal 2-3 times a week.
Anyway, bottom line, avoid selling on ebay if at-all possible.
Anyway, bottom line, avoid selling on ebay if at-all possible.
Because all the security measures and videos and photos in the world are so easily faked or sidestepped ebay would be insane to accept them as proof.
"We UV mark all out items, look heres a video of us boxing up the UV marked item"
*cut open box replace with broken unmarked item*
*buyer says item is broken*
"Well weve just got the item back lets open it up and shine the light on it....oh look no UV marking so clearly its not the item we sent"
Ebay still has a purpose, to get rid of things you regard as junk lying about your house which your not too fussed if you don't end up getting the money you sell it for.
I've been lucky and have 1600 feedback and only been scammed twice, Paypal sided with me on each occasion and I had to fax them a sworn affadavit when a buyer tried to say i'd sent them the wrong item.
For expensive items just put a collection only on it with cash only. You narrow down your buyers considerably but at least it's worth a punt.
As long as you send the item you sell fully insured and always tracked with a pod, then if there is a signature Paypal will unfreeze your money eventually.
I've been lucky and have 1600 feedback and only been scammed twice, Paypal sided with me on each occasion and I had to fax them a sworn affadavit when a buyer tried to say i'd sent them the wrong item.
For expensive items just put a collection only on it with cash only. You narrow down your buyers considerably but at least it's worth a punt.
As long as you send the item you sell fully insured and always tracked with a pod, then if there is a signature Paypal will unfreeze your money eventually.
Be interested to see how you get on, what the response from the buyer is.
Your fault man, sorry
Anyone trusting ebay nowadays is nuts, it's a minefield of idiots, chances, scammers and people wanting everything for a penny. Honestly, I regard ebay as the marketplace for the dregs of society, people who are too stupid to use anything else, too weird to go to a shop, too socially awkward to use a classified site, etc etc.
I'm well aware that this is only indicative of maybe 0.01% of their userbase but nevertheless that mentality helps me stay away from it and all the people it inhabits.
Soldato
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Charming.
OP, how would you feel if you'd just bought a motherboard off eBay and within a few days a cap had blown? Reverse the situation and there's no evidence whatsoever that either the buyer or eBay or PayPal are trying to scam you.
You're just being awkward (saying you won't accept returns doesn't mean anything - that's only applicable if the buyer simply changes their mind, you're still on the hook for faulty/items not as described) and treating eBay like a car boot sale or classifieds.
Accept the return, and go from there. If it isn't your motherboard that you receive back, THEN you've been scammed and you'll need to follow the various processes with either eBay and PayPal (they're not the same company any more).
In my experience, the people who have problems with eBay are those who don't use it as it is intended.
You could have just reported the winner of the auction for non payment?
They don't always side with the buyer, at all. I've won a few claims made when I've sold items, just by being reasonable and not jumping to conclusions. Of course eBay care about the people getting charged the fees - that's how they make money!
Having access to the MM, I wouldn't sell computer gear on Ebay unless it was low value or I was being greedy for the slightly higher prices you get.
And I say that as someone who has sold ~£3.5k of general household crap on Ebay over 6 or 7 years, and has only been successfully scammed once (for a £120 loss) and unsuccessfully scammed on one further occasion (for a £10 item!).
Ebay's fine for kids' clothes and toys, furniture, but it's a minefield for electronic goods. And that risk is priced in - you get more for your item, but it comes with a possibility of getting nothing. Make peace with yourself on that risk/reward, or don't use it.
E:
Actually just remembered I also had a 'did not arrive' claim on a £1 PC game (EA Cricket 2005 IIRC). I figured that one was probably genuine, to be honest.
And I say that as someone who has sold ~£3.5k of general household crap on Ebay over 6 or 7 years, and has only been successfully scammed once (for a £120 loss) and unsuccessfully scammed on one further occasion (for a £10 item!).
Ebay's fine for kids' clothes and toys, furniture, but it's a minefield for electronic goods. And that risk is priced in - you get more for your item, but it comes with a possibility of getting nothing. Make peace with yourself on that risk/reward, or don't use it.
E:
Actually just remembered I also had a 'did not arrive' claim on a £1 PC game (EA Cricket 2005 IIRC). I figured that one was probably genuine, to be honest.
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Charming.
OP, how would you feel if you'd just bought a motherboard off eBay and within a few days a cap had blown? Reverse the situation and there's no evidence whatsoever that either the buyer or eBay or PayPal are trying to scam you.
You're just being awkward (saying you won't accept returns doesn't mean anything - that's only applicable if the buyer simply changes their mind, you're still on the hook for faulty/items not as described) and treating eBay like a car boot sale or classifieds.
Accept the return, and go from there. If it isn't your motherboard that you receive back, THEN you've been scammed and you'll need to follow the various processes with either eBay and PayPal (they're not the same company any more).
In my experience, the people who have problems with eBay are those who don't use it as it is intended.
You could have just reported the winner of the auction for non payment?
They don't always side with the buyer, at all. I've won a few claims made when I've sold items, just by being reasonable and not jumping to conclusions. Of course eBay care about the people getting charged the fees - that's how they make money!
In theory you are right. I am sure that there are numerous buyers out there who are honest, and DO have the right to claim a refund/return when the item they purchased is either faulty or not as described.
The problem is with ebay is that the whole process does not give a seller faith that they will be protected if they are scammed. The usual examples we get given are that the seller has to take the hit and suck it up.
I worked in retail for a few years and customers scamming our returns process was common place (same deal, buy new item to replace one they had damaged at home, bring damaged item in on receipt and claim it was faulty). The difference is there was that in the 1000s of legitimate transactions per week it was such a small % of the overall sales that it made zero difference. Here we are talking about individuals who perhaps sell a handful of items per year and getting ripped off, it makes a HUGE difference to them.
I take it that Ebay isnt a car boot sale etc, but there are so many examples of sellers getting scammed despite taking picture of the item working before then posted it. With serials numbers showing the returned item was different from the one sent etc etc.
I am also sure that every now and again Ebay do back the seller, but these are few and far between.
My advise to the OP is that if the police threat fails and he calls your bluff, just prepare to bend over and expect to be taken dry.....because from a neutral point of view history tells me that you are going to get shafted.
Soldato
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There's no "in theory" about it. I am right. In every eBay thread posted on here, literally a handful of incidents on eBay are held up as gospel against the millions of successful transactions that take place on there every day.
Also, taking a picture of something working before postage is never proof of anything. Things get damaged in transit all the time.
See my experience posted a few days ago, a Blu-ray steelbook sent in good condition which buyer claimed arrived scratched and damaged. There was a page or two of discussion and debate but the upshot was, as the seller, I have zero rights and protection from Ebay or PP and I ended up refunding and telling the buyer to bin it or give to charity. I wasn't going to be another £1.20 out of pocket getting it sent out and these swine know it.
So the advice given a few responses earlier is sound, if you're selling on Ebay you *might* get some money for the goods, but prepare to write the item off.
So the advice given a few responses earlier is sound, if you're selling on Ebay you *might* get some money for the goods, but prepare to write the item off.
Members Market - *click*.
I sold nearly 18x 7990 and probably ~20 290 gpus the other year on ebay. I was well aware of the scams and problems with ebay and was loathe to use them. I still cant believe I didn't have more problems than I did.
Had 2 come back as faulty which was actually genuine but managed to resell after touching up the thermal paste.
What I found to be quite useful was putting in the actual auction description that everything was UV marked, serial numbers recorded, filmed testing and filmed packaging. Of course in reality I'd done nothing apart from a bit of testing and photoing serials but im sure it put off a few chancers.
Had 2 come back as faulty which was actually genuine but managed to resell after touching up the thermal paste.
What I found to be quite useful was putting in the actual auction description that everything was UV marked, serial numbers recorded, filmed testing and filmed packaging. Of course in reality I'd done nothing apart from a bit of testing and photoing serials but im sure it put off a few chancers.
Members Market on these forums.