my very own ebay thread (terrible like all the others)

[FoxEye]

So, a seller with 100+ rep, a low value item (less than £10), which never arrives.

All attempts to contact the seller fail (no comms at all). Seller has already left pos feedback for me (the buyer).

Item is unlikely to arrive as it's already >1 week since he claims to have posted it, and well past eBay's own ETA.

What's the point of this?

I'm thinking if his account had been hacked, why would they list such low-value items? Surely you'd list something of high value, take the money and run.

I'm suspicious because the item was 1/2 the price of anywhere else, and since I bought the only 2 he had for sale, he's now listed another 2.

But again, if this is a scammer, why such low value items? Is he expecting people to just shrug and write off a £7 (ish) loss? Since opening a case is so damned easy I can't see many people doing that.

It's just weird. Maybe he's new to the scamming game... He should be listing a 2080Ti for £1k and sending a brick in a box, that's how the pros do it.

Why do I still use eBay? I can't say. It's always 50/50 whether you get scammed or not.

 

[touch]

Since opening a case is so damned easy

Are you asking for advice or just having a rant?

Open a case and you'll get your money back. Stuff goes missing in the post, he's probably just waiting to see if it turns up.

 

[memyselfandi]

You are assuming a scam when it could just be its lost in the post and the seller hasn't been able to reply to you yet (either hasn't seen your message or has been having to deal with issues ... not unlikely for anyone given the recent weather).

What is the actual delivery time range for the service used ... not what eBay say, what the delivery company say. I.e. how long before it gets declared lost by them.

 

[FoxEye]

You are assuming a scam when it could just be its lost in the post and the seller hasn't been able to reply to you yet (either hasn't seen your message or has been having to deal with issues ... not unlikely for anyone given the recent weather).

What is the actual delivery time range for the service used ... not what eBay say, what the delivery company say. I.e. how long before it gets declared lost by them.

Don't know, but he claimed to have posted it two weeks ago.

I think by now it's safe to assume it isn't coming.

And it's suspicious that he had two for sale (which I bought) now as of a couple days ago he's got another two for sale...

So he's had time to post another listing but not time to reply to me about my missing item. Not sure I buy that

Also the ad says you can track your item but no tracking info was ever provided.

It walks, talks and smells like a scam, but what I don't understand is why such a low value item.

 

[itno]

Sounds like a seller I bought from. Won the item before Christmas and seller had put an arrival date on early January. Early January came and went, so I emailed the seller who got back to me to say he had forgot to send the item and would do so immediately. I then got an email saying that the item was broken on the way to the post office and they would refund. No refund was forthcoming so I opened a case with eBay. Had to wait 8 days before eBay intervened and I did get my money back.

I think the seller hadn't got the amount he wanted so kept the item, possibly selling it elsewhere. Perhaps hoped I wouldn't raise a case in time.

 

[Thekwango]

It's always 50/50 whether you get scammed or not.

50/50 - Holy Jesus, that’s brutal. Surprised there’s not more in the media about this all as you’d think if 50% of eBay trades are going pear shaped there’d be millions of people worldwide up in arms. Why the heck are you even using a buy/sell platform that is a 50/50 gamble?

 

[FoxEye]

Masochistic tendencies, I guess. At least I'll get my money back in another week or two.

 

[Mcnumpty2323]

My mate
Scammed close to
10 grand from ebay/PayPal
Not only did they just
Write it off with no police
Involvement
He's opened numerous new
Accounts at the same address
Since then
Totally crazy didn't even
Blacklist him
It's definitely buyer beware on eBay

 

[Thekwango]

My mate
Scammed close to
10 grand from ebay/PayPal
Not only did they just
Write it off with no police
Involvement
He's opened numerous new
Accounts at the same address
Since then
Totally crazy didn't even
Blacklist him
It's definitely buyer beware on eBay

Sounds like a decent stand up guy.
Good mate to have

 

[Steeps]

If he's already left positive feedback and another two have re-listed he's probably running an automated system, if the item really is low value there's a good chance it could either be dropshipped from China and they were misleading on the delivery times or dropshipped from another supplier who hasn't sent it out... or it has got lost.

 

[adam cool dude]

Sometimes these things happen. Remember sellers can be utter computer noobs and just do it wrong. I won a bid for a code for sea of thieves. Think the bid was £4 and I won. No reserve or buy it now. Think the guy just made a mistake and couldn't be bothered. Just left negative feedback, got refunded and got on with my life.

 

[Greebo]

My mate
Scammed close to
10 grand from ebay/PayPal
Not only did they just
Write it off with no police
Involvement
He's opened numerous new
Accounts at the same address
Since then
Totally crazy didn't even
Blacklist him
It's definitely buyer beware on eBay

Was he a shop?

 

[BowdonUK]

What kind of item is it you're buying?

I think the chance of being scammed goes up if you're buying certain items.

The only time I used ebay to buy anything was an Openreach modem. I have a couple of them I bought over the years and every transaction worked out well.

 

[FoxEye]

Gardening items. Trays and lids for a specific electric propagator. From a legit shop they're about £10-18. From this seller, £7 for 2

Just moulded plastic basically.

 

[Thekwango]

Gardening items. Trays and lids for a specific electric propagator. From a legit shop they're about £10-18. From this seller, £7 for 2

Just moulded plastic basically.

Buy his other 2 and if they arrive, hey presto 50/50

 

[MassiveJim]

50/50 - Holy Jesus, that’s brutal. Surprised there’s not more in the media about this all as you’d think if 50% of eBay trades are going pear shaped there’d be millions of people worldwide up in arms. Why the heck are you even using a buy/sell platform that is a 50/50 gamble?

Sarcasm went totally over his head

 

[FoxEye]

Sarcasm went totally over his head

Yes I was obviously born yesterday and thus have never experienced sarcasm before. Please stick around and enlighten us further with your supreme intellect.

 

[.Lethal]

This is why you post with signed for because herd mentality like OP automatically take the stance its a scam the moment it doesn't turn up.

Also buying items that are priced too good to be true. Yeah, right chancer aren't you.

 

[FoxEye]

Is "a chancer" someone who likes a good bargain? If so, guilty as charged.

Otherwise I'm not sure what you think I've done wrong... Herd mentality? Erm, OK... whatever floats your boat.

e: For giggles I checked the definition of a chancer.

From Merriam-Webster:

"A scheming opportunist; a two-faced person; a betrayer."

Hells bells, I never knew attempting to buy cheap stuff on eBay was such a social faux pas.

 

[Mcnumpty2323]

Was he a shop?

Nope
Private seller with reasonably high
Feedback
Listed load of expensive items
Upcoming latest iPhones
Upcoming high end gpus
Stuff barely any one had yet
Said was a 2 weeks waiting period
Due to high demand it
Was taking that long to
Get them from manufacturers
That gave him breathing space
So was 3 weeks before people
Started querying wheres
My item and of course bit
Longer till he replied
With excuses etc and dragged
It out longer
Didn't even have real photos
Of actual items just stock
Internet images
But some people just have to
Possess the latest and
Greatest and common sense goes
Out the window
Price of the items we're all £500+
Didn't take long to add up
Obviously
They all got PayPal refund in the
End and not condoning
What he did at all
But it was shockingly easy he could
Have taken lot more
Ebay/PayPal did not stop him
In the end he bottled out
Beforehand
Totally baffled why he wasn't banned
For life to be honest
But nope just opened up new
Accounts using new bank cards