SCAMS committed by eBay buyers

Discussion in Online Shopping started by Denis Hard • Oct 31, 2013.

  1. Denis Hard

    Denis HardWell-Known Member

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    If you plan to sell stuff on e-bay maybe you should know this.

    There are two kinds of buyers you'll meet. The first type is the regular sort. They pay, you send them what they've bought and you never hear any complaints.

    The second group of buyers will buy and pay. Once they receive the product they'll file a claim with pay-pal and the [your] money will be held by pay-pal until the dispute is resolved. Now these buyers will expect you to 'bribe' them into informing pay-pal that the dispute has been resolved and thus make an extra $50 or so from you. If that happens you have stand firm and risk losing the money rather than get robbed by some stranger.

    What people can do for money. . .
     
  2. ACSAPA

    ACSAPAWell-Known Member

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    That's why it's important to get tracking numbers for everything. I've heard that people get scammed by buyers mostly in the electronics category, so I'm glad I don't sell electronics.
    Someone who buys a used iPhone is more likely to rip you off than someone who buys one of my paintings. I've never been scammed by someone who bought my art. Art customers are a different category of people than the ones who buy computers and designer clothes.
     
  3. Dame6089

    Dame6089Active Member

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    Yeah I know people who have had an issue like this. As a seller, you need to do as much as possible to protect yourself. Be overly specific in your item description and alays give tracking numbers. That way, it will be difficult for people to falsely accuse you of not delivering a product or delivering a different product.
     
  4. themarting

    themartingActive Member

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    Thats not necessarily true. Just because YOU havent been scammed for your art doesnt mean people who buy art are all goodie two shoes. Maybe your art just isnt desirable enough to scam (kidding).

    Scammers come in all shapes sizes races genders and from all walks of life. The lesson is be careful when buying or selling on ebay, no matter what it is youre buying or selling.
     
  5. vpresson

    vpressonWell-Known Member

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    That's really messed up! I can't believe how far people will go for money. People work hard for their money just to have people rob them it makes me mad. I will def look out for this and be careful not to fall for the trick.
     
  6. mareebaybay

    mareebaybayActive Member

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    I always use PayPal whenever I shop on eBay for that exact reason. There is no reason to shop on eBay without using some type of protection. I don't trust any online retailers or sellers at all.
     
  7. MindyT

    MindyTActive Member

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    I would have never thought about this! I guess it is good my mind doesn't think this way. I have sold a few items on eBay, and I have never had a problem. However, the items were homeschooling curriculum books. That is not to say someone couldn't scam me for them, but the probability is lower.
     
  8. jeanwatson

    jeanwatsonNew Member

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    To be honest, some of the sellers on ebay too are equally bad scammers. last year in April, I ordered 2 items from ebay.in. One was a mobile phone and the other was a cordless mouse. The mobile had a broken back cover and there were a few visible scratches on the front. Definitely it was a return item which the seller wanted to push to me. I complained to him, and at first he ignored my complaint. Then I complained to ebay and sent snaps-shots of those defects. The seller countered that I should have opened the item in front of the courier agent, but ebay stood by me and I got full refund (a credit note). The other seller sent me a plastic cordless mouse which seemed to be heavily used. I complained to ebay straight away and got a refund again. Both the sellers were later banned by ebay.in.
     
  9. Treighsie

    TreighsieActive Member

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    That is horrible. I would never even think about doing something like that. I would hope that ebay would catch on to these people and stop the scams.
    I know I did sell an iphone and paypal held the money until tracking said it was delivered.
     
  10. ACSAPA

    ACSAPAWell-Known Member

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    No, I know you were kidding but there is a little truth to what you said. My art is desirable to my customers, but I think a scammer would go after really valuable art, like art by a famous artist.
    People just buy my original art because they want it, not because they can profit from it. If they wanted to scam an artist, they could go after one of those people whose paintings are worth a lot of money.
     
  11. jazzalazz

    jazzalazzMember

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    Geez, I'm always hearing about the bad and the dangers of buying from ebay. I'll stick with my "safe" amazon. I have never had an issue there.
     
  12. Plinko

    PlinkoMember

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    I used to sell on eBay eons ago, back when you could scour thrift stores and yards sales for unique items and turn a profit with them. For example, my daughter (a teenager at the time) found a pair of Ming Bird of Paradise earrings at a thrift store for 99 cents and they ended up selling for $400. I left when the PayPal and eBay fees started going sky high. Every so often, I think of going back to eBay, but then I compare the fees between them and venues like Etsy and the temptation to go back to eBay goes away.
     
  13. ArchaeRogue

    ArchaeRogueNew Member

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    I remember selling headphones on eBay. The seller opened a dispute saying it didn't get to his house even though when I checked the tracking, it specifically got to his house. I even called USPS and they said it was put on the doorstep.

    In the end, I had to refund the guy, and he probably got the headphones. He literally just got free headphones.

    Which is why I hate selling on eBay.
     
  14. MyDigitalpoint

    MyDigitalpointActive Member

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    eBay has been always source of some of the most common scams of the web, whether from buyers trying to take advantage of the seller, than sellers ripping buyers off.

    I signed for an eBay account more than a decade ago and I never use it for such reason, and particularly because the fact of being associated to PayPal make easier the two-side scam when present in a given transaction.
     
  15. SpiralArchitect

    SpiralArchitectActive Member

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    Well the scamming happens both ways. There are unscrupulous customers around as well as sellers who might want to rip you off, keeping your eyes open at all times is the way to go. Sadly, it can be a bit difficult for sellers because they have no way of knowing if a buyer is a scammer or not.
     
  16. JosieP

    JosiePWell-Known Member

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    I will never sell on Ebay. Is it even worth it with their fees? I haven't read about it in ages. I don't trust easily when it comes to buying and selling online and Ebay would just be a constant worry for me I think.
     
  17. TheViper

    TheViperActive Member

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    I have noticed that when I get buyers on eBay there would be some that complain. There are times where I have tons of proof that the item arrived as indicated but still lose. That is one of the bad sides about eBay and selling. They will always side with the buyer even if you have tons of proof.
     
  18. DrRipley

    DrRipleyExpert

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    I've cruised around eBay forums from time to time, and have seen many complaints from multiple sellers. It's really opened my eyes to the reality that it is a lot more work and effort than what can be seen on the surface. Paypal has those mechanisms in place to protect buyers, and it's just sad that some people take advantage of it and ruin what should be a comfortable way to shop.
     
  19. sidney

    sidneyWell-Known Member

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    I have always had pleasant Ebay experiences, but 3 of the items that I ordered were stolen in our post office, so the seller isn't to be blamed for that. Anyway, based from what I read, never try to sell on Ebay unless you want to get scammed, since a buyer can easily file a dispute claiming that they supposedly did not get the item, but in reality, they did get the item, and Paypal sides with the buyer all the time.
     
    #19Mar 13, 2014
    Last edited: Mar 13, 2014
  20. mikelouis

    mikelouisActive Member

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    The problem is that you can never know if the buyer is top rated the way it is for the sellers. So all you have to do is hope that you get a good buyer who really appreciates what services you have provided with it. Personally when I receive the the product and it is the perfect condition, I leave a positive rating.