topic increase in false damage claims in Seller Central

increase in false damage claims

maarsy — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 15:01:26 GMT

just wanted to put this one out there to see if others are having the same issue .

i have been selling spare parts now for some years and while i normally have been getting like 1 or 2 per year trying to falsely claim money back for something they claim is not working so far in the last 3 months i had 4 .

i know times are hard for every one but buyers don't seem to understand they are trying to rip off small businesses .

1. buyer bought a front control panel for a washing machine . contacts me that the item is not working and wants a refund . i talk to them 10 messages over 3 days and when i say i will need the part back to test it there is no further communication and no return request .

2. complains the fan motor i sent him was faulty and shows me a photo , says he wants a refund though when i point out the motor in the photo he sent me has a different production code on it to the one i sent out there is no further communication .

3. microwave transformer . sold it within 2 weeks of testing and stripping down the microwave , so i know well it was working . gets a return request saying its not working , when i ask for details what exactly is the problem after it is installed he just responds that it is not working . which to me points to a different part being broken as normally it should at least power up . i specifically say i will take the item back but not to claim that it is defective as it is clear there is a different issue with his device . otherwise i get charged with the postage cost . minutes later the return gets automatically accepted as he claims it is not as described . it has been 7 days and not yet posted back to me so i assume it was just an attempt to see what he could get out of me as a refund .

4 . only yesterday , said the motor was not working , right away sent a message to me saying i sell broken parts and that i knew it was broken , i have been wasting his time , i want a refund ! at the same time sent me a photo of the item still showing my old plug on it . i make the assumption he has not even put it in his device yet , i respond saying i do not appreciate the accusations so i ask more questions if his wire loom might not be damaged instead and say i will take the item back to test if it is indeed faulty . shortly after i get several short messages apologising saying they had not yet fitted it but only measured it with a multi meter and it is now installed and working ...

it would be interesting to see if there was a way to indicate how many returns buyers have made as i do believe an increasingly larger amount of people are doing false claims just to save money themselves .

Re: increase in false damage claims

vinylscot — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 08:59:26 GMT

I sell vinyl records, and have previously posted that I am having far more returns this year than previously.

In a couple of cases, the record has been switched, and I have reveived an inferior disc back, but mostly it's pure "change of mind" returns, dressed up as "not as described", so I need to pay the return postage.

I can only think some people have overspent, and see it as a way to get their money back, but I did have one buyer who seemed to have tried this on with others, going by his feedback. My sale with him was under a tenner, so maybe he was hoping I'd just let him keep the (perfect) record. I did force the return, and reported him to eBay, referring to his feedback.

Re: increase in false damage claims

department28 — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 23:05:14 GMT

'i know times are hard for every one but buyers don't seem to understand they are trying to rip off small businesses.'

Unfortunately, the type of people who do this sort of thing don't stop to think/don't care about who they are ripping off.

When times are hard, decent people cut back on non-essential spending, and don't resort to dishonest means to get what they want. I think buyers who claim false damage etc, are just as likely to be those who aren't particularly short of money - some people have no scruples about exploiting a business, or an individual, if they think they can get away with it. It's like those people who buy clothing they intend to wear for an occasion, then send back for a refund.

It could be that the more automated & impersonal the return procedure has become, more people are thinking they may as well 'try it on' and see if they can get a refund/partial refund for a trumped-up reason. Perhaps they don't see themselves as thieves or con artists... however, I'm sure if someone attempted to defraud them, or their family, that would be a different matter..!

'it would be interesting to see if there was a way to indicate how many returns buyers have made as i do believe an increasingly larger amount of people are doing false claims just to save money themselves.'

Yes - it would be very interesting to know if eBay has seen a significant increase in dubious return cases over the past year or so.

Re: increase in false damage claims

lucy_farmer — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 10:32:54 GMT

'It could be that the more automated & impersonal the return procedure has become....'

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I think this is a good point.

When there's no human contact , messaging or conversation between buyers and sellers, feeling guilty about harming a fellow human wouldn't enter into it so much...

Perhaps they feel more like they're ripping off a computer system, therefore it's a 'victimless crime' ?

Rather like shoplifting from massive supermarket chains, as opposed to nicking stuff from the corner shop where you have just said 'good morning' to the guy behind the counter!

(Obviously there's not such thing as 'victimless crimes' : we all pay for it with increased shop/insurance prices etc......but that's not how it looks at the time)

Re: increase in false damage claims

nevillestyke — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 18:24:46 GMT

Would testing it do any good? I just had a camcorder returned at great cost to me for the return shipping postage label and duty handling charge (from the U.S.) under the claim that it was 'faulty' because it would no longer connect by firewire cable to their computer. They had used it to transfer their PAL system tapes to their computer successfully for most of the ten weeks since I posted it to them. I made a video of unboxing the return and it being connected to a computer and transferring video, to prove that there was no fault with the camcorder. Although their computer could have been at fault, ebay said they would do nothing about the customer either being in error or lying. Is ebay becoming a free rental service for buyers to borrow an item, use it, then return it for a full refund? They would have been hard pressed to find a PAL system camcorder of that model available from a U.S. seller, as the U.S system is NTSC.

Re: increase in false damage claims

theelench — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 07:25:35 GMT

I'm not sure whether or not this answers the exact same question as you're asking but on the "Buyers Protection" thread (Page 4) someone posted part of ebay's Quarterly Earnings Report from last November.

They highlighted that ebay had increased their provision for transaction losses by 19%. In the notes they explain the reason for the increase as due to the full roll out of SD and an increase in buyer / seller fraud.

Re: increase in false damage claims

maarsy — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 11:16:40 GMT

the transformer mentioned at 3. was returned close to a month when it was first requested , he waited as long as he could to return it . as i suspected the fuse on it was blown, something i specifically told him to check but was ignored by the buyer . also due to the bad way he packed it the capacitor that came with it got smashed . i think i gave technical advice at 5 points which he paid no attention to , just indication that some buyers just don't know what they are doing and if they break something themselves send it back to the seller .

reported the matter to ebay and i did not have to refund him .