A scam that ebay are not interested in even when you tell them who's doing it.

[infohelps]

Yesterday eBay sent me an email saying that I had viewed an item that afternoon which I hadn't - a truck diagnostic kit at £399.  After checking it was a genuine email I clicked onto the link which took me to the item on eBay's site, with the green banner saying "You bought this item" in the top left corner.  My stomach sank, but when I checked my purchases there was no purchase showing for this item. 

After changing my password as a precaution I contacted customer services as I was still worried that some fraud had either happened or was in process of happening.  The call back didn't work but I got through to the online chat.  The  rep said he would put me in touch with a specialist but the bot kept jumping in so I ended the chat.  I tried to get through again and this time got through to someone who basically told me it was a fake email and that I shouldn't have clicked on it and that I needed to update my virus software.  When I pointed out that if it was a fake email, how come it says I bought the item?  She then changed tack to say that a friend, family or colleague must have got access to my account 'by mistake'.  I then pointed out if they had bought something on my account 'by mistake' how come it doesn't show in my purchases?  She had no answer to that and basically said there was nothing to worry about and ended the chat.

However, I received an email this morning (presumably from the lost 'specialist') that told me that I had bought an data cable for £2.99 in February 2025.  Correct.  He then went on to say that the seller had ended the listing for the data cable, and then set up a new listing for the £399 truck diagnostic kit but that they had the same item number.   So when I had looked at the order for the data cable that afternoon (I needed to check details of the connector - nothing to do with eBay)  eBay thought I was looking at a truck diagnostic kit, even though my purchased items still show a data cable.

Assuming this was a glitch i asked the forum if anything similar had happened to them on a different thread.  However, after posting this it dawned on me that eBay could not possibly have a glitch like that.  Surely it was more likely that the seller had swapped the info and photos from the cheap item and replaced them with the details of the more expensive item.  This then misleads customers as it looks like several have been sold and the seller's feedback was good.  

I rang customer services and spoke to someone who agreed with me.  They said they would complete a report and that I should do the same which I did.  None of the options on their report were relevant so I just chose the ones that fitted best.  

I have just had a response from eBay that tells me that the listing does not violate their policy and that this decision had been made by AI.  I can appeal, which I have, but this just confirms that eBay do not care one bit about what is happening on their site.    How many people would bother to do that.    Why are such decisions left to AI?  Obviously AI couldn't follow its little 'flow chart' because the information I gave did not match the reason I was forced to choose.

I was looking at a Facebook page called eBay complaints last night and it seems that eBay has turned into a scammer's playground.   Hearing horror stories from both buyers and sellers and how they are getting ripped off in a multitude of different ways eBay is clearly not the platform it used to be.   They do not seem to be interested in scams even if you tell them who is doing it.  If they are going to ignore reports sent in by concerned users (at the request of Customer service reps!) and leave important decisions up to AI then why should I give them any more of my time and money?   

[lucy_farmer]

I'm sure I remember this sort of thing happening years ago.... 15 years? ish.

It used to be called an 'overlay'  and one of the ways to tell if you were on an 'overlaid' page was to look and see if you were still logged in.   i.e.  top left hand corner where it says 'Hi [your name] '  or 'log in'.

If you were on an overlay, it would say 'log in'.

The aim of the page was to get you to log on to their scam webpage. So they could not only 'sell' you something that didn't exist, they could also use your details to screw your account over.

(This was all happening well before the advent of wide-spread A.I. )

[infohelps]

It's not a scam webpage or overlay.  The guy I spoke to today confirmed that it was a genuine email from Ebay.   It was sent to me because I had viewed the £2.99 data cable I had bought back in February for personal reasons.  However, eBay thought they were missing out on a £399 sale, and so they sent me the email.  I am glad they did, because I am now aware of another potential scam.  The link takes me to eBay where I am already logged in , and the item says in the left corner "you have bought this item".  I have.  But when I bought that item number it was a £2.99 data cable, but now it is not.   I can go to my purchases, find the data cable, click on Buy Again - and I'm buying a £399 truck diagnostic kit.  The problem is entirely at eBay's end, which, as I said in my post,  the guy I spoke to this morning confirmed.   

So the scam is that the seller has gathered some feedback and impressive sale numbers for a cheapo item and then altered everything to make it look like 90 of these diagnostic kits have been sold to mislead buyers into thinking it must be OK, he's sold 90.   This pops up on the main page without the need to look at the feedback and might be enough to satisfy some people.  A quick glance at the feedback and nothing is going to jump out at you as most people say 'great for the price', 'thanks' etc etc.  A couple of people say 'Great little cable',  but most people just look at the numbers if they look at all and won't be scrolling down to say if all the feedback is relevant to this item.  Again, this has been confirmed by the guy I spoke to this morning hence him asking me to complete a report and confirming that he has made a report at his end too. 

I don't care about AI one way or the other if it is used appropriately, but AI shouldn't be in charge of making decisions about whether a user is exhibiting dishonest behaviour.   AI is limited to a tick box/flow chart way of working, and if there isn't even an appropriate box it is never going to be able to make the correct decision.  It was no doubt looking through the write up looking for words that violate eBay policy but was unable to do that because the listing itself isn't the issue.  It's the fact that a £399 item is masquerading as a £2.99 one.  There wasn't a box for that. 

eBay's systems are failing to pick up when someone pulls a scam like this.  A price hike from £2.99 to £399.99?  Surely that should flag up somewhere.  Surely if someone removes ALL content including photos from their listing and replaces it with something different, it should flag up somewhere.  But clearly it doesn't.   But as a concerned ebayer I have spent a lot of my time bringing this to their attention and  I don't expect AI to be calling the shots.  Especially after I spent over an hour on chat being gaslit yesterday.  I'll have to see how the appeal goes. 

[sml192]

Based on EBay's 'Revise a listing help page what you are suggesting happened shouldn't have been possible as the price can only be lowered if there have been any purchases and the item description can only be added to:

Fixed price listings

What you can change in your fixed price listing depends on whether there have been any purchases from the listing.

Purchases

You can:

• Decrease the price
• Edit the title
• Change the primary and secondary category
• Change the quantity and Shop category
• Add or remove optional listing upgrades. (Fees may apply if you add listing upgrades, and you won't receive a refund for any listing upgrades you remove.)
• Add to the description
• Add or change photos using eBay photo services
• Lower the Buy It Now price of your item
• Increase or decrease the number of items for sale
• Edit the postage details. However, buyers who made a purchase prior to any postage detail changes are charged the original postage cost during checkout
• Add or remove variations to the listing (if it is a multi-variation listing)

You can't:

• Edit variations on the listing (if it is a multi-variation listing)

[infohelps]

Not sure that I understand your first sentence.  He didn't lower the price.  There have been purchases.    When I was selling, I had one fixed price multi listing (?)  (as I had some copies of a book that my Dad wrote, and I had more than 10 copies left to sell after he passed away - before I get accused of being a business).    I have increased the price many times over the years, changed the number available,  changed the photos, and changed the information even though there had been sales, just not all at the same time.  So I'm not sure I get what you are saying.  

Apologies if I seem rude, but I'm not sure why you are saying something can't happen when the rep I spoke today  has admitted that it has (as much as he could without losing his job)  That is why he said he would log a report, and asked me to do so too.   Other people have said that it's a known scam that happens on both Ebay and Amazon except that Amazon would have picked up on the massive price hike and investigated.   I have often wondered why when I am looking at feedback for a certain item I suddenly find I am looking at feedback for something totally different.  Now I know. 

If we don't accept the above scenario the other option is to believe the  eBay rep who told me that  the seller ended the listing for the £2.99 item, and then set up a new different listing for a totally different item for £399.00, and got the same item number!!    Do you think that is more plausible than the first scenario?  

If I go to the item - a £2.99 data cable - in my purchased items from February 2025, and click Buy Another, I am taken to a listing for a truck diagnostic kit for £399.00.  THE ITEM NUMBERS ARE THE SAME. Therefore whatever eBay's terms and conditions say, or whatever ought to be happening in an ideal eBay world - something very odd indeed is happening in reality.

I am merely outlining my experience to warn others of a potential scam, and passing on what I have been told by various eBay Customer Service staff.   If you think that both situations given above cannot have happened, what do you think might have happened?  I am an open minded person, so if there is another reason why a £2.99 data cable sold to me in February 2025 now has the same item number as a £399 diagnostic tool kit being sold by the same seller, then please let me know so that I can educate eBay's Customer Services.  I have had to do that a lot recently, so why should this incident be any different?  😉

[nothing.anymore]

It's good to flag up this issue, shame ebay is washing their hands off it.

I had a different problem when I reported a seller of illegal CDs to ebay - I had proof the CDs were fakes, reported this a few times, but got the same reply from ebay: the seller's listings do not violate ebays rules.

This makes me want to avoid buying on ebay. If they allow scammers to trade here, we shouldn't be buying here.

[nigel_paul_wright7557]

I once spotted a USB oscilloscope on ebay for £12.99

I alerted ebay as elsewhere same item minimum price was £50.

I was ignored.

The Chinese seller went on to 211 items before negs started rolling for item not received.

After about 15 negs item was withdrawn by ebay.

This is why ebay is so touchy about peoples identity and want a verified bank account.

A shame they weren't so touchy in the OP's case which is clearly a scam.

[lucy_farmer]

So..... I totally misunderstood the matter! sorry about that. ...😢.

The scam isn't trying to make you buy something or pay for something or even get your account details...

So what is the con/scam?  they're usually to try and part somebody from their money.

This  seller is changing the details on sales he's already made to try and  make it look like he a trustworthy seller of expensive gear rather than cheap cables...?

As sml says ; this should be impossible as 'revisons' only allow the price to be lowered. 

Still seriously puzzled......

[*vyolla*]

Intriguing.

So, a seller can go into a multi quantity listing with sales history and completely change the listing title, description and price to a completely different priced item in order to create a false good sales history for the new item?

That shouldn't be possible.

What's the listing number?

[infohelps]

I'm a bit nervous about posting it in public as I am about to make a formal complaint to ebay as my appeal has been refused.   This is even though I put in the appeal that I had been asked to make the complaint by a CS rep and there is a full history/recorded calls when the rep agreed it looked suspicious.  Once I have made my complaint to eBay I will private message you the item number.   

When I used to sell myself I had one multi listing and I  could change all the details including raising the price even though they had not all been sold.  My listing was postage free, so everytime the post went up, I changed the price.  I've been selling these few books for 20 years, so that was a lot of increases.   No problem.  Sometimes you see listings for a really cheap item priced really highly so I suspect that some people change their listings  bit by bit.  

When you look at the page for this diagnostic kit @ £399 you will see by the number available 90 have been sold.  If you put the item number in the classic feedback page you will get loads of feedback for data cables.  If you copy and paste the description in his feedback search box you get a big fat zero. 

[infohelps]

I am not surprised you are confused.  Yes, they are misleading the customer into thinking 90 of these items have been sold at £399 when in fact they have sold 90 data cables.  This gives the customer a false sense of security before 'parting with a lot of money', which would meet your definition of a scam.    The seller has only been on eBay since August last year. 

 When you put the item number for the £399 kit into the feedback search on the classic feedback page on a pc, you get loads of feedback for data cables.  If you put 'data cable' in the search you get the same feedback, but if you copy and paste the description for the diagnostic kit into that search box you get a big fat zero.  If they are a genuine seller why not just set up a new listing?  What other explanation can there be other than the seller has swapped the listing details?  And why would you do that if not for nefarious reasons?

We all know that what eBay says should happen often doesn't.  And that things that shouldn't happen according to eBay do. 

When I was selling, I used to sell my father's book (he wrote the book so they are new copies, and I paid for them to be printed so I am NOT a business), I have about 60 left so I had a multiple listing up since about 2016.    I increased the price of the listing from time to time when postage kept going up, even though there were still some that had not been sold on the listing.  I have changed other details, such as adding in reviews, changed the photos for better ones, although never at the same time,  - and still there were a few unsold in the listing's number available box.  

If what was a data cable in February has the same item number as a very expensive item, what other conclusion can we come to than there seems to be a potential scam here.  Other eBay users have said the swapping out of details is a known scam and happens on Amazon too.   Often in the past I have been looking for a reasonably cheap item on eBay and see one priced at £500 or something and wondered why.  Now I wonder if the listing is in process of being changed.  Who knows with eBay?

At least it should be investigated, but to dismiss my report as a non violation even though I stated that I was asked to do it by a CS rep is infuriating.  A buyer has this item in their basket, and I am concerned for this buyer.  Yes, they might be ultimately refunded if it turns out to be a scam,  but not without considerable stress, so I will be launching a formal complaint to eBay.  I will then report what has happened and give people the item number so that they can judge for themselves. 

[papso22]

If the listing for the cable was completely altered to be for the diagnostic tool (which I think it was), then the impact on buyers will depend on to what extent they go looking for the number of sales and the feedback specifically relating to that item, which I don't think will be many of them.

Also, if, as seems likely, is is possible to completely alter a listing, then that is because ebay's systems clearly allow it, which is probably why your report was rejected as a non violation.  What policy did you report it violated by the way?

I think you overestimate the stress caused in using the money back guarantee to get a refund, and you don't actually have any evidence that this particular item is not good quality and as described.  There may well be no need for the MBG at all.

[infohelps]

I could not choose an appropriate option which is why the first report was rejected.    I put in my original report and the appeal that there was no 'other' box and explained the full story including screen shots and transcripts of chats. 

You have in your first paragraph explained why this could work as a scam.  "The impact on buyers will depend to what extent they go looking for the number of sales and the feedback specifically relating to them, which I don't think will be many of them".  Exactly!  The average person will indeed NOT look at the feedback for the individual item but they will see, next to the number available, "90 Sold".  That is probably enough for most people to inspire confidence to part with their money. 

I know there is no evidence that a scam has happened, but that is why you INVESTIGATE.  They are not even going to look into it.  Why would a genuine seller not just set up a new listing?   

With regards to the stress involved in getting a refund, have you ever bought an expensive item from China for which you want a full refund?  My husband (foolishly) bought a guitar from a Chinese seller on eBay, (cheap if the spec could be believed but still over £170) and wanted a full refund as it was absolute rubbish.  The seller wanted the guitar back so they could claim from the factory.  We were told by customer services at eBay "that there is no robust returns process in place for China."  as usually the seller will just refund.  Not in this case! We had to package the guitar up,  take it to the post office and then tell the seller how much it would cost to ship back - £90.  We then had to wait for the Chinese seller to send us the £90 so we could post it back.  Then the guitar got stuck in customs in China saying incorrect paperwork.  We then had to wait days whilst eBay were toing and froing with the seller and eventually we got a refund even though the guitar was still in customs and probably still is as far as I know.  It took over three weeks to get the refund.  If that was £399 you'd be very stressed (well I would, but perhaps you are wealthier than me!).  I was stressed enough over £170 and it was my husband's money!

If there is dissatisfaction with the item and people start asking for refunds and the seller doesn't communicate, meaning eBay have to refund under the MBG then that just proves it was a scam and eBay should have taken notice.  Any losses that come off eBay's profits get passed on to genuine users one way or another.  And if the item is defective and it needs to be sent back to a genuine seller then you go through the stress that we went through with the guitar debacle.  So either way, eBay need to investigate.

eBay are not the platform they once were because people can't be bothered to complaint about these types of problems because it is seen as a victimless crime, as eBay will just refund eventually.  Ebay can't be bothered to deal with these types of problems because they make so much money off Chinese sellers that they can afford to just write off the dodgy sales.  It's all about the bottom line.  

[infohelps]

UPDATE

I have today lodged a formal complaint with eBay about the whole way this situation has been handled from start to finish.  I cannot publicly share the item number as the seller is now being monitored, (which was what I wanted as I am aware that at this point no scam has actually taken place). 

I have received an apology from eBay for 1) being accused of being an idiot for clicking on a 'fake' email from eBay and the stress that caused overnight (I thought I was a victim of fraud),  2) for being sent a ludicrous email from an ebay 'specialist' that told me the seller had ended the listing for the £2.99 cable and set up a new listing for a £399 tool kit that happened to have the same item number., 3)  receiving a generic email after sending in my report telling me 'there's nothing to see here' when the seller is actually being monitored.

The customer rep also confirmed that THE SELLER HAS INDEED SWAPPED OUT ALL THE INFORMATION ON THE LISTING - DESCRIPTION, TITLE, PHOTOS AND PRICE.   He could see when it happened, and it happened all at the same time.  So all of you who think it can't happen because eBay says it can't - beware!  Check feedback carefully before you buy.  

You may say 'What was the point in all that?  I couldn't be a$%Sd'.  But my conscience is clear.  If the buyer who currently has this item in their basket buys it, assuming that 90 have been sold and the seller has 100% feedback, and it does turn out to be a scam, then they will perhaps be refunded much more quickly than might otherwise have happened and the seller can then be shut down and booted off eBay before they scam anyone else.  If it doesn't turn out to be a scam, then no harm is done.   

[*vyolla*]

Yep, I've just had a bit of an in depth look at this and there is definitely something going on there. I do wonder if he's managed to replace the whole of that description field with an image. 

It's absolutely an issue if a seller can list and sell 300 50p widgets and then flip the listing to a top dollar £300 item and it appears in sold history right next to the quantity box as 300 sold. 

[infohelps]

Thank you.  Of course it's an issue, and anyone who doesn't think it is needs to give their head a wobble to use the modern vernacular.