I have been scammed The seller sent a blank envelope

[silver-circles]

 I purchased an iPhone 16 Pro Max 1TB from a seller on eBay. Before completing the purchase, I contacted the seller to ask if the phone could be sent via next-day delivery, as I needed it urgently. The seller agreed to this arrangement, and I asked him to update the postage option on eBay to reflect next-day delivery, so that the change would be recorded on the platform and my purchase would remain protected. He agreed to do so, but later claimed he was unable to amend the postage option for some reason.

We therefore agreed that he would still post the item using Royal Mail Special Delivery (Next Day). On the day of dispatch, the seller confirmed he would send the item NDD, and we exchanged several messages back and forth. However, when I asked for the tracking details of the delivery, the seller stopped responding completely. From that point onward, he went entirely silent and failed to reply to any of my messages on eBay.

A few days later, I received only a blank envelope in the post instead of the iPhone I had purchased. The envelope contained nothing of value. I have kept the envelope and the packaging as evidence.

After discovering this, I immediately contacted eBay customer support to report the issue. Following their investigation, I was advised to file a report with Action Fraud as this clearly appears to be a case of fraud, where is the buyer protection here?.

[**peaseblossom**]

If the item has no tracking on ebay or the tracking is not showing as delivered select "Report an item you didn't receive" on here:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/buying/returns-items-not-received-refunds-buyers/get-help-item-hasnt-arr...
and escalate it 3 complete working days later.

If the tracking is on ebay and it's showing as delivered start a return on here:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/buying/returns-refunds/return-item-refund?id=4041
select "Item doesn't match description" and escalate it to eBay after 3 complete working days. 

Either one has to be done within 30 days of the delivery date.   If it's past that time it's too late for ebay but contact your payment provider and ask about a chargeback or refund.

[jckl1957]

Use the Ebay Money Back Guarantee.

You need to open a case.

Find the item in your purchases and choose 'I want to return this item'.

Choose the reason' Received the wrong item'.

The seller will have to provide a return label and you can send them the empty packaging you received.

If they don't respond promptly with a return label, you can ask Ebay to step in.

At this stage, I would not file a report with Action Fraud.

[silver-circles]

eBay has stepped in and, as the seller escalated the case and didn't want to refund me, so eBay asked me to file a report with Action Fraud, which I found unusual, as I am protected as a buyer and usually in this case I get the refund!

[insidethe93]

Yes the seller's behaviour is suspicious, but can you definitely prove it was they who sent an empty envelope? It could be theft anywhere in the shipping or delivery process.

For instance, I've received several eBay orders with the envelope cut open along one side, though fortunately the items were present and correct. (A regular seller of mine has said, whom I quote elsewhere in the discussion boards, that RM or was it the post office told them not to use tape to seal their envelopes as sometimes RM open the envelopes to check the contents, but how do you know if it was RM who legitimately opened an envelope or a thief seeing if there was anything worth stealing?) I also know three posties (two now retired; my hubby was one briefly, decades ago) and on the rare occasion the subject's come up they've been brutally critical about the amount of theft by certain staff, done almost openly and widely known about. Decades ago there was a 'Panorama' documentary where the reporter went under cover as a Royal Mail employee in a sorting office; I particularly remember his supervisor explaining and showing how best to open envelopes to steal the contents; if I recall correctly about 11 million items were going missing/potentially stolen at the time; the programme led to RM making sweeping changes, but unfortunately in recent years I just can't find any online reference to it so the only way I know it happened is that hubby and a few contemporaries also remember the programme.

Anyway, I'm merely suggesting that if you take the incident further and outside eBay, that the thief might not necessarily have been the seller, so that if you make a specific accusation it's a good idea to have proof (not just deducing). Should you decide to sue, the standard for the burden of proof is lesser in civil cases, being "balance of probability", than for criminal cases where it's "beyond reasonable doubt".

[nigel_paul_wright7557]

I definitely wouldnt open an item not received case as you received an envelope.

You would lose the case if tracking was used.

This is an "item not as described" case which you will win.

[ibizadaze]

I've just read what happened to you and would say the seller couldn't update the postage details as it only gives the option for simple delivery and automatically 2nd class as far as I know , what they Should have done is sent you a message and a photo of the proof of postage showing the weight and cost and your postcode etc confirming special delivery given the cost ( I have just looked at the listing ). As they haven't done so and the envelope was empty I would definitely report to fraud action and to the police where you will be given a crime number to give to ebay. Interesting they have only sold one item and it is the phone you bought. That in itself is obviously not a crime but definitely suspicious in my opinion. Good luck getting your money back

[ahmahme.qulzzuzzf]

Im in the similar postion I received blank paper instead of phone sent photos and now the seller has opened a case and asked ebay to review claiming I've just sent him blank papers ebay is reviewing my case do you know who will ebay side with? 

[smarts-gaming]

This scam is going crazy right now, it happened to me this week too on just a PS1 game. I was quick to report it and ebay refunded me. The seller never responded to my request though so I had to wait for ebay to step in. Annoying having to wait a few days for a refund. They really need to get on this because I have seen loads of these posts the past few weeks, here and on reddit. Its not right that its so easy to just send a piece of paper with a label on it, even if the item would never even fit in an envelope. I recorded the lady in the shop handing me the item, walked out to my car and opened it all on video, because as soon as I saw it I knew id been scammed.