Seller wanted photo of Buyer with item

[crabappl_96]

Recently purchased item and upon collection the seller said eBay requested that they take a photo of the buyer with said item they had purchased. At the time of collection, being a tad nervous I didn't think much of the request. In hindsight, having not done this for previous two collections I am wondering if this was a suitable request. Just wondering if this is something eBay would actually request a seller to do.

[red_magpie · Accepted solution]

If you paid by PayPal this was a very sensible precaution for the seller to take.

When items are collected the seller does not have the proof of postal delivery that PayPal requires. Many buyers have collected items, then claimed not to have authorised the transaction to claim a refund. This scam has even been exposed in the national press, years ago, but is still going strong.

Few buyers will risk attemting this fraud if the seller can produce a picture of them collecting the item.

[crabappl_96 · Accepted solution]

Thanks very much red_magpie. Nice to know this information for next time and I feel a tad better about it now. I suppose it's much the same as when Hermes or DPD take photos too as proof of delivery. Shame there are so many scammers around these days ruining it for the majority of decent folk.

[plpmr]

eBay would not ask a seller to do that, but -

To protect themselves from possible fraud it's advisable for seller to hold as much proof of collection as possible [video/photo/signed receipt etc].

None of this will help them for eBay/PayPal/chargeback cases, but would make a buyer think twice about claiming, for example, unauthorised use claim.