Buyer claims camera wasn't sent (it was) and wants a return & refund

[temjinmkii]

Hello.

This feels like a scam, and I'm not sure what to do.

Sold an expensive £400 camera on EBAY and sent it to the buyer. Buyer has just received the package and claims there was only a charging cable in the box, took a photo of said cable and opened a return / refund request claiming that no camera was included.

Don't know what else to say other than the camera was in the box and sent.

I have three days to respond to the return request. What should I do?

[rare_treat]

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@4_bathrooms wrote:

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@rare_treat wrote:

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Either way, not the seller’s fault.

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The point is none of it will make any difference to eBay.

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Are you saying then, that, as a seller, gathering any evidence for your case is a waste of time, as it will always be ignored?

And what about the claim with RM, not eBay. Will they not be interested in any evidence either?

[4_bathrooms]

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@rare_treat wrote:

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Are you saying then, that, as a seller, gathering any evidence for your case is a waste of time, as it will always be ignored?

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When it comes to INAD cases that is exactly what I'm saying. When a buyer requests a return for an INAD reason there is no arbitration on eBay's part; the "request" is automatically accepted and an automated process begins. The seller has no real choice but to send a return label; if they don't send one in time the buyer wins the case by default. Once the label's tracking shows a status indicating the package has been delivered or attempted to be delivered back to the seller the next countdown begins. The only way a seller can stop that countdown is by clicking the "Report a problem" link which opens a new case. However, eBay will protect the buyer under the Money Back Guarantee they have; the seller is not afforded a similar guarantee from eBay against suffering a loss. One thing that has become clear is the only time eBay will protect a seller from suffering a loss due to a fraudulent claim by a buyer is when the seller has supplied an Action Fraud reference number. 

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@rare_treat wrote:

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And what about the claim with RM, not eBay. Will they not be interested in any evidence either?

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If the seller suspects the buyer is making a fraudulent claim the seller themselves would be making a fraudulent claim against Royal Mail. If the seller accepts the buyer's claim then they should simply refund the buyer - which would take eBay completely out of the equation - and take up their claim entirely with Royal Mail who state what evidence they require. 

[rare_treat]

I can understand that for low value items - non-automated systems will cost more in time than the loss in value - but for items worth hundreds of pounds it seems they are just encouraging criminals to do it. If they don't take the time to look into them, and take onboard evidence, then they're effectively calling the seller the criminal instead.

[*enterprise-ncc-1701*]

Ah, the good old I received an empty package scam,
still works I believe, and you have to refund the buyer in full.
Many years ago I used to sell car electrical parts that I fully tested and were as good as new

too many times buyers claimed "not working" and sent back their broken item instead.
pointless marking items or putting on seals or photographing before , as none of that works,
when someone sent back a house brick instead of a starter motor and got £170 back and free 2 way postage , I had had enough and stopped selling.

[*enterprise-ncc-1701*]

i've videoed me opening a returned package and finding nothing inside
buyer still got a full refund
and ebay was not interested in my video

[nat11911]

I could list a £400 camera and video myself packing it, but I can guarantee you'll receive a brick.

I would simply video myself putting the camera in the box, then turn off the video, remove the camera and - while the video's still off - replace it with a brick and tape-up the box again, and you wouldn't know I'd done that until you opened the box. Voila - no camera.

It's so, so easy to pull a fast one if you're that way inclined - I just wish there was a solution.

[johnwash1]

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@nat11911 wrote:

I could list a £400 camera and video myself packing it, but I can guarantee you'll receive a brick.

..

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Time to go round and personally deliver the brick back to the buyer?

[camerapartsuk]

Out of interest, did the OP get a picture of the item delivered by Royal Mail? If so, did the package look opened?

If not, then he's definitely telling porkies, but if it arrived open, then a postie might have had it or the box could have been damaged in transit.

[temjinmkii]

Yes, I did get a picture.

Royal Mail supplied this photo of the package being delivered as part of the tracking history. For what it's worth, I always put the label across the middle of the box, so it would be impossible to open from the top without ripping the label in two. As you can see here, it hasn't been opened (at least not from the top.)

[temjinmkii]

Hello, just an update on this. The buyer failed to return anything by the deadline (today - the 22nd) and eBay have closed the return.

I've now been able to withdraw the money from the sale without issue.

Also, I noticed that the buyer's account is "no longer a registered user" so either they, or Ebay, have deleted it.

Thank you to everyone who advised me how to handle this situation.

[tressygirl]

That is good news,  and seeing unregistered user when a seller has been in recent transactions,  the seller could not have removed their account,  eBay did this.

Obviously a bad seller, falling below eBay's selling standards, so eBay have banned them from their site.

Result!

@temjinmkii 

[robbtyke132010]

To help your case do a little digging. What was the feedback score of the buyer? If he has other feedback contact those sellers even if it is positive (many sellers leave feedback on DISPATCH before buyer receives item) & ask if there were any problems. Many sellers are very co-operative & help police the site - if there are adverse comments it will at least confirm your suspicions.

[ile136yz]

Pleased to hear you got it sorted out in your favour.

All the Best.