Think I’m being scammed by the buyer

[jumpingfrog91]

Hi all

I sold a Dyson battery to someone and sent it via Evri 

he has messaged me to say he received flowers instead and sent me pictures with the label on them.

He is being quite rude and I am convinced he is scamming me! 

I have had to refund him, but wondered if anyone has any guidance how I find support via eBay?

thanks 

Richard

[four_mid_able]

If you have refunded the buyer Ebay will not get involved.

[cobwebcottage]

This is a bad experience for you and thankfully, it doesn't happen very often. If you come across it again, follow the returns procedure. Reply to your  buyer and ask them to open an item not as described case and also inform them that you will be contacting the courier for a full investigation as it should be easy to prove if a bunch of flowers was delivered to them. This may make them think twice if they are not telling the truth. 

It does depend on the courier you use. I find Packlink very fast to respond to issues and they will investigate parcels delivered by Evri a lot quicker than trying to contact Evri direct if you book it with them. 

All the above doesn't mean the outcome will be in your favour but may make any scammer think again as Ebay record how many cases they open.

[mintymtb]

This exact scam is happening to me right now.

It's a loophole that buyers can exploit as they're guaranteed a refund and a seller gets screwed over. 

[cobwebcottage]

Unfortunately, as you are a relatively new seller and listed an expensive item, it has been a magnet to scammers. If you have any thing of value to sell, list it as collection only. For items you are posting, make sure they are all sent with tracking and pay for a signature on delivery. Pay for insurance too if it is something you can't afford to lose. You can add this to the price of postage. Also, message your buyer if you are sending items which require a signature and say when you will post it and could they confirm they will be in to sign for it. This puts a lot of scammers off. If they do not reply, cancel the sale.

[mintymtb]

Trouble is, delivery cover doesn't matter as the parcels are being delivered so there is no claim with the courier to be had. 

It's eBays own rules and policies that are being used against sellers, and eBay are supporting it all. 

[cobwebcottage]

99.9% of buyers are honest genuine people. It's just about putting every thing you can in place to prevent fraud and issues. Ebay is just a platform. They are not there when parcels are packed or delivered so there is little they can do if a buyer claims INAD, plus there are online selling laws to abide by. They will look in to an account though if a buyer is opening lots of cases against sellers.