How do I handle a buyer trying to scam me, eBay and PayPal are closed!?

[hairtrixls]

Hi, I a, so worried, I'm not a business seller, just someone trying to raise cash in these hard times of Covid lockdown.

i sold my partners 9ct gold curb chain, the buyer knocked me down at the time £105 as it was!

i sent it recorded delivery, now he has asked to return it saying it isn't the chain from the listing photos and there's no hall mark!

the picture of the chain he has sent clearly isn't the chain I actualy sent!

so he wants to return this "fake" chain back and pay him back £480 for the privalidge and I end up out of pocket one expensive gold chain! I have tried calling eBay and PayPal, the phone lines are closed till further notice from Covid and I'm scared they will at some point refund the buyer BEFOR reopening! Please someone help!

[papso22]

I am afraid there is no good news here. 

You need to provide the buyer with a return label, paid for by you, and then come back here if what you get back is not your chain, as soon as you get it.   If you do nothing, then ebay will refund them with your money and they won't have to return anything.  You need something back in order to sue the buyer in the small claims court, which may be what you end up doing, but the outcome is far from certain. 

Buyer's can very easily scam sellers.  

[*vyolla*]

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@hairtrixls wrote:

the picture of the chain he has sent clearly isn't the chain I actualy sent!

so he wants to return this "fake" chain back and pay him back £480 for the privalidge and I end up out of pocket one expensive gold chain! I have tried calling eBay and PayPal, the phone lines are closed till further notice from Covid and I'm scared they will at some point refund the buyer BEFOR reopening! Please someone help!

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@hairtrixls Sadly, as pointed out by @papso22  already, your buyer is going to get a refund.

There is a golden rule to only sell what you can afford to lose, as there are many ways to part you from your item and your money.

First of all, message the buyer and ask them if they are getting mixed up with another purchase because the photo they've sent you is not of the chain you sent out to them. If it's obvious why then state why, point out the differences. Keep the language simple and factual as you may have to use it in any legal action.

If the buyer has opened an item not as described claim you've got 7 more days until they can escalate it, so have time to accept the return.

Any buyer who sets out to scam basically wants an easy life, and if they feel a bit of a fight coming on they may back off.

Google their name, their address, check their social pages, see if there are any clues there that may indicate that your buyer has done this before.

Come back to this thread if they reply to you.

[john1297576]

Recorded delivery is not suitable for gold you should have used Special Delivery. Showing that you do not know the basics of the Postal service attracts scammers as they see you as an easy target.