False Tracking Number scam

[mr_lincoln]

I am a US Seller and eBay Mentor on the US Community platform.  It has been a few years since I posted here on the UK Community but decided to ask some questions of the UK Community in hopes of gaining some insights into possible solutions to a growing issue in the US.

I have no doubt the same scam exists in the UK as the US.  Sellers will scam a Buyer by shipping an item to a different address and when the Buyer files an official eBay claim that they did not receive their package they lose the claim when the Seller uploads a valid tracking number.

At present, we have some convoluted ways that Buyers can eventually obtain a refund and/or prove to eBay that the package was actually delivered to a different address.  They involve but are not limited to working with the carrier, obtaining a GPS location of the actual delivery, transfer of documents from carrier to Buyer then on to eBay, etc.  It is a lot of work.

I realize that there is no "one size fits all" solution but there may be some processes that could help cutdown on the scam.  

I welcome any solutions that may exist in the UK Selling & Buying process or ideas that could be considered.

Regards,

Mr. L

[ccla3379]

Hi Mr L,

I don't know the integration which the US eBay have available with their shippers but in the UK couriers like Evri will confirm delivery but also provide a click-through onto their website which prompts for the destination postcode in order to get the full tracking proof - i.e. if the postcode didn't match then it would fail.

Royal Mail provides a map of the delivery location as well as the GPS co-ordinates on their click-through so if the address was more than a few yards away it would show up.

From eBay's side I can understand that this is not the most common case but they ought to be able to cope with a buyer challenging their INR case closure - and they also ought to pick-up if a seller tried this more than once.

My experience of shipping issues are more to do with the courier/postie not leaving the item at the right address despite using a label auto generated from the system.  But stuff happens - they have a lot on their plate and are only getting pennies to deliver packages.