RETURN Ebay Buyer Switched Out My Good Item for Their Bad Item (What to Do How to Prevent) 

This may get a little long-winded so bear with me. I literally lost my eBay account over stunts like this and so did my brother. One of my favorites was i sent a guy a Superman Bank battery operated. When the guy received it he claimed that the battery operated feature didn't work. I was informed by eBay when she filed a claim that I had to pay for return shipping if I wanted the item back. As soon as the guy opened the case eBay automatically took the money out of my PayPal account instantly as soon as the case was open the money was taken out of my account and put on hold. i ended up not being able to get the item back because of the shipping if I told you how much it would have cost for me to have it mailed back you dropped it. It was costing basically almost double what it cost me to mail it I forget what their reasoning was for the shipping to be so high to return it. And I had incidents like that several times. I kept being informed by eBay that I have to pay for return shipping not the buyer. So anytime somebody wanted to open a claim about something not being as described or not working it became a common stunt that both me and my brother were dealing with on eBay. Another issue we both had was stuff being destroyed in the mail no matter how you packaged it. I had a guy by seven I think was the number of portable typewriters that I had listed each of these typewriters came in a metal box where they were Airline transport typewriters from like the 1940s and 50s. The guy pissed and whined and moaned about the shipping like a little baby and I ended up having to mail three or four in a box and you don't want to know how heavy one of those was let alone four in a box. Now remember each of these typewriters is in a metal enclosed travelling case designed to be bounced around in the cargo hold of an airplane LOL. When he received the two boxes he claimed all of them were damaged bent and non-functional and even took pictures and this particular case I ended up going through a quite a massive ordeal with the postal system where I had the stuff insured but needless to say they didn't want to pay for the insurance I had pictures everything before it was mailed and he had pictures of it being damaged Postal Service tried to claim it was because of the way I packed the stuff. Bear in mind it was typewriters inside metal cases in order to do the damage that had been done either one of the delivery vehicles had been in a major car accident or somebody had put them in something and physically compacted them like a garbage compactor kind of compacted. Each one of the metal cases was twisted and crunched and the typewriter inside parts of the typewriter were bent which is Quite a feat to accomplish. Aside from those typewriters I lost track of how many record players got smashed in the mail some of these were two and three hundred dollar turntables or more expensive where I literally had them packed one box inside of another wrapped in bubble wrap and they kept arriving half their original size like the boxes had been in a trash compactor and in each case the turntable was in small plastic bits barely even recognizable. Lost track how many times that happened to me or my brother. Same thing happened with five different Commodore monitors each time we try to mail a Commodore monitor they get wrecked in the mail no matter how you pack them. Last going off I lost my eBay account due to a postal strike about 10 years ago here in Canada. We were literally told by eBay Canada we were not to stop any other eBay listings and we wouldn't be penalised by the postal strike. I had my eBay seller privileges terminated due to large numbers of item not received cases. I lost track of how many people reported their item not being received! This was give or take 8 or 10 years ago at this point. I repeatedly contacted eBay customer support about this even as long as two years after the fact and kept being told there's nothing we can do about it all decisions are final they're made by the algorithm this was years ago believe it or not they claimed none of these decisions were made by people and they were made by a computer program at eBay and once your seller account got terminated they can't simply allow you to have another account get a new one or reactivate your seller privileges once it's gone it's gone the automated system has spoken. My brother went through a similar situation a few years later during the second postal strike here in Canada again he ended up losing his account because eBay wouldn't allow sellers to stop their listings till after the strike and we just kept getting one thing after another about stuff not being delivered. There was also a situation where I lost around $400 where eBay and PayPal screwed up. Guy basically played fast and loose on a very expensive Nintendo. According to the postal system the guy refused about delivery according to the buyer the item had never been delivered to their house and they didn't refuse it. In total the guy got three refunds he got a refund from eBay and double refund from PayPal. I still don't know how exactly this took place but he got a $200 refund from eBay which they build my PayPal account and then PayPal gave him a refund where he opened a case with PayPal besides the case he opened with eBay and I still don't know how he got two separate refunds from PayPal it cost me around $400 or $600 altogether not including I had to pay over $100 to The Postal System where the item got returned without being claimed by the buyer. Again I argued with multiple people on the phone and kept being told everything's automated nothing we can do you're on your own and PayPal was even more ignorant to the situation. As of last year I still can't get a new selling account on eBay where I'm told I can't list anything on eBay due to my suspension roughly 10 years ago.Between the first and second postal strike thousands of Canadians lost their selling accounts on eBay

This tactic is bullsh1t. Placing your number inside the box, They can report you if want you off of eBay. You don't know who the buyer is. They can report you for doing outside business off eBay. Placing your number will lead into more scam for hater and competitor. If they're a scammer, They're a scammer period. Scammer know they have buyer protection. Seller know seller have seller protection why waste money when yours sales are only netting at 10-20 and spending extra material

Happened to me few years back with laptop MB that I sent out to "repair shop" according to their address, had serialized "void if removed" sticker but didn't matter, they sent back non working one with different serial and missing that sticker altogether and Ebay just told me to eat all the fees including shipping both ways and write off as "loss" and none of the pictures or even videos me unpacking the return did any difference even though I had over 5K feedback and his was around 300, neither did reporting the buyer. Stopped selling there shortly afterwards, F..k ebay.

Honestly not many left like you, good ❤on ya 👋

@@rationalatheist9824 I know. It is the sad truth.

I’m just amazed that there’s still a demand for VHS.

Aladin is just as good a movie now as it was in 2000's! I can watch it without wifi too

Someone just did it 2 me today on mercari saying item wasn't as described but it was my personal item. I offered her immediate refund for return but them she wanted partial refund I said no. Then she started return with new claims that item was now sticky and missing parts to the set.

how do you know the exact buyer register the modem? the company doesn't share private information to the public, You can't call Netgear or Motorola or whoever and ask them to give you the name and the location of a serial number. Your case is flawed from the start. No wonder you lost the case.

You could ban people with a low feedback years ago. But Ebay go rid of it.

@@turokforever007you can still block them

it doesn't help. How can you independently prove that what the seller sent is the correct serial number. A picture doesn't proof anything since the seller can put whatever they want in the box regardless of the photos and keep the funds. The Seller can scam as much as the buyer.

​@@deathfire096 True and tbh there are some scamming sellers out there who could pull this and send buyers a broken unit. It's why no one can find a perfect resolution for this kind of fraud, nothing can be proven.

They use to have that when I sold there, after they took it away ebay went downhill from there and I quit selling there.

yeah but that comes off easily with goo gone 🤔

It doesn't matter. They will still lie and Ebay will initially take their side. You have to fight it. In my case a buyer sent a completely different hard drive. He could have sent me a rock and Ebay would have taken his side. This has been an issue with Ebay since the beginning.

They will just say “they didn’t send me what they said they were sending”. Like you could literally video tape you packaging the item, driving to the post office, giving it to the guy behind the counter, and getting a receipt all in one take with no cut aways and eBay would still take the buyers side.

Just happened to me. They needed a police report and a ic3 report before taking my side. Thankfully the buyer lived 3 hours away so I could file in his town. So much trouble I too now am stopping smdh

Too much trouble, I sell locally in person, cash only.

Yup that saved me a while back. Sold an argon laser and they shipped a broken cofee pot back and the weight was nowhere even close. 🤬

I do that with anything worth $50 and up. If I buy something or sell something, I record every box opening.

it doesn't proof anything since videos can be edited and it doesn't show before the video. I can open the box from the bottom, switch the item, seal it back up again at the bottom and shoot the video of the top box sealed with the label and act on video.

ebay doesnt care about video recordings at all.

@@robbyg1232 is not proof,. Unless ebay has satellite feed and xray machines, it's the word of the seller vs the buyer. Anybody can make a video or take photos that doesn't proof anything,

Coz eBay favours sellers while Amazon favours buyers

not on used items.

Warranty void stickers are just that, but serial number stickers can be used to prevent fraud, be sure to video the actual packing of the item as well making sure to note the weight. It's unlikely that a scammer will even try to match the weight.

ive gotten two switch a roos...ebay sided with buyer. even with photo evidence of serial numbers comapring the one on the returned items vs the ones listed in my listings...what happened to seller protection?

thought of this before. Most of the time they are not going through the whole process of finding the exact sticker. Plus the sticker is conveying that you are watching.

This is called mail fraud contact the postmaster general its a criminal case.

It streamlines the process for sellers with a lot of items. I figured it out when I started selling.

I only see options to mark as received and send refund. Do I have to press mark as received in order to enable the option to appeal? eBay help files are not really clear on that

honestly I use to buy broken and used laptops on ebay and flip them on craigslist buy the dozen. It's very possible that what he is saying is true. I would inspect the laptop first but you may just have to eat this one and pay for the shipping both ways, then resell it as is to recoup some of your money. Ebay is a long form game and you need to keep your emotions at check and think of it from a business side. Think about how much money you can make with ebay on the long term. THis loss I would eat unless I knew it was just blatant. Most people don't know how to switch out screens.

SPAM?

yes, make sure you appeal the case and fight it.

i just this week had someone who switched out a good item for their bad and disputed with ebay and ebay paid for it and give me the money back and yes the buyer got to keep my good item. Im not sure why your account is different.

@@HelpingHermit I’m very glad to hear that. Our problem all these years has been the buyer saying NAD due to fit and it forces free shipping free returns. Few do it, but it ruins it for the honest folks.

What happened to the case? Did you get your money back?

@@marlantonidelosreyes2773 not yet. eBay wants me to print out a document that states I didn’t get back what I sold and then I have to sign it. I’ll do that tomorrow and when they come back with their final decision I’ll comment again.

@@stravocado hello, did you get your money back?

thats why i never sell shit online people are scummy, i'm a good ebayer i pay for what i buy i don't like scamming sellers they have bills, kids and a family to support this is how people make their living. but KARMA a bitch it comes back to them ALWAYS!!!!

@@stanislavmelnichenko8835 Nope. eBay sided with the buyer who mind you, didn’t even contact me about the whole thing. just made a false complaint. even got hit with some random $20 fee when they refunded the buyer🤦‍♂️

whats their user ebay user name

@@HelpingHermit powersports808 I ended up getting them to send pics of the item I sold them so I can be sure it is not damaged and what we are getting back. It was just strange to ask for a full refund because what he noticed that was slightly damaged was $8 to replace. We offered to refund back $20 to cover the cost. They declined. They have a feedback of over 2000. I suspect they just dont want it anymore and looked for ANYTHING to justify returning it. Also what they noticed was in the pictures. I just need to be more particular when I am taking pics and pointing out all potential defects etc.

@@HelpingHermit I got the item back. It was not damaged and I already relisted. I think the buyer just wanted there money back and looked for anything as an excuse to return it even though what they claimed was INAD was in the pictures. I just need to do better in my descriptions. What I am going to start doing is add stickers with arrows pointing to any and all damage. marks, scratches...whatever. I mostly sell atv, motorcycle parts used. And also have more information in the description. p

@@jcaashby3 yes they do this so they don't have to pay for return shipping. You just have to take take these hits as a seller. I'm glad he didn't steal the item from you

I'm in the same spot right now. I don't typically sell on ebay but have listed some things to make ends meet at the moment. I sold a $500 tea set and the buyer is saying it arrived broken. She sent a photo of 1 cup and saucer that was broke, but said everything was smashed. I offered a partial refund and then she wanted me to call her. I contacted ebay support and they said to file a claim with usps. I told her I wouldn't communicate outside ebay and have asked for photos of all the broken items together to make the usps claim and she has since gone silent. She is a seller and specializes in selling the name brand that my tea set is, Henri Bendell so I'm worried it's a scam but I don't want to think the worst of people, but I did read about bait and switch scams so I'm at a loss for what to do.

since he already opened the case respond to the case and dont even contact him. He already knows the game. Just respond in the bottom the buyer "sent different item". Can you put his ebay user name i this comment? So I can look up his past feedback? I won't disclose it to others.

@@HelpingHermit yeah his username is bkoral2110. He only has one other review which is positive. But he mentioned he had others of similar products and wanted to add my larger one to the collection. He sent pics of 3 different ones for some reason. One shattered, one chipped and the one I sent. He's claiming they are all the same one but I think there is obvious proof... Just doesn't make sense. I didn't accept the return yet. Wanted to explain the situation to eBay first and have them look at the pictures. It should definitely be in my favor. It's messed up how people do this. The money is needed too so its a pretty shitty situation. Appreciate the info you gave. Was wondering what to do in this scenario. Been selling for years but it's the 1st time something like this happened.

@@wokeone8387 I just had to refund a guy back $500 for something he said was damaged that was in the pictures. The part that was damaged was so minor I did not even notice it. And it did not affect the product at all. The part of the item that was damaged was $8.00 I offered a partial refund for $20 and it got declined. So pissed. I did get it back in the condition I sold it. It is a 20 year old Carburetor for a ATV that is no longer made. It sucks to lose that money but I know I will sell it again no problem. I just have to do better with my descriptions and noting it all down. I am also purchasing little stickers with arrows that I will use to ID any and all damage, blemishes etc.

What ever happened in your case? I just got into the exact situation over a nice pair of leather boots but she just made claims without sending me pictures. I told her request a refund and send them back. She has yet to open or file for a refund. It’s my first time dealing with a dishonest customer and it’s very deflating.

@@missmermaid6249 I ended up, threatening them with the FBI website, they ended up sending back my actual earrings, and they waited until the very last minute, so I know they were trying to pull some thing, I waited until the very last minute to accept return per eBay rules. Thankfully, they did return my earrings, but eBay most definitely gave them their money back once the return showed delivered after 48 hours in your case if they haven’t filed for a return or a refund in 30 days from delivery date, they can’t. there are no returns after 30 days regardless, but if they do open a claim before the 30 days is up, and if they don’t send back your item, or if they send back an item, that’s not yours, as soon as the return shows delivered call eBay immediately and let them know that the item returned is not yours , let them know you filed a fraud report with the FBI internet scam report and/or a police report and they have to protect you under seller protection. Period! Hope this helps

@@missmermaid6249 also, should be after the 30 days and they file a dispute with their credit card company, if the credit card company finds to be in their favor, which 99% of the time they will, once that closes. Also call eBay let them know you filed a police report because the item you received back was not yours, and they have to protect you under seller protection on that also, I think that’s the biggest scam of all. I made a comment to one of the reps one day, when that happened to me, somebody stole somebody’s credit card and bought some thing and filed a dispute with the card company of “wasn’t my charge” or “unknown charge” and I said, let me get this right, so if I go out and buy a $45,000 car on my credit card and I call my credit card company to dispute they’re gonna give me my money back I get to keep the car?? I was like what the heck that doesn’t make any sense? And of course I was just being a smart ass, because you can’t go buy a car on a credit card and file a dispute and win, and Think you’re gonna keep a while car, buy by golly if it’s An online shopping site, that’s a whole different story.

@@jeanne1019 First thank you for replying! I’m new to selling and I don’t even know how to call eBay. They don’t make it easy. The claims she made were so shocking because she’d requested pics of the soles (of boots) and they’re pristine but now claims they’re falling off. I’m trying to remain professional even though I know she’s lying. I told her send a return request and once I receive them I’ll issue a refund…..crickets…because she wants to keep them, she said so. Thank you again for replying. I’ll see how it plays out but crickets on her end worry me. I know how they can get around it and eventually get what they want. Thanks for the wonderful tips. I will use them as this unfolds. I feel it coming for some reason. I felt it before she bought them but didn’t listen to my intuition. This isn’t the end.

@@missmermaid6249 fortunately, most of the buyers on eBay are legit and professional, but there are a handful that are just like this, stand strong do not give her her money back until your boots get returned, and In exact condition you sent them, if you get to a point where you’re not sure what to do. Let me know. I’m happy to help walk you through it. Even if it’s after the 30 days they can file a dispute with her credit card company but again, if that happens, let it all play through and once the credit card company decides for their customer there is still a way for you under seller protection. It is very hard to call eBay, but if you scroll down to the bottom and hit chat, you’re going to get an automated agent, but… If you type in the search engine agent, it will give you the option to have eBay call you

well if you see that he did switch it out report him number one. You can only do this so many times that Ebay will flag your account if enough sellers complain. Did he open up a case? If not and he returns it without opening up a case its possible he is trying to go under the radar. If you see that he switched it out refuse to refund him and force him to open up a case so its documented. Then respond to the case saying that the buyer didn't send the right item out. Ebay will then say you don't have enough evidence, but then you do an appeal and its a good possibility that ebay will refund you for the credit. Unfortunately this comes from ebay and not the buyer. But the point is you put your foot in the sand. Don't worry about a negative feedback if you know 100 percent the buyer stole from you. Whats right is right.

@@HelpingHermit Thank you for your information and help buddy

I know this is an old comment but it should be known that if ebay refuses to rule in your favor and after appeal makes you refund, even if you have proof, that is now a criminal case and cyber crime unit will investigate it, they get in touch with the police in the county of the perpetrator, if there's a history of fraud they can get a search warrant. When you call ebay to notify them that you opened a criminal case, and tell them the case number, suddenly the seller is empowered, gets the entire transaction voided and removed and fully refunded, no evidence it ever happened. They do that to limit their liability, because if they were found ignoring evidence and making you take the loss, they would be risking litigation because it's a violation of fair conduct and you can sue them. It's interstate wire fraud too.

if I know the buyer is dishonest I do not care if at the end I dont have 100 percent positive. Integrity is all we have in this world and I would fight for what is right if i 100 percent know they are trying to steal from me.

@@HelpingHermit The buyer's profile says he's in another country. I think the buyer had the item shipped to a US address, and then had a contact ship the item to him overseas. If this is the case, I can't be held liable for damages and intermediate handling. Have you seen this before? If so, does Ebay recognize this happening?

THAT IS LARCENY PEOPLE!!!

I mean I could damn near buy a 1/4 oz AGE with that but nope now it’s gone with the wind

There is nothing to stop them, but they would have to find the exact sticker, buy it, have it delivered, then open the claim. Most scammers are too lazy to go through this.

The sticker does not prove anything, especially when ebay favors the buyer regardless. If the sticker is missing on the returned item, the buyer can claim the seller removed it to get out of taking responsibility.

these are tamper proof

Yes you can get them off without showing that you tampered with them, especially when they’re that big, the smaller ones are harder

no, that is the risk of doing dropshipping

@@HelpingHermit This is a tricky one. So I thought about shipping the item to me so that I have the item. But the best case scenario I can see is Ebay refunding both sides as if no money transaction took place--HOWEVER, that still leaves me with a broken item that is not mine, so essentially I have had my expensive item stolen.. I called Ebay and they wouldn't answer the question of how they might resolve the issue of my item being stolen, only that they would refund. So ho might the scenario play out after Ebay has played its part and I am still left with the scammer's item and not my own??

Even if I shipped the item to me and then sold it on Ebay, and took pictures and even video footage of the item, and the item's barcode, and even applied the stickers featured on your video, I feel the scammer would still scam me as Ebay wouldn't be able to take my item from the scammer and return it to me. The only hope I see with this is if Ebay tells the scammer that unless they return MY item, after sending Ebay PROOF via photos and video footage of the item's unique barcode, PROOF that the item that the scammer sent me is NOT mine, that unless the scammer sends me back MY item, then Ebay will NOT refund the scammer, therefore, I would win because I would have the money that my item cost plus the profit.

fight it. despite the claim that he sent something back different

Hi someone I think is trying it with me with an x box one x I'm just waiting to get it back he says not as described on photos or description he says loud rattling coming from inside it was quiet as when I sent him had it running hours to test it its obvious he switched it but I have photo evidence off console I'd number and I still have the box too

There's no way that thing broke the case is really hard and I packed it well I'm fighting it they have 7 feedbacks and 2020 account I have 100 percent feedbacks out of 589 and a few thousand sales this yeae

I'll know if it's mine just had a shop tune it I'm all that jazz gonna bring it to the shop and have the guy look at it too I know it won't matter I'm regards to ebay but just fir when I report the jerk off

make sure you refuse the refund and physically call up Ebay. Also file a complaint with USPS and maybe do a police report.

So did you get paid?