Need Advice ASAP Ebay/Paypal Buyer Switched Items

[ivo610]

Re: Need Advice ASAP Ebay/Paypal Buyer Switched Items

If this was within a 5 hour drive I would be showing up at someones house.

[tjm5711]

Re: Need Advice ASAP Ebay/Paypal Buyer Switched Items

Still no confirmation of a return.

I plan on documenting the whole thing on video from the moment the package is recieved from the postman to it being opened "live infront of our naked steaming eyes" (David Lee Roth Quote).

Iam hoping that email worked and she knows she has been made and will just say screw it.

EXCELLENT IDEA ! I never thought of video taping it. Make sure to zoom in on the package's unique numbers and labels. Very good thinking, Now you're really covering your backside !

[Lokee]

Re: Need Advice ASAP Ebay/Paypal Buyer Switched Items

PayPal will screw you if you're the seller. And yes for thousands, no doubt ! The worst part is all the time you spend on the phone on hold.

I'm telling you though. BEWARE of receiving an empty package back as a return. It will be your word against theirs.

Still no confirmation of a return.

I plan on documenting the whole thing on video from the moment the package is recieved from the postman to it being opened "live infront of our naked steaming eyes" (David Lee Roth Quote).

Iam hoping that email worked and she knows she has been made and will just say screw it.

[tjm5711]

Re: Need Advice ASAP Ebay/Paypal Buyer Switched Items

This may not always work. I had a situation where a buyer purchased and autographed jersey from me. I sent it neatly folded in a bag. Everything was in tact, the COA and proof photo was in a nice presentation envelop, etc.

Make a long story short, the buyer didn't want it and opened a claim with PAYPAL as item not as described. PAYPAL naturally snatched my money, so I asked the buyer to send the item back (in its original condition).

When the jersey arrived, it was wadded up inside of the shipping bag, wrinkled beyond repair, it reeked of smoke and funk, the proof pic was torn in half and the COA was nowhere to be found.

I immediately got the camera and documented everything and returned to PAYPAL do to exactly what you are referring to - open a claim against the buyer for items received as damaged or not in its original condition, along with providing a dozen or so pictures of the jerseys condition.

PAYPAL did squat. I went in circles with them for months and got nowhere. I had to eat a jersey that was unable to be resold, and out the cash for the listing and original purchase price.

I would be weary about this avenue. PAYPAL will do all they can NOT to have to eat the cost. If I got the shaft over a couple hundred, I can't imagine them budging for thousands.

I wish you all the best - KEEP UP THE FIGHT!

PayPal will screw you if you're the seller. And yes for thousands, no doubt ! The worst part is all the time you spend on the phone on hold.

I'm telling you though. BEWARE of receiving an empty package back as a return. It will be your word against theirs.

[NEFAN]

Re: Need Advice ASAP Ebay/Paypal Buyer Switched Items

It is a tough one especially proving your case. The buyer has 150 positives and has been a member for 1 year. All she does is buy Barbie stuff.

I have 0% faith in PayPal actually making sense of this situation only because they tend to not take all the evidence into consideration.

I will be video taping our trip to the post office and the opening of the returned package so maybe that will help as well.

Looks like good old Lokee will be selling one of his game used items to pay for our mortgage LOL

Of course they have all positives, you can't leave a negative any more!

[TriplexXxSports]

Re: Need Advice ASAP Ebay/Paypal Buyer Switched Items

Lokee, I have had this type of bad experience once with ebay. If you get the merchandise back, and it is in ANY way altered or messed with, incomplete, defective, etc., call Paypal and tell them you received "damages goods" back.....items you sent out in good condition which are now damaged and leaves you in a position of being unable to relist them as they were.

Paypal will then ask you to send the items to them, of course which you need to do with delivery confirmation. After performing a basic investigation which includes nothing more than viewing your damaged items to verify that fact) they will reimburse you the sale amount of your auction, because they have insurance to cover these types of bad situations.....I believe up to $2,000 a claim (not positive of that amount, but you can always find out by asking them).

Then, it is the insurance companies task of deciding whether or not they want to go after the buyer for the cost of the items, based on what they find by their review of the "damaged goods". That is about the only thing I have found to be positive in regards to the policies of Paypal.

So, Lokee, if you do receive them back "damaged".....make sure before you send them to paypal, you take a few digital photos showing the issues. They will be able to pull up from archives your original photos diplayed in your auction for comparison.

It's a huge hassle, but it in end, it's the closest thing to justice you will find as it will reconstruct the results of your auction before the criminal activity occured, and put this wrong situation back on the right side of the law.....your side!


Have I mentioned lately that I hate ebay?


Good luck in obtaining a positive outcome, Lokee.

Steve

This may not always work. I had a situation where a buyer purchased and autographed jersey from me. I sent it neatly folded in a bag. Everything was in tact, the COA and proof photo was in a nice presentation envelop, etc.

Make a long story short, the buyer didn't want it and opened a claim with PAYPAL as item not as described. PAYPAL naturally snatched my money, so I asked the buyer to send the item back (in its original condition).

When the jersey arrived, it was wadded up inside of the shipping bag, wrinkled beyond repair, it reeked of smoke and funk, the proof pic was torn in half and the COA was nowhere to be found.

I immediately got the camera and documented everything and returned to PAYPAL do to exactly what you are referring to - open a claim against the buyer for items received as damaged or not in its original condition, along with providing a dozen or so pictures of the jerseys condition.

PAYPAL did squat. I went in circles with them for months and got nowhere. I had to eat a jersey that was unable to be resold, and out the cash for the listing and original purchase price.

I would be weary about this avenue. PAYPAL will do all they can NOT to have to eat the cost. If I got the shaft over a couple hundred, I can't imagine them budging for thousands.

I wish you all the best - KEEP UP THE FIGHT!

[commando]

Re: Need Advice ASAP Ebay/Paypal Buyer Switched Items

Lokee, one tough sitch to be in, I'm really sorry.

What paypal's policy is.....is taking the easiest solution to a major problem by attempting to put things in reverse, and back to the way things were before the transaction occured. This is wonderful.....in the movies.

But we have to deal in real life.

So, in my view, they are acting as enablers and as an accessory to a crime. But the way they view it is.....If the buyer gets their money back, and the seller receives their merchandise back (and that's the problem here....who knows if that will happen), that is the best solution to a bad problem. Essentially this is completely screwing the seller, because all the time you spent listing the item, then having to wait for the auction to end, has now just been wiped off the face of the earth like it never happened. But you along with all of us.....and this awful witch who pulled this scam on you......all know it did.

Just another example of a low-life taking advantage of the system, and a worse realization that some very large companies in America allow the tragedies to be perpetuated by criminals against decent people, doing things right, following the rules, and sticking to the law of the land, over and over and over again.

Lokee, I have had this type of bad experience once with ebay. If you get the merchandise back, and it is in ANY way altered or messed with, incomplete, defective, etc., call Paypal and tell them you received "damages goods" back.....items you sent out in good condition which are now damaged and leaves you in a position of being unable to relist them as they were.

Paypal will then ask you to send the items to them, of course which you need to do with delivery confirmation. After performing a basic investigation which includes nothing more than viewing your damaged items to verify that fact) they will reimburse you the sale amount of your auction, because they have insurance to cover these types of bad situations.....I believe up to $2,000 a claim (not positive of that amount, but you can always find out by asking them).

Then, it is the insurance companies task of deciding whether or not they want to go after the buyer for the cost of the items, based on what they find by their review of the "damaged goods". That is about the only thing I have found to be positive in regards to the policies of Paypal.

So, Lokee, if you do receive them back "damaged".....make sure before you send them to paypal, you take a few digital photos showing the issues. They will be able to pull up from archives your original photos diplayed in your auction for comparison.

It's a huge hassle, but it in end, it's the closest thing to justice you will find as it will reconstruct the results of your auction before the criminal activity occured, and put this wrong situation back on the right side of the law.....your side!


Have I mentioned lately that I hate ebay?


Good luck in obtaining a positive outcome, Lokee.

Steve

Awesome post, Steve. Hope this all turns out well, because I'm sure someone else here will need to reference this thread in the future.

[suicide_squeeze]

Re: Need Advice ASAP Ebay/Paypal Buyer Switched Items

What a joke. Paypal has granted the lady the full refund once the items are returned. We all know she is NOT going to return the items that where actually sent. We are taking this Barbie lady to the wall on this one.

I do not wanna close my account and can't while a dispute is opened PLUS as soon as she opened the dispute they held the amount the dispute was for)

So all in all Ebay/PayPal and the lady are commiting fraud are they not ?

My wife has sold stuff on Ebay since it was basically up and going (1996) and has had the same user id and has NEVER recieved a negative in 13 years. This other lady has been a member for 1 year.

Lokee, one tough sitch to be in, I'm really sorry.

What paypal's policy is.....is taking the easiest solution to a major problem by attempting to put things in reverse, and back to the way things were before the transaction occured. This is wonderful.....in the movies.

But we have to deal in real life.

So, in my view, they are acting as enablers and as an accessory to a crime. But the way they view it is.....If the buyer gets their money back, and the seller receives their merchandise back (and that's the problem here....who knows if that will happen), that is the best solution to a bad problem. Essentially this is completely screwing the seller, because all the time you spent listing the item, then having to wait for the auction to end, has now just been wiped off the face of the earth like it never happened. But you along with all of us.....and this awful witch who pulled this scam on you......all know it did.

Just another example of a low-life taking advantage of the system, and a worse realization that some very large companies in America allow the tragedies to be perpetuated by criminals against decent people, doing things right, following the rules, and sticking to the law of the land, over and over and over again.

Lokee, I have had this type of bad experience once with ebay. If you get the merchandise back, and it is in ANY way altered or messed with, incomplete, defective, etc., call Paypal and tell them you received "damages goods" back.....items you sent out in good condition which are now damaged and leaves you in a position of being unable to relist them as they were.

Paypal will then ask you to send the items to them, of course which you need to do with delivery confirmation. After performing a basic investigation which includes nothing more than viewing your damaged items to verify that fact) they will reimburse you the sale amount of your auction, because they have insurance to cover these types of bad situations.....I believe up to $2,000 a claim (not positive of that amount, but you can always find out by asking them).

Then, it is the insurance companies task of deciding whether or not they want to go after the buyer for the cost of the items, based on what they find by their review of the "damaged goods". That is about the only thing I have found to be positive in regards to the policies of Paypal.

So, Lokee, if you do receive them back "damaged".....make sure before you send them to paypal, you take a few digital photos showing the issues. They will be able to pull up from archives your original photos diplayed in your auction for comparison.

It's a huge hassle, but it in end, it's the closest thing to justice you will find as it will reconstruct the results of your auction before the criminal activity occured, and put this wrong situation back on the right side of the law.....your side!


Have I mentioned lately that I hate ebay?


Good luck in obtaining a positive outcome, Lokee.

Steve

[tjm5711]

Re: Need Advice ASAP Ebay/Paypal Buyer Switched Items

UPDATE

PayPal has given the lady untill the 18th to provide a tracking number for the return and as of 430 pm Pacific Jan 12, 2010 she has not shipped the items back.

I did what was suggested (write an email explain mail fraud and that she will be taken to court) and did it VERY professional/nicely so we shall see what happens.

Be sure you open the return package in the presence of a Witness from the delivery company/post office ! She could send you an empty box back, then you'll really be screwed !

[Lokee]

Re: Need Advice ASAP Ebay/Paypal Buyer Switched Items

UPDATE

PayPal has given the lady untill the 18th to provide a tracking number for the return and as of 430 pm Pacific Jan 12, 2010 she has not shipped the items back.

I did what was suggested (write an email explain mail fraud and that she will be taken to court) and did it VERY professional/nicely so we shall see what happens.

[tjm5711]

Re: Need Advice ASAP Ebay/Paypal Buyer Switched Items

Like I previously said in this thread, I dealt with an almost identical situation.

You need to do THREE things:

1.) Don't accept any return package from this lady. You might get an empty box like I did(minus the broken glass LOL). Then you'll give her leverage, and she'll say she sent it back to you.

2.) Provide any proof you can for PayPal, and don't take NO for an answer.

3.) Move most of the money in your Bank Account associated with your PayPal Account somewhere else.

[MikeM]

Re: Need Advice ASAP Ebay/Paypal Buyer Switched Items

What a joke. Paypal has granted the lady the full refund once the items are returned. We all know she is NOT going to return the items that where actually sent. We are taking this Barbie lady to the wall on this one.

I do not wanna close my account and can't while a dispute is opened PLUS as soon as she opened the dispute they held the amount the dispute was for)

So all in all Ebay/PayPal and the lady are commiting fraud are they not ?

My wife has sold stuff on Ebay since it was basically up and going (1996) and has had the same user id and has NEVER recieved a negative in 13 years. This other lady has been a member for 1 year.

What a horrible situation. I'm so sorry to hear about this.
Please don't give up on this, especially if you have auctions where she was selling the exact same barbie clothes she's claiming she never received.

I would suggest as others that you tell her (calmly) that you're contacting her local police department as well as the postmaster.

Lastly, I play poker and there's a move no one has mentioned but you'd have to act fast BEFORE she sends back the items. It's a bluff. Tell her you've had problems in the past with similar items you've sold on eBay so now you use an invisible pen to mark all items. This insignia you put on all items (clothes included) can only be seen under a special blacklight, etc. (Or something similar). Tell her that you know you sent the items correctly, and when the items come back WITHOUT these markings, you'll be pursuing federal mail fraud charges which are a felony. This will be easy to prove. Again, you never did this, but she doesn't know this so it's worth a shot as a bluff.

I personally wouldn't even try to close my paypal account and unlink my bank account even if I could. It not only looks like you might be the one doing the scam, but also, you'd then never be able to use paypal for your own purchases in the future. (Possibly a good thing, but I'd still want the option on my own terms and not because of this criminal who is pulling a scam.)

In any event, but of luck to you on this.

[sammy]

Re: Need Advice ASAP Ebay/Paypal Buyer Switched Items

I too have quit using screwyoupal, because as a seller I have absolutely no protection with this company against low life thieves, scammers, or just plain jerkoffs.

They always, after their independent and unbiased investigation, , find for the buyer in any dispute.

Fleabay is a cesspool company, and they continuously screw the very people who made them so big, the sellers.

I have switched to the other credit card companies that are offered on fleabay. A list of these companies are shown in this thread if you want to quit getting screwed by fleabay and it's little sister, screwyoupal.

[tjm5711]

Re: Need Advice ASAP Ebay/Paypal Buyer Switched Items

What a joke. Paypal has granted the lady the full refund once the items are returned. We all know she is NOT going to return the items that where actually sent. We are taking this Barbie lady to the wall on this one.

I do not wanna close my account and can't while a dispute is opened PLUS as soon as she opened the dispute they held the amount the dispute was for)

So all in all Ebay/PayPal and the lady are commiting fraud are they not ?

My wife has sold stuff on Ebay since it was basically up and going (1996) and has had the same user id and has NEVER recieved a negative in 13 years. This other lady has been a member for 1 year.

I WENT THROUGH THE SAME EXACT THING ! I mentioned this earlier in the thread about the scumbag sending me the broken glass from the framed jersey! He retained the item AND got his money back. It's a freakin joke, The buyer holds all the cards. UNBELIEVABLE ! I can't believe the same thing happened to you !

[NYCrulesU]

Re: Need Advice ASAP Ebay/Paypal Buyer Switched Items

Sorry to hear this Lokee. Sadly, this is not a rare occurance with Ebay/PayPal. I'll say again, this is why I refuse to use PayPal when buying/selling on Ebay.