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[surly]

(Not familiar with Ebay, though. Do you get access to the phone number of the person you are dealing with?)

Yes, you do.

You have to submit a contact information request. It's an automated thing. You enter in the eBay user's ID and the number of the item in question and you receive their contact details (including phone number) by email, but they also receive yours.

More info: -

http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/search/members.html#2

If I consider an item too expensive to send via regular first class mail, I send it via courier, so I just ask the eBayer that's bought from me for a phone number as one is needed by the courier.

 

[tino]

No offense ebay is alot safer than craigslist. You guys can deal with craig.

UPS left 3 boxes in front of my house without signature 2 days ago and somebody took them, now I have to deal with 2 online merchants separately.

There is no 100% safe way to deal with buyers/sellers in any channel.

You have to rely on your street smart.

 

[surly]

You have to rely on your street smart.

Exactly. Most scams rely on the seller not knowing enough. Even in the case of this thread, the seller shipped to a post office, not a proper street address - I'd never have done that. It's like shipping to a P.O. Box. Set one up with fake ID and you're untraceable.

 

[Ocaso]

Exactly. Most scams rely on the seller not knowing enough. Even in the case of this thread, the seller shipped to a post office, not a proper street address - I'd never have done that. It's like shipping to a P.O. Box. Set one up with fake ID and you're untraceable.

That detail is irrelevant in this case. Even if he'd shipped to a street address the scam would have gone off exactly as he described. You can be as savvy as you want and ebay still puts sellers at an extreme disadvantage.

 

[surly]

That detail is irrelevant in this case. Even if he'd shipped to a street address the scam would have gone off exactly as he described. You can be as savvy as you want and ebay still puts sellers at an extreme disadvantage.

No, the scam worked because the seller had the item shipped to a post office and used a Google Voice number which anyone can set up. The seller was asking for it I'm afraid. The details are far from irrelevant.

 

[tino]

That detail is irrelevant in this case. Even if he'd shipped to a street address the scam would have gone off exactly as he described. You can be as savvy as you want and ebay still puts sellers at an extreme disadvantage.

Can you really make a post office address as your "confirmed address"? Serious question.

 

[Sushigod7]

Had a similar thing happen to me with Ebay/PP will not use them for high ticket items.

I sold a water warming kettle that we used to heat baby formula. The thing had been used 2-3 times and we switched to pre-made. Cost 40 new I posted for 14.99 and it sold for that much. As soon as the buyer got it she sent me a email said it didn't work she had to "force open" the lid. I asked for a video because I had opened it plenty of times when I took pictures to post it and no issue. She refused said she had no reason to lie. So this is the good part she threatens me saying she will open a case if I don't "make it right" she wanted $5 to make it right. I said screw you why would you keep it if it doesn't work and called Ebay asked what they thought. They said even if a case opens they will just tell her to return to me no matter what! So now at this point I would lose money because my original shipping would be lost and then refund her totally. Decided to take it back so she couldn't have it. What does Ebay do? Covers her under buyer protection gives her a refund out of their pocket and she keeps the product for free. I got my money back but still this is another loop hole if the item is a lower dollar amount they will just refund the buyer.

 

[Enco]

Had a similar thing happen to me with Ebay/PP will not use them for high ticket items.

I sold a water warming kettle that we used to heat baby formula. The thing had been used 2-3 times and we switched to pre-made. Cost 40 new I posted for 14.99 and it sold for that much. As soon as the buyer got it she sent me a email said it didn't work she had to "force open" the lid. I asked for a video because I had opened it plenty of times when I took pictures to post it and no issue. She refused said she had no reason to lie. So this is the good part she threatens me saying she will open a case if I don't "make it right" she wanted $5 to make it right. I said screw you why would you keep it if it doesn't work and called Ebay asked what they thought. They said even if a case opens they will just tell her to return to me no matter what! So now at this point I would lose money because my original shipping would be lost and then refund her totally. Decided to take it back so she couldn't have it. What does Ebay do? Covers her under buyer protection gives her a refund out of their pocket and she keeps the product for free. I got my money back but still this is another loop hole if the item is a lower dollar amount they will just refund the buyer.

Sub human scum.

Is there any way to tell if a number is a google voice number? Do you just have to call it?

 

[Perkel]

More reason to support your local pawn shop.

10/10

 

[Krakatoa]

If you read the comments, PayPal refunded him the full amount.

Still stupid that he had to raise such a shit storm to get it sorted out though.

 

[Arcteryx]

Just quit using Paypal/eBay. Problem solved. They will learn their lesson with enough bad press/lost customers(hopefully).

 

[mattiewheels]

I tried selling a camera on eBay just now, but the buyer with like (7) feedback never contacted or paid. What comeback to they get if the claim for the seller fees I filed goes through?

 

[Timedog]

How hasn't someone filed a class action lawsuit against paypal for their fucking bullshit already? You cannot enable scamming the way Paypal has for the past many years.

 

[tino]

Had a similar thing happen to me with Ebay/PP will not use them for high ticket items.

I sold a water warming kettle that we used to heat baby formula. The thing had been used 2-3 times and we switched to pre-made. Cost 40 new I posted for 14.99 and it sold for that much. As soon as the buyer got it she sent me a email said it didn't work she had to "force open" the lid. I asked for a video because I had opened it plenty of times when I took pictures to post it and no issue. She refused said she had no reason to lie. So this is the good part she threatens me saying she will open a case if I don't "make it right" she wanted $5 to make it right. I said screw you why would you keep it if it doesn't work and called Ebay asked what they thought. They said even if a case opens they will just tell her to return to me no matter what! So now at this point I would lose money because my original shipping would be lost and then refund her totally. Decided to take it back so she couldn't have it. What does Ebay do? Covers her under buyer protection gives her a refund out of their pocket and she keeps the product for free. I got my money back but still this is another loop hole if the item is a lower dollar amount they will just refund the buyer.

This kind of situation I just ask buyers to ship it back. Basically I would lost shipping but buyer would lost shipping too.

The trick is to make the list shipping slightly higher to cover this kind of issue which comes ones in a while.

 

[Sushigod7]

This kind of situation I just ask buyers to ship it back. Basically I would lost shipping but buyer would lost shipping too.

The trick is to make the list shipping slightly higher to cover this kind of issue which comes ones in a while.

Yeah that is a good trick will keep that in mind.

If you read the comments, PayPal refunded him the full amount.

Still stupid that he had to raise such a shit storm to get it sorted out though.

Yes but only after he posted this story not before read more carefully. If he had done nothing he would be out this money.

 

[BolognaSoup]

I stopped selling stuff on ebay when they started always putting my payment on hold for like 30 days. I don't understand why they do this. I hope they go out of business.