Best way to get even??? v.ebay scammer

[Hobie]

I'm not going to put all the details out there on this scam, but it's a scam that in my 8 years of operating an ebay store has been 100% successful every time. Seems like the number of scams has gone up with the recession. I've had enough and I want to give this person hell.

Before someone gets mixed up, I'm the SELLER. It's a scam for buyers to get items for free. So don't bother with tips on how to buy safely. With the new feedback rules I can no longer leave negative feedback to warn other sellers that the buyer is going to steal from them.

It was for a relatively cheap item (under $100) but what scares me is I have LOTS of items for ~$800 listed and have the opportunity to list items for thousands of dollars, but don't out of fear. Recession has killed me, if I was to lose an item for several thousand dollars that would be the end. Even losing $800 would be bad bad bad right now.

I've got the buyers facebook address, myspace address, twitter account, where they work, DOB from court records, and of course name, email address, and physical address from the original transaction.

Paypal always screws me and is who makes the scam possible. I've found some info on how to sue them in small claims as well. Not going to do this unless I get the job I'm trying to and shut my web business down. Until then paypal is a necessary evil.

Going to try to make a police report today per paypal's advice, but it seems like a civil matter to me and given that the buyer lives in another state I don't expect to get far.

I don't have the buyer's phone number yet, but can probably get it. If I do I'm going to make craigslist adds all over the country for free plasma tvs and whatever else.

Also thought about getting some of the bigger boards I post on where I'm somewhat known to get in on it.

Not doing anything just yet, going to let some time pass so it's not so obvious. Just gathering ideas.




tldr CLIFFS: got scammed by buyer, have lots of their personal info, how would you get even???

[ceyko]

I have nothing useful to add, but your post explains a lot why ebay is basically just an online store now. Nothing great to be found - generally.

[Hobie]

I have nothing useful to add, but your post explains a lot why ebay is basically just an online store now. Nothing great to be found - generally.

Yeah, I feel like the company is run by idiots, but I don't watch their stock price, not sure how they are really doing. They are pushing it to be more like amazon and IMO creating policies that push out the individual seller.

I get a discount on UPS shipping, discounted final value fees, reduced insertion fees, lots of free "upgrades", discount on paypal fees, and come up better in search results. Despite that I lose about 12% of my gross to them. Not bad for having no risk in the transaction.



If you're looking for a more traditional ebay experience, after you enter the key words for your search and you get results, click USED under condition on the left side of the page. I know a lot of people who do that and still aren't happy for what they pay for an item, well, it's supply and demand. With a lot more users in the marketplace there will be more people competing for the same item and of course driving up the price. An item like that will just be sold for what it's worth.

I've been selling for 8 years and I hate ebay/paypal (Same company) - I've sold used items, new items, vehicles, etc. I'm a power seller (has to do with volume) top-rated seller (has to do with customer service, number of disputes opened, how they were resolved, etc.) and I'm sick of that company.

I feel that it says a lot when a user such as myself dislikes the company. It's easy for someone that doesn't use it much and has a bad experience to dislike the company, but when someone has a large presence on the site, has achieved lots of awards/discounts/good reputation from buyers over thousands of transactions dislikes the company that's pretty bad.

[Sean88gt]

What exactly is the scam? Might be decent of you to let others in on the details.

[mustangguy289]

I have never been screwed over by paypal. I keep all receipts proving I have shipped and have won every case anyone has ever tried against me. I am also 100% honest in my listings so there are no surprises. My only issue has been people who have no payed me and in that case I just relist after filing non-payment with ebay.

[mustangguy289]

What exactly is the scam? Might be decent of you to let others in on the details.

I was wondering the same thing.

[Sean88gt]

I'm assuming the guy protested once delivered and the $ was pulled back.

[momo]

if paypal was a man, i would gut him live and hang his mother with his intestines and make him watch.

FUCK PAYPAL.

[momo]

I'm assuming the guy protested once delivered and the $ was pulled back.

probably.
i know the seller can rebut with a tracking number but i think the buyer can just lie and say it's a brick in box. never had one go that far before.

[ram57ta]

I feel your pain Justin....I'm an extremely low volume seller and have already seen how Ebay and Paypal favor the scam artist buyers over the sellers that pay the bills. Ebay and paypal both SUCK.

[inline 6]

I feel your pain. I hate paypal with a passion. I know you do not want to explain a way for people to screw someone but can you give us any details so other people like myself that do sell on ebay can be aware?

[Hobie]

I have never been screwed over by paypal. I keep all receipts proving I have shipped and have won every case anyone has ever tried against me. I am also 100% honest in my listings so there are no surprises. My only issue has been people who have no payed me and in that case I just relist after filing non-payment with ebay.

Sell long/often enough and you will. It doesn't matter what you do I've learned two ways someone can get something from you for free. When you're dealing with someone that's figured out how these two scams work they will get over on you.

I'm assuming the guy protested once delivered and the $ was pulled back.

That's where it starts.

probably.
i know the seller can rebut with a tracking number but i think the buyer can just lie and say it's a brick in box. never had one go that far before.

You're onto something, but the brick is what gets returned to the seller.

I feel your pain Justin....I'm an extremely low volume seller and have already seen how Ebay and Paypal favor the scam artist buyers over the sellers that pay the bills. Ebay and paypal both SUCK.

That's what pisses me off the most. They take tens of thousands of dollars in fees from me and when there is a scam they fuck me. I do all the work, put up all the money, take all the risk, and they make as much or more than I do off this crap. Then I get scammed and the buyer gets the item, gets their money back, ebay gets their cut, and I get fucked.

Because of stuff like this I won't sell high end items available to me from wholesalers. I wonder if I'm the only one who feels this way? You think ebay/paypal would want a cut of a $10k transaction, but if I know I have NO protection I'm not offering anything like that. Nothing over a grand anymore. I'm looking for a job again. If I get the one I'm trying to I won't have time for this anymore. I'll be shutting it down. Good riddance.

What pisses me off the most is it's the same scam over and over year after year for nearly a decade. Everyone on the phone always tells me the same bullshit and it drives me nuts. I tell them what the scam is, how it works, what the steps are, and how I will be screwed in the end and they always talk to me like I don't know what I'm talking about. I understand they just say what they are trained to and common sense is not permitted, but it still gets under my skin, lol.

[Cooter]

I don't sell anything on ebay... I will list vehicles for sale on there, but I always end up selling outside of ebay.

Their fees are ridiculous for small items.

I buy a TON of stuff on ebay. A lot of it gets re-sold locally on Craigslist you can get damn good deals on ebay sometimes. But fuck selling on there anymore. I can list the shit on CL for 15% less and pocket the same money

I hate paypal, but I will accept it on forums if I have a good gut feeling about the buyer. Otherwise, I sell FTF or accept Postal money order

[Hobie]

I don't sell anything on ebay... I will list vehicles for sale on there, but I always end up selling outside of ebay.

Their fees are ridiculous for small items.

I buy a TON of stuff on ebay. A lot of it gets re-sold locally on Craigslist you can get damn good deals on ebay sometimes. But fuck selling on there anymore. I can list the shit on CL for 15% less and pocket the same money

I hate paypal, but I will accept it on forums if I have a good gut feeling about the buyer. Otherwise, I sell FTF or accept Postal money order

I regret getting as wrapped up in it as I am. I thought it would be a good way to generate income to grow my business and it was, for a short period of time. Now I wish I had spent this time developing a career, ahh hindsight, bit me again.

I too buy a lot of stuff on ebay. I pretty much cross-shop everything I'm going to buy on there even really common stuff so long as it's not something I need right away. It's a great way to buy things. If you fund all purchases with a credit card you cannot be scammed.

I'm iffy about shipping from forum sales. If someone has 1K+ posts on a forum I don't mind it, but if someone is basically a newb I won't do it.

[Hobie]

I feel your pain. I hate paypal with a passion. I know you do not want to explain a way for people to screw someone but can you give us any details so other people like myself that do sell on ebay can be aware?

If someone files a dispute immediately when they get the item, then escalates that to a claim seconds later, without ever bothering to contact you to make it right, won't file a claim with UPS, won't send you pics, and likely won't respond to your messages, grab your ankles and bend over.

Although sometimes they send interesting things back when they "return" your item. I once got a dead turtle instead of the aplinestars gloves I had sold the buyer. I always wondered if it was alive or dead when they shipped it.