Buyer returned item but replaced item in box with newspapers

newguy121 · #1 (**permalink**) 03-09-2009, 05:14 PM

Hey guys.

Im wondering if anyone here has experience dealing with this situation.

I accepted a return from a disgruntal eBayer due to the buyer just wanting a refund. The buyer returned the item and I refunded the buyer before opening the box.

Well it turns out the buyer returned magazines in the box and stole the item. Good buyer...

The item is over 1000 dollars so I would like to contact the police. Has this ever happened to anyone? Share your experience...Id like to nail the SOB.

BooMer · #2 (**permalink**) 03-09-2009, 05:25 PM

Over a $1000.00. If the buyer lives near you I would take a drive with a baseball bat in my hand and go get my item back or do some damage on his car or house.ARRGGHH.

On the safer side, contact your Local Police and the buyer local police and file a report. Hopefully there were others out there that got scammed from the same buyer. Give all the info you have on the buyer as this will help. Some Police department now have a internet fraud department to deal with this type of issues.

Contact paypal and tell them the situation and they should look into the buyers activity to see if this happened more than once. They should limit their account if they find them abusing the system.

Don't forget to contact Ebay too.

BooMer

Lyda · #3 (**permalink**) 03-09-2009, 05:33 PM

Wow, this is awful...But I would never rush to issue a refund without checking my item first.

newguy121 · #4 (**permalink**) 03-09-2009, 06:23 PM

Yes. A total error in judgement on my part.

Good news. I got of the phone with my merchant accoutn provider. What they told me they would do is issue a credit in error, and recover the funds from the customer account. He said that customer might come back with a chargeback, but if they do just document what happened. There would be zero chance they would win in a situation like this, especially with a police report on file.

Lesson learned.

aquariusvc · #5 (**permalink**) 03-09-2009, 06:25 PM

got scam in not carefully ... report police now ...

**saijin** · #6 (**permalink**) 03-12-2009, 09:44 AM

WHew, good thing you recovered it.

Cinario · #7 (**permalink**) 03-13-2009, 09:55 AM

Lucky you got off the hook. I always dread the thought of this happening because its pretty easy to do.

bobrob · #8 (**permalink**) 03-13-2009, 10:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by newguy121

Good news. I got of the phone with my merchant accoutn provider. What they told me they would do is issue a credit in error, and recover the funds from the customer account. He said that customer might come back with a chargeback, but if they do just document what happened. There would be zero chance they would win in a situation like this, especially with a police report on file.

Holly horror! I wonder, guys, if this would have been possible if he had used PayPal?

newguy121 · #9 (**permalink**) 03-13-2009, 11:00 AM

Nope. Paypal, probabaly would be out the cash. Well unless I actually showed paypal the police report, but still then it would be a whole 6 month process.

nejidoreb · #10 (**permalink**) 08-22-2009, 03:36 PM

HELP! SAME THING JUST HAPPENED HERE. My jacket is around $100, and the buyer opened a dispute, he sends back an old pair of socks and jeans. Tracking # on the package still says Arrival at Unit but I think it'll be updated later. Anything I can do now!!!?

nejidoreb · #11 (**permalink**) 08-22-2009, 05:05 PM

I also asked him to return it to an address different from my PayPal registered address, but the zip is the same.

mine · #12 (**permalink**) 08-24-2009, 04:41 AM

Can you reseal the package and return to sender? You can just say the person it was addressed to is unknown to you.

As for the original post; I would've though it'd be impossible to prove now that there was nothing inside the package. How would that stand up in a legal proceeding?

biglouis999 · #13 (**permalink**) 08-24-2009, 07:02 AM

Oh wow I feel for you! But here's a lesson. Always, always open box and inspect product carefully before refunding. What your buyer did is called "bait & switch". Another variation is to return the item but damaged. This happened to me. I returned the item to the buyer and told them I could not accept a return as product was not in "same condition as sent." I also told them I would pass the matter to my lawyer if I heard anything more of it. I didnt.

Your best route seems the legal one.

Here in UK we can frighten buyers by issuing an online sourt summons that is quite cheap to do. Can you do that in USA? Or get your lawyer to write him.

What about the USPS fraud/theft investigations team? USPS take mail fraud very seriously.

In my experience Americans tend to shy away from any kind of official "investigation" more so that we Brits.

nejidoreb · #14 (**permalink**) 08-24-2009, 02:53 PM

Is it possible to write 'Return to sender' now that I received it?

TigerLord · #15 (**permalink**) 08-24-2009, 02:57 PM

Even if you had opened the box it's likely the buyer would have won the dispute, unless you had an impeccable record and took clear pictures of the product that was returned.

Some people are scum like that.