I hate scammers....with a passion

[Retailer77]

I sold 10 chargers worth $43...buyer messages me and says he only received one (lie)..and then he goes I want a refund for $43.
Ugh...there goes $43 down the drain..

[Retailer77]

The worst part about it is if you block them and they leave you a negative stating "buyer blocked me from buying bad seller"...eBay CAN'T REMOVE IT HAHA

[RR2]

I know it is not the OP case, but then I sell items of higher value, I normally use Ebay buyer restrictions to limit the number of products a single user can buy from me to mitigate the risks of fraud.

[applebaum]

Originally Posted by RR2

I know it is not the OP case, but then I sell items of higher value, I normally use Ebay buyer restrictions to limit the number of products a single user can buy from me to mitigate the risks of fraud.

That is a really good idea. I sometimes sense when someone is going to rip me off and I am typically right. Thanks for the tip!

[Play]

Also worth noting, when a buyer buys a low value items from me, I tend to ship it without signature on delivery.

But when they buy 5+ at the same time, I would pack them in the same order, and have it sent using signature on delivery.

That helps to further mitigate risks, with no added cost on your part since they've paid postage on 5+ items anyway.

[tom191]

On small orders that I can cram into a small envelope I use USPS first class via eBay or Paypal with tracking so it showes delivery. Cost is about 2.30 and holds the scammers down a little bit you can't keep all the scumbags away and yes it does suck

Sorry for your loss!

[slokor]

Delivery confirmation doesnt seem to be the issue here as the buyer did agree he received something - just not what he paid for. He claimed he got only 1 instead of 10. Confirmation of delivery would make no difference in this case as if a refund wasn't received he would have opened an 'item not as described' case against the buyer.

[NewYork]

I used to be the kind of guy that picked up quarters and dimes on the ground when I saw them.... even pennies and nickles. Dirt, rain, whatever. Nothing re-calibrates your thought process in that regard like selling Go Pro's on Eb*y for a year. :\ It's amazing what I learned to write off as a loss. And it's amazing what people will claim even when there's no question what the situation really is.

Just something I learned to do over time to avoid scammers in one particular high-risk category- when selling something that's normally 700 bucks, (if I can) I now take 649 if it puts it in the "wow" price category. It will encourage some bargain hunter to grab it and cuddle it in the corner of their cage like a monkey with a banana, preoccupied by getting one over on me in a great deal, rather than some scammer who was shopping for something, planning to say it was broke or they never got it. Those people don't usually hunt for the lowest price possible.

[newjerseymax]

Same here... Limit 1 item per customer every 10 days. I found that ebay has very little repeat buyers and the ones that do are usually a pain, wanting discounts, etc, etc

Just not worth it....

I have tried to buy multiple of same item before and was asked "can I ship you one and if you like it, ill ship the rest"... I think this reduces fraud also.

I personally would let this go into a case and show proof of delivery....

[Jambo99]

humans suck sometimes

[prissanna]

This might be a dumb question but can you use the weight of the items you sent to prove you sent 10 items and not 1?

[yankee]

Originally Posted by prissanna

This might be a dumb question but can you use the weight of the items you sent to prove you sent 10 items and not 1?

We all can print a shipping label for 100 pounds for a 1 ounce envelope.

[applepbc]

Yep. online sales relies on the assumption the customer won't be a piece of ****.

I typically tend to have many problems with customers with african-american names.

So if you have buyers with names like Jamall or Jarnell or Shaquasha, practice caution.

[vettefever17]

Join the club. I have about a 5-9 percent scam or abuse rate depending on the item.

Recently, caught a fellow seller or scammer trying to grab my remaining inventory on a buy-it-now. Oddly enough, the name didnt match even his Paypal, and his Paypal was an LLC that did even match his address. Really makes me think it is a fellow stealther. Always go with a gut feeling if you suspect a scammer or complicated customer.

[OpticalBlade]

Something needs to change and soon !
Most of the items I sold were low cost and I could get away with sending it second class in the UK and standard postage abroad.
Problem is you and I both know when they get the item and then say they haven't by the tone in the email or message.

As soon as they make a claim PayPal hold the funds and asks for tracking .... its low cost so why would I provide a tracking number ? the buyer will then ultimately get the free item and a refund (NICE ONE EBAY)

What annoys me the most is when they buy a low cost item and they buy, say 6 of them at one time you still send standard as that's the only postage option available at the time.
What was a low cost item is now not so low cost as your sending 6 out,and they can still use the (I have not received it Card) this then ends up in you paying more postage than stated on the eBay site as the item is heavier, for 6 to replace.
This then costs you money and time to replace them and your then in a lose lose situation from the start.

When are EBay going to realise that without sellers there is no EBay and its the little people that got them to where they are now.

I know EBay don't care and they never will

[rsot]

Originally Posted by RR2

I know it is not the OP case, but then I sell items of higher value, I normally use Ebay buyer restrictions to limit the number of products a single user can buy from me to mitigate the risks of fraud.

True point for higher value sales

[AndreasP]

I had the dumbest scammer trying to scam me last year. I sold my moto 360 that I no longer wanted on amazon and a couple days later the buyer opens up a return case, gives me a 1 star review and he claimed that it arrived and the packaging was very poor and the screen was cracked.

Anyways I thought this was very fishy as I am very very very over the top with my packaging, I take no risks whatsoever so I responded asking for photo evidence...A day later he sends me it, immediately I notice a company watermark on the pictures and after a couple minutes searching for the exact same images I found them hahaha, I emailed him back the link and reported his ass to amazon.

At the moment I'm selling low value items, I can sense the odd scam here and there and I just refund them, its not worth the hassle for me.

[miketyson]

Smartest thing I saw. Is when I bought 2 items from a seller. He made it a problem first then he fixed it. I buy 2 he sends 1 on purpose so then I contact him and he fixes it vs sending 2 and you say you only got 1. I now use his technique works well with the scammers.

[MM78]

If someone buys 2 or more of the same item, I treat each item as a separate sale, so each item gets packaged separately and gets its own tracking number.

Originally Posted by MM78

If someone buys 2 or more of the same item, I treat each item as a separate sale, so each item gets packaged separately and gets its own tracking number.

Agreed, not worth saving a few bucks in combined shipped to open yourself up to an easy scam

[vogeltron]

You get them here and there it sucks. Thankfully in my category my category many of the needy or waste of time buyers message me first. If they sound like a moron I just block them. I would rather lose out on a few sales then deal with people I know are idiots. I usually try to do a quick feedback check with regards to what they have left for other sellers etc. It becomes a bit of a skill after a while.

My worst problem is low ballers. I won't even have a Best offer freature they will message me something about how they are a serious buyer I will pay half. Then like a week later message me asking why I blocked them?

[rsot]

Originally Posted by vogeltron

My worst problem is low ballers. I won't even have a Best offer freature they will message me something about how they are a serious buyer I will pay half. Then like a week later message me asking why I blocked them?

That's a loser buyer you don't need - least of your worries