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  #1  
Old 03-13-2026
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Default empty parcel scam - how to beat it?

I thought this scam had died out but seems some folk still trying, £400 item. Buyer claims another member of their household received the parcel and the packaging was damaged and empty. You know when someone is trying it on as they know all the laws and ebay rules and far too blase about apparently receiving an empty box.

I have the receipt showing its too heavy to be an empty box
Royal mail tracking photo shows the box was still sealed(i put a tonne of tape on it) at the point of handing it to them at delivery.
Royal mail have confirmed in writing(official letter) that there was no sign of damage and the weight of the parcel was consistent.

I know i will have to accept the return(fortunately its the weekend so i get a bit more time to be organised) but how can I ensure I win as eBay are not very seller friendly in this regard.
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  #2  
Old 03-13-2026
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Default Re: empty parcel scam - how to beat it?

Did you insure the shipment?
For that kind of money,I doubt Ebay will side with you.
If it does,the buyer will file chargeback with his cc issuer and Ebay will then debit your account .
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Old 03-15-2026
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Default Re: empty parcel scam - how to beat it?

Quote:
Originally Posted by agent006140 View Post
Did you insure the shipment?
For that kind of money,I doubt Ebay will side with you.
If it does,the buyer will file chargeback with his cc issuer and Ebay will then debit your account .
Can you just do one with your uneducated comments? no comment would be better already. go outside touch some grass
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  #4  
Old 03-15-2026
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Default Re: empty parcel scam - how to beat it?

Quote:
Originally Posted by paulfoltyn View Post
Can you just do one with your uneducated comments? no comment would be better already. go outside touch some grass
could you please stop asking uneducated ignorant questions,with all your years of experience you bragged ,you dont know how much is one plus one is >>
If you cant handle the heat,get out of the kitchen
You asked=
I know i will have to accept the return(fortunately its the weekend so i get a bit more time to be organised) but how can I ensure I win as eBay are not very seller friendly in this regard.
---------
How old are you>Did you ever graduate from Kindergarden?
Did you take a nap and drink your milk and eat your cookies?
Make sure your cookies are not laced with LSD!

Last edited by agent006140; 03-15-2026 at 08:33 AM.
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Old 03-15-2026
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Default Re: empty parcel scam - how to beat it?

Quote:
Originally Posted by paulfoltyn View Post
I thought this scam had died out but seems some folk still trying, £400 item. Buyer claims another member of their household received the parcel and the packaging was damaged and empty. You know when someone is trying it on as they know all the laws and ebay rules and far too blase about apparently receiving an empty box.

I have the receipt showing its too heavy to be an empty box
Royal mail tracking photo shows the box was still sealed(i put a tonne of tape on it) at the point of handing it to them at delivery.
Royal mail have confirmed in writing(official letter) that there was no sign of damage and the weight of the parcel was consistent.

I know i will have to accept the return(fortunately its the weekend so i get a bit more time to be organised) but how can I ensure I win as eBay are not very seller friendly in this regard.
Sadly, no real way of ensuring a win but you can submit all the proof to eb and hope for the best :(
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  #6  
Old 03-15-2026
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Default Re: empty parcel scam - how to beat it?

I bought 200 1964 and prior SILVER COINS from APMEX last year.
I washed the coins and separate the Kennedy ones from the non Kennedy ones,so there are 2 bags,holding these coins.
I decide to sell them on Ebay,when I printed my shipping label USPS priority with signature confirmation on Ebay,a message popped up from Prudential Insurance offering insurance for $38,I took it.
Buyer file INAD saying there is only one bag of 135 coins,so he is missing 65 coins .
I believe he is telling the truth,but funny thing is during transit USPS charged me $4.55 for extra postage .
I called Ebay and the dude said we know what to do with these cases,accept the return and ask them to step in,he made me feel like there is hope I could win the case.
When I received the items back,I called EBay and got transferred to a higher level of customer service,all they can do is tell me to either offer a lower price for buyer to buy the returned coins or refund in full and resell them.
I refunded in full and turned to file insurance with Prudential,then I read the fine details which said they do not insure precious metal and coins !
So I wonder why is this offer popped up when I printed my shipping label,once again Ebay has the answer,this is just the way it is set up ! for all listings !!!!!!
Insurance claim is denied ,all I got is $100 from USPS for shipping USPS priority.
I know I shipped 200 coins in 2 bags,I beleive the buyer is telling the truth,so the only possible reason why some coins are missing is when someone at USPS decided i DID not pay enough postatge and it is very heavy,so he open the box to investigate and took the smaller bag.
But there is no visible evidence someone has open the box and resealed it.
(Once again I am reminded of the saying -Dont sell anything you cant afford to lose on Ebay)
As for OP telling me to go outdoor and breathe some fresh air,I suggest he stay home to read about business ethics,and the saying Dont SELL ANYTHING YOU CANT AFFORD TO LOSE ON EBAY.
Just a note,I would not suggest anyone goes oustside because someone said so,one never know when we could get nuked,if the missle can pierce the dome,it could pierce our skull

Last edited by agent006140; 03-15-2026 at 02:21 PM.
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  #7  
Old 03-16-2026
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Default Re: empty parcel scam - how to beat it?

Rough to read about the loss agent
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Old 03-17-2026
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Default Re: empty parcel scam - how to beat it?

Quote:
Originally Posted by agent006140 View Post
I think the buyer is lying,going back to our email correspondence,he is rather vague,he is not well,he is not home,and he does not want to help me to file claim.
The fact that USPS charged me extra for postage,said there are 200 coins in the box.
I will not be selling any high ticket items on Ebay,there is no way to win INAD dispute.
Feels like a proper move to avoid potential loss
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  #9  
Old 03-20-2026
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Default Re: empty parcel scam - how to beat it?

Quote:
Originally Posted by agent006140 View Post
I think the buyer is lying,going back to our email correspondence,he is rather vague,he is not well,he is not home,and he does not want to help me to file claim.
The fact that USPS charged me extra for postage,said there are 200 coins in the box.
I will not be selling any high ticket items on Ebay,there is no way to win INAD dispute.
Can you point to one comment i've bragged about "how long" i've been selling on ebay? just 1. No, talking nonsense, again as in every post. I'm glad you lost your(imaginary) case with ebay, its what you deserve. I lost my case too, but then eBay reimbursed me from their own pocket without any additional input other than my original call. Interesting what can happen when you aren't a know it all

ALL GOOD I'M NOT OUT OF POCKET AND YOU ARE MAKES IT EVEN BETTER

Last edited by paulfoltyn; 03-20-2026 at 05:12 AM.
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  #10  
Old 03-20-2026
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Default Re: empty parcel scam - how to beat it?

file a police report... submit it to ebay along with all the proof you had either ways...the police report would ensure you dont get debited in the long run...theyd refund the customer and not debit you either
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  #11  
Old 03-20-2026
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Default Re: empty parcel scam - how to beat it?

This happened to a friend of mine. Sold a Steam Deck at a similar price to your item. Ebay returned the money to my friend andbanned the buyer. He sent the item via Special Delivery and had a receipt showing the weight. Have a chat with an eBay agent and provide the evidence.

Does the buyer has have much feedback?
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Old 03-21-2026
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Default Re: empty parcel scam - how to beat it?

Quote:
Originally Posted by agent006140 View Post
It must be in your dream,that you imagine Ebay reimburse because you make a lousy phone call,I WONT EVEN COME TO THE PHONE given your %$%% PERSONALity,never care much for limeys

Yet you never miss a single of my posts, even inventing additional ones. Glad you lost your imaginary money.
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  #13  
Old 03-24-2026
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Default Re: empty parcel scam - how to beat it?

Quote:
Originally Posted by agent006140 View Post
Did you insure the shipment?
For that kind of money,I doubt Ebay will side with you.
If it does,the buyer will file chargeback with his cc issuer and Ebay will then debit your account .
I swear people on this forum have some "urge" to comment about sh1t they have no idea,


dont comment at all its better
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  #14  
Old 03-24-2026
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Default Re: empty parcel scam - how to beat it?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Delta1 View Post
This happened to a friend of mine. Sold a Steam Deck at a similar price to your item. Ebay returned the money to my friend andbanned the buyer. He sent the item via Special Delivery and had a receipt showing the weight. Have a chat with an eBay agent and provide the evidence.

Does the buyer has have much feedback?
That's a good contribution right there - I wonder if that buyer had been flagged for too many returns.
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Old 03-25-2026
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Default Re: empty parcel scam - how to beat it?

May have done it to multiple sellers but I couldn't find a way to search what the buyer had been buying. (Used to be able to do this 20 years ago I believe as I recall I use to do it out of interest)

This buyer had 0 feedback though and eBay acted quite quickly to ban and refund.
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Old 03-26-2026
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Default Re: empty parcel scam - how to beat it?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Delta1 View Post
May have done it to multiple sellers but I couldn't find a way to search what the buyer had been buying. (Used to be able to do this 20 years ago I believe as I recall I use to do it out of interest)

This buyer had 0 feedback though and eBay acted quite quickly to ban and refund.
0 feedback in spite of buying activity - big flag
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Old 03-26-2026
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Default Re: empty parcel scam - how to beat it?

Yep. That probably helped.

Ebay don’t suggest you refuse a sale due to low feedback as people have to start somewhere but I’d be weary and make my own excuses to cancel a sale for high value items. I’ve sold many items to 0 feedback buyers but mostly low to medium value.
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  #18  
Old 03-26-2026
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Default Re: empty parcel scam - how to beat it?

An antique shop in Florida sold a pocket watch for $78K to buyer in the Midwest.
sent Fed Exp insured.
The buyer wants to return it,so they sent Fed Exp to pick up the package,this time they did not insure the watch.
When it arrived,they notice weight is lighter,so they called the police and open the package in front of him ,it was empty so they filed a police report.
Then they went to Ebay ,Ebay told them they have x days to refund since tracking showed delivered,and they should file with FBI.
Another seller was tricked into selling a 5 figures watch,the buyer used his Paypal account meant for digital payment,hence no confirmed shipping address with that Paypal account.
The seller has no way of getting any help from Paypal,as there is no proof he has delivered the watch to a confirmed address !!!
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Old 03-27-2026
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Default Re: empty parcel scam - how to beat it?

Quote:
Originally Posted by agent006140 View Post
An antique shop in Florida sold a pocket watch for $78K to buyer in the Midwest.
sent Fed Exp insured.
The buyer wants to return it,so they sent Fed Exp to pick up the package,this time they did not insure the watch.
When it arrived,they notice weight is lighter,so they called the police and open the package in front of him ,it was empty so they filed a police report.
Then they went to Ebay ,Ebay told them they have x days to refund since tracking showed delivered,and they should file with FBI.
Another seller was tricked into selling a 5 figures watch,the buyer used his Paypal account meant for digital payment,hence no confirmed shipping address with that Paypal account.
The seller has no way of getting any help from Paypal,as there is no proof he has delivered the watch to a confirmed address !!!
How are you dealing with returns agent - if any?
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  #20  
Old 03-27-2026
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Default Re: empty parcel scam - how to beat it?

I have very few returns,considered how long I have been selling on Ebay.

I dont sell $78K pocket watch,I dont have any,if I do,I wont sell it on Ebay.
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  #21  
Old 03-29-2026
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Default Re: empty parcel scam - how to beat it?

Quote:
Originally Posted by agent006140 View Post
I have very few returns,considered how long I have been selling on Ebay.

I dont sell $78K pocket watch,I dont have any,if I do,I wont sell it on Ebay.
what would you do with it?
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  #22  
Old 03-29-2026
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Default Re: empty parcel scam - how to beat it?

Quote:
Originally Posted by firebriar View Post
what would you do with it?
I dont know,I dont have any personal item worth that much.
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