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New malicious buyer scam strategy
 

I recently been hit with couple of scam cases, just want to share my 2 cents ....
Buyer would order 2 sets of identical item, usually seller would send 1 package with 1 tracking number of these 2 sets.
They would then claim they received only 1 set, in this case, seller has no way to prove that and forced to send another new set to buyer.
Once buyer sees seller's new tracking info online, they would claim again the 1st set they received is defective, so seller needs to send another replacement to buyer.
After all these 4 sets reach buyer, buyer would then file a dispute or A-Z Claim in AMAZON for full refund saying order not been fulfilled in a timely manner and they are all defective.

Advice to sellers, if you have an order of 2 identical item. ship them seperately with different tracking number.
So you would have proof that 2 sets have been sent and delivered.

I never offer replacements. Refund only on receipt.

If the first one was defective, probably the second one will be too, if you know what I mean.

I re-sell most "defective" returns immediately. Most of the time it's a PEBKAC and they are not really "defective".

PEBKAC ?

You got me on that one. :)

For the others who don't know what that stands for...

"Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Chair"

User error - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

@mercurial
Certainly not the item but the buyer ;)


Forum has posters with that problem too :bounce:

Yes about 80% of the returns.


As for the OP, you got schooled there a bit by the buyer. Best to report the buyer now.

Never send replacements. End of story here.

Insure your stuff in such cases. Once they get stuff from PO you NEVER hear from them again as we all know its a crime to file false insurance claim with USPS..

I've worried about this happening on Ebay with combined shipping. I don't know if Ebay has enough sense to see that you combined the shipping to the tracking number applies to multiple items.

I mean, I know it's in the record as such. But I wonder if a buyer could just file a claim and they'll refund it since the tracking number was used more than once.

Most of the time ebay will combine it for you and it's up to you to send it separately I've never had a problem but will take this as good advice!

The trick here is
Even if we seller ask buyer to return items for refund, buyer would only need to return 1 set to get full refund (price of 2 sets), they would still get 1 set for free.

This scam has been going on for a while now, other then the identical item issue.

Buyer tells you they are bidding on several items and want to combine.

When you send the invoice it is for say 4 items.

Buyer gets all 4 items but files complain their was only 3 items in the box.

I got taken by this a few times until I realized what they were doing, they wanted a free item.

So I place all four items together on the table and take a picture. Then I make sure I keep track of the weight of the box.

Last one that did this lost because the item the scammer said was missing weighed 5 pounds. If it was missing the box would be short 5 pounds right? Well it was dead on correct for the weight of all the items and pp ruled in my favor.

In your case of identical item and if is the new norm for scammers of identical items I guess I would stop combining shipping on identical items then.

The new 14 day return issue comes to mind as another way these types of buyers are going to scam us.

Heres an idea to counter the scammers method if they claim they recieved one and not two, you can send an empty parcel :redface: with tracking on it ( thats only after they claim they recieved one).

That way you have 2 tracking numbers that reached the person you can show to ebay, if they want to play games, I too can play games.

Then whats the buyer going to do? claim it was empty? the buyer can't keep making up claims - you do actually get banned as a buyer for continues complaints!

CHECKMATE! :dance:

buyer then files a chargeback with the creditcard company. CHECK!

Refund, block, and move-on.... The way the rules are set-up you wont win.

Old trick. But there are ways to fight this.

Yea I've been hit with the chargeback several times, not crazy often but happens, I just move on,
Instead of worrying how much I lost, I worry about how much I'm making!!