Community Newsletter: Q&A: I got scammed on eBay, what can I do now?
- 9/28/07 3:22 PM
Buying tips for Ebay
by DougPickrel - 9/14/07 9:07 PM In reply to: I got scammed on eBay, what can I do now? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Hi,
I have been into Ebay for about 7 years now. I am an avid seller and buyer.
I do almost all of my shopping on Ebay.
This is what I do.
If I want to buy lets say a guitar on EBay.
First I look and read the feedback. I go back as far as two years. If the person has any negative feedback, I do not deal with them.
I turned down a bid of 2500.00 this week on a guitar I was selling because six months ago the buyer had negative feedback.
If I am buying an item I will look at the pics. Not neccesarily to look at the item for sale but I look at the background, the reflection off the object etc. to see if I can see what the persons house looks like.
If it is a nice house and things look neat, I tend to want to buy from them. If the house looks horrible etc. I will not buy from them.
As a buyer I will also email lots of questions about an item. If the people act like they do not care if they sell the product or not. I will not buy from them.
I usually will not buy an item from someone that has just gotten into Ebay or who has been a member for less than two years.
That is what works for me.
Also if someone does not pay for an item, go through Ebay . Do not strike back with negative feedback immediatley. This is hard to do if you are angry but go through the steps with Ebay and you can use Safe Harbor to help resolve issues.
If you sell items have a disclaimer attached to your listing.
YOu also can use the Craigs List and pickup the item directly. I have found the Craigs List to have lower prices and you deal locally
www.craiglist.org
Choose your city and look at items for sale.
You can also sell items with out it costing any money! : )
Here are a few good url's for Ebay users.
End a bid early:
http://offer.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?RetractBidShow&RetractBidShow=&guest=1
End your Listing early:
http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/end_early.html
Block users from bidding on our items: ( can be very useful)
http://cgi1.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?bidderblocklogin
Ebay Site Map:
http://pages.ebay.com/sitemap.html
Have a great day,
Doug Pickrel
Ebay's world
by cubanitatb - 9/22/07 6:44 AM In reply to: Buying tips for Ebay by DougPickrelI too use Ebay and wanted to remind you, after reading your tips, that NOT all negative feedback is left truthfully. Some buyers/sellers will leave negative feedback to retaliate or just to ruin someone's feedback because they are allowed to "have an opinion".
I have 2 negative feedbacks. One, the lady did not mail my items for 14 days even though I paid for priority mail When I left that information on her comments, she gave me negative. Did I deserve that for telling the truth? NO, but she is entitled to her opinon according to Ebay.
The 2nd negative is a woman who ripped off many and attempted to do same with me. She got caught and I stopped her. I filed claim, got my money back. She got upset and left me feedback. Why? She claimed I got my money and kept her items. What she does not say is that, she attempted to rip me off with selling used items and that I offered to send back her trash if she paid for the shipping. Of course, again, she is entitled to write whatever she wishes to..her opinion..she is gone from Ebay, at least under that name. Good crooks come back with other names, but you see, my point is that NOT ALL NEGATIVE feedback is deserved. Of course, if it works for you, then all is good. I wanted to give you another view. Happy bidding/selling!
ebay problems
by evas53 - 9/23/07 4:07 PM In reply to: Ebay's world by cubanitatbI have found snail mail has a impact when people have problems with a company. If you look at these two address they will give you ebay's address and the names of people to write to.
http://pages.ebay.com/aboutebay/contact.html
http://pages.ebay.com/aboutebay/thecompany/executiveteam.html
fed up with eBay they got debt collector onto me !
by andybrookestar - 9/23/07 5:02 AM In reply to: Buying tips for Ebay by DougPickrelI’m fairly new to eBay & I have only made three purchases & set up as a seller only. I set up with Pay Pal to pay for purchases. I had no problem with the items purchased in fact very pleased with the process, the items & the value for money I got.
My problems started when out the blue I received a letter from Intrum justitia a debt collection company based in the U.K .All it said was our client: eBay Europe Sarl
Your ref: xxxxxxxxx
I phoned them up for more details & a correspondence address for eBay .They said they didn’t have one. I then checked out the debt collection company via the Credit Services Association – they confirmed the company was bona fida.
The key points are:
1) I’m sure I don’t owe anything, & can find statements on my visa card settling with Pay Pal.
2) The “My eBay “section shows nothing being owed.
3) I have received no correspondence from eBay nor the debt collection company, prior to this. I have not received any emails from eBay prior to this prompting me that I owe money.
What I’ve done to protect myself is to tell eBay to close the account, the same to Pay Pal & closed my visa account that was linked to Pay Pal. The amount of money alleged owed was not that great, but it’s the principal of the thing.
You try & get through to eBay! I’m not that good fishing around for the right contact links on eBay. I did send a couple of emails & one came back,”this email Link no longer in use”.
I tracked down one possible address: Po Box 659
Richmond upon Thames
Surrey TW9 1TX
Tel: 0208 6053000
Fax: 0208 605 3001
So far eBay can’t seem to register my problem & I get brain dead responses. Any info/ thoughts would be appreciated.
andrew
re: I-Pod purchase
by hughevans - 9/14/07 9:07 PM In reply to: I got scammed on eBay, what can I do now? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I have no real solution--but I do suggest you hunt the person down and extract a measure as in 'The Merchant of Venice'--just do not state ahead of time to what measure the extraction will be.
let's get um
by mightymike2 - 9/16/07 9:47 AM In reply to: re: I-Pod purchase by hughevansAwsome suggestion, can I come too? I'll drive.
mightymike2
eBay Tips
by Missy0823 - 9/14/07 9:12 PM In reply to: I got scammed on eBay, what can I do now? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Hi! I buy and sell alot on eBay. First of all, always check the sellers feedback. If his negative feedback is high especially within a 1 month period don't buy from them. Second of all, I personally put insurance on items that are more than $20. Third of all, even with the slowest mail you should receive your package in 2 weeks. If in two weeks you don't get a package file a claim, especially if you didn't get a tracking number. DON'T CANCEL YOUR CLAIM. eBay actually protects the buyer more than the seller. You would have definitely gotten your money back.
My bad experience from eBay actually came from selling things and it happened last Christmas. I was selling a bunch of stuff, and one of the things I sold was a used Gameboy Advance game and an instruction manual. I mailed it to the buyer a week before Christmas because that's when the auction ended. All the other packages I mailed reached their destination, hers didn't. Two weeks later I get an angry email from her demanding that I send her the package or she'd file I claim. I sent an email back to her telling her that I mailed the package wait a bit longer and might come. To make a long story short, she never got her package and she accused me of being a thief, a liar, a con job, and an old man (I'm all woman by the way) and she filed a claim with PayPal. Mind you, this woman's feedback was barely breaking 100 and mine was in mid 500s. And also, she lived in Colorado, and last Colorado they were getting bombarded by snow. Plus, it was the Christmas season mail was on the heavy side and packages were bound to get lost. Anyway, she filed a claim and PayPal gave her money back. When I called PayPal to ask why she got her money back, they told me they just go by tracking numbers and they don't look into anything else. So I asked them, how was I supposed to protect myself if the Postal Service loses somebody's mail, the guy told me to put insurance on it. I told him I offered insurance on all my auctions and it was up to buyer to decide whether or not they wanted to put insurance on the item, and she chose not to, so how was it my fault? He didn't have a response for me, he just told me once again they go by tracking number. That's when I realized that the Buyer Protection Policy far outweighs the Seller Protection Policy and it actual made question the feedback system. That's why on the majority of my auctions now I either ship everything via Priority mail or I make insurance required.
So my advice for buyers is just check feedback, put insurance on an item over a certain amount of money. You can request that the seller send using a specific mail service ie: UPS, DHL, USPS Priority mail or Express mail. If you're still not sure, you can email people who left negative feedback for the buyer and get a more detailed story for them. You can even view the items that people claimed they never received to see if there is a pattern with the seller. If all is fails, threaten to sue. If you have the time or money. Tell eBay if you don't get your money back you'll sue. Threaten the seller. Usually they should have an address listed on the "Winning Bidder" confimation email you get from eBay.
For the sellers out there just beware that eBay will give a buyer back there money if you can't prove the shipping service you used lost the package (which you usually can't). Even though you say you're not responsible for damaged or lost parcels without insurance, PayPal will still hold you accountable.
scammers on ebay....
by mcm14127 - 9/14/07 9:13 PM In reply to: I got scammed on eBay, what can I do now? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
eBay used to be such a FUN and relatively honest place to do business! Now, there's all these scammers out there who're getting away with ripping HONEST hard-working people off! Now, you cannot even see who's placing bids on auto auctions. I have never bid on anything that I cannot see the user name of whoever is bidding against me.
MOST of these scammers drop their guard by giving you real and useable mailing addresses. What you can do is first off, CALL THEIR LOCAL POLICE and give them a heads-up. You can get neighbors and family members names and electronically torture them and phone-torture them until you get resolve. Also, let them know you will go to ABC,CBS,NBC,FOX and CNN etc etc to expose their scams! Generally, they've got a good thig going, ripping people off and do not want to draw attention to themselves.
If you have a hard time doing this, email me, I will help you and anyone else get their money back.
Honest,hard-working people should be taken care of and reenforced for the good they do. These criminals who scam and steal should be dealt with as criminals.
Always, keep your word. Back up what you say or promise and DO what is RIGHT! The world will be a much better place!
scammers on ebay
by Petsu - 9/21/07 5:34 PM In reply to: scammers on ebay.... by mcm14127My daughter put up a high chair on ebay - second hand but in very good condition and pick-up only. A woman from London came to look, after examining the high chair and been shown how it worked she agreed the sale and paid and took it. Four weeks later she left my daughter negative feedback saying the high chair was broken. A week later she put it up for sale on ebay.
If the high chair was broken - which it wasn't - why did she buy it in the first place?
And if it was broken how could she have put it up for auction?
Why did she wait four weeks before leaving negative feedback?
Is this woman the kind of person who deliberately makes false accusations to try to get money back under false pretences? Does she do this on a regular basis?
My daughter reported her to ebay who have taken action, but they say that they cannot remove the negative feedback. So my daughter now has negative feedback from a scammer who told lies and which might affect her ebay selling reputation.
I hate these people - not just for my daughter but for all genuine ebay buyers and sellers who buy and sell in good faith. ebay should do much more to protect their "customers" from scamming, but sometimes it seems they don't give a damn. They have made millions from us - about time they gave something back.
eBay Feedback
by pgodfrey - 9/30/07 7:22 PM In reply to: scammers on ebay by PetsuI've bought and sold on eBay for the last five or six years. As a seller, I NEVER leave feedback first, if you want to receive feedback for the item you purchased, you must do so first. I've only had two people refuse to leave feedback and therefore I have not left them with any.
When selling, ensure you get a tracking number for your package. If you feel that your package is worth anything then make sure the package can not be released without a signature.
When accepting payment other than PayPal such as a check, make sure it clears before shipping. While this may seem obvious to some I know it happens everyday to people.
If you EVER buy anything on eBay that just seems to have too good of a price, then beware. NEVER bid on anything that somewhere in the auction text says "Please buyer contact please before bidding" <-- poor English whereas the rest of the auction text is normal and not broken English. You should never have to contact the seller before placing a bid - unless they've requested you to do so in the case of low or poor feedback.
If you feel you've run across a scam don't contact the other members who've bid on it - most of them are bogus accounts, created just to make it look like someone is bidding on it. These people are criminals. Contact eBay and let them know about it. I've run across a few scams, thought about it for a second, then all the red flags started showing up...like "FREE SECOND DAY SHIPPING" on a 175 pound telescope...(normally $250 freight)
I did contact them, and received a message back from them that read something like this.
"I promise have shipment. I ship free UPS, from Singapore I have office in there. You wire money to bank account first."
Okay...first off - listen to the way that e-mail just read. And then look at where the seller is located..........Topeka Kansas…who talks like that in Kansas? Chances are the real sellers account was hi-jacked. They may really exist, but are being used and probably don't know anything about it.
Just trust your instincts.
I have problems with buyers on EBAY!
by giannamarisa - 9/21/07 9:00 PM In reply to: scammers on ebay.... by mcm14127The first thing I ever sold on ebay was a cellphone. I just got new service with nextel, but I had a really good phone already, so I got a cheap one with my new plan. I got the phone in the mail and decided to sell it on ebay. It was brand new I checked it to see if it worked w/out making a call but I still saw it was functionally perfect. I sold it and then it happened. The buyer said the phone didn't have any sound. This was not true, but I tried to help and sent the receipt for the new phone. I kept it brand new, it had not one minute used on it and was brand new in the box. Now He wanted his money back and I was going to get a used broken phone back, I believe that he won the dispute because he was a powerseller.
I was very disheartened but I sold my second item about 2 weeks ago, also a cell phone BlackBerry which I bought on ebay a week prior but didn't know that I needed a BB plan with nextel to use the internet feature on it. The BB plan was a lot of money and my current plan is excellent, so I didn't want to change plans. I lost out on the deal because I sold it for about $25 less than I bought it for a week prior. The phone was a little scratched but perfectly functional in every way, I was using it with my nextel sim for that week or 10 days that I had it and so was the previous buyer. About a week after the buyer receives the blackberry he says the nextel sim will not work in it and the phone is no good to him and he wants his money back! This time I was cautious and made a detailed video of the phone before I boxed it. It showed me placing my nextel sim in and then the battery and powering on the blackberry and showing the nextel screensaver and making a call to my voice mail with and without the speaker on I showed a few other features and also zoomed in on the ime and serial numbers of the BB. Also my return policy was stated as only if DOA with 24hrs of receipt of shipping received. Now he can give me bad feedback just like the first guy did it was REALLY BAD and I am really upset, I sold 2 great items with good intentions and described them EXACTLY as they were with huge detailed pictures. What can I do? Can he leave me bad feedback? Can I contest it? I sent him my video today and have not heard anything back. He probably had the same problem I did as far as having a BB plan to access the internet feature, but the phone worked perfect and all of the other features and he tried to get his money back. I told him I had the video and he REALLY wanted to see it, probably to see if I really had one. How will I sell with confidence after two negative feedbacks for the only two things I ever sold? And does he have any way to get HIS money back?
You may not be one for this..
by PC-PILOT - 9/30/07 8:22 PM In reply to: I have problems with buyers on EBAY! by giannamarisaIf you have such a lack of a basis of trust that you need to VIDEO the packaging of a product, then perhaps you need to look for another venue for selling. I PERSONNALY have never known anyone to have so many causes to sell cell phones, but maybe that is just me. Try your local paper, next time. Maybe Craigs List. Ebay isn't for you. I wonder why you don't research the phone and carriers before you buy. You may be someone else's sucker. Usually, people sell phones only after the 'renew' period (a la Verizon). And, that's a 2 year thing. You're not buying phones out of the back of a truck, are you?
Paypal a scam artist best friend
by zbodhi - 9/21/07 9:46 PM In reply to: scammers on ebay.... by mcm14127The problem with Paypal is that they always have a bank account set up as a primary account. So Paypal always pays the seller from that account (instead of a credit card) it's almost impossible to get the money back (unless you have a cooperative bank) so using a credit card is the best bet. They say they will protect you if your purchase is "substantially" different than what's advertised (in my case the seller did not provide software advertised with the item) so Paypal(and ebay) did nothing. On another purchase my bank also took back the money so I now have a negative balance which I am supposed to resolve,but after completing all the required steps,Paypal won't let me transfer money. Paypal is a Scam's Artist best friend. Makes you wonder what their total % of fraud and unhappy buyers is. Maybe Google has something better protection wise.
Ipod not delivered from Ebay auction
by msve1 - 9/14/07 9:18 PM In reply to: I got scammed on eBay, what can I do now? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Take them to court. THE PEOPLES COURT!!! I have saw (3) cases this week that were handled very well on that television court court show
involving bad transactions on Ebay. If you have the initial auction posting and copies of the emails and the attempt of the resolution that you initiated. You have the makings of a winning case, that will result in you getting your money back. The seller will have to justify why they did not provide you with the merchandise that you won or your refund. The judge on that show seems very fair,she will do her investigation and end with a proper judgement.You can go on line to the website to apply for a court date. I guess any of the TV
court shows will do, but I have seen her in action directly involving Ebay problems.
People's court is not always an option
by 2pur400 - 9/15/07 8:25 PM In reply to: Ipod not delivered from Ebay auction by msve1Just in case you didn't know. People's Court is not always an option. To get on the show, first you file a small claims complaint. The show's producers look at the new filings and if they like your complaint, they will send you a letter inviting you to the show. If you say ok, then they send a letter to the defendant and ask if they want to be on the show. If both parties agree then you have to dismiss your small claims case and wait for the show. Chances of getting pick are pretty small and if the other guy says no then you have to proceed with your small claims case.
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