My wife sold an Iron on eBay. It was never used but quite an expensive model so worth selling. After posting the Iron the buyer messaged 2 days later saying the iron is not new and has mould and clearly been used. My wife knew it hadnt but also knew there isnt much point arguing with people on eBay so agreed to accept the return.
The iron came back and it was beat up, mouldy, stunk of cigarettes, faded. This is in 2 days of shipping what was an unused item. The buyer said they had to test it so was used once thats why it was wet. It obviously isnt the same iron.
The best part of it. When my wife saw that the box wasnt the one we sent the iron in she checked the brown card box they sent it in. She sent in the original packaging. It only had a label on the box from December 2021 from VacuumsDirect stating their delivery address and name. It also has on the label the iron model on the label.
They have obviously bought a refurb and it has broken, so they bought my wifes and returned is the battered old thing they bought last year.
The world we live in where people think this is acceptable!
I just wish eBay would make examples of these people but they are too busy screwing buyers
Just thieves end of. I'd go back to ebay with the evidence.
I would absolutely push back by raising a complaint via eBay - presumably the photos from your post demonstrate that it isn't the same iron.
Also a prime candidate for pushing something horrible through their letterbox
Edit - Steve B beat me to it!
Presumably you have photos from your listing of the item/packaging you sent, and now have the different/broken item they've returned - I'd be reporting as fraudulent and doing all I can to stop them getting away with it.
Yes. I have lots of photos of before. Lots of photos of the scummy one they send back and the photos of the box which has their details on for the delivery of the slightly different model (the one they sent me). I mean it's pretty lazy to not even take off the postage label from their original purchase 6 months ago.
I have not mentioned their mistake with the box yet as I am letting them dog a hole and before I share it with eBay. I don't want to give them any time to plot an elaborate story. Not sure what they could come up with.
Marius did this before with a watch strap but the seller was a member here.
We have all read dozens, if not hundreds, of postings like this where a buyer tries to screw a seller and usually gets away with it.
I have used eBay dozens of times as a buyer and have never had the slightest problem and the last purchase was a grotesque bird from a private seller and everything was perfect.
However there is no way on earth I would sell anything on eBay. We just use the local Facebook where you do get a lot of low balling but at least it's face to face and once the deal is done, it's done.
Yeah, it's a minefield, some people are just built differently (Badly).
You can report them as a seller, I've had to do it several times this year. It's worth doing as it's the only way they'll ever get chucked off the platform.
Didn't work well for 33JS when Marius scammed him
https://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.p...Humped-on-eBay!
I stopped selling on eBay once they changed the Feedback system those many years ago. I donate to charity shops instead where I can, failing that Gumtree or give it away locally.
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Wow, it’s crazy the cheek and stupidity of some people.
To be fair, I’ve both bought and sold on eBay for many years and can’t recall any major incidents anywhere like this.
I would be interested to hear the outcome of this. I fear lots of people give up pushing for justice. Sadly, I’m pretty stubborn and wouldn’t give up until the equilibrium was rebalanced.
Do you have a picture of the serial number of the iron your wife sent ? Might be an easy way to prove its not the iron they returned.
This really does frustrate me. It’s more disgusting than a daylight pickpocket! The film Home alone comes to mind with the iron and Marv! That’s what they need!
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It's fraud. Contact the police.
I experienced this scam way back in 2009 with some Subaru Impreza Type R headlights. Sold the car but had a brand new pair of headlights that I’d imported from Japan but hadn’t fitted. Auctioned on EBay, buyer paid, decent feedback etc.
A few days later buyer opens not as described case. Thought initially they hadn’t checked whether the headlights fit their car prior to bidding and was trying it on to get a refund. Accepted the return to avoid any hassle knowing the lights were in demand and aside from some inconvenience re listing, no major issues. Anyway gets back a set of used headlights that were chipped, clearly used and most certainly not the ones I sent. I contested with EBay who sided with buyer and refunded. Messaged the buyer and could almost hear his laugh through the tone of his reply.
Job at the time saw me oversee legal matters for a decent sized computer supply company. Took me ten minutes to raise a claim through the court. Ended up with a hearing that the buyer never attended and was subsequently awarded Judgment.
Took about eight months to get paid but the money was really never the issue. Had I not seen a penny I’d have been happy knowing I was being a nuisance and maybe they would avoid pulling the same stunt with some other poor unsuspecting seller.
In 2012 I received Notice of a Consent Order asking whether I’d have any objections to the Judgment being removed from the Register. Turns out my buyer was having difficulty obtaining a mortgage. Was half tempted to say I would agree if there was a full confession and apology but thought I’d perhaps made my point.
Almost every car headlight that I’ve sold on eBay seems to have got this treatment unless I put security stickers on them. Other car parts too.
Strangely though, motorbike parts don’t have this issue.
I gave the buyer a chance to back track. Saying it was a mistake. Kept it polite. Their response was:
I sent you back the exactly what you have sent me so do not try to tell me you sent me a different product.
I didn't think I had to look into the product further to find mold, I only did after the thing didn't work.
Your photos of what you sent claim nothing, as it doesn't prove at all it's the product you sent.
I will be writing to eBay directly about this and demanding a refund.
I sent it back to you in a normal brown box, it was not a branded one as you also sent it to me in a unmarked box so don't tell me some bullshit here either
So I replied with and attached:
You left the label on the box where you originally bought this iron from 6 months ago you moron.
They have now stopped responding.
^^^ LOL
I'm struggling at the moment with people not reading the advert or not understanding the concept of buyer collects and the implication that it is the buyer that, you know, collects.
I listed a few items, buyer collects, must be collected on 7 August.
Item 1 - Wardrobe. Bought promptly and paid so (as it was convenient) I offered 30 July as an alternative. I confirmed that the wardrobe would need to be dismantled to get it out of the room and offered to do so or help the buyer take it apart so they knew how it went together. Buyer asked me to dismantle as it was a chap called Sandeep that was collecting it for them.
I got on and dismantled. Sandeep got in touch and said he'd collect early afternoon on the 30th, and asked how many boxes it would be in. I told him it was unboxed.
1pm on the 30th, I message Sandeep to find out when he was going to arrive so I could arrange my day. He messaged back saying he was just leaving Newcastle and had a drop off in London so would be with me in Swindon at about 3.
It didn't take long to realise that wasn't going to happen and Sandeep has rescheduled for the 7th. He's been clear that it needs to be boxed. I've made it clear that it won't be.
Item 2 - headboard. Bought promptly and paid. Buyer immediately messages to check it's ok for her husband to collect on the morning of the 2nd. I point out that the advert clearly states the 7th. They admit that they didn't read the advert. Anyway, (as it was convenient) I offered 30 July as an alternative. They asked it it would be ok to collect on the 31st. I decline. They then ask if it would be ok to collect on the 29th. I decline again. They have agreed to collect on the 7th.
Perhaps they can help Sandeep load his van.
Update. The seller has now opened a case against me on eBay. As daft as it sounds it would surprise me if they somehow won this.
Your wife is one smart cookie.My wife knew it hadnt but also knew there isnt much point arguing with people on eBay
And it's why I stopped selling stuff on eBay.
I hope you get this resolved.
Ebay almost always side with the buyer.
I hand-delivered an item I sold (before ebay brought in a code to be scanned on collection) and the buyer claimed it had not been received and got a refund via ebay.
I did eventually manage to get my money back directly from the seller but it was a stressful episode and I wouldn’t want to go through that again.
I think eBay will side with them,but on the other side of the coin I bought a “genuine” nearly new Iwc strap it arrived today and looked as though someone had painted it with brown dulux the 2 loops had stuck to the strap and a hair had stuck to the wet paint but I should be getting a refund and will put it towards a new genuine one
Massive LOL
Must have been so satisfying when you saw the label and realised what they'd done. Hilarious.
They probably will win it by default unfortunately, but definitely contest it. Given RLE's story below and your very clear/compelling evidence, I wonder if you too could raise a claim through the courts. I have no idea how, but I imagine it would be satisfying albeit probably not worth the effort financially on what I presume to be a relatively inexpensive item.
Bravo. I'd have been tempted to reject if they hadn't had the good manners to apologise in all that time...!
Its awful but you are right.
I am hoping the fact that I have tonnes of photos of the item I sold.
As many photos as they like of the item they sent back. Which is a different (though similar model).
It would be much harder to challenge if they hadn't sent the older iron in a box with the older model stated on the box, the date they received it and their name and address on it. it that they had delivered to their address.
If eBay don’t sort this then they really are a waste of time …
I’ve stopped selling on eBay due to the growing number of chancers of there.
I sold a Fitbit some time ago and the buyer got back to me four weeks later saying that they had just opened the package (likely story!) and they could not attach the strap to one side of the device.
I responded asking for them to send over photos. They replied saying that they had this person them that person look at it and their was definitely a problem with it. I asked again for photos and, if they couldn’t provide any, then was happy for them to send it back for me to examine and, if defective, I would refund.
They got very abusive in their response and I once again said I was happy for them to send photos or request a return.
They went quiet, thankfully, and I have heard nothing since, so I suspect either buyers remorse or self inflicted damage but will never know which.
I would do this and if eBay still side with the buyer, then open a small claim with the courts. What the buyer has done is criminal and with the evidence you have it should be a clear case.
The smalls claims process is long and from what I am aware of, the maximum you will get back is your actual costs back. Just submitting the claim may be enough to force them to do the right thing.
The buyer is now saying I have made the label up! Despite it having what I can only presume is his wife's name on it when the eBay account is in his.
I would have to guess his wifes name? I know there are probably ways I could do this with social media but if I was making something up why wouldn't I put his name on it
Direct vacuums have an eBay shop - did he receive feedback from them 6 months ago?
Last edited by lewie; 3rd August 2022 at 21:36.
Making up labels. You have to wonder how stupid the buyer is here. What an utter idiot.
Hope they get what they deserve from this. A criminal record for fraud would be perfect.
The sender reference on the label has repair. I wonder how many times the buyer done this before.
I hope you get this sorted OP.
No feedback from direct vacuums
- - - Updated - - -
I spoke to ebay. They won't do anything until the 9th as they only step in if myself and the buyer can't resolve by then.
I'm half tempted to contact direct vacuum but imagine they won't say whether they've had issues with the buyer
In which case I'd contact the buyer one last time and tell him that you will not be refunding him and consider the matter resolved. Should he continue with the claim through ebay you will fight it and in the unlikely event he wins you will take the matter to the small claims court where you have more than enough evidence to guarantee a win and that the buyer should be aware this will mean a CCJ lodged against him.
If the buyer responds with anything other than acceptance, just refer him to you email of August 5th and say your position has not and will not change.