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From eBay Seller Central Forum
What happens if buyer sends item back and is pulling a switcheroo?
http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=1000494571&tstart=80&mod=1179226814769
pea** May-14-07 19:48 PDT
Hi
I am not having this problem currently but know of someone who has a disgruntled buyer.
The buyer is saying the item is not as it should be.
The seller is debating on how to handle the matter, full refund once returned or only for item itself.
Let's say you sell something and the buyer then claims when they get it is not as you said in the ad.
You ask them to return it. They do return it and then you find out they pulled a switcheroo. It is not your item.
What does a seller do then?
This is assuming that the item is marked so the seller knows that the buyer is not returning the original item.
Just curious how this works.
Thanks
8 replies Date posted Reply #
art** May-14-07 20:13 PDT 1 of 8
This has been going on for years. Buyer wants to replace a broken or well used item and gets a newer one on Ebay then pulls a switch or claims it was broken it the mail. The post office and police see it all the time when it involves insurance/mail fraud. If buyer returns a switched item don't refund anything. A note of caution: some buyers purchase several of the same item from different buyers and sometimes make mistakes about which seller sent what item. I had one buyer that said we sent an item with an ugly, dirty mark on it. She came back a day later and apologized...it was another seller.
ami** May-14-07 20:32 PDT 2 of 8
What you do is open it at the post office. Explain to them that you suspect fraud. They should be able to help you get the ball rolling on a permanent fix for an offending buyer.
wil** May-14-07 20:49 PDT 3 of 8
I use an invisible pen and mark my items with my sellers mark so I can check it with a blacklight when I get it back.
Seize the moment. Remember all those women on the Titanic who waved off the dessert cart - Erma Bombeck
che** May-14-07 20:49 PDT 4 of 8
I've had this almost happen to me several times, but I save all my pictures, and I take alot of pictures of my items.
A long time ago I sold a vintage cake plate, and the person said that it was cracked and chipped and the post office wouldn't do an insurance claim because it was previous damage. Well, as nicely as I could, I emailed her my detailed photos showing there was no damage. She backpeddled pretty fast on that one!
pea** May-14-07 21:06 PDT 5 of 8
Thanks for all your answers.
While this is not happening to me, I read on another board that a seller wondered what to do if the item came back and it was not the one they sold.
She is having a tough time with a buyer.
This is on the pottery & glass board.
The thought of this situation is certainly not pleasant.
But I was not sure what a seller does if they get back a switched item, so thanks for your answers.
If the buyer returns it to seller and it is not the one you sent and buyer paid with paypal, what happens then?
Just wondering as one never knows these days with some buyers.
Thanks again.
cho** May-14-07 22:56 PDT 6 of 8
I take big pictures of my items and store them on my computer. then I edit them to size. so I have big clear pictures of my stuff.
had guy try to claim there was a crack in the windshield of a $100.00 hot wheel car I sold. he liked it, but felt it was not worth what he paid. so I looked at my giant picture, saw no crack and didn't even return his email. what a putz.
I'm not real big on refunds unless I left something out of the listing. if someone returned an item that was not the one I had sold them i would email them with all the links for fraud I was going to use if they chose to persue this any further.
hig** May-15-07 01:50 PDT 7 of 8
Unfortunately in many cases, it doesn't matter what the buyer sends back if they used PayPal. As long as they used DC on the return, it's most likely the seller will lose.
If the seller had excellent pictures of every aspect of the item, they might win if it's prove to be a replacement.
The seller would also have to prove this wasn't a shipping mishap. Say, the pottery was broken in transit. The seller would be responsible for that.
If the design is completely different, they seller has a very good chance with good detailed pictures to prove otherwise.
whi** May-15-07 04:00 PDT 8 of 8
You pretty much lose, if PayPal or a credit card was used. It may be worth your while to file a Mail Fraud complaint and escalate it to a criminal matter. Follow No. 2's advice.
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- Dennis
--
Of course the game is rigged. Don't let that stop you--if you don't play, you can't win.
-Robert Heinlein
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