Seller Scammed On eBay. Shipping Label Scam. Here is How to Get a Refund.

Sold an iPhone. Here is my story about how they stole the phone from me.

[@techtactics788]

Ebay needs to stop automatic refunds on delivery. There should be a 2 day window to confirm.

[@diyflenar]

I agree!

[@gregb2]

Dealing with Ebay scammers is the bad, but dealing with ebay reps is even worse.

[@DeepDishPizza]

So here is what I did, after the same scam happened to me and after talking to eBay for 9 days straight and contacting Miami/Medley police, I just decided to file a complaint against eBay with the BBB. I provided all of my evidence. The altered label and everything. I submitted my complaint at 9am on Thursday and was refunded by 5pm that same day. If this happens to you, get your scan from the post office, along with other evidence and submit that to the BBB. The heck with calling EBay customer service because part of me believes that they are in on the scam.

[@diyflenar]

Appreciate you sharing!

[@DanSchultz-e4d]

I'm on same situation right now , how exactly did you get the scam from the post office ? Did you call customer service directly or did you go up there? And how long did it take ?

[@diyflenar]

@@DanSchultz-e4d I got the phone number for the postmaster. You might have to go to the post office to get it. I am not sure the customer service would help. You might call that and open a case.

[@diyflenar]

I got the information from the postmaster the same day I called her.

[@DanSchultz-e4d]

Will ebay ban you for that?

[@limonfree5024]

Thanks for the valuable info. Great job telling your story. I will keep this in the back of my mind just in case. Hopefully, no one else goes through this,but I'd they do, hopefully, they come across your video!

[@techtactics788]

This scam is so sophisticated but I was ready for war with a scammer wanting to take me out of £1000 😢 for a iPhone 15 Pro Max. I'd made sure every step of the way to keep calling ebay and when they finally returned the item, of course it wasn't my address. Unfortunately for them, kept my money and their account was deleted.

[@diyflenar]

Thanks for sharing!

[@Scav-Goblin]

Was your altered label USPS, or Fedex/UPS? nobody has responded to me yet, so im trying to find out what options i might have if i start selling again

[@techtactics788]

@@Scav-Goblin it was probably photoshop, Courier was Royal Mail. Call to speak to ebay customer service Manager if this happens with you. Low level CS are useless.

[@bella-bee]

Well done sir. What a dreadful scam. I wouldn’t call it good! Clever maybe. Thank you for the detailed advice

[@MrJohnBos]

A scary scam. eBay is way too liberal in sending refunds without fully investigating the situation.

[@jimgraves665]

so i guess on the final mile USPS doesnt scan the bar code to confirm the bar coded address is the same exact address written on the package.. USPS should be at fault here too.

[@jimh3595]

I think your hard work has probably helped a lot of sellers that have experienced this since this happened to you. Had this happen to me on a PayPal purchase about a year ago. Took a few tries, but I was finally able to convince them, and they refunded me.

[@sinebar]

I'd iCloud brick the phone. At least that way the scammer can't do anything with it.

[@Raccoons_purr]

Very valuable information, thanks for sharing!

[@angiegracie6954]

A friend had the same thing happen but he was the buyer and they sent tracking number and he received an empty package. He didnt have the stamina to fight it and it was an expensive iPhone. Sad.

[@unclefester4822]

Been a seller for 25 years....eBay changes the rules every 6 months and has terrible seller protection...Had the same scammer as you. I used the" eBay" method to reverse the scam on the frausdter therefore eliminating the ebay phone calls and documents that i knew would be requested...Had my refund in 2 days....and the scammer lost.

[@diyflenar]

Thanks for sharing!

[@lilken6323]

How exactly did you go about it? Just had it happen to me I’m trying to get this out the way b4 going on a cruise in 3 weeks and trying to enjoy myself … can you explain step by step what you did ?

[@diyflenar]

@@lilken6323 Get a hold of the postmaster. Be persistent. You might have to go to your local post office. Call the USPS to open a case or file a complaint if that doesn't work. Keep working at it until you get a picture of the package with the tracking number on it. Next, call eBay, open a case, and upload as many supporting documents to eBay to make your case. Have an email from the postmaster and a picture of the fraudulent package to upload. Keep calling eBay until they side with you. Watch my whole video to make sure you don't make the mistakes I did.

[@lilken6323]

@@diyflenar how do I find the postmaster ?

[@diyflenar]

@@lilken6323 try calling and opening a case or try to go directly to your local post office that delivers your mail and ask them for help.

[@erikk77]

If you're on Facebook and you get scammed by a buyer, there are FB groups who discuss and publish scammers to be blocked.

[@frugalprepper]

Wow... This is crazy!

[@diyflenar]

It is! Thanks for commenting

[@keithpalmer4547]

I am looking to get into ebay reselling. But I would not sell anything over $75 or so on Ebay to protect myself from scammers.

[@onetech3984]

I live in the UK i had a similar scam as a buyer a item i purchased never arrived at my address the seller claimed it was delivered to a nearby address the parcel had a UK postcode but not the house number which means the postcode covers 50+ addresses. i was under the assumption printed labels have the full address anyway the item was returned to the DO and sent to the seller after 10 days the item as far as eBay were concerned the item was delivered i did receive a refund eventually.

[@motleyassortment5512]

Ebay doesn't realize without the sellers and their merchandise, EBAY and ETSY would not EXIST as a selling platform.

[@MichaelGates-uw8wm]

EBay is 100% in favour of buyers. In the instance of refunds, all of them should have to go to an eBay office first to confirm that what was sold is in fact being returned. I’m also getting annoyed at buyers purchasing items and never paying for them. There should be a mandatory relisting fee, 5%. Then they’d rethink of no following through with purchase.

[@scottzimmerman6485]

why wouldn’t the scammer just send a item that weighs the same to your address? that would have been a real problem for you . shame on ebay . good on you and being persistent

[@allantardiff4188]

unfortunately this dude's just going to get a new eBay account and continue the scam unless eBay attempts to prosecute the buyer.

[@RobertLee-wi5kc]

Wow how many hours spent. I know of someone in the same boat. Sold a rare watch for the parts. Stated not working and listed the parts needed. Buyer gets it takes it apart can't get it to work then sends it back, Seller videoed packaging going and coming. Gets it back calls customer service with no good results. Seems ebay always sides with the buyer at first. The seller finally gave up and will no longer use Ebay!!!!

[@diyflenar]

That is unfortunate. Thanks for sharing

[@believeroftheword4627]

I have no returns set on my sales. All sales final.

[@dragonflye4561]

same here

[@KennethMahurien]

Dude just get to the point of the scam!

[@diyflenar]

the video is addressing more than just a scam. It is how I got my money back from eBay. It is long form in hopes to help others with the same situation.

[@DeepDishPizza]

Let me guess….8020 NW 66th Street, Miami Florida 33166? Right?

[@andysmith9243]

Exactly what got me.

[@DanSchultz-e4d]

​@andysmith9243 lol same exact address for me as well lmao , did you guys get your refunds and if so how ?

[@christophresmerowski1824]

I'm doing eBay for a number of years now. I NEVER HAD EBAY AUTOMATICALLY REFUND ME FOR A VOIDED SHIPPING LABEL.

[@repurposedart9897]

There should be criminal charges against this buyer within the united states post office.. No exception this person should be held legally accountable...

[@Tim99-lg7kn]

Just know nothing will come about it other than a KZbin video

[@smkur50]

Good luck with that. America is now a scammers paradise.

[@Scav-Goblin]

Dude, someone on Ebay did this to me, but it was a SELLER who did it to me. and i couldn't even get my local postmaster to even RESPOND to me. so i got fucked for a $150, but because i wasn't willing to open a return and commit mail fraud MYSELF, i gotta just eat the $150 loss. i even know the mail lady, very well i might add. she's a good friend of mine, and she didn't deliver any packages to me or my neighbors that Saturday. so it was 100% intentional on the sellers part.

[@ellenm1937]

eBay needs to start an escrow type of service for high dollar items. Sellers could opt in by paying extra percentahe or a flat fee as "insurance". Item would first be mailed to an eBay authorized inspector (sort of like the authentication service) who would compare it to the listing photographs, take their own photographs, and then it would be sent on to the buyer. Buyer must return item to the inspection service.. this could prevent empty box fraud and switch fraud. Simply by listing your item as an escrow required return would deter scammers from buying the item in the first place.

[@Vincent_Beers]

Their vault service works like this, it's very expensive. You pay for them to take it, inspect it and hold it in their vault. You then sell it. The buyer can leave it in the vault protected or pay for shipping to take it out of the vault and retrieve it for themselves. It's mostly used for collectibles.

[@KRich408]

I mentioned in another comment i stopped selling online because of the scams. I have a RV im having a hard time selling in so afraid to put it on eBay motors or Facebook marketplace. Ive read about people getting scammed with vehicles also i definitely can't afford loosing over $30k im only selling it because my house needs a roof . I really wish these online marketplaces would do something to protect sellers.😮

[@Junior.illinois]

I was a scam from a buyer who swapped my printer with another model a totally broken ! when I got it ! I report him ! I won the case but eBay ! trying to charge me the return shipping label to me ! this is insane ! Im the victim and I have to pay the Fraud thieve and at this moment the scam buyer still operating on ebay ! that's why I'm not selling anymore there

[@diyflenar]

Appreciate you sharing!

[@exhibitdesign901]

Thank you for bringing up this scam, I have heard of other scams but not this one. My word! I am glad you prevailed and was made whole and I am also glad you fought for other sellers. Hopefully EBAY can come up with a solution to prevent this. Thank you again.

[@wesl.946]

Just had this happen, except buyer shipped the item back to the same zip code now showing delivered. The buyer bought their own label so it had “tracking.” Returns should require a message from buyer so there is a paper trail.

[@LprogressivesANDliberals]

😢 just had someone return on the 30th day and send the wrong item back. Had to file a police report and cs3 report but thankfully he lived 3 hours away so the police department was close. No more selling on eBay 🙋🏽🤮

[@carolynechols1354]

Oh, my gosh, this is so disturbing. I am a seller on Ebay, but I do not sell high end items and wouldn't even if I could. There are so many scammers out there and they are constantly coming up with new ways to rip you off. Thank you so much for bringing this scam to our attention. It might help save somebody a lot of trouble and a lot of money.

[@Bijoux_DerWunderCatsen]

Had a seller with 100% but only 35 sales pull this cutsey on me with a gaming laptop. I got nowhere because tracking says delivered. I ended up doing a "wrong item shipped" return and doing the same thing they did to me. Scammer's neighbor got a candy bar and I got a refund.

[@carolynechols1354]

By the way, I hope the scammer was prosecuted by the USPS. He did tamper with the US mail which is a federal offense.

[@MegaManX7]

Damn dude, this was a great story. I don't know what led me down this rabbit hole of ebay scams but its really great to know that persistence pays off!

[@diyflenar]

Thanks for watching and your feedback!

[@KRich408]

I stopped selling online on eBay Amazon etc . PayPal still owes me over $700.00.for a Commercial printer I sold, the buyer used an address to an empty building. The carrier should not have left it there as an adult signature required but the carrier signed it because nobody was in the empty house? PayPal refunded the $ to the buyer who said he lived there and didn't receive it. I wasn't far from the address and drove by the place was boarded up and had a Sheriff's Notice on the Door.. PayPal would not believe me , I gave up and closed up shop. This was way back when Elon M still ran PayPal. If you didn't know it Elton created PayPal but sold it for a huge profit. Anyway I won't take that chance again these online shops don't care about the sellers.

[@Vincent_Beers]

Elon didn't create PayPal, he just worked there. He was also fired for incompetence after the company was bought and merged.

[@sweetboy02125]

i quit to be ebay seller because of this. too much time/headache for couple hundred bucks

[@allantardiff4188]

moving forward, ebay should confirm that the delivery address matches with the original seller before refunding the buyer as a result of your case. this would probably say in eBay millions of dollars

[@andysmith9243]

You’re lucky because they won’t even send me a picture of the label.

[@diyflenar]

Try to get a hold of your postmaster. Show them evidence that the tracking number was supposed to come to your address.

[@andysmith9243]

@@diyflenar eBay came through by sending them more information and they ended up refunded me. I’m shocked but very thankful it all worked out!

[@Raccoons_purr]

Do you know if USPS is going to prosecute that person for mail fraud?

[@diyflenar]

I don't think so. The postmaster spoke like it is something she deals with all the time...and very little action is ever taken.

[@artbrutnewyork]

Wow, that’s insane! These scammers display genius level criminality! That’s why I only sell items less than $100 on EBay and I sell my used iPhones, Apple computers and iPhones only by face-to-face transactions. I’ve also used going straight to someone in leadership to settle a dispute! eBay should make it more difficult to make any address changes on labels.

[@oturgator]

This happens more often than one may think. It is unfortunate that eBay incompetence is leading way to such scams. What is worse, they are punishing the people who are paying their salaries, the sellers. If the sellers shy away from eBay, they buyers will not keep eBay afloat, they will go under and they will go under real quick.

[@sub2001zero]

It happen to me I had paypal call post office to get my money back.

[@ausgamecollector]

This happened to me once, however, I was the buyer and the seller scammed me. I fought it via PayPal and provided evidence the address and receiver were not me.. FIN

[@abrown5449]

Good video , I have had ebay refund a buyer after I refunded them and they never made it right .....

[@davycrockett4395]

My issue is i sold some bills online to a buyer. I mailed them off ontime. He messaged me asked if it was mailed i told him yes the tracking number is on it. A few days later buyer opens a case on me. He gets refunded i get a message my account has been compromised so the order was canceled and buyer refunded. They said not to worry its not my fault. I told them i haven't received my product back. They told me to contact post-office. I did they said the tracking # isnt a post office and they cant. They said to contact ebay. Im having so many problems getting ahold of them. Everytime i click on my item sold it says case is closed theres nothing more that can be done.

[@elnazy24]

Hello, I got a similar case with a item of higher value. How I can get in touch with you to explain you everything and see if maybe you can advise me. Thanks

[@RepayEvilWithGood]

What's ebay's #? I have not been able to find a way to contact them whatsoever.

[@hawaii6282]

I guess scammers do this for a living try and steal from sellers... I guess no returns means returns. bs...

[@alexalyssa204]

Isn't it a federal crime to manipulate with USPS ?

[@JohnnyBGood11]

This is mail fraud

[@backtoschool1611]

Sick!

[@anymoose]

Miami, literally every time dude

[@sky173]

Great video but how did UPS take a photo of the package if it was already shipped, or do they take photos of every package that is shipped? I'm glad you talked about this. I would have never known unless I stumbled on this video. Thanks again for sharing. I don't know what your channel is about but you've earned a sub from me. Cheers.

[@diyflenar]

USPS takes photos of every package to my knowledge. Thanks for commenting

[@alexalyssa204]

Nowadays they take photos not only of every package but every piece of mail

[@davelee5973]

you lucky to get that much for a 1000 dollar phone

[@LprogressivesANDliberals]

Sold about 50 items and got a fake return on the 30th day with a different item. Thankfully the buyer lived 3 hours away so I drove to his police department and filed a police report and a cs3 report and got my money back. Don’t use eBay we can all agree. Don’t use it 💯

[@LprogressivesANDliberals]

eBay is true trash

[@doodleschmoodle]

Would you ever sell a high priced item on eBay again after this

[@diyflenar]

Yes, I would and have. I learned from this experience and believe that it would be easier next time for me to get my money back.

[@HayesRanch]

Isn't that a post redirect - You can redirect packages, in the system, they allow a redirect if you are traveling, and you have a designated person picking up your mail while you are away on a trip or vacation - You can also get the GEO Coordianents and picture of the delivery

[@VivaLaGamez]

Happy you got your money back. Sadly, I still think the scammer won because the money was returned to him and there is no way for ebay to recharge his card after a claim that has been closed. It would leave a negative balance on his ebay account. But since they closed it, he can open another account with no issues.

[@reseirs]

How was the Post Office able to provide you with a picture? Does every piece of mail in the country get photographed?

[@MrMikebutkus]

Don't sell phones on E-bay. My son sold a working one. The seller then said "it does not work" Since there is no serial number on them and the only way to find it is have it work. So they sent back a "different" dead phone. He lost the money.

[@diyflenar]

Thanks for sharing! Something to keep in mind.

[@20NewJourney23]

There are serial numbers on all phones If the phone has a battery that can be removed it's behind the battery on the body of the phone inside the battery compartment. Many times the sticker is on the back of the phone. If it's an iPhone you can take it to an Apple store to verify it's the same one you sold (by providing the original IMEI and other serial number info). They will be able to tell you, even on a dead phone if the serial number matches. Androids? I don't know about it if there is no serial printed on the device because the battery compartment can't be opened.

[@Vincent_Beers]

The serial number for an android is a sticker on the back. If the sticker is removed, you can also get it from the settings menu in the phone itself. If you're buying/selling you should also verify that the sticker and menu numbers match to be sure the sticker wasn't swapped.

[@lanialost1320]

You mean the BUYER -- not seller -- said "it does not work"

[@Jawwaad1111]

“I know I sold this man a perfectly working phone. Look at the original listing. It says Great”. Lmfao. We definitely have to take your word for it because you put “Great” in the description. Sorry you were scammed. I wonder how many other people were scammed like this. The one thing I wonder is, how did she get a picture of the actual package? If it was delivered, did she go to the address afterwards and ask to take a picture of it? They couldn’t understand you because it was probably a person from a different country

[@motleyassortment5512]

A RESELLER scamming another seller deserves to have his account banned. He's probably trying to get the product and his money back for free and resell the product elsewhere. Why EBAY doesn't not tell the customer to send product back, once the seller receives product and Ebay and seller get on Zoom and inspect product and packing and determine if right product was shipped back to seller, if anything fishy, then don't refund but the seller gets the item shipped back to them. Once seller verify it is correct item then they get refund. Or once product ships out, give 24 hours for customer to accept or reject the product aftdr receing . After time limit, no more refund. When you go to Asian store, once you buy a product and walk out the door then no refund; only 1 time product exchange.

[@morganbrickwall7902]

My experiences with ebay fraud is I feel ebay is complicit in the fraud. A State Attorney somewhere needs to get involved and hold them accountable.

[@motleyassortment5512]

That reseller must be doing same thing to other sellers on EBAY, be on the look out.

[@CallumYoung-om6fk]

Good for you. Well done!

[@edwalker7400]

That is crazy

[@DanSchultz-e4d]

How long does it take for postmaster to contact you after opening investigation?

[@Vincent_Beers]

Depends on how busy your post office is. The last time I needed to speak directly with the post master I called their office to check when would be a good time for an in person meeting. I went in the next day after her lunch break to hand over a bunch of fraudulent postal money orders and document a scam I'd discovered.

[@smkur50]

Not to be political, but it's only going to get worse. The younger generation is learning there are little to no consequences for these scams.