Close Call on eBay Return Scam

[tamiya3speed 505]

So I have been selling a few things as of late one being a RC10B7.4 kit.  Sold it on 7/28 and it wasn’t until last Friday when the buyer reached out for a return.  Claimed his kid used his credit card without his knowing.  I went back and forth on even doing it but was concerned he would do a chargeback on his card that would ultimately end up with me losing the funds from the sale and him keeping the kit.  Buyer confirmed that the seals were still intact so I said OK.

     Well it showed up today feeling much lighter than when I shipped it out and I was immediately suspicious.  Found the seals were taped back up with clear packing tape.  Immediately called eBay to see what to do.  Ended up with still pics and a video of me opening the box to find………

4 used tires, an empty servo case, and a bag of shock bodies and screws!!

Needless to say I have filed a fraudulent return case.  eBay support was actually decent once I got them on the phone.  Apparently I have to wait 4 days for them to resolve but support made me feel like they see it as the open and shut case that it is.

So in summary, do not do business with the user rcrabbi 

[kalsh 48]

I hope you get this resolved.  There is always someone trying to take advantage which ends up ruining it for others.

[Kowalski86 4076]

1 hour ago, tamiya3speed said:

So I have been selling a few things as of late one being a RC10B7.4 kit.  Sold it on 7/28 and it wasn’t until last Friday when the buyer reached out for a return.  Claimed his kid used his credit card without his knowing. 

Thank you for the heads up, I'm at a point where I'd rather use forums or my LHS to sell off RCs.

[Pylon80 3438]

That's horrible, glad eBay got your back. My guess is that he is a very small-time scammer as he won't be able to do it too many times... What I am wondering is whether eBay are going to support him/refund him or not.

Half a million years ago I used to be a salesman in a bike shop. The owner was a nice guy with good business sense and he once told me that he had a percentage of his turnover that was lost to dishonest "customers" but it was part of the business.

[RichieRich 772]

That dude is selling a bunch of stuff on eBay right now. Also, every business has a line item for shrinkage on their books. Normal people like us don't do that. 

[Pylon80 3438]

1 minute ago, RichieRich said:

That dude is selling a bunch of stuff on eBay right now.

... But does he offer free returns? 😜

[tamiya3speed 505]

43 minutes ago, RichieRich said:

That dude is selling a bunch of stuff on eBay right now. Also, every business has a line item for shrinkage on their books. Normal people like us don't do that. 

That was another reason that I was willing to accept the return.  Seemed like someone with active sales wouldn’t try to scam like this.  But, here we are.  I really do hate selling on eBay, fees are outrageous but to be honest this is the only forum I frequent and there just isn’t enough US interest and shipping to Europe is just too pricey.  I will say, I have sold a bunch in the 21 years I have been on eBay and this is my first time with a scammer so I guess it’s bound to happen sometime.

[skinned 141]

Go to his items and just start reporting them..lol...I always sell with no returns accepted..there's a box to check ...doods a scum..thanks for heads up..

[Kowalski86 4076]

5 hours ago, tamiya3speed said:

  I really do hate selling on eBay, fees are outrageous but to be honest this is the only forum I frequent and there just isn’t enough US interest and shipping to Europe is just too pricey. 

You should consider joining RCTech if you have anymore race buggies to sell, you should be able get some traction there without eBay fees.

[tamiya3speed 505]

44 minutes ago, Kowalski86 said:

You should consider joining RCTech if you have anymore race buggies to sell, you should be able get some traction there without eBay fees.

Thanks for the advice!  I used to visit there fairly frequently but more as a lurker, don’t think I ever had an ID.  Sounds worth looking into though.