ebay Scams become more frequent

[calvin83]

Starting from summer, I saw there are more and more listings selling high value items at 1/3 to 1/4 of its market price on eBay. Many of these listings use the photos and slightly modified descriptions from the other sellers. I decided to check how this kind of scam works by purchasing one of the items.

I purchased an “Leica Summicron-r Set EF 35mm 50mm And 90mm” from a seller with zero feedback on Oct 6, 2023 and using my friend's address in NY. The seller updates the tracking number on the next day and the item is shipped a few days later. After a few days, the tracking shows the item is “DELIVERED IN/AT MAILBOX”. I asked my friend to check if there is anything showing up in the MAILBOX, my friend told me there is none. I believe the seller sent something else to another address with the same ship code.

After a few days, the seller seems to get banned by eBay as the page shows “No longer a registered user.” I believe ebay had received claims from the other buyer. Then, I filed an Item Not Received case. Within a few hours, I got my refund and an email from eBay saying “We didn't receive valid tracking information from the seller.”

There are few important things to remember to avoid and to get back the money paid for this kind of mail scam:

a. The listing price + shipping + tax will never reach US$750, which is the amount required for signature confirmation.

b. These kinds of scams exist mostly on new accounts.

c. If the seller account is still active, try to file an Item Not As Described dispute instead of Item Not Received and put “the item never arrived” in the description. The reason behind is the eBay system will only use the ship code to confirm if the item has been arrived. If the seller sends a letter to a different address with the same zip code, the Item Not Received case will be closed automatically as the tracking information shows the letter has been already delivered.

===Screen Caps===

1. I bought the top fake listing for $650. The bottom one is the real listing sold for $1795 a week earlier.


2. The tracking info


3. The case detail


4. The items the seller sold

[55]

On ebay, I usually shop in the under $100 category so I've never encountered such a scam. But it's good to know what the scammer vermin are up to.

Thank you for the information, calvin!

[calvin83]

[RokkorDoctor]

Probably stating the obvious, but it really helps to get to know a few trusted sellers on eBay, even if they tend to charge a slight premium.

I rarely buy used lenses these days (GAS is under control now), but I used to have a few select eBay sellers in the UK, Germany, and Japan that I would trust. They tended to be dealers that also had a brick-and-mortar shop.

[calvin83]