How To Time Stamp a Photo To Combat Fraudulent Returns

bigstu22

As above. Does anyone have ideas how to take a photo of an item's serial numbers etc with something within to prove irrefutably the date the photo was taken?

custardy

just add a photo timestamp
who are you going to "irrefutably" prove this to?

Pembroke

Digital camera that puts the date on the picture. Photo of the article resting on the front page of today's newspaper, and then a close-up showing the serial number and part of the page.

mippy

You know, timestamps can be altered by anyone gifted with Photoshop. What do you need to prove? There may be a better way?

AHAR

Pictures uploaded to FlickR (for example) show the upload date. Combined with a newspaper you'd have evidence of both the earliest and latest dates the picture could have been taken.

bigstu22

Guys, the reason it has to be beyond doubt is because some of my items are high end. If someone decides to send back their own identical, yet defective unit, I'm screwed unless I can prove with a photograph that they are returning a different item. I need to prove that the photgraph wasn't taken AFTER I received the return. It's paypal and/or ebay I have to prove this to to prevent them siding with the fraudster resulting in my subtantial loss. Newspapers can easily be kept for months so this isn't good enough. Neither are timestamps on cameras as they can easily be manipulated.

Just thought of a possible solution. Send the picture in an attachment to my own ebay inbox before sending. They're not going to argue with that!!

bigstu22

Flickr is a good idea too.

alfiesmum

Blimey, just get ripped off - it's quicker!

Pembroke

Well how about tamper proof tape over the battery cover or some other part. 'Break the seal and the phone is yours' in the sales patter. Or UV marker pen is in a discrete place is another popular one.

macfly

I have to say, I've been selling mobiles and laptops for years and never had a dodgy return. UV pen marks would only prove to yourself that the wrong item had been returned.

bris

What if you have two of them and you send the buyer the bad one while photoing the good one, ok sounds far fetched but nothing is going to stop a charge back with ebay and pay pal. The buyers win the vast majority of these types of cases.
The only way you won't get ripped of is to sell them localy via gumtree, ad trader etc.