"liar buyer fraud"

Brooker_Dave

"Buyer fraud on marketplaces such as eBay is common, according to newly published research"

"But unlike seller fraud, it's little known - and there is little incentive for marketplaces to publicize it."

The research was conducted at PayPal to explore something called "liar buyer fraud." Here's how the authors describe that type of fraud:


"In a typical liar buyer instance, a consumer orders and receives some merchandise, and then reports it not delivered in order to get a refund. Commonly, the liar buyers are not repeat fraudsters, and many of them are believed to act in response to losing a similar amount to another instance of fraud - then contesting the charges but not being ruled in favor of."


The researchers conducted experiments with subjects to test several methods of potentially deterring buyer fraud."

Several things in the study jump out at anyone who has experienced buyer fraud on eBay. One is that customer service reps (presumably at eBay or PayPal) said in cases when they were fairly certain a dispute involved a liar buyer, "they had no practical tools to address such cases."


Another is the incentive to keep the problem of buyer fraud hidden, since awareness is likely to increase incidents of such fraud.


And, citing PayPal, the researchers say "quite commonly, it is a peer consumer who loses money" (peer consumer meaning not the marketplace, but the seller)."


"even though buyer fraud is a common problem, eBay doesn't allow sellers to warn their colleagues about buyers who commit fraud since sellers are only allowed to leave positive feedback for buyers, whether or not those buyers are liars."

http://www.ecommercebytes.com/C/blog/blog.pl?/pl/2015/2/1424658702.html

RMS2

Step forward, all the ebay/Paypal apologists.

SpammyTheSpammer

Did they also determine:-

• the religious affiliation of the Pope
• the location for Ursine Fecal deposition

?

RFW

RMS2 wrote: »

Step forward, all the ebay/Paypal apologists.

Apart from it largely stating the obvious and the reasons, anyone who sells anywhere suffers from theft, and theft that they can't do anything about. It's reprehensible, a pain for any seller, but it's there and always will be.

When I started on Ebay I think I allowed about £50/month for shrinkage, it actually worked out a lot less than that.

The biggest sympathy is for the one-off sellers who get scammed in their only transaction. I don't think anyone on here would deny that the problem exists, I'm yet to hear anyone draw up a system that would stop it.

mrcol1000

Brooker Dave you really need a hobby other than spending your nights on Google looking for reasons to attack Ebay. Maybe you should try Ebid, they let anyone sell on that.

SpammyTheSpammer

Brooker Dave was only passing on some "bleeding obvious" research report. Don't shoot the messenger.....

Incidentally, any research organisation want to look into the questions of :-

• do women like to go shopping?
• eat chocolate?

Because I am available for consultation on this, for the right fee.

forgotmyname

Sellers can leave positive feedback and warn other buyers though.

Whats wrong with a simple,

Sorry your item didnt arrive, Refunded in full.

After several of those im sure a seller could get get an idea and know the risk and maybe upgrade the postage.

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

forgotmyname wrote: »

Sellers can leave positive feedback and warn other buyers though.

Whats wrong with a simple,

Sorry your item didnt arrive, Refunded in full.

After several of those im sure a seller could get get an idea and know the risk and maybe upgrade the postage.

Better yet, leave the buyer the usual feedback and then leave a follow up with your apologies for the missing parcel, this way it stands out more when glancing at the profile of comments.

RFW

forgotmyname wrote: »

Whats wrong with a simple,

Sorry your item didnt arrive, Refunded in full.

After several of those im sure a seller could get get an idea and know the risk and maybe upgrade the postage.

It negates any mark the buyer gets on the Ebay system for claiming non receipt. There are instances of buyers being taken off Ebay for opening too many INR disputes.

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

RFW wrote: »

It negates any mark the buyer gets on the Ebay system for claiming non receipt. There are instances of buyers being taken off Ebay for opening too many INR disputes.

Yet with sellers fearful of defects how many go undetected, in theory refunds are monitored too but I have little, if any, faith in eBay checking these things.

A clear indication the buyer has been "unlucky" in the past helps me feel more comfortable about talking them into a corner when something doesn't feel right, like the buyer last week who closed their INR case after I asked them to comment on their long and excessive history of claiming parcels hadn't arrived.

Were it not for the feedback indicators I most likely wouldn't have confronted them so bluntly.

soolin

RMS2 wrote: »

Step forward, all the ebay/Paypal apologists.

Panic panic ...I'd better stop selling hundreds of items a month on eBay then and give up all my extra foreign holidays and trips because every single buyer is a scammer..

Oh, hang on a minute...