eBay/PayPal Scam Warning

RFW

steviebabes wrote: »

A phone would weigh more than a letter but as the seller planned this from the start he matched the SD rate to a letter and not a phone.

Eh?

RFW

pdel61 wrote: »

It can, but the problem is Paypal decide who is telling the truth using a very blunt measure of has something been delivered.

I'm not defending them, but how else would you do it, faced with the dilemma that you have no prior knowledge that either party is dishonest?

It isn't a scam that can be pulled off successfully on the same account more than twice. I can't think of a system that could stop it totally.

steviebabes

From OP 'Basically I had bought a mobile phone through a seller on eBay. The seller then sent a letter via Royal Mail's Special Delivery at a cost of £4.10 (the amount of P&P I paid for)'

RFW

steviebabes wrote: »

From OP 'Basically I had bought a mobile phone through a seller on eBay. The seller then sent a letter via Royal Mail's Special Delivery at a cost of £4.10 (the amount of P&P I paid for)'

Current rates are up to 100g £4.60, 101g to 500g £5.05, 501g to 1kg £6.40. So if it was before the price increases it looks like they have only paid for up to 100g.

It should be easy to find the weight of the phone and may also be possible to get the weight of the letter from Royal Mail.

steviebabes

I don't think paypal will go to these lengths, the listing says £4.10 and the tracking info is for an item costing £4.10 so paypal will take the sellers side. The seller could always have paid the 500g rate and put an old paperback book in to get the weight right.
This all shows that there is a serious flaw in the paypal buyers protection. One reason why the new feedback rules have been introduced is because the buyer can now warn other ebayers without fear of retaliation. Pre 15/05 this scammer could have got a way with this a few times.

Brooker_Dave

steviebabes wrote: »

I don't think paypal will go to these lengths, the listing says £4.10 and the tracking info is for an item costing £4.10 so paypal will take the sellers side. The seller could always have paid the 500g rate and put an old paperback book in to get the weight right.
This all shows that there is a serious flaw in the paypal buyers protection. One reason why the new feedback rules have been introduced is because the buyer can now warn other ebayers without fear of retaliation. Pre 15/05 this scammer could have got a way with this a few times.

But the scammer will have moved on by now to a new account.

Will the buyer even have an address for the seller?

steviebabes

It's not so easy these days to open new sellers accounts. You would need a different address with a landline number or you would not be able to list anything.
The buyer would have an address for the seller as they sent a DS lite for repair but in straight forward buying situations you can always request the sellers registered address.

Brooker_Dave

steviebabes wrote: »

It's not so easy these days to open new sellers accounts. You would need a different address with a landline number or you would not be able to list anything.
The buyer would have an address for the seller as they sent a DS lite for repair but in straight forward buying situations you can always request the sellers registered address.

You have to have a landline number??

I thought a mobile was good enough?

steviebabes

My sister has just started selling on ebay, she has had a buying account for a while. When she came to sell there were all sorts of hoops to run through including having to give a landline number.

soolin

Brooker_Dave wrote: »

You have to have a landline number??

I thought a mobile was good enough?

My son has just tried upgraded his buying account to a selling account and was unable to as he has no landline at uni and they refused to accept a mobile to make the security call. In the end he had to wait to come home, use the main landline number to register with and then do the security bit.

When he did it though it was automated anyway, so I could easily have done it for him and just phoned him with the log in codes.