Hmmm, cheeky little scam from Chinese seller

I ordered a low-value item from China (£6), and a day or so later tracking information was entered into the system.

Today I received a package with a matching tracking number. However the contents were a very cheap little keyring-type item with "NUCKIN' FUTS" written on it (classy), and a note which reads:

"Dear Customer,

Thank you very much for shopping with us!

Due to out of stock, the original item you purchased will be shipped one or two days later. We sincerely apologize for the delay and any inconvenience this may cause.

The item you received in this package is just a free gift as compensation. We hope you like this gift!

And you will be receiving the original item you purchased shortly.

Please feel free to contact us if you still have not received it after one week. You can send us a message through eBay Messages.

Thankyou for your understanding!

Bluelans team

IN GOD WE TRUST"

Yeah right. You send this by airmail, it's received three weeks before the due date and you expect me to believe you'll be sending a second package?

Of course the problem now is that if you advise eBay that the item is not received they'll close the case as there's a "received" message tied to the tracking number, and if you (as recommended by eBay chat) file a "not as described" you'll be asked to return the stupid keyring to China, which will inevitably be lost/not accepted at the other end and you've lost your money anyway.

eBay have removed the item description but have not explained why.



I think this scam (and it is a scam) needs to be publicised, as if it's successful they'll do it more and more. It seems to neatly get around eBay's protections and most people will just forget about it for small value items.