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Scammer or clumsy?
Good morning, I’d like some advice:
A few days ago I looked at an auction listing for a product, namely 90s disco music cassette tapes, recorded in clubs, so a rather uncommon item and of relatively low value (from 3 to 6 euros per cassette). Being a collector myself and seeing that no one had placed any bids, I contacted the seller to make him an offer to buy, but only for the cassettes I was interested in and not the whole lot.
The seller agreed, gave me a list, and we settled on 130 euros for 30 cassettes, shipping included. The strange thing is that he gave me a text list of the cassette titles (DJ, year, etc...) and not photos, which other sellers usually do for convenience and to show that they actually have the product.
That’s where the problems start: the seller proposes a Postepay top-up for payment, I refuse because it’s outside eBay’s refund system and because the seller has a score of zero in eBay’s rating (while in fact he has made many purchases, as can be seen from his feedback).
So the seller creates a new offer containing only the 30 cassettes I was interested in and at the agreed price of 130 euros, the only catch is that pickup is at the seller’s location and shipping is not предусмотрed.
I point this out to him and he says there’s no problem and that he’ll ship the package anyway. I trust him and pay via PayPal, giving him my delivery address (which is very far from his). That same evening he writes to me saying that because of how eBay works, since it was pickup in person, he was unable to collect the money and wants the QR code to activate the payment release. I refuse to give it to him and, since he told me he was willing to cancel the sale, we cancel the sale and I receive the notification that in a few days I’ll get my money back.
My question is this: is the seller acting in bad faith (asking for a Postepay top-up, listing it as in-person pickup which excludes a refund under eBay’s terms, and the seller not accepting returns), or is he just clumsy (he agreed to cancel the order, but if he couldn’t collect the payment...)?
What can I do to protect myself, given that the seller is willing to relist it properly with PayPal and shipping? Can I trust him, since he canceled the order and I received the PayPal refund notification for the previous sale? Should I ask for photos of the cassettes to know if they actually exist? What would you do?
Thanks
sika700
Mentore2 years agoGood morning,
let's say that the biggest mistakes were made by you...
You were the one who asked for a purchase outside the proposed lot... then you bought it anyway even though there was only local pickup... and let's also add a pinch of inexperience on the seller's part.
So, since he has already shown himself to be available, I don't see why not trust him...
Best regards.