Advice?
Hi, I need some advice. A few days ago I sold a Pokémon card. The buyer just received it and now wants to return it. They say it's not original, but that's absolutely not true. I'm 100% sure the card is original. Obviously I don't want to accept this return, because it's unjustified, because I'd end up losing more than €20 in shipping, and above all because I don't know whether this person actually intends to scam me by sending me another card or in some other way. This is my first sale and that's why I'm asking for advice. What do you think I should do? And in your opinion, who will eBay side with? Thanks for the help.
15 comments
indominus
·3 years agoHello! Regardless of whether it’s true or false, today the favorite sport on Ebay for many buyers (let’s call them that) is to buy an item, have it shipped with as much time as it takes, and then for any reason at all, open a dispute for an item received that doesn’t match the listing, knowing that Ebay will side with them 99.9% of the time without worrying too much about the buyer making a false claim and trying to be clever. That way you’ll then be forced to accept the return even if you don’t accept returns, refunding the full amount to the smart-aleck of the day, and it’s not certain they’ll send back everything or the item you sent them. The evidence Ebay asks you for doesn’t help much; in the end, things just go however they go. What you can do is contest the buyer’s claim without issuing the refund right away, so you make them wait about ten days, who knows, maybe next time they won’t feel like trying to be clever. Then in the end you blacklist them even though, incredibly, they register with a new account and fake data and come back to waste your time again, while they ask you for a copy of your ID card or else they block everything, these people sign up as if nothing happened so they can keep doing their favorite sport. Obviously I’m writing from experience, without generalizing because fortunately they’re only a tiny minority of people like that. Regards!!! 😉
actar80
·3 years agoUnfortunately, the type of item you sold is easily susceptible to fraud, in the sense that among the pool of possible final buyers there is a good share of potential scammers.
If I were you, I would contact eBay by phone, say proactively, providing the item number, explaining the situation well and, hoping you included detailed photos, pointing out that the photos accurately represent the item. This probably won’t have any immediate effect, but maybe it could draw attention to your case, which otherwise will be routed through automated procedures and you can be sure that you will have to pay for the return.
Otherwise, you will later have to appeal eBay’s decision, but it’s not certain you’ll be ruled in the right.
bludn89
OP3 years agoHi, thank you for replying. In fact, I already contacted eBay by phone and told them I was afraid this person wanted to scam me. They simply told me that if I receive a card different from mine, I have to open a dispute.
actar80
·3 years agoYou're welcome, I'm not an expert on collectible cards but as you probably know better than I do, it’s the kind of item that lends itself to scams, like smartphones, etc.
Do this: if he has to return the item to you, get someone to help you and make 1 video of opening the envelope or package that will be returned to you, preferably with 1 camera or smartphone that shows the date in the video, because here it’s your word against the buyer’s and eBay is tilted in favor of the buyer.
bludn89
OP3 years agoI'll definitely do it. eBay though should assess the situation for what it is and not be biased..
actar80
·3 years agoThe problem is that to really assess eBay and also other sites that provide assistance, it's complicated because you have to do it remotely.
eBay is tilted in favor of the buyer because this is the party that puts up their money and, as happened especially in the platform's early years, they were often scammed by not-so-honest sellers. Having to choose who to protect more, eBay protects buyers because without buyers any platform would close even if it had millions of sellers. Having to make one choice, the buyer was logically chosen.
Then it's obvious that there are also protection tools and case-by-case evaluations of sellers' actions, but the way things go it's always better to take action personally and talk to support, since procedures handled by algorithms evaluate nothing and side with the buyer.
I hope you can get out of this well and if you want one piece of advice, don't sell high-value cards unless you use a courier that certifies the contents and seals the package or envelope in front of you before taking it in charge, I think DHL does it, but someone more experienced with couriers could confirm.
Have a good evening and keep us updated if you like.
bludn89
OP3 years agoThanks again so much. Of course, I’ll keep you posted. Have a nice evening too!
technopartsbay
·3 years agoPutting aside the fake card issue, considering the considerable amount of new material you have for sale, attributable to a shop of items and clothes for weddings, I would strongly recommend (for selling these things) opening a professional account with the related VAT number...
bludn89
OP3 years agoOkay, thanks for the advice.
milotemesvar
·3 years agoP.S.
There are other online catalogs of original Pokémon cards, but they weren’t accepted in the text of the previous message; I tried again and these seem to work:
https://www.psacard.com/auctionprices/tcg-cards/2000-pokemon-gym-challenge/blaines-charizard/values/530501
https://www.cardmarket.com/en/Pokemon/Products/Singles/Gym-Challenge/Blaines-Charizard-GC2
milotemesvar
·3 years agoI don't know anything about original Pokémon cards, and I'm also shocked by the prices they can reach, but I like the real/fake topic, so I tried searching with Google (Pokémon cards real or fake) and there are lots of sites that explain the differences between real and fake cards.
The most accurate Pokémon card catalog I found is here: https://pkmncards.com
If you type the name of that card you sold for a high price into the search field, a fairly high-resolution photo comes up. Looking at every detail (characters, spacing, alignment...) it seems to me that your card is the same as the one posted there, so original.
But in your listing I don't see any mention of the hologram. Whoever sells that card on eBay also shows what it looks like when tilted at different angles, with the shimmering reflections caused by the hologram, for example... these are identical to yours:
https://www.ebay.it/itm/363532203682 https://www.ebay.it/itm/394510572120 https://www.ebay.it/itm/225473051785 https://www.ebay.it/itm/185795346317 https://www.ebay.it/itm/266004758601 https://www.ebay.it/itm/185719450061 https://www.ebay.it/itm/125818998705 https://www.ebay.it/itm/404122038127
This one, instead, is different in many details https://www.ebay.it/itm/374552273871 the black text seems more “mushed up”, the alignments are different, the hologram doesn't change much at different angles, the yellow color around the character's head at the bottom right is flat and without shading, the back has a border that blends into the blue color inside... is it real or fake? Anyway, it's different from the one posted on the site https://pkmncards.com
Having 12 photos available, I think you should have taken more shots to show the presence of the hologram in the best possible way already in the listing, so as to protect yourself as much as possible from possible disputes.
Anyway, when selling on eBay there's this big risk of having the purchase disputed for “non-conformity” (real or fake as it may be), today much more than in the past from what I read on the forum.
heavenwelkin
·3 years agoI remember that back in the days of greatest splendor and value of phone cards, SUDDENLY new cards also from SIP came onto the market, never magnetized, and then with fake magnetization they were sold to all collectors at catalog prices, and then over time it was discovered that they were worth nothing compared to the original ones issued in the sales circuit with genuine original magnetization.
bludn89
OP3 years agoHi, thanks for taking an interest and for digging so deep into the situation.
heavenwelkin
·3 years agoGood morning bludn89
If the buyer has opened or wants to open a dispute for item not as described, according to eBay rules you must accept the return (the return of the item) at your expense.
You must provide the buyer with a return label or, if necessary, pay for the return shipping.
In the event that the buyer sends you a card different from the one you shipped. An identical card but more damaged, an identical but fake card, a different card, etc., you have a few days before issuing the refund and contacting / notifying eBay of what happened.
The report you make will be handled by eBay, which will issue a warning / report on the buyer’s profile.
If the buyer receives several similar reports within a certain period, they will lose the ability to sell / buy on eBay.
a seller who decides to put items up for sale online with remote shipping on eBay but also outside of eBay with electronic payment methods risks, in the event of a dispute, losing the money and also the original item they shipped.
This is not a peculiarity of eBay but of all marketplaces that use this payment method.
If you want to make yourself free from risks, you need to be paid by bank transfer, Postepay, etc. (but not on eBay because it is forbidden), but at that point you would have a hard time finding a buyer willing to risk losing both the item and the money.
In conclusion, the life of a seller who decides to sell online remotely is not always all sunshine and roses.
Kind regards.
bludn89
OP3 years agoHi, thanks for the advice.