eBay France is now working with scammers - be careful and a warning to others

[mogweezer]

I'll try to keep this as brief as possible:

My very first sale on eBay after 12 years.. what could go wrong? Everything.

Item listed for 1000 Euros and doesn't sell for the first week or two.

Week 3 - I receive various offers (starting at around 500 Euros) from a buyer. After a few days I eventually accept 750 Euros.

In the listing I state very clearly that the item is "scratched" and attach a photo. 

In the listing I state twice, again very clearly, that the Nintendo paper/sticker seal is fully intact. I mention this twice.

In the listing I state I will cover all postage costs and send it via courier.

I pack the console inside a box which is then placed inside another box. Both times the console/box is sealed with paper and packing peanuts and is completely sealed and solid in the packaging. It's a 750 Euro sale - I make very sure the item will arrive in exactly the same condition as I sent it. If it gets thrown around the courier's van, etc - I know this console is going to be safe. I would describe the packaging as excessively safe and secure.

Console is sent to buyer via courier (SDA Italy and then to UPS in France - I cannot confirm it was UPS but the buyer let this information slip in one of his messages)

I was told it would take 4-5 days to arrive.

4-5 days later I check the courier's website and it shows as 'parcel delivered'. Right on time.

I message the seller to confirm receipt (on eBay it still shows as undelivered)

The buyer says he hasn't received it - despite the tracking showing it has arrived. 

I check the address on Google Maps - this isn't a house in the middle of nowhere, it's a busy street in France with blocks of flats. This is not the kind of place a courier just leaves a parcel somewhere lying around. There isn't anywhere they can do that from what I can see. It's a very populated street.

Messages are exchanged for a period of 2-3 weeks now - and it's always the same "it hasn't arrived" "my post office is closed" "I am busy, I will go to the post office on Saturday morning" etc... From the exchanges it appears the item is delivered but somehow it isn't there. I go to the courier to request information. Nothing useful - I am told the buyer needs to contact them in France. All the time the parcel is missing the buyer never does this.

Eventually I say I have made contact with the courier and I will have an answer soon. Less than 24 hours after sending that message the parcel suddenly arrives. What a coincidence?

But the buyer is not happy and wants a refund. He sends me three photos.

The first photo shows the scratches on the console - 24 hour later I receive a one line message saying "okay, I see in the listing it's scratched - that's okay" (so why send the photo?) Buyer admits he didn't read the listing properly and wasn't aware it was scratched. Not my fault. And for a 750 Euro item you would think they actually understood what they were buying? 

But the scratches aren't enough to get a refund - so the buyer refers to the second photo of the "clearly broken Nintendo seal" 

Please refer to the beginning - I passed on a photo of the seal intact to eBay (admittedly, a photo alone proves nothing) but I also mention that, by chance, I recorded a video (that's on YouTube and linked to in the listing) to test the functionality of the console. In this video, recorded and posted withing 10 days of the auction sale, you can clearly see on a number of occasions that the seal is intact.  I also mention the seal being intact twice in the listing. Twice. 

If I had a console with a broken seal - why would I mention it twice? I'm still waiting for an explanation for this. A scammer wouldn't mention it twice. A scammer wouldn't mention it at all. Or are they calling me the world's dumbest scammer? 

So, I have photo, video and text proof that I did not break the seal. I also have an admission from the buyer that they didn't know it was scratched in their messages. 

I can provide a crystal clear motive as to why they would break the console further to claim a refund. 

My Paypal account is now -750 Euros. 

The dispute is closed.

I have made it clear to Paypal that I will not refund this amount. I will not put the money into my Paypal account. They can't claim it from my bank account (no overdraft) 

When will someone actually look into this? 

eBay France have clearly sided with a scammer. 

Just to clarify: I am a UK citizen who moved to Italy 12 years ago. My account is a UK one but this transaction was done through eBay (Italy - where I reside) and sold to a buyer in France. It was eBay France who sided with the scammer. I have spoken to staff at both eBay Italy and here on Paypal UK and both people I spoke to agreed something wasn't right and that this needed to be looked into... but there was nothing they could do. 

Because the dispute and appeal are now closed I am now at the point where there's nothing I can do. 

Please don't let this happen to you. 

But also remember that, as far as I can tell, even if you recorded a video of the item being placed into the box and then handed to the post office clerk - it wouldn't make the blindest bit of difference. Nobody looks into these things - they just side with the buyer and ignore any and ALL evidence you may provide. Proof means nothing when it comes to "not as described" - you are open to being scammed just like me.

[mogweezer]

Can anyone in Paypal management please look at this?

I've made it quite clear that over my dead body will I ever issue a refund for something the buyer broke to get a refund... so maybe we can start by someone from Paypal contacting eBay France to get the case details? I'd very much like to see their reasoning behind this decision. The balance of evidence should be enough to suggest clear foul play on the buyer's part. I've outlined the motive with evidence (from the buyer himself - his own words, he didn't understand the listing)

It is impossible for me to do this - the case is closed so there's nothing to report and no way to send messages, it's just one long dead-end of menus that lead nowhere.

This can only be escalated by someone within Paypal contacting eBay France.