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Amazon let a fraudster keep my Sony A74 IV and refunded him
201–210 of 295 posts
Re: Amazon let a fraudster keep my Sony A74 IV and refunded him
#202Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is really bad advice, but remember that two can play at this game. You have this idiot's real name and address, as well as the make and model of the car they drive. Food for thought.
The story is a bit more complicated (but not by much), however, there is absolutely nothing I can do here. What am I gonna do, show up to some address in South Atlanta demanding whoever lives there to stop using my eBay account without authorization? And that's with the strong assumption that the person whose name and address was used is the same person who actually accessed my account (for all I know, the person liv…
Also as you alluded to, it doesn't sound like someone worth confronting at his house lol.
Re: Amazon let a fraudster keep my Sony A74 IV and refunded him
#203Earlier quoted context omitted.
Almost. The correct condition would be "Used - Like New" [0] The reason why this matters is because "New" items are grouped in a separate tab/link on the product detail page. Frankly speaking, selling anything other than sealed products in perfect conditions as "New" opens you up to misery. [0] https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=...
I don't know, that page seems a bit ambiguous to me: > New: Just like it sounds. A brand-new, item. Original manufacturer's warranty, if any, still applies, with warranty details included in the listing comments. Original packaging is present for most New items but certain items like shoes may be re-boxed. > Used - Like New or Open Box: An item in perfect working condition. Original protective wrapping may be missing…
There is zero ambiguity in that.
If the box had any kind of shrink wrap, adhesive seal, or anything else that's now missing or broken, it is unambiguously "Used - Like New or Open Box". That's literally what "open box" means.
As I buyer, I would absolutely have a problem buying, say, a new MacBook on Amazon that was missing its original shrink-wrap.
It's simple: is there any detectable difference from how you bought it, or any packaging replaced? If so, then it's not new. Period.
Re: Amazon let a fraudster keep my Sony A74 IV and refunded him
#204Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm not any kind of lawyer but my guess is you could get a default judgement and then employ some sort of bounty hunter to attempt to collect on them.
As a lawyer, default judgment for sure, but no one is sending out bounty hunters for small claims court. In fact, the courts tend to not get involved at all. You, the plaintiff, would be given the means to prove the judgment has been entered, but then it's kind of up to you to have it enforced. Luckily, you can generally count on the assistance of a Sheriff's office, but often the approach is some sort of wage garnis…
Is $2900 even eligible for small claims? Seems like marginally yes, depending on the state. Looks like the photographer is based out of CA and their limit is $7500. FL is $5000. WA is $10,000. Go figure.
> Collecting on these sort of judgments can be difficult, time consuming, and frustrating.
Definitely, and it's quite possible at the end of the day the fraudster doesn't have significant assets to recover. Still, might be worth trying it for $2900 or more, depending on how you value your time.
Re: Amazon let a fraudster keep my Sony A74 IV and refunded him
#205>I denied the return. And that's your problem. If you deny a return within the return period, you're in violation of Amazon policy, and the A-Z team will rightly rule against you. The correct response is to accept the return, then deny a refund after it comes back to you because it wasn't sent back with the same accessories you sent it with.
Why do they have a "violate policy and eventually lose dispute" button then?
Re: Amazon let a fraudster keep my Sony A74 IV and refunded him
#206Startup idea: create a high quality camera gear buying and selling experience for the web, with many protections and conveniences built in. Selling your gear on Craigslist and meeting with random strangers at McDonald's and Starbucks is pretty much the only real alternative right now and gets old pretty fast. This was an issue for music gear too, but somehow reverb.com managed to address it and make it a pretty painl…
Keh ( https://www.keh.com/ ) is sort of like this, except that they function more like a second-hand shop--you sell them your gear, and they hold inventory that other people can buy, meaning you never actually interact with the eventual buyer. Because of this though, I imagine they take a larger cut than Reverb does (and certainly more than eBay). As a buyer I've had zero problems with Keh the couple of times I've us…
I've gotten quotes through a few of these sites in the past, and I was getting at best 50-70% of the value I would have gotten by selling in person through CL. I imagine it's in part because you ship it over to them, they have to inspect the items etc.
I think those services can be useful for buyers, but sellers who want to get the most for their gear will avoid them. Like you said, something like Reverb could compete on taking a smaller cut.
Re: Amazon let a fraudster keep my Sony A74 IV and refunded him
#207>I denied the return. And that's your problem. If you deny a return within the return period, you're in violation of Amazon policy, and the A-Z team will rightly rule against you. The correct response is to accept the return, then deny a refund after it comes back to you because it wasn't sent back with the same accessories you sent it with.
> S-2.2 Cancellations, Returns, and Refunds. The Amazon Refund Policies for the applicable Amazon Site will apply to Your Products. Subject to Section F-6, for any of Your Products fulfilled using Fulfillment by Amazon, you will promptly accept, calculate, and process cancellations, returns, refunds, and adjustments in accordance with this Agreement and the Amazon Refund Policies for the applicable Amazon Site
https://sellercentral.amazon.com/gp/help/external/G1791
> What should I do if a buyer wants to return an item?
> All Amazon sellers are required to accept returns.
https://sellercentral.amazon.com/gp/help/external/G200495860
Re: Amazon let a fraudster keep my Sony A74 IV and refunded him
#208This is such a basic issue that I don't understand why USPS or some other shipper w/ bricks-n-mortar haven't stepped up to offer some sort of package shipping certification. If I was the seller it could work as simply as me bringing the item to a shipper who would take their own photos and weigh the items being packaged up as well as some check that the item is as being described to the recipient. In turn the shipper…
At least for camera equipment, this does exist. You can take your camera to B&H's used department, and they will buy it from you. You can also go to B&H's used department and buy a used camera from them. The advantage of this over Amazon is that as a seller, you know B&H isn't going to screw you over in any way, and if they do, you know where to serve your lawsuit. A trusted business with a physical location is the c…
This is actually what Sweetwater does too when it comes to music gear.
I've gotten a few duds from Amazon in the past, but smaller, focused online stores like Sweetwater will inspect your gear for you before shipping it out to you, will give you a direct line to a sales+support person. In fact they'll even give you the email of the entire executive team of the company if you want to contact them directly.
As much as I like free Prime shipping, for higher end gear I'd much rather have access to a real person with expertise in the gear I'm purchasing, and a brand name and reputation to protect. I was not a believer at first, staunchly sticking to Amazon, but everything I've gotten from them has been top notch and without any defects, so I became a convert.
Re: Amazon let a fraudster keep my Sony A74 IV and refunded him
#209Earlier quoted context omitted.
Once yes, I was sent a "new" hard drive. SMART showed 4000 something power on hours. They let me keep it and refunded me. Also damn on the downvotes. Guess as someone buying online I should just enjoy getting used shit sent to me at a new price?
No, but you should be a decent human being. The guy got scammed thousands of dollars and you're "that guy" saying it's probably his fault with no evidence. Just say, "sorry this happened to you, that sucks" or say nothing.
> saying it's probably his fault with no evidence
The seller denied the return (against Amazon's policies). The buyer should return the item, but the seller slipped up and the buyer was entitled to open an A-Z Guarantee claim.
Re: Amazon let a fraudster keep my Sony A74 IV and refunded him
#210I had the same exact experience the last time I sold on ebay, in 2017. I sold an $800 item. One day before the claim window closed, the buyer filed a claim saying it had never arrived and claiming they emailed me several times and I never responded. I submitted proof of delivery from UPS and pointed out the simple fact that I had received no messages from the buyer through ebay messaging. Ebay gave them a full refund…
Yeah, I've heard stuff like this for years and years and long ago decided I will never sell anything online. Craigslist in-person only.
I've even got friends who are scared of that - apparently it's a real thing that when you show up to sell something (camera, lens, phone) multiple people will be there to distract you, snatch it and run. Even in broad daylight in a crowded area.