Earlier quoted context omitted.
But when you use Amazon you agree to binding arbitration...
Why not take the buyer to small claims? Or at least, have a lawyer draft them a nice letter.
How? All they have from Amazon is a last initial.
Amazon let a fraudster keep my Sony A74 IV and refunded him
111–120 of 295 posts
Re: Amazon let a fraudster keep my Sony A74 IV and refunded him
#112Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Too over simplified?? Probably. These shipping services don't really have any expertise to accurately judge the quality of many of the items they ship. They just move boxes around. Some rando at FexEx Office doesn't really know how to determine that your DSLR has the advertised shutter count, nor do they know how to verify the SMART status of those hard drives you shipped, nor would they be able to validate the aut…
> ...someone at FedEx doesn't really know how to... Yes, this is true. I think a basic service offering might just record the weight and photo of each item being packaged up.
Even a low tech photo record weeds out a lot of fraud. Oh you aren't returning a thing that resembles the photo that was shipped to you? This won't eliminate fraud, but it will move the bar in a non trivial way. Combine this with a photo ID check at the store for the person doing the shipping and your halfway there.
Re: Amazon let a fraudster keep my Sony A74 IV and refunded him
#113> If you’re going to sell on Amazon or elsewhere, take an actual video of you packing the camera. You need all the defense you can get against items mysteriously disappearing. Isn't this evidence just as bad as the buyer's account that he didn't receive any accessories? One could just unpack the box right after filming.
> Isn't this evidence just as bad as the buyer's account that he didn't receive any accessories?
No, of course not. Buyer didn't provide any details about what was missing or what was received. This isn't a level he-said/she-said, it's one party being forthcoming and the other evasive. Both parties had equal opportunity to lie, but only one put in effort to appear honest. Amazon should at least hold their scammers to a higher standard.
Re: Amazon let a fraudster keep my Sony A74 IV and refunded him
#114I 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.
Re: Amazon let a fraudster keep my Sony A74 IV and refunded him
#115Startup 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 used them.
Re: Amazon let a fraudster keep my Sony A74 IV and refunded him
#116This 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…
There is already registered mail via USPS. The Hope Diamond was delivered to the Smithsonian via registered mail.
Re: Amazon let a fraudster keep my Sony A74 IV and refunded him
#117[deleted]
Re: Amazon let a fraudster keep my Sony A74 IV and refunded him
#118[deleted]
Re: Amazon let a fraudster keep my Sony A74 IV and refunded him
#119Earlier quoted context omitted.
I spend tens of thousands of dollars on Amazon every year, buying everything from electronics to groceries to paper towels, and have never had any issues that were not resolved to my satisfaction.
Yes, you're the buyer. As the discussion above mentions, Amazon is biased in favor of the buyer, possibly for good reason
Which is why his/her comment is a valid response to the GP, who said (paraphrasing) "I can't imagine buying or selling expensive items on Amazon."
There's not much need to worry about buying on Amazon.
Re: Amazon let a fraudster keep my Sony A74 IV and refunded him
#120I have heard many stories online where customers bought new graphic cards/cpus/camera gear from 'Sold by Amazon.com' but instead receive used ones. Or receive different cheaper (older generation) products. It does not seem to be a good place to buy or sell expensive items.
I've received two used products from Amazon (bought as "new") in just the last year. First was an espresso machine. It wasn't even cleaned - coffee grounds were everywhere. The second was a robot vacuum that had a full dust bin. After turning it on, I could see the previous owner's home layout in its memory. In both cases, the product still worked and it wasn't worth the hassle of returning. Whenever I buy something, I make sure to check for non-Amazon alternatives, even box stores.