Live data from Hacker News

I Fell Victim to a $1,500 Used Camera Lens Scam on Amazon

petapixel.com

381–390 of 447 posts

Re: I Fell Victim to a $1,500 Used Camera Lens Scam on Amazon

#381
post #353

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you're buying eBay is great. If you're the seller however, it's an entirely different story. eBay heavily, heavily, heavily favors the buyer in almost all disputes -- so much so that at times it seems as if it's automatic to the buyer's favor. I guess that's how they get people to spend money on the platform, and of course take their cut of the transaction. There are tons and tons of seller horror stories, especia…

But what's the solution here? Without an escrow service which verifies the contents both ways, the best they can do is arbitrarily choose the winner.

What we need is maybe a species of md5 for mail packages

A formulae that mix weight + dimensions + sender data + receiver data + followed route + category of contents. In several parts. Some parts (buyers adress, weight, category, etc...) can be verified for buyer, other for seller. The total formula is available only for the postman and would be easily verifiable.

When the package is sent, a mobile app sends the buyer a message with the buyer part that is checked against the data entered by the buyer in his/her own telephone. The buyer can quickly compare both md5 in the phone and must answer to the postman approving the message in order to the package being accepted in the post.

All returned packages have to be put in a special post yellow envelope available only in the post and checked against the maild5 using the weight and measures of the original (plus-minus a reasonable confidence interval). A machine calculates the statistic probability of having a different content and if under some p-value the postman will not accept the returned package.

Re: I Fell Victim to a $1,500 Used Camera Lens Scam on Amazon

#382

Recap as I understand it, since the blog post isn't 0. Buyer purchased item from third-party seller on Amazon 1. Seller picked a name and address in buyer's town, from an obituary, and sent parcel containing two baking mats thereto ( instead of camera lens ) 2. Occupant of that address signed for it believing it to be for the deceased relative 3. USPS updated status to 'delivered' with signature and address recorded…

Why would amazon trust the customer anyway? You just could say that in the package was bricks instead of a lens.

I started to make a video while i pack or unpack expensive stuff. Otherwise there is no proof there anyway.

I wouldn't have open the package in front of the ups guy just to return it immedialy.

Re: I Fell Victim to a $1,500 Used Camera Lens Scam on Amazon

#383
post #366
post #361

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, ebay screwed me over with their "no action after 30 days" policy when it took me longer than that to figure out the item was never shipped. Maybe they've gotten better over the last 8 years, but I'm not coming back regardless.

I think 30 days is really reasonable to see if something shipped or not. Maybe eBay could do more to alert you but if you purchase something you really should follow up and make sure you're getting it.

Until you find out it takes 30 days for UPS to rule on a lost delivery.

Re: I Fell Victim to a $1,500 Used Camera Lens Scam on Amazon

#384
post #382

Recap as I understand it, since the blog post isn't 0. Buyer purchased item from third-party seller on Amazon 1. Seller picked a name and address in buyer's town, from an obituary, and sent parcel containing two baking mats thereto ( instead of camera lens ) 2. Occupant of that address signed for it believing it to be for the deceased relative 3. USPS updated status to 'delivered' with signature and address recorded…

Why would amazon trust the customer anyway? You just could say that in the package was bricks instead of a lens. I started to make a video while i pack or unpack expensive stuff. Otherwise there is no proof there anyway. I wouldn't have open the package in front of the ups guy just to return it immedialy.

He had concrete proof that the package was sent to the wrong address and had the wrong weight. The people at Amazon weren't actually listening or comprehending. Yes, it would be possible to just ship a bunch of bricks instead of the actual product, but this scam was pretty transparent.

Re: I Fell Victim to a $1,500 Used Camera Lens Scam on Amazon

#385

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But what's the solution here? Without an escrow service which verifies the contents both ways, the best they can do is arbitrarily choose the winner.

What we need is maybe a species of md5 for mail packages A formulae that mix weight + dimensions + sender data + receiver data + followed route + category of contents. In several parts. Some parts (buyers adress, weight, category, etc...) can be verified for buyer, other for seller. The total formula is available only for the postman and would be easily verifiable. When the package is sent, a mobile app sends the buy…

>What we need is maybe a species of md5 for mail packages

Or maybe just more honest people?

Re: I Fell Victim to a $1,500 Used Camera Lens Scam on Amazon

#386

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have shifted all my budget and used buying from Amazon Marketplace to eBay. At this point it seems like there are new stories about Amazon Marketplace scams almost daily. Does anyone think Marketplace is a priority for Amazon leadership these days? Does Bezos even know it is still operating? It's not getting the A team, obviously. Meanwhile connecting sellers and buyers is all eBay does. They don't make devices, pr…

Both eBay and Amazon are "hackable" by both the buyer and seller. The available scams are different, but neither party of a transaction is 100% safe. In my experience, eBay is MUCH more slanted to the seller than Amazon. The real sophisticated scammers are truly unbelievable. Unfortunately, I can't say more on this stuff, but I'll hint that the most egregious scams use both eBay and Amazon, pitting the flaws of each…

Curious whence comes your familiarity with the scams?

Re: I Fell Victim to a $1,500 Used Camera Lens Scam on Amazon

#387
post #366

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think 30 days is really reasonable to see if something shipped or not. Maybe eBay could do more to alert you but if you purchase something you really should follow up and make sure you're getting it.

Until you find out it takes 30 days for UPS to rule on a lost delivery.

But that's separate right? UPS losing it is different than the seller never shipping it. In the former you should have paid for insurance, and the latter you should know within 30 days if it shipped.

Re: I Fell Victim to a $1,500 Used Camera Lens Scam on Amazon

#388
post #382

Recap as I understand it, since the blog post isn't 0. Buyer purchased item from third-party seller on Amazon 1. Seller picked a name and address in buyer's town, from an obituary, and sent parcel containing two baking mats thereto ( instead of camera lens ) 2. Occupant of that address signed for it believing it to be for the deceased relative 3. USPS updated status to 'delivered' with signature and address recorded…

Why would amazon trust the customer anyway? You just could say that in the package was bricks instead of a lens. I started to make a video while i pack or unpack expensive stuff. Otherwise there is no proof there anyway. I wouldn't have open the package in front of the ups guy just to return it immedialy.

For this very reason, I always open packages with expensive stuff in them at my local post office, under the nose of a postal clerk.

That way, if someone tries to scam me, at least I have a presumably reliable eyewitness to what was actually in the package when I received it.

Re: I Fell Victim to a $1,500 Used Camera Lens Scam on Amazon

#389
post #385

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What we need is maybe a species of md5 for mail packages A formulae that mix weight + dimensions + sender data + receiver data + followed route + category of contents. In several parts. Some parts (buyers adress, weight, category, etc...) can be verified for buyer, other for seller. The total formula is available only for the postman and would be easily verifiable. When the package is sent, a mobile app sends the buy…

>What we need is maybe a species of md5 for mail packages Or maybe just more honest people?

And where do you propose we find more such "honest people"?

Re: I Fell Victim to a $1,500 Used Camera Lens Scam on Amazon

#390
If your credit card doesn't support a chargeback here you should sue the issuer or st least widely publicize them. Any reasonable issuer would support this chargeback, particularly with all the evidence you have provided.

I am wary of buying things through amazon, even first party amazon.com LLC stuff, due to counterfeits and other scams. It is as bad as eBay.

Post reply on HN