As a buyer what can you do to protect from bogus tracking numbers

[300bps]

Hello all

This has been brought up before, but the scam where the seller provides a bogus tracking number is still alive.

I purchased and item, and the seller found and provided a FedEx tracking number that was destined for my postal code, but ultimately destined for a different address. I opened a case with eBay, but their final decision was to find in favour of the seller as the package was "delivered".

This is incredibly poor customer service, as a quick call to FedEx can confirm that the package was not delivered to me. A Fedex CSR told me that although they could not provide specific details on the delivery, they were able to confirm that the sender nor delivery address was what I expected.  Additionally, the seller should be able to provide proof of shipment (i.e. fedex customer number, receipts, etc) but it appears this was not asked for - the seller just needs to be silent. 

I am now out the cost of the item, which is not insignificant.

I believed that eBay protections made the site safe for purchasing, but this appears to not be the case. On the surface, the seller seemed low-risk (100% feedback) and was not located overseas. I can't even provide negative feedback (it was removed) to warn others of my experience.

What can I do to protect myself from future scams of this type?

Perhaps eBay needs to create a better B2B relationship with delivery companies in order to validate delivery addresses. Specific delivery addresses need not be shared; just a "yes" or "no" validation to confirm expected vs actual delivery address matching.

[esclyons]

i would ask ebay to appeal the case, with the info you provided,,if ebay can't help,

you can try  paypal, or a credit card charge back..

[reallynicestamps · Accepted solution]

Unlike the USPS zipcodes, Canadian postal codes cover very small areas, a city block or a few floors of a highrise.

I would call customer service back, state that the address on the shipment was incorrect (although the postal code matched) and if the rep is unwilling to help, politely ask to speak with a supervisor.

If that doesn't work, you have 180 days from payment to open a Paypal dispute.

The PP Resolution Centre is at the top of the page under Tools.

You might try not mentioning the postal code, but saying that your address is 123 Any Street, but the parcel was delivered to 456 Another Street.

BTW- have you actually gone to the other address and asked the tenants about your FedEx parcel?

And as mentioned, if your PP account is backed by a credit card, you have a last line of appeal to the card's chargeback program.

But use that order.

If you open a PP dispute, eBay will not entertain another dispute, and if you open a chargeback, neither PP nor eBay will allow disputes.

[eburtonlab]

If you can obtain documentation from FedEx that confirms that the shipment was not delivered to your actual address, that may be useful in your appeal. FedEx may not reveal the destination, but they ought to be able to say with certainly that it was not delivered to your address.

The sorts of fly-by-night sellers that would use bogus tracking numbers tend not to last very long on eBay, so in many cases you can minimize your chances of experiencing that again by choosing to do business with experienced sellers that have a history of selling items in the same category that you are interested in, and that have a long, unbroken record of receiving positive feedback for those sales.

[300bps]

THanks for the help

I did go to the neighbours and they said that the package delivered wasn't for me. They had ordered something and it was intended for them

Ebay doesn't seem to care that the shipment address was incorrect - the shipment shows "delivered" and have washed their hands of it.

I have since opened a PP dispute and that's now in progress. 

Wish me luck!

[300bps]

Thanks for the tips.

I'm pretty careful about purchasing on eBay. The seller in this case was a long-standing member (since 2002) and has 100% feedback. Not a large feedback score, but for a casual ebay user, this is not surprising. No real red flags

[femmefan1946]

Ummm - red flags.

Has there been a long gap (over a year) between the last FB left?

Has the longterm member been strictly a buyer and started selling very recently?

Both are signs of an abandoned and  hijacked account.

Good that you were able to get the neighbour on board.

It is also possible that the error was not the seller but FedEx. 

[pjcdn2005]

As far as I know Paypal also just looks at the postal code so I do think it would be best to get some documentation from Fedex stating that the package was not addressed and/or delivered to your address.