I think I was scammed

[movie_galaxy]

Last week, I bought Canada Post stamps from a seller who was supposedly located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. On the listing, the item location actually showed - Ottawa, Canada.

But this Monday - 2 days ago - when my order was marked as SHIPPED, the supposed tracking showed the package originated out of China. I instantly sensed something was wrong and I started to worry.

Also, the supposed tracking showed a super fast movement of my order - this was another red flag that worried me.  I know packages can move quickly sometimes, but Canadian stamps being sent from China that move more than 10,000 km in just 2 days is very suspicious.

Today, Wednesday Sept 3rd, the order showed as DELIVERED. I opened my front door to check if I had received a package, but nothing was there. I checked my mailbox, asked my neighbours and nothing.  I tried to reach the seller, but all his listings have vanished and I am not able to contact him about the listing I purchased from him/her.

This is a bad feeling for me. I didn't know that sellers could list in one region of the world and send from a different region of the world. I thought an item shown as being located in Canada had to be sent from Canada. I didn't know a seller could show their location as Canada, but send the item from China or somewhere else. And as it turned out, the seller didn't even send me anything. They uploaded some type of tracking number, but the movement of the package seems way too suspicious to be accurate and since i didn't receive the package, I am guessing the tracking was never genuine in the first place. 

Just now, I filed a report with Ebay about my suspicions regarding the listing and the seller. I tried to file an INR but it says I have to wait until tomorrow to do that - so I will.  I don't know how Ebay will decide things because DHL tracking supposedly shows a DELIVERED status for my order. 

I have never experienced such an occurance, so I posted this to ask other sellers the question - is it possible to list in one region of the world and send from a different region AND I posted this as a warning to sellers because we are also buyers on the platform.

[movie_galaxy]

600+ sales

[marnotom!]

---

@movie_galaxy wrote:

600+ sales

---

Oh, right, you mentioned that earlier.  Apologies for missing that.

That means about 18 negative feedbacks in total, or an average of three per month if they've been using that ID for six months.  That's definitely worth closer investigation.  Anything in the feedback comments that's trending or consistent?

[biglittleape]

The time in tracking is local time. There's a 12 hour difference between Ohio and China.  So what you think was 5 hour transit time from China to Ohio was actually 17 hours.

[dinomitesales]

---

@movie_galaxy wrote:

Yes, brand new rolls of Canada Permanent Stamps at 50% off face value.

The seller listed his/her location as Ottawa, Canada and they had a 6 month selling history on Ebay with OK feedback - 97%.

Everything seemed legit. Now, I realize I should not have ordered form him/her, but I didn't know that at the time.

---

To anyone coming across this thread in the future, or thinking of buying Canada Post stamps advertised at a discount, please heed the red flags.

How on Earth would someone be getting brand new/unused stamps at less than 50% off face value to then sell them at 50% off face value and still make a profit? Canada Post does not sell their stamps at a discount. Even Costco only sells them at 5% off face value, and does so as a loss leader to get people to shop there (similar situation with Rexall who offers books at 10% off face value every few weeks). Even if a business was looking to liquidate a large quantity of unused permanent stamps that were purchased legitimately, they would have no problem advertising them at 10-15% off face value and selling them very quickly on local selling sites like Facebook or Kijiji.

The only way this makes sense is if they are either stolen or counterfeit (and since they're being shipped from China they are very obviously counterfeit).

[movie_galaxy]

Even if something sells at 50% off face value, it doesn't mean it is counterfeit. I regularly buy Canada Post stamps at 35% off face value from Canadian sellers, so it would make sense that once in a while I would find that product a bit cheaper at 50% off.

I have purchased stamps at 70% off their face value at auctions before. It all depends on where the auction is held, how many buyers it can attract, how many stamps are available etc. Sometimes, when certain stamp lots don't get bid upon at auction, the auctioneer will offer steep discounts on them to buyers who purchased other lots, hoping for those buyers to pick up any leftover stock and allow the auctioner and the consignee to turn every last item into cash.

I used to collect sports cars, but one day I decided to get rid of them and I sold them at a massive discount. Same thing can apply to stamps.

[femmefan1946]

I regularly buy Canada Post stamps at 35% off face value from Canadian sellers, so it would make sense that once in a while I would find that product a bit cheaper at 50% off.

Oh my sweet summer child.

Those sellers are stamps dealers who buy philatelic estates constantly. And those estates almost always include large amounts of postage , purchased from the Canada Post fulfilment centre in New Brunswick.

They are often blocks of four or even full sheets.

Canada Post very carefully do not promote them as investments. But the promotional language is coy.

Often they have never been removed from the PO envelopes.

But nobody buys full rolls of P stamps (currently that would be $124 + sales tax) for their collection.

Discounts of 20-35% (especially if there is a saving on sales tax) are reasonable for a dealer who just wants to turn stuff into money, because their profit is in the rest of the collection.

It's embarrassing to admit you were suckered.

[movie_galaxy]

I am not embarrassed.  I have purchased all sorts of stamp denominations for all sorts of prices.  A cheap price doesn't mean something is a scam. When I was a manager for a national discount chain, we would purchase extension cords for $3 and sell them for $10. The exact same extension cord - with a different header card - was being sold at the bigger store for $30. Both extension cords were identical from the same factory in China. I never, ever assume high price = legit and low price = scam.

[femmefan1946]

Stamps are money.

They are used one for one to pay for a service.

Terry Pratchett's "Making Money" has a good explanation of why.

Stamps cost practically nothing to print.

But each stamp is a receipt for a service that has not yet been provided.

And those services are what is being paid for.

[movie_galaxy]

Seller responded this morning with the following message:

This is the 3rd different tracking information he/she has sent me. 

[biglittleape]

They probably combine shipping to this area for many packages using DHL.  Then they use the local uniuni delivery people to deliver the individual packages.

[marnotom!]

Yeah, but look at the date of that message.

[movie_galaxy]

It's the date of the tracking, not of the message.

[movie_galaxy]

Uni Uni tracking usually doesn't read the way the seller has displayed it. The sellers tracking information too often omits the city/location information for my order - I think that is another sign of misrepresentation by the seller.

[movie_galaxy]

I know I have to wait until Sept 10th and let Ebay decide. I am just worried the AI system won't decide in my favour if there is tracking which shows delivery. If my case was being decided upon by a human being, I am quite sure the decision would go my way. I am not a fan of AI systems.

[marnotom!]

---

@movie_galaxy wrote:

It's the date of the tracking, not of the message.

---

That’s what I meant. Sorry, I’m still waking up.

[marnotom!]

As far as I know, the appeals process is more likely handled by hoomans, so there’s that.

Looks to me as though the seller is panicking and throwing everything that they think will stick in your general direction. They may be dropshipping and getting tracking “info” from their sources in China.

I asked earlier about what this seller was receiving negative feedback for as I’m wondering if they’ve been down this road before.

[femmefan1946]

I am just worried the AI system won't decide in my favour if there is tracking which shows delivery.

Then don't open an INR claim.

Open a Not As Described.

[movie_galaxy]

But the truth is I never received the item.

If I open an Item Not As Described case, that means I am agreeing that I received my order, which I didn't.

I understand your strategy suggestion and you are actually smarter than I am for suggesting that, but I always want to tell the truth in any conflict. 

[movie_galaxy]

I received more tracking updates from the Seller regarding the second package he/she supposedly sent.

This seems to be the MOST FAKE TRACKING HISTORY I have ever seen. There are no location particulars for the package once it supposedly left China.

Look at how is states 'hand over to airline' and 'Arrived warehouse' - those entries have to be fake.

It's as if the seller is just spoofing the tracking and filling it in on his/her own.

[msau4301]

I have to agree this looks totally made up. Someone could draft a fake itemized tracking like this but that is not what eBay (or you) would go by. Go the site of the courier (DHL mentioned earlier in your post?) and put the tracking in there yourself, don't go by these cut and paste pieces the seller is forwarding to you.

If a made up tracking shows delivery, not even indicating your location/address I would not imagine you would lose your case of Item Not Received. And of course as others have mentioned you have the not as described if you do actually receive the package (and it is fake). Good luck!