There's no easy way to report fraudulent sellers like this (and how do they do it anyway?!)

[ashleedawg]

My son and I buy a lot of super-cheap "stuff" on eBay, mostly since he has so much fun getting packages in the mail all the time, sometimes lame, sometimes cool.  We both know "you get what you pay for", as in, sometimes the 5¢ thing takes 6 months, or doesn't show up at all or is broken.  We don't make a fuss about it and in fact we give perfect feedback anyway.

However when I come across sellers who are blatantly trying to deceive buyers, blatantly breaking multiple policies, I figure it's my duty to take the time to click "Report", to "give back" and help "protect the community".

But then there's the cases like shown in the attached image (hopefully the image is legible, 'cuz it's frikkin' huge!)

I've seen this multiple times, and I'm kind of perplexed...  Today as an example:

- We checked the Arts & Crafts category, sorted by "ending first" with "free shipping only".  Oh look, a bracelet-thing, 1¢, Free Shipping, Ending in 15 seconds, with zero bids.  Click - Click - and we just spent ~$4.

- We clicked back to the listing, and shipping's listed as almost $4. Clicked back to the search results, and it says Free Shipping.

- Maybe it's an anomaly, no biggie... then I look at the next 38 Listings, multiple sellers but identical items,and all say "Free Shipping" in the search results but $4-ish (CAD) in the listing.

Question #1 : HOW do they do this?  Some of the ads appear to have been "updated" 15 minutes before the auction closes, but others have been like that for hours. Surely the website has measures in place to prevent stuff like this.  Is there hacking going on?

I did notice that the time zones are a little weird on some of the ads (ie., Auction Ending in PST but updated in EST)

Reporting this is practically impossible unless I had the patience to go through that Report form 38+ times, try to keep them organized, etc. 

Question #2 : How come the absolute only, no-matter-what, method of contacting eBay for anything is by phone? I understand how it improves customer service in most ways, but there is the occasional time that it would be helpful to send them an email...  like the attached image, so they can do whatever they decide to do, but they have the facts in front of them. 

I did call in once previously about a similar issue, and it ended up being almost an hour-long call with the agent because I basically had to read and re-read dozens of item numbers, dates, prices, etc.  Even the poor agent said it would save everybody time & effort if there was an email address for certain situations (perhaps with an email-auth-code like when calling in)

Anyhow, I'm just a little frustrated, so in lieu of emailing that image to eBay I posted it here,

(Sorry it's one giant image, but it will only let me attach one file.)

free shipping But Not.jpg ‏499 KB

[femmefan1946 · Accepted solution]

There are two possibilities that jump to my mind.

1) Free Shipping is to the USA.

• Are you looking at the dotCA or the dotCOM site? Free Shipping on the Sell Your Item form only shows for domestic shipping.
• Auction Ending in PST-- the dotCOM site is in PST while the dotCA site is in dotCA . So I suspect you are switching back and forth.

2)The sneaky seller is charging you not for 'shipping' but for 'insurance'.

• You only have to pay the advertised shipping cost.

In any case.

If the deal is not what you thought, don't keep clicking and agreeing. You will see the real costs including shipping BEFORE you are asked to agree.

If the deal is not what you thought, don't pay. While (especially as a seller, myself) this is not something I like to say, the worst situation is that the seller can open an Unpaid Item Dispute. But scammers won't do that, because they don't want eBay looking at their sketchey listings.

Since you are doing this as a family fun thing, it seems a good place to help your child learn about media literacy and how to shop. Checking actual costs. Checking what you really are buying (a Ferrari or a picture of a Ferrari?) (It's been done.)

And when he spots the problem first, praise him for it.

or doesn't show up at all or is broken.  We don't make a fuss about it and in fact we give perfect feedback anyway.

Please don't do this. Part of the media literacy thing.

You can open a Dispute with Paypal for 180 days from payment. Do it.

It's a learning opportunity.

[ypdc_dennis · Accepted solution]

dotCA is EST

[ashleedawg · Accepted solution]

Hi @femmefan1946 thank you for the suggestions. Indeed all of this is a good lesson for my son -- It's probably safe to assume that eventually electronic-commerce is going to be the standard method. (And the next part of the lesson for him will be *asking others for advice if you're unsure*, and your helpful response will be the example!)

I am in Canada but USA is the king of the internet and thus, it's not uncommon to be inadvertently redirected to an American version of an international site like eBay, so that could have something to do with it. Ultimately it's my own fault if I click-without-looking. I'm pretty careful online, but if I get tricked sometimes, I wonder how many others do, but don't complain, so the sellers get away with it.

On the other hand, I know that eBay tries to help protect buyers (and sellers), and I know as a programmer that listings like my examples would very extremely easy to automatically detect. I understand that companies need feedback before they can fix things, but eBay doesn't make it very easy to report some types of issues.

All I'm asking for is a "fraud @ ebay dot com" address etc; I don't even need a response from them!

re: Ferrari or a Picture of a Ferrari -- they sure are sneaky, our latest lesson was for a Halloween mask. "Wow, this is the only that's affordable!" and we almost bought it, and at the last second realized it was a sewing pattern for the mask. Sneaky buggers.

@ypdc_dennis - I'm in PST and all I just confirmed that all listings' end times here show in PST, but "Last Revision" shows in EST. That's another example of a very easy fix for eBay's web developers, that could save come confusion. (The time of your reply and the time you edited your reply both show me the same time zones!)

Thank you both for your replies,

--ashleedawg

[reallynicestamps · Accepted solution]

There is a Weekly Chat on Wednesdays with eBay Canada staff. While most of the posters are sellers and the talk gets rather esoteric, your suggestion could be posted there.
The usual staffer is tyler@ebay.com and it is also possible to send him emails directly. Not that he necessarily has any actual power. The Canada staff is quite small, less than a dozen people working over a clothing store in Toronto.

[lady.stark · Accepted solution]

"Sneaky buggers"

I don't really understand this comment... if the seller specified it was a sewing pattern and/or it was in the right category, then the seller is not sneaky. The buyer MUST read before purchasing. Otherwise, it's the buyer's fault, not the seller's.

[goldnideas]

You seeing local shipping versus international, it has nothing to do with seller. Unfortunately it is not a trick, it's this website setting.

[kh-leslie]

Hello Everyone,

Due to the age of the thread, it has been closed to further replies.  Please feel free to start a new thread if you wish to continue to discuss this topic.

Thanks for understanding!

[reallynicestamps]

The listing is in US dollars, so it must be on dotCOM.

You are posting to the dotCA, which is the Canadian site.

While I recognize that the seller is in China and it shouldn't make any difference in his costs to ship to Canada rather than the USA, I do wonder if you looked at the Shipping tab before hitting Buy.

Because that could be the difference right there.

The shipping on both of those is showing as $2.99USD (~$3.58 Cdn) about 15 minutes before the end of the auction. Not Free.

Right there under the price.

So actually I don't see what you are on about.

ALWAYS look at the shipping page, rather than the description page, especially with auctions.

The cost will often vary with your location.

multiple sellers but identical items

Well,actually, you have found a gaggle of dropshipping IDs. They may be 38 different sellers , or just one with multiple IDs, but they all have the same supplier who provides them with identical pictures and information.

So, in effect, you are seeing one seller.

(ie., Auction Ending in PST but updated in EST)

The US site uses Pacific Time, because that's where their home office is.

If you look at the same listing on dotCA it will be in Eastern Time because eBayCanada is based in Toronto.

but there is the occasional time that it would be helpful to send them an email... 

I absolutely agree. Or at least an email chat.

We have one member here who is deaf and non-verbal. He is able to get a special service, but it is very very limited and ONLY for use of those working with disabilities.

Most problems are most quickly solved by ignoring Customer Service and going straight for the Resolution Centre at the bottom of this page.

It is completely robotic and much more efficient than any customer rep.

And of course, if you notice an unexpected change in the cost of your purchase, do NOT complete the sale.

Scammers are not likely to follow up on an incomplete sale.

[laurenmichau-0]

I might not be the best person to answer this, and it's been without reply for a long time. But hey. Here's some insights.

There's an option you can select that is called "report a buyer" or "report a seller" after a transaction is made. You can send whatever you want via this option. They won't reply, but they do check your report.

Also, in several pages, there's a blue link at top right of the screen called "tell us what you think". You can use this to send a message. You can say whatever you want, in less than 500 characters, and once again, they won't reply.

Overall, Ebay seems to live in the stone age. They seem to invest as little time as possible in solving problems. And even when you call them, they tell you they can't do anything for you 50% of the times. It's ridiculous how stupid their procedures are. I will stop selling on Ebay very soon for this reason. Even if you have proof of something, they don't care. It's shocking. 2 times I offered solid proofs of fraud, and they ruled for the thief anyway. They even ruled for someone who refused to return an item. And I was offering to pay for return with tracking. It did look like a case of fraud from the inside. Their decision never made any sense.

And yes, there's hacking going on. Some competitors are opening fake accounts, or use stolen accounts; to crush your reputation. They make fake purchases to take your items out of the way when theirs have trouble selling. And once again, Ebay disengage systematically. They want profits. They don't care if their decisions are bad. And they stick with them like an old stubborn mule. They've lost my respect. And I stayed with them way over my limit cause I took a 1-year contract. It's about to end, finally. I have no more patience.

[ypdc_dennis]

If you want to report a listing there is a link on the listing page called Report Item. No phones required.

If there are no bidders on an auction, the seller can modify to their heart's content. Once there are bidders modifications are very restricted.

...

The general search can give bogus results (in particular with shipping and GSP) -- but that's the fault of eBay, not the seller. Right now in search I can find auctions starting at $0.00 with free shipping. Neither number is true. A pain for the buyer when trying to do some budget-minded shopping.

-..-

[lady.stark]

Look at the tab "Shipping and Payment". Maybe "Free shipping" is there as an option? A seller can add multiple options to a listing, but only the first one chosen by said seller appears in the first page. You have to look at the other tab to see all the shipping options.

That, or the free shipping is for China only.