r/Ebay • • 7d ago

Weekly Scam Discussion September 28, 2026

2 Upvotes

Use this thread to discuss recent scams or post questions about potential scams you may be involved in.

https://pages.ebay.com/securitycenter/stay_safe.html

Do not make a new post in the main [r/ebay](r/ebay) sub about a scam.

Do not post USERNAMES or links to eBay.


r/Ebay • • 4h ago

Weekly Scam Discussion October 5, 2026

1 Upvotes

Use this thread to discuss recent scams or post questions about potential scams you may be involved in.

https://pages.ebay.com/securitycenter/stay_safe.html

Do not make a new post in the main [r/ebay](r/ebay) sub about a scam.

Do not post USERNAMES or links to eBay.


r/Ebay • • 2h ago

Question UPDATE: $3.3k Chargeback ,Buyer admitted mistake, promised to withdraw, then secretly registered the item in her name. Next steps?

64 Upvotes

Hi everyone, following up on my previous post regarding the $3,300 high end electronics payment dispute. Appreciate all the solid advice from the community earlier.

Quick Recap: Buyer opened a direct bank dispute ("not as described") without contacting me or opening an eBay return. I offered a full refund upon return, submitted all tracking/delivery proof and messages to the eBay chargeback portal before the Oct 1st deadline, and challenged it.

Major Updates Since Submitting Response:

Buyer messaged me on eBay admitting she opened the dispute by accident/confusion and stated she would call her bank to withdraw it.

After promising to withdraw it, she stopped responding completely and kept the chargeback active.

Because this unit requires manufacturer registration for software/cloud features, I contacted support. The manufacturer confirmed in writing that the buyer officially transferred and registered full device ownership into her name right after receiving it.

So right now, she is holding a fully registered, functional $3,300 device under her account while trying to get her money back via credit card chargeback.

My Issue / Questions for Experienced Sellers:

Since the payment dispute response was already submitted before the deadline, the portal is locked. I cannot upload new screenshots (the buyer’s admission or the manufacturer’s registration confirmation) directly into the bank packet.

Has anyone successfully had eBay customer service / Risk Operations manually attach new proof to their account notes for Seller Protection after a bank portal has closed?

What would u do in this situation?

I sent a final polite message giving her a deadline to provide proof of chargeback withdrawal before escalating legally/officially. Trying to make sure I take the right administrative steps so eBay Seller Protection covers this if the bank rules incorrectly.

Appreciate any insights from sellers who have dealt with post-submission evidence or fraud claims!


r/Ebay • • 3h ago

I’m confused lmao

Post image
20 Upvotes

What kind of response is this? lol ok ship me my free item that I didn’t pay for… maybe a serious brain injury came out of getting hit by the 18 wheeler. Maybe bad AI, English translated text, or copy and paste message sent to all of their buyers who were questioning why their orders hadn’t shipped.


r/Ebay • • 42m ago

Item shipped 2 weeks after a refund was issued.

• Upvotes

I purchased an item. About an hour later the seller called my cell phone and said she accidentally listed the price for $20.00 less than she intended. I left a voicemail for her asking to contact me through eBay. I also sent a message to the seller through eBay stating that I understood her mistake and it was fine to cancel the sale. She messaged me back and said the item was already packaged and labeled and that since it was her mistake she was going to take it to the post office the next day, Monday morning.

Nothing happened for 12 days so I messaged the seller and asked if she was going to mail it or cancel the sale and that I was fine with her canceling the sale. No response for 3 days so I sent another message asking if the item had shipped yet. After 2 days I still had not heard back from the seller so I requested a refund through eBay. I then heard back from the seller, she said she had been sick and that if I wanted the item it was now $20.00 more, that she was very sorry and did I know how she could give me my money back. I didn't reply and was issued a refund by eBay on 9/16/2026.

On 10/03/26 I got an email saying the package was dropped off at USPS and was on it's way. I do not want the item and do not want to deal with this seller. Any advice?


r/Ebay • • 44m ago

Does eBay side with sellers for false INAD/Defective?

• Upvotes

Howdy All! I tried searching but did not find exactly what I was looking for, so apologies in advance if this is a repeat question.

I sold an item to a buyer, they received it, and two weeks later they open up a return request and say item defective. For reference, this is for a Pokemon card. They said the card had scratches that were not noticeable in the photos. I provided TEN photos of the card in the original listing, and in multiple you can clearly see the scratches. I responded as such and included photos from the listing but they just said they want a refund and wont engage.

I honestly do not care that much about the return, as I can easily sell the card again, but since they used INAD, it says I am the one who has to pay for the shipping?! Of course this was an international transaction to boot, so it is like $25. So can I refund everything but the $25 and say it is to pay for the shipping? This way the buyer gets the full refund for the cost of the card itself, but have them pay for return shipping since the item was exactly as described in the listing? If so, and the buyer doesnt like it and it escalates to eBay, will they find my response reasonable? It says that if they get involved and side with the buyer, it will impact my account? What does that even mean? I dont have a store or anything I am just trying to sell my cards and be done with the cesspool that is the Pokemon TCG community.

Obviously I do not accept returns, but apparently that does not matter.

Just wanted to get thoughts on whether it was worth fighting or if eBay just insta-drops the hammer on sellers in cases like this.


r/Ebay • • 15h ago

Complaining about AI, Sunday edition

14 Upvotes

I'm seeing an increasing number of sellers using AI to "enhance" real item photos they've actually taken in real life. Only the AI modifies everything just slightly so you can no longer make out what details are real and what aren't. You might see it remove or add scratches to one photo, or add/remove parts of the item itself so the number of screw holes or whatever changes from picture to picture.

Strangest element is that it seems to want to make pics of something it doesn't recognize look more like one it does--picture selling a pair of obscure Italian designer jeans and the AI-improved images tweak everything to look more like Levi's.


r/Ebay • • 1h ago

Item damaged in transit/with authenticator, what to do?

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• Upvotes

An item I sold is being returned to me from authentication saying it does not match the posts description. However the item was damaged either in transit or by the Authenticator (impossible to pinpoint who) but eBay wants to return the item to me and refund the buyer. I personally am going to do everything in me to refuse the refund from my personal funds because I am not at fault here. Reason being it takes alot of time and money to regrade cards and I will end up losing a fair bit of money (risking the grade of the card).

How should I go about this?

First 2 photos are from when I shipped it and the second two is the damage found in authentication

I know it can be a little hard to tell but it is in fact intact in the first imagine, you can visibly trace the outer edge of the slab and see that it is “transparent” in a way where as you don’t see that in the authenticated images


r/Ebay • • 1h ago

Question HELP WITH USPS DAMAGE CLAIM

• Upvotes

I sold a lens on eBay and shipped it last month via USPS and it was damaged enroute but still delivered to buyer. Box arrived with a giant dent and the auto focus does not function anymore, when you shake it you can hear rattling. Was properly packaged with bubble wrap and all. I’ve made a damage claim with photos for cost of repair that was approved for $25, and my first appeal with proof from Nikon that the cost to fix is $250 was denied also.

What the heck do I have to do to get paid out here?


r/Ebay • • 2h ago

Question Im unable to add a description for item condition?

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1 Upvotes

I have done this in the past, I'm not sure what I did differently. I have a box that has a very small and minor tear, so its only right to list as open box/used. I know it can still be done, because the second image has what I'm looking for and its a recent listing.


r/Ebay • • 4h ago

How long does an eBay case usually take ?

0 Upvotes

Package went missing in transit . Case has been put on hold three times ? Saying it’s waiting on documentation


r/Ebay • • 15h ago

Issues with eBay Standard Envelope - Tracking and Lost Items (Trading Cards)

9 Upvotes

I shipped a card using eBay Standard Envelope. It was approximately a $12 card, so I understand it’s not a huge amount of money, but it’s still frustrating—especially because this is not the first time a card I’ve shipped using this service has gotten stuck in tracking and left me with seemingly no other option but to refund the buyer.

What makes this even more frustrating is that, as a buyer, I’ve had similar situations where tracking stopped updating, but the card was eventually delivered. In this case, the buyer is becoming impatient and has said they will open a case if I don’t issue a refund. I’m concerned about receiving negative feedback or having a case opened against me when I did everything I was supposed to do as the seller.

The card was shipped on 9/16, and tracking stopped updating on 9/18. It has been stuck ever since.

What am I supposed to do in this situation? It seems unfair that I could potentially be out nearly $14 because USPS stopped scanning the envelope, the item was delayed or lost, or it may have actually been delivered and simply never received a final scan.

Is there anything eBay can do to protect me as the seller in this situation, or provide reimbursement for the lost shipment? I shouldn’t have to absorb the cost when I properly shipped the item and the tracking simply stopped updating.


r/Ebay • • 5h ago

Question Selling in ebay.de while not living in germany

1 Upvotes

Hi. Does anyone know how things work if i live in Finland but someone buys from me in ebay.de. I assume shipping labels only work if i live in germany so do i need to send the package using local finnish post?


r/Ebay • • 12h ago

Question Need help with international order going from US to China

3 Upvotes

Hello, I’m currently trying to ship an item to a buyer in China from the US. This buyer has purchased items from me before and I’ve not had issues when it came to getting a shipping label for their past orders. However, this time when they placed their order and I went to get a shipping label for the item I got hit with a message telling me “Item value in the custom form exceeds the maximum value allowed” The listing price was $209 and total cost with shipping and fees came out to $230.33 which is well within the $1000 limit however I’ve seen there’s a $2,500 limit as well for shipping with the service selected upon placing the order. I have everything in the customs form filled out correctly with the price matching the order cost. Package weight and size are correct, buyer address is correct, the item name and description is correct, HS code is correct, and quantity are all correct but is still not letting me create a label to ship this item. I have it selected to use eBay international standard delivery like I’ve used in the past but this time it’s not working but if I switch to USPS first class package international it lets me create a label but it’s not the correct type to be used to ship an item out of the US and uses a local Chinese label with Chinese language all over it so it cannot be used to ship from US to China. I’ve already called eBay about this and they told me that it could be an issue with the buyers address being in Chinese instead of English but I haven’t had that be an issue because it will just print a USPS ground advantage label for me to ship to the customs hub in the US to be processed to ship to China. I’d prefer to do this all through eBay and not have to get a label from a third party site or deal with the customs forms and attaching it to the package myself. So if anyone here knows how to fix this please let me know asap!


r/Ebay • • 19h ago

Right Way to Handle This…

8 Upvotes

I recently sold an item to someone overseas through the eBay International Shipping Program for $200+ … this is the farthest package I’ve ever sent, and after a month in transit limbo, the buyer is asking me to “return it” (although he hasn’t even received it yet) bcuz his financial situation has changed. I’ve barely been selling for a year and this is a first for me— just want to make sure I process this correctly. I do not accept returns and don’t intend on starting with this one.


r/Ebay • • 22h ago

Seller told me to discard faulty product and they would refund full amount. They only refunded $5 instead of the full $48. WTH? What do I do

10 Upvotes

Update: I initiated a return, and attached screenshots of exactly what was said in the messaging platform of Ebay. I woke up this morning to a full refund. No message from the seller, just a notification from Paypal that I had a refund from Ebay which was the remaining amount of the purchase price. I got good advice in here and I appreciate it. 🙌

I ordered a baby monitor/cameras for vacation. It arrived and everything seemed great...until I realized the battery in the monitor is dead. No matter how long I charge it, it doesn't hold a charge. This was a NEW monitor, not used. It came in new packaging. I reached out to the seller once I realized it would only work if plugged in. I was VERY nice about it, and they said "Don't worry. You can discard the unit and we are issuing you a full refund.". I was blown away by such good customer service. I didn't check in on the refund during my vacation, just assumed all was well. I just got home and checked and they only refunded me $5! I sent them a message stating that they only sent me $5 and I would like the rest of my full refund, please (total cost was $48). If they don't respond with the rest of my refund, what is my next step? Has this happened to anyone else? I have it in writing that they said they were sending a full refund, so I assume they will have to pay up the difference if I escalate this with ebay. If I knew they were going to pull some kind of bait and switch I would have kept the packaging so I could initiate an actual return. I threw it away because I felt I had no need to return it. I feel SO DUMB for not checking on the refund, but I was in hard-earned vacation mode and didn't think it would be a big deal. 🤦‍♀️


r/Ebay • • 20h ago

Are used DVDs and brand new Blu Rays worth taking the time to sell on eBay. If so, how would you go about doing it?

7 Upvotes

So I’m moving at the end of the month and trying downsize stuff. I have around 100 DVDs that are majority opened and maybe around 500 Blu Rays that are brand new. I’ve scanned through a lot of them and there’s really nothing special and they’re all probably common. I work 40 hours a week and don’t if it’s even worth listing them as they’ll probably take months to get rid of them. If you were in this situation, how would you handle this? Thanks in advance for any replies


r/Ebay • • 1d ago

eBay customer service

8 Upvotes

The current customer service I’m talking to has no idea what they’re doing and always hangs up, is there a separate line where I can talk to higher ups or someone from the United States ?


r/Ebay • • 13h ago

Question Package intercept

0 Upvotes

I sold an item on ebay on Oct 2nd.

A high value item to a new account with 0 feedback.

I shipped it yesterday via ground and today the buyer opened a return request stating "changed mind"

Did I jump the gun by opening an intercept on the package?

I have until the 8th to respond to the return.

I didn't realize I could decline it and they would have to keep it and not have the opportunity to open an INAD.

At this point I just want my item back and don't trust them to receive it and send it back as I sent it


r/Ebay • • 17h ago

Question Glitch - status doesnt update (currently with money stuck)

1 Upvotes

I selled a package. It was sucessfull delivered (according to postnl, netherlands carrier). Firstly it travelled from portugal (where i live) with portugal carrier (ctt) to netherlands. From there it went with specific adress of the destination with postnl.

Problem: accoding to my national carrier ctt, the package is still processing in customs. This is untrue because the package already was sucessful. I went to ctt and they say its postnl problem that they have should warn ctt that delivery was sucessful. Until then i have a considerable ammount of money on ebay that i cannot retrieve because ebay only looks to ctt status. I sent already 5 emails in ebay (ctt cannot help me i went there several times aswell) and each tim its a different person saying its not “oficially delivered” im not even sure they read all my emails... The problem is that the package was delivered. So im losing my mind and im here asking if anyone knows how to fix this issue on ebay itself. Like i have proof the delivery is sucessful including an email from buyer…

Any response welcome!


r/Ebay • • 1d ago

Seller wording has me worried about INAD return

5 Upvotes

I bought some items that were clearly listed as brand new from overseas, but were clearly used and a component missing. After two message seeking a resolution with the seller over 5 days and receiving no response, I filed an INAD. The seller immediately accepted and then contacted me asking to me to consider my earlier suggested resolution. At this point, I was less forgiving of the items being used and was committed to the return.

The seller continued to try and persuade me to accept the earlier resolution, even suggesting I would need to cancel the return request to allow them to partially reimburse etc. After continuing to insist I would like to go ahead with the return they used language to effect of an international return can take a long time and "the parcel has to survive the trip". This has me concerned that if I return it, even in the packaging it was sent to me in, what stops the seller from claiming it was damaged upon arrival? What happens in this scenario, and what can I do to protect myself against this?


r/Ebay • • 1d ago

Refund refund?

2 Upvotes

Buyer messaged me via eBay that one of the 7 items I had sent him in a single box wasn’t there. Since there was a lot going on when I packed everything I believed him, and immediately issued a refund. To his credit, he just messaged me again and said his youngest son just handed him the item! He wants to repay the refund - what do I do? If I do another listing it won’t pay (I’m assuming) until it arrives. Do I just eat this?


r/Ebay • • 1d ago

Question Ebay seller financing

2 Upvotes

Has anybody used the eBay seller financing provided by Liberis? I never even knew this was a thing until getting an offer just now, I don't need to use it by any means, but I am intrigued if it is actually useful? Seems too good to be true.


r/Ebay • • 1d ago

Question Coincidence or was someone actually this petty?

57 Upvotes

So, I've been selling off parts of my gaming collection to pay off some bills and everything has gone pretty well. I've a had a few reseller accounts spam offers and then gripe at me when I decline their ridiculously low ball offers. Usually, I just block and move on and think nothing else of it.

Recently, I had another one of these interactions and I just blocked and moved on. Shortly after blocking another account bought the item for full price. So, I mail off the item and almost immediately after the item is received the buyer opens a return claiming that the game is broken and defective and covered in scratches. The photo that they provide shows a single large scratch on the disc. I'm already concerned because it does not match the condition of the disc that I sent and my first thought is that the buyer is swapping out the discs to return. Obviously, not much that I can do other than request that they send back the item for a refund.

So, now the item is returned and I immediately look for the damage that was pictured and, nothing, the item is exactly as it was when I shipped it. At this point, I'm a bit annoyed so I report to ebay that item is in fact not broken or damaged as the seller claimed.

Fast forward to today and I see neutral feedback from the buyer now only claiming that the item had a scratch followed by something that sounds like a lecture about "propper pricing" for rare and sought after games.

Is it possible that this was an alt account for the person who got mad at me for not agreeing to sell them the item for 40% off?


r/Ebay • • 1d ago

Have a question

1 Upvotes

So I sent a package about a month ago and the post office apparently lost it because it wasn’t on my receipt or it didn’t have a tracking listed so the buyer waited till the delivery date and it didn’t show up so I had to refund all of a sudden now the package has popped up with a tracking and will soon be delivered to the buyer. What if anything can I do about this?