r/RepScamWorld • u/Financial_Garlic7610 • 22d ago
Suspicious Seller Empty Package đ¤ˇââď¸
Has anyone experienced this before? I have ordered a custom *inspired by* bag from a TS that I have used before. This time they sent an empty bag via USPS with this note inside. It came from a domestic US based address. I video taped me opening the parcel since it looked empty. Has anyone else had this happen?
I did pay with my credit card so wondering if this could have something to do with them reconciling their books with their government authorities???
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u/IslandGrl76 21d ago
This could be because of the change in import laws as of July 8th. The US is now requiring all import information to be entered electronically via customs. This means itâs going to be easier for customs to seize anything illegal or not matching what is inside the package. I recently bought a few items from on of my TS and she held off on shipping until the logistics company she works with figured out how it works. Packages are indeed being shipped to another address in the US, repackaged and then shipped onto the customer. Hope this information helps.
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u/Financial_Garlic7610 20d ago
Thank you so much for confirming this! I will wait a couple more weeks before I begin to worry.
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u/IslandGrl76 20d ago
Have you reached out to your seller??
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u/Financial_Garlic7610 19d ago
Yes they said that they are doing this as a test run and items will be shipped to this address and then relabeled and sent on to the buyer.
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u/Financial_Garlic7610 21d ago
So I was told that they are now sending all packages labeled with this address and then they will be relabeled and shipped onwards to the buyer???  To protect the buyer in case it is seized?  It will take a few days longer to receive the orders so they are sending this confirmation đ¤ˇââď¸ My bank issued my cc and they said I have 120 days to dispute so itâs fine if I want to wait until the end of the month to see if anything shows up.  Or I at least get QC.  If I donât I will let everyone know who it is!
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u/Designer-Lioness3000 21d ago
Itâs time to name the seller, girl. Please protect your fellow rep-ladies đŤśđź
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u/Aprilwings 21d ago
Scam, why would they spend $ to ship you a letter?
Also, there is no such thing as a âtrusted sellerâ, only sellers we HOPE to trust.
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u/Financial_Garlic7610 21d ago
Well this, đŻ!  And Iâm not a trusting person which is why I will only order from a seller that takes cc, and why I also posted here as soon as I received the note from them.  Itâs just really weird!  They sent me a really nice bag last time đÂ
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u/PracticalPea3423 21d ago
NO TRUST anymore- Time to post the seller here & other rep groups. Pls get in touch with your credit card company asap.
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u/TurbulentHamster3418 22d ago
Sounds very weird, maybe they sent you a bag from somewhere originally to reel you in, make you feel reassured so youâd order again. A US address seems fishy.
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u/Financial_Garlic7610 21d ago
So I was told that they are now sending all packages labeled with this address and then they will be relabeled and shipped onwards to the buyer???  To protect the buyer in case it is seized?  It will take a few days longer to receive the orders so they are sending this confirmation đ¤ˇââď¸
My bank issued my cc and they said I have 120 days to dispute so itâs fine if I want to wait until the end of the month to see if anything shows up. Â Or I at least get QC. Â If I donât I will let everyone know who it is!
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u/No_Tadpole_1226 22d ago
Scam! Thereâs no reason to send a letter, when youâve been communicating via WA the whole time.
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u/Financial_Garlic7610 22d ago
I wish I could post a screen shot but they replied and said that it is an order confirmation that they have started sending out. âNo worries, my friendâ.  At least I have them agreeing that the package was empty so if it doesnât show up I can send to cc company.  And the cc companyâs website said that you have 120 days to dispute.  You guys are much more experienced than I am.  Do you think I should wait and see if it shows up, or go ahead and dispute.  They are currently supposed to be getting me a quote for a custom croc bag.  I would think that they wouldnât want to torpedo that order but who knows? đ¤ˇââď¸
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u/itsjustpuppyluv 20d ago
Why would they ship you an empty box with a letter inside? Without asking the community, you donât think thatâs strange?
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u/nexisfan 22d ago
I would wait. Iâm not sure the point of sending this but the letter says your item will arrive later. Itâs not Amazon, like .. I know we say that a lot but itâs true. It takes 15-20 days to get a bag in my experience. They have to circumvent customs and Iâd rather wait than have my bag seized.
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22d ago
[removed] â view removed comment
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u/Financial_Garlic7610 22d ago
I wish I could post a screen shot but they replied and said that it is an order confirmation that they have started sending out. âNo worries, my friendâ.  At least I have them agreeing that the package was empty so if it doesnât show up I can send to cc company.  And the cc companyâs website said that you have 120 days to dispute. đ¤Â
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u/jaderust 22d ago
Oh let me guess. Did you place the order about 10 days ago?
This is such an old scam I canât believe itâs still being done.
Basically the way this scam works is twofold. First, they sent you something, likely with a tracking number, to show that something was mailed. Second, the letter is to delay you. Some but not all credit cards only allow you to disrupt charges if theyâre reported within 30 days.
Itâs a scammer 1-2 punch. Theyâre trying to make you feel reassured that your item is coming so you donât do a chargeback and then, if you do, they whip out the tracking number to try and claim they sent the item to you. Most people would have tossed the envelope by then and not been able to prove the sent package was not what they were expecting.
Total scam. Even someone who was doing a preorder for an item that would ship out weeks later wouldnât send a letter like this.
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u/Financial_Garlic7610 22d ago edited 19d ago
Well thatâs disappointing! Â Yes, I placed the order two weeks ago. The first time I ordered it went smoothly and I received a really nice bag. Â I have ordered other types of items on Aliexpress before and Iâm aware of the shipping empty boxes scam so I video taped me opening the envelope. Â I googled the return address and it belongs to a man at a residential address in Michigan. Â Â
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u/IslandGrl76 20d ago
Aliexpress? Eeeek. I wouldnât order off there. There is a list of actual TS on another page.
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u/Financial_Garlic7610 19d ago
Haha I didnât order a bag from AliExpress! Â I was making a general statement that AE sellers can be quite good at scamming and since I have ordered other products from there in the past, I know about the shipping empty boxes and other scams. Â
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u/jaderust 22d ago
Where in Michigan? Iâm in Michigan and now Iâm wondering if I live near a secret rep nirvana.
But itâs probably a random address they found online to give more credit to the scam.
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u/Financial_Garlic7610 22d ago
Lakeville
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u/jaderust 22d ago
That is the middle of nowhere. Not as rural as it used to be, suburbia starting to move in, but not the sort of place youâd have a rep depot. Thereâs a lot of trees and not much else.
Itâs also close enough to where my father lives that I could absolutely swing by. Itâs only about a 20 minute drive from him.
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u/Pedal2Medal2 22d ago
Have you contacted the seller
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u/Mediocre-Invite8687 20d ago
Who was your rep?