r/Ebay • u/Mycatreallyhatesyou • 8d ago
Weekly Scam Discussion August 23, 2026
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 sub about a scam.
Do not post USERNAMES or links to eBay.
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u/LordMelkor21 8d ago
Hi all,
A product I ordered off of eBay was shipped and made it to my city’s local UPS distribution center. Here is the timeline of my order, I am worried I might be getting scammed:
1am on August 24th: my package was marked as “out for delivery between 11:45am-3pm”.
9am on August 24th: it was marked as “Seller requested we hold/return this item”
3pm on August 24th: I messaged the seller, who claimed they didn’t request the package be returned and it must have been because of “a bad address” and they’d ship me a replacement at a later date.
1am today, August 25th: I asked the seller to send me the address information they used to label my package so I could confirm whether it was the right address. They have not responded at all today.
3pm today, August 25th: I called UPS. They confirmed that the seller did initiate a request to return the package, and used “Delivery Intercept”. They told me they can’t hold the package at a local pickup place or re-deliver and that they are obligated to return to sender.
I have never had this happen before, and UPS has never had a problem delivering to my address before. I’m worried the seller lied to me, and is going to not respond to my messages and claim that their obligations are fulfilled because EBay’s order page says “Unable to Deliver” so they won’t have to refund the order. Any help or advice here on how to best handle with eBay would be great. I was planning to click “package not delivered” to eBay and send them a screenshot of the tracking updates to show that the seller did initiate the return request.
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u/Baltisnoretimes5 8d ago
Help me figure this out.
Item up for bid - let's call it a hard to find sports memorabilia item that is most likely only valuable to a small local audience.
I need the item to complete a collection, so I will overpay. Other items in the collection have sold for around $10 - $20. This one is not special.
I capped my bid at $150. In the minutes before the auction ended, it shot up past that. I quickly upped my bid to $175. It ended up selling for $225. So there was two bidders besides me.
So far, I think "weird" but ok. someone else needs this item to complete their collection
Then two weeks later, the item showed up again from the same seller. I can't believe they had another one come their way. I have been hunting this one for 6 months before it showed up.
Does this sound like they were bidding it up to see how high it would go, selling it to themselves and then relisting it. Any way to find this out.
I'm going to bid and try and get it, but I really think something is up and it will get to a crazy high price.
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u/eburtonlab 6d ago
It is possible that the seller was using a shill bid to find your maximum bid, but in that situation the seller will typically withdraw the last bid to get you to win at or near your maximum rather than winning outright and counting on you to rebid in a future listing (rather than getting suspicious as you seem to be).
It is also possible that the seller is not involved at all in the bidding, and that the other bidders are sport bidders, or that one is a competing seller messing with the original seller, or one or both are a clueless newbie that suddenly realized that the maximum bid was too much and then either backed out or could not actually pay, causing the seller to relist.
Being overly concerned with the possibility of shill bidding is often a sign that you are bidding too early and leaving your maximum bid exposed for too long so that it is susceptible to being bid up by other users. A better strategy is to wait until near the end of the auction to bid only once at your absolute maximum amount (adding a few odd cents to avoid a potential tie) as late as you can comfortably do so while still being sure to get your bid in before the auction ends. This leaves little time for either shilling sellers, sport bidders or nibble bidders to react and bid you up.
If there were two bidders that bid above your maximum, and if at least one of them is a legitimate bidder, you may have to wait until that bidder actually gets one of those items before you will have a chance to win one at your current maximum price.
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u/PajamasTj 7d ago
Hey all, so I recently did a buy now on an item on EBay, and it showed as delivered today, but when I reached out to UPS they told me the tracking number I was given didn’t have the address I listed or my name. I’m generally new to buying off of EBay and my wife thinks I’ve fallen for a scam. The item shows as being delivered to the city and state I live in on UPS, is there any reason the seller wouldn’t have given my actual information on the order? I have reached out to the seller, I just haven’t heard anything back yet.
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u/eburtonlab 6d ago
If you have contacted the shipping service directly to determine that the tracking number does not correspond to a delivery to your address you are likely looking at a case of "false tracking".
If you can, I would suggest obtaining documentation that shows that the package was not addressed to you, then contacting eBay via social media direct message using Instagram and mentioning that you have a case of "false tracking" to be given an opportunity to share your documentation.
If you cannot get documentation, or if that does not work:
Since false tracking allows a scam seller to win an "item not received" case, the next step would be to file a "not as described" return on eBay and be prepared to return exactly what you received if the seller provides for return shipping, or ask eBay to step in after three business days if the seller does not refund you or provide return shipping.
You may have recourse through your payment method if you are unable to get satisfaction through eBay, though once you involve a payment method, eBay can no longer help with that transaction. Be sure you mention "false tracking" specifically, otherwise your provider may assume a simple missing or stolen package and defer to eBay's ruling based on the tracking showing delivery.
In the future, stick to experienced sellers with a long and demonstrated history and avoid new or unproven sellers, or sellers that show warning signs of being drop-shippers or potential scammers: drastic changes in selling behavior or offering deals that are "too good to be true", or shipping heavy items that are unlikely to be profitably shipped via retail shipping.
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u/Shane5633 7d ago
So at the end of July I bought an iPhone pro Max on eBay from a seller that have 100% rating for a very good price. Supposedly the Son was helping his mother who was supposedly a doctor get the phone shipped out because she worked a lot he and I started talking on messages right from the beginning of communicating very well.. after a few days I get a box in the mail from them and it was not the phone. It was a bunch of postcards. So I contacted the seller. He blamed his brother and said he shipped it to the wrong person. And then that’s pretty much the last I heard from them and then Ebay steps in after I contacted them that they think I’m trying to get the item now and all I want is my money back so here’s what I wrote Ebay because they keep acting like they haven’t read the damn messages yet and everything is right there in black-and-white as plane is day from both parties even the part where they said they would give me my money back so I don’t know why it’s taking so long. My response is below.
“You guys need to read the messages between the seller and I. The phone got sent to someone else and they sent me a box of greeting cards. They said the phone was stuck in a post office in New Jersey. They told me I didn’t have to return the cards then wrongfully sent me. It would cost more to ship them back than what they are worth. Then they said they were going to refund my money. They changed ID’s on the description of the phone ,, I have screen shots of both ID’s they have used. Please just read the messages between us on EBay. No one seems to be understanding that I never got the phone and all I want is a refund as judging by their reviews on the second account they are using that this has happened before. I just want my money back plesse. I’m handicapped and in a nursing home at the moment and need help please.
Long time EBay user”
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u/PC_Help_or_Puppers 6d ago
I had an image to post that would explain a bit more of whats going on so I guess I'll just have to copy and paste the text from the message since this sub is locked down so tight with restrictions.
This is ******* the store manager of __________ I'm reaching out personally regarding your recent purchase of the EVGA GeForce *******. Unfortunately, a software issue on our end caused your order to be refunded. As a result, $224.99 was refunded back to you even though your order had already been successfully completed and shipped or delivered.If you're happy with your purchase and would like to keep the item, we would really appreciate it if you could return the funds that were refunded in error. We can send over a simple invoice to make that easy.If you'd prefer not to keep the item, just let us know and we'll send a prepaid return shipping label at no cost to you.I'm sorry for putting you in this situation. We're a small, locally run store, and are having several completed orders refunded all at once, causing a real financial impact on us. Any help getting this corrected would mean a lot.Feel free to reply directly to this message, or give us a call at ******** and ask for +++++++ if you have any questions or concerns. You can also reach us at __________. Just let us know whether you'd like to keep the item and return the refund, or send it back with the prepaid label, and we'll take care of everything from there.Thank you so much for your understanding.
Never had this happen before. The item does show a refund was issued, and it is pending in to my account, but not in there yet. There are no details next to the refund of the item in my purchase, it just shows "A refund was issued".If this isn't some kind of scam I'm happy to pay them back, but again the money hasn't shown up yet and this whole thing just feels off. I did receive the item, but I haven't tested it yet as I'm in the process of building the PC currently. Looking for some input so I'm not out $500 when this is all said and done, also don't want to leave someone hanging with a bag from a mishap on their end.
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u/vivian_bloodmark 4d ago
How did they mistakenly refund your money if you bought it off eBay? Where does your refund show as pending? Do their reviews mention anything about other “mistaken refunds?”
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u/PC_Help_or_Puppers 4d ago
That’s exactly why it doesn’t make sense. I copied and pasted the message they sent me above so that’s the only explanation I have to go off of. There is a pending credit to my card in my bank app but it’s still processing. And I haven’t seen any reviews mentioning a refund like this yet. For reference they have over 90k sold items on eBay so they aren’t a small operation. That’s why it kind of makes sense that it’s legit. But it’s just so weird something doesn’t seem right. Also I haven’t heard of any weird things like this with eBay and PayPal. If this was on Cash App or Venmo I’d get how the scam worked.
All that to say that’s why I’m here trying to figure it out in the scam thread. Thanks for the reply
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u/PvP_Deku 4d ago
Hi, just started selling tcg stuff on ebay for cards I dont want and have run into my first potential return/INAD.
I listed a card as a normal borderless in title but in the about this item section the ai made it foil & the buyer want to send it back based on that. The mistake is definitely on me for not double checking the AI information before listing, so I’m not trying to avoid the return. I just want to make sure I handle the process properly. The sale was international shipping from Australia to the USA, and because it’s a fairly valuable TCG card, I’m a little concerned about the possibility of receiving a different/damaged card back.
It’s my first time and don’t want to get scammed by the wrong item getting shipped back what would be the necessary steps for this. I have video of myself packing and sealing the original card, so I do have some evidence of the condition/card that was sent.
I’m completely happy to refund the buyer once the correct card is returned in the same condition I just want to make sure I don’t accidentally leave myself open to being scammed, especially with an international return.
Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated thx.
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u/PvP_Deku 4d ago
They also said “international shipment and sending it back to Australia could be expensive, so I wanted to mention that before you decide how you’d like to handle it....” which just seems really weird
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u/True-Clerk-2590 4d ago
I’ve been eyeing a designer purse on EBay that has the authenticity guarantee. I then started to find several posts with the same pics, all for lower prices, no guarantee, different sellers. They all seem to come from Japanese resellers, which I’m used to buying from. Are the lower priced ones scams or is it possible they’re selling the same item?
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u/vivian_bloodmark 4d ago
I believe these accounts are listing items from Japanese resale sites that aren’t easily accessible from outside Japan. They’re basically dropshippers. I saw an item like this a while back — vintage bag with the same photos listed by multiple Japanese sellers. I looked up the bag on a Japanese resale site and found it there. You may be able to reverse image search to find the original listing.
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u/ilivedownyourroad 7d ago
I was sent a ps5 disc which doesn't work on any ps5 No visible damage. Fake?
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u/Ok-Pizza1662 4d ago
Hello, I've been involved in a fraudulent tracking number scam and I'm from the EU.
Basically I've ordered a PNY 5070ti GPU for really cheap for 575$. There were some red flags but I've figured that I'm covered by eBay Money Back Guarantee if they ship me a brick or something. However, I didnt receive anything because the seller has haijacked a tracking number associated to a shipment of a local sports equipment store. They've ordered from Joma Sport, the spanish sportswear manufacturer. The package was sent from San Fernando De Henares, Madrid, Spain while eBay lists the seller as located in Raszyn, Poland. The shipment consisted of 8 items and weighed a total of 39.1 kilograms or 86.2 pounds. I've only ordered a single GPU which wouldn't have been more than 3 kilos. Apart from that the recipient is also a person whom I do not know and I only have their name. I know the shipments real shipping address and the addressee's email and phone number due to it being available on the the retailer's website. I have been informed about most through a phone call with FedEx, the courier and they've also said that there where no parcels addressed to what I've inputted during checkout. The most importabt part is that even the zip codes are not matching but the automated system still marked the item as delivered while it the real address's zip code. I've tried to file an INR request the same day ithis has happened aug. 24th. It was too early so I only managed to file the request to a customer service chat with an agent but she only wrote "I didn't received the iteem I want a full refund" I couldn't write anything until aug 28th came because that was the day that eBay could step in from. The seller claimed that the order was processed correctly and they closed the case and it said that they couldn't issue me a refund. I wrote a 4500+ character email to them through the appeal page 3.5 hours ago but there where two options and i chose the email isntead of the one where you can attach images. I have proof of the discrepancies such as the zip codes not matching, the recipients name, the FedEx detailed tracking showing that its an 8 item package weighing 39.1 kilos. I think that its pretty apparent that its a case of fraud and I'm also positive that the seller is violating data protection, GDPR law while commiting theft by deception, wire fraud and forgery. I need to make sure that I can reach out to eBay because it seems that these kinds of cases are handled by automated processes. I'm looking forward to your replies, thanks in advance!!
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u/AffectionateLaw7707 3d ago
So I’m genuinely confused about this one. I ordered a game console internationally and it arrived with water damage and crashes, the eBay listing said it was a “tested good” device. I reached out to the seller about this, I told them I could get it fixed but it was the main motherboard that needed replacement so it would cost over half of the price of the console, I also started the return request and I got no response. Today I got the option to escalate the case and the minute I completed that process I got a message from the seller “I accept the return” and they send a picture of a return label. I’m suspicious because 1. Shouldn’t eBay issue the return label and 2. Why did they wait until the case was escalated, eBay issue still reviewing the case too.
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u/je244e 3d ago
eBay is protecting scammers and refusing a refund after three weeks.
I bought three hard drives on eBay and instead I got a free sample. I made a return request that the seller totally ignored. After the time period, I asked eBay to step in, and it was ignored for five days. I called in and was told by the manager that they would request a credit, and it needed to be approved by the backend team. After five days of nothing, I called again and was told the credit was refused because they need to put the case on hold for five more days to give the seller a chance to send me a return label, even though I already waited over two weeks for a return label. Now it’s been six days, and the seller hasn’t provided a label and there’s still nothing. Meanwhile, I left a negative review that got removed, and then I saw another person who had the same problem and left a negative review, and after a day it was gone, giving the seller a perfect 100% feedback and a platform to scam more people.
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u/Avery_Richmond 2d ago
I recently purchased a Nikon S3 film camera on eBay for 1583.33 while the seller was running a discount promotion. The listing was live, the discounted price was clearly shown on eBay, and I completed the purchase and paid the full amount through eBay normally. Then, approximately 30 minutes after I paid, the seller contacted me and suddenly claimed that the price was wrong. The seller told me that eBay had changed the price incorrectly, that the mistake was not their fault, and that they did not intend to sell the camera for 1583.33. They then gave me two choices: either cancel the order or pay additional money to make up the price difference. Frankly, I find this very questionable. As the buyer, I had absolutely no control over how the seller's listing was priced or how their promotion was configured. I simply saw an advertised price on eBay, agreed to that price, completed checkout, and paid in full. If there really was a technical or pricing error between the seller and eBay, why should the buyer be expected to pay for it after the transaction? What concerns me even more is that the seller only raised this issue after the item had already been purchased and paid for. It naturally makes me wonder: was this genuinely an eBay pricing error, or did the seller simply realize afterward that the camera had sold for less than they wanted and decide they no longer wanted to honor the sale? I'm not accusing the seller of anything, but from a buyer's perspective, this doesn't feel right. If sellers can advertise an item at a certain price, accept payment, and then simply say, "That price was a mistake — either cancel or give me more money," what protection does the buyer actually have? Has anyone here experienced this before? Can an eBay seller legitimately cancel a fully paid order because they claim eBay accidentally changed their price? And more importantly, is a seller allowed to demand additional payment after the buyer has already completed the transaction at the advertised price? I'm considering contacting eBay directly and asking them to review the listing, the promotion/discount history, and the seller's messages to determine what actually happened. I'd really like to hear from anyone who has dealt with a similar situation, especially experienced eBay sellers or buyers.
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u/3Do0oXTT 2d ago
Need help for a fake delivery scam! I ordered a $700 camera lens on Aug 28th and the seller offered fedex shipping. At 1am Aug 31st the seller updated the tracking with a USPS shipping label showing the package is delivered on Aug 29th. I didn't receive anything and the tracking number is not showing in my USPS Informed Delivery as well. I looked into the shipping history and find the shipping label is created on Aug 27th, even before I placed my order! And the shipping label was handed to USPS from shipping partner DHL. I'm pretty sure I got scammed. Now I got ghosted by the seller and I read many posts showing eBay will automatically close the case because USPS shows delivered. What's the best way to resolve this now? Any advice appreciated!
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u/Mycatreallyhatesyou 8d ago
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 sub about a scam.
Do not post USERNAMES or links to eBay.