Originally Posted by Beach Bum

THIS is why i dont do EBAY...Im so sad this happened to u.....it royally sucks

Me too. I stopped selling on ebay a few years ago. I was too stressed out worrying about getting scammed. It's not worth the hassle.

I vaguely remember a situation exactly like this from a year or so ago. If I remember correctly, a man bought a Chanel bag for his wife from one of our fellow TPFers and then claimed the box was empty when he received it. I think it turned out that the guy was a scammer and had done this to several sellers. If I remember correctly, he was also in NYC. Does anyone remember that thread? I wonder if it could be the same scam artist at work?

Originally Posted by HermesNewbie

Me too. I stopped selling on ebay a few years ago. I was too stressed out worrying about getting scammed. It's not worth the hassle. I vaguely remember a situation exactly like this from a year or so ago. If I remember correctly, a man bought a Chanel bag for his wife from one of our fellow TPFers and then claimed the box was empty when he received it. I think it turned out that the guy was a scammer and had done this to several sellers. If I remember correctly, he was also in NYC. Does anyone remember that thread? I wonder if it could be the same scam artist at work?

Yes, I was having a deja vu there as well. Hmmm. Chanel bag, empty box, NYC scammer with "Husband" who signed for the package. Would love to find that thread, but I am terrible at searching here.

Hmm. After seeing the pics, and taking into consideration that the buyer lied about who actually signed for this package, I agree that the story stinks. Even if the buyer were telling the truth about not being the one to have signed for the package, how could the husband not have noticed that the tape around the box was completely cut away in several places? Also, I am assuming that the buyer would have informed her husband that she spent four thousand dollars on a handbag that would shortly be arriving. Could he be so dense as to not realize that the box was way too light to contain a bag - or anything? This does not add up.

OP, contact eBay and the PO immediately, if not sooner.

Originally Posted by pippaWA

Did the buyer reported anything to her PO? She really needs to do it ASAP, like tomorrow. Also, I do not understand the signature thing. How can a signature be on file at 12:49 when the husband signed for the package late in the afternoon? Is mail even being delivered in the afternoon? p-WA

The USPS online signature confirmation says:

"Your item was delivered at 12:49 PM on July 7, 2010 in BROOKLYN, NY 11234. The item was signed for by XXXXX [the buyer's name, omitted here for obvious privacy reasons]."

The buyer says "My SO signed as he works in the evening" but also says "I had the signature emailed to me . . . it is not easy to make out the signature."

I am definitely going to the post office first thing tomorrow morning. Apparently she has the day off tomorrow and will be going to the USPS too -- " Do you know how I can go about filing a claim with USPS? I have the day off tomorrow and I hope to take care of this all then."

i know it's against the rules on ebay, but when you discovered you and the buyer both live in NYC, why not meet up in person and do the exchange? perhaps you can keep that in mind in the future.

also, i sell and mail packages of expensive items (bags, shoes etc.) through the USPS all the time and i always send it through certified, return receipt and insured. i have to add that even though i take all these precautions, the tracking history is NEVER accurate. it's slow and doesn't always portray the correct info.

also, not helping the buyer here, but i have my packages delivered to my mother's house and she just signs for the packages for me, never crossing her mind to really inspect the box. i know this will probably come bite me in the future, but unless the box was opened to a point where it's obvious, my mother wouldn't suspect anything. perhaps the buyer didn't suspect anything either since it was her DH that signed for it.

since this transaction was completed through ebay, i would file a dispute with ebay immediately and i would let the buyer go ahead and file the police report. if she is indeed trying to scam you, she would not go that far. don't they have cameras in the USPS trucks? if they do, you can subpoena that video tape to look at your box and see if it was slashed before hand. you can also try to see what neighborhood the buyer lives in, it would be great if she/he lives in the city or near stores, this way you can also subpoena those security camera tapes and attempt to see if the box was slashed. this is probably not going to work, but this is what i would do if it comes down to it.

If you haven't yet, read the Fraud Protection section under Google Checkout's "Help & FAQ."

If I were her, my first phone call, visit, email, whatever, would've been to my Post Office. The one person I would want to talk to is the carrier. Then I would've contacted you with my findings.

Since you live close by, I would go to the Post Office that delivered the package and ask to speak to the manager and the carrier. Call before because they're usually only there early in the morning, before they go out to deliver their stuff, and later in the afternoon, when they come back. Investigate. I wouldn't open disputes or file claims without getting as much info about the situation as possible.

Originally Posted by foxycleopatra

I am definitely going to the post office first thing tomorrow morning. Apparently she has the day off tomorrow and will be going to the USPS too -- " Do you know how I can go about filing a claim with USPS? I have the day off tomorrow and I hope to take care of this all then."

Is it possible for you two to meet at her PO?

If out of the question then tell her to bring everything with her and request she talks to the postmaster. She needs to raise the signature situation as well.

If I were you, I'd go to her post office personally and talk to the postmaster and the delivery person as well. If the package has been tampered with, it should be covered by insurance.

p-WA

Originally Posted by foxycleopatra

I am in tears right now after looking over photos the buyer sent me supposedly of the box/packaging in the condition she received it (and her descriptions of each photo). The tape is mostly slashed open....part of the box is open.....I package everything extremely carefully and my post office even helps me add additional reinforcement tape, I just can't fathom a parcel ending up in that condition in <24 hours traveling from one borough of NYC to another.....post offices wouldn't even accept packages like this with the tape slashed open. And what really bogs my mind is why would anyone (in this case, she says the SO?) sign for a package in this condition? http://i27.tinypic.com/2v7vw3a.jpg - Once you press on it you can see the tape is broken http://i31.tinypic.com/t7g3r6.jpg - The side where the tape is cut http://i31.tinypic.com/2mi01nk.jpg - You lift it up and can see the tape is cut http://i30.tinypic.com/2zsct5j.jpg - The other side which is sealed on the end cut in the middle http://i32.tinypic.com/28tdnbl.jpg - The middle that is cut http://i27.tinypic.com/33mwop3.jpg - The inside of the purse box

These pictures by all means DO NOT PROVE that she got the package this way.... she might have easily opened the box and taken the pictures afterward. That is why paypal don't accept any pictures or videos of the packages as evidence in any disputes. This is a nightmare, just hope everything turn out to be fine for you

Looking at the pictures that you posted how could anyone sign for that package? Both sides and the top are destroyed, how could anyone not see this?
Also, the last picture of the inside of the box is too neat. If someone at the post office stole the package, they would have reached in and yanked the bag out and the tissue would be all over not lined up like in the picture.
I agree with the post about contacting the mail carrier. I would send the pictures to him that she sent to see if the package looked the way she is describing. If he says that he delivered it in perfect conditon, perhaps you can get a written statement from him saying this.

Originally Posted by pippaWA

Is it possible for you two to meet at her PO? If out of the question then tell her to bring everything with her and request she talks to the postmaster. She needs to raise the signature situation as well. If I were you, I'd go to her post office personally and talk to the postmaster and the delivery person as well. If the package has been tampered with, it should be covered by insurance. p-WA

I do NOT think you should meet up with her. It may be a long shot, but you don't know her or her acquaintances. She sounds "nice," sure, but the best cons always do, don't they? Maybe she is, but you just don't know.


Someone's scamming you here somewhere, and until you know you're safe I don't think you should be meeting up with them or exchanging any personal info. It could have been her SO or her family member that took it before she got home to sell it, or whatever, my point is they don't sound like people you know you want to be involved with. It's a lot of money, yes, but your safety is worth more.

To me this looks like somebody opened the box and took the bag out, plain and simple. I really, really doubt any postal worker would put a box in that condition into their truck, much less deliver it. They are responsible for it being delivered sealed, in the same condition they received it in. That's why if it's opened en route for inspection (customs, media mail, etc.) they put a notification on it explaining the situation.

I sure hope this works out for you. Hopefully the postal people can help you put these pieces together. I'd imagine they have to be able to vouch for it being sealed at the time of delivery, which should let you off the hook. good luck with this, i really feel for you~

Originally Posted by lunette

I do NOT think you should meet up with her. It may be a long shot, but you don't know her or her acquaintances. She sounds "nice," sure, but the best cons always do, don't they? Maybe she is, but you just don't know. Someone's scamming you here somewhere, and until you know you're safe I don't think you should be meeting up with them or exchanging any personal info. It could have been her SO or her family member that took it before she got home to sell it, or whatever, my point is they don't sound like people you know you want to be involved with. It's a lot of money, yes, but your safety is worth more. To me this looks like somebody opened the box and took the bag out, plain and simple. I really, really doubt any postal worker would put a box in that condition into their truck, much less deliver it. They are responsible for it being delivered sealed, in the same condition they received it in. That's why if it's opened en route for inspection (customs, media mail, etc.) they put a notification on it explaining the situation. I sure hope this works out for you. Hopefully the postal people can help you put these pieces together. I'd imagine they have to be able to vouch for it being sealed at the time of delivery, which should let you off the hook. good luck with this, i really feel for you~

I agree with this. I have gotten letters that were damaged and there was a note of explanation from the post, so you know that they would have noticed this. The post, as frustrating as they can be, are actually pretty vigilant about things like this. Why would a postal worker risk their job, pension, etc for something this? Not likely.

So sad that this happened to you OP, I really hope everything works out for u.. imo, the buyer sounds like a scammer. Some people can act very nice online but in reality, they're trying to make u fall into their trap... STAY STRONG! u can't really lose anyway because you have the receipt that indicates the weight of the package.. it's just sad that you have to go through all this hassle for just simply trying to sell a bag.. good luck!

Originally Posted by lunette

To me this looks like somebody opened the box and took the bag out, plain and simple. I really, really doubt any postal worker would put a box in that condition into their truck, much less deliver it. They are responsible for it being delivered sealed, in the same condition they received it in. That's why if it's opened en route for inspection (customs, media mail, etc.) they put a notification on it explaining the situation.

Excellent points.

On the plus side...atleast you know that it was yesterday when you call the PO...The PO worker's memory will be fresh and perhaps they'll have an idea with what happened to it, if anything.

If you look at this thread that was posted last week, you will see there was indeed a happy ending and it turned out that USPS had the purse...
Scared & Don't know what to do!