Absolutely sick to my stomach. Buyer claims no LV Speedy inside box.

Edna

Edna

O.G.
Nov 28, 2005
1,625
39
#1
I am shaking right now and kicking myself for not trusting my instincts. I was on my way to the gym and now all I want to do is crawl in my bed and cry.

A buyer purchased an LV Watercolor speedy from me on ebay, not more than a day after I had listed it. She contacted me and wanted me to mark the item as a gift and value of $35 because customs fees in France are really high, or so she said. Her feedback profile had 6 feedbacks with a few purchases, but none more than $80 or $90. I had this nagging feeling that something was not right, but felt the buyer was sweet in her e-mails and went ahead anyway.

She even e-mailed me yesterday and was really sweet about the bag still being in customs. Now all of a sudden I wake up to find she had opened a Paypal dispute and upgraded it to a claim that the bag was NOT in the box. She didn't even e-mail me! I now know the whole thing was a fraud.

I'm scared now. Doesn't paypal usually side with the buyer in these cases? I mean, they should see I have a pretty good history of selling expensive bags right? I have Paypal opened in a separate window right now and am about to respond to the claim.

I'm literally shaking right now. I'm not exactly in a position to lose $1500. :crybaby: I think after this, I am going to give up selling and buying on ebay for a long time.
 
#3
I also want to add that at first, at 6:52 AM she opened a dispute claiming the "Item was not as significantly described". Only 8 minutes later did she escalate the claim to say that there was no bag in the box.
 
#4
Yep, I have tracking confirmation. Thank goodness I decided to spring for the Express Mail with confirmation. But she is saying that there was no bag in the box that she received.
 
#5
Reading this made me absolutely sick to my stomach. I'm sorry that I have no experience selling on Ebay or anywhere else, just buying. Stories like this creep me out! I have some items I want to sell on my own, but I'm deathly afraid of such scams!

I am very curious how to resolve this myself if this were to happen. Looking forward to advice for you.
 
#6
Did you insure the bag for the full value? If you didn't, you have problems....

You automatically have $100 worth of insurance.

When the box was weighed at the post office, that weight should confirm that there was a bag inside. The bag may have been stolen??? in transit.

Never, ever, ever ship an expensive bag without purchasing insurance in the full amount. It is always the seller taking the risk for a major loss.

I am sorry this is happening to you.
 
#7
Funnily enough I 'believe' that it is a good thing she changed from SNAD to INR as they tend to just refund on those.

I am no expert at all but surely if you provide tracking info to paypal the claim will be shut?

ETA - great points lovely garments,
 
#8
NagaJolokia, I think I'm deathly afraid to sell on ebay now, too. It's a shame because I have always had good experiences. I never thought this would happen to me.

lovelygarments, thanks for your response. Nope, I didn't insure the bag. Believe me, I now know the huge risk I took. I was thinking the same thing, that the weight should indicate I shipped the bag. It could have been stolen, but my instincts were/are telling me that it was a scam all along.

This is what she said in one ebay message: ok thanks but you are not answer my question. custom in france is very hard and price very very expensive. for this bag is 600USD !! so are you ok for write gift used bad and price value for 35 usd ? thanks for your answer because if you write 1500 usd the bag come back in usa and you must refund my paiment with paypal. thanks for your answer. i am sorry but i don t hva lot of money...

Something about that just rubbed me the wrong way. But stupid me, I chose to ignore my gut.
 
#9
Faithful said:
Thats just awful. I am sure some of the Experts will chime in soon.

Did you have tracking confirmation?
Click to expand...


Not an expert chiming in here, but one who was also on the receiving end of a liars foolish claim like this. I also sold a LV Speedy...buyer claimed never to have received it. I however insured it and had tracking confirmation. First she claimed no delivery, when I had confirmation, she back tracked and said no bag was inside. I then did a reverse check on the address, got a hold of the apartment complex management and called and found they'd accepted the box and given it to the girl. It had been untampered with. Then she claimed her room mate mustve done it...what crap. Next thing I know she's booted off of Ebay...apparently won dozens of designer bags and never paid for more than a few. I was lucky...never heard from her again.

Total PITA, however can you track down the address you mailed to on line? Get a number, I know it's in Europe, but maybe if she sees you will followup she'll be scared and leave you alone. A long shot, but I'd try it.
 
#10
Is it possible that French customs confiscated the bag, deciding it was a fake LV since the value was marked as $35? Has the buyer said if there was anything in the box at all?
 
#12
Have you taken her funds out of the paypal yet? I'm not knowledgable at all...can you close you bank account you have connected to paypal so they can't attach your account?. Sorry if this sounds stupid, but other than being a detective yourself and doing this I am at a loss.

Years ago I ended up being ripped off royally on Ebay...I had a nagging feeling about the entire transaction and just shrugged it off as saying that nobody would be so mean as rip ME off plus they had great feedback. Well, I was wrong. I sent a bank check in the mail to vacant house for over 1k. How do I know? I was so mad I followed up with the FBI after I found nobody else willing to touch the case. It took a couple of years of my being completely on their backs the whole time, but due to Mail fraud laws, they were able to find and convict the person who did this. Never got a penny back and now I don't have the same level of trust as before. But don't give up!
 
#13
denimbarks said:
Is it possible that French customs confiscated the bag, deciding it was a fake LV since the value was marked as $35? Has the buyer said if there was anything in the box at all?
Click to expand...


This is what I was thinking too. They are pretty strict about customs and LV. Also, if they didn't think it was fake, they knew that it was not a gift/marked at full value. I think it might be possible for customs to confiscate the bag.
 
#14
DamierLover - I'm sorry that happened to you, but glad yours was resolved in your favor! I did withdraw the funds from paypal as soon as I received the payment, thank goodness. But I don't want to remove my bank account on file with them just yet, as I am afraid that would look suspicious on my part. I will try tracking down her address and number though.

DenimBarks + dmitchell15 - I definitely don't think customs confiscated it because I'm sure they wouldn't just send her an empty box. They'd probably contact her or me first, I would think.

This is what her escalated dispute says: "hi i receided now the packet, i signed and when i open the packet they are no bag inside !!!! what s the matter ???? it is a joke ? i don t understand if you don t put the bag inside or if it is post ofice take it ....i must to go to the police to do a claim"

kristinmcd - I will definitely call them as soon as I respond to the claim.
 
#15
I am so sorry this happened to you. What I suggest is calling to Paypal and calmly pointing out the ways she filed the claim. First she claimed ""Item was not as significantly described". Few minutes later she changed to "No bag in the box". Tell them it doesn't sound right. If there is no bag, the buyer should claim at the very beginning. Why does she change the statement? This is a very significant point and you should focus on this. If the representative doesn't side with you. Call and talk to the supervisor. Also, point out your perfect history of selling expensive. No complaints in the past.


Don't be angry and say anything rude about the buyer. Be calm!

Good luck.
 
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