Okay so before I had learned of the purse forum, I had won an auction on eBay that I had compared on my own to eLuxury (dumb move #1). It was a rivetting pochette. Unfortunately, I was completely stupid and purchased this bag (dumb move #2), not only from a seller in the UK, but I had paid for the item through a bank transfer because they didn't accept paypal (another completely dumb move). Of course, the bag was fake. So now I'm out 290 U.S. dollars which would include the cost of the item, the shipping of the item, AND the bank transfer fee plus an additional amount for whatever it costs me to ship back to the UK (I am from the U.S. and am assuming this will be at least another $20). I had contacted the seller and asked for a full refund, including the bank transfer fee and whatever it costs me to ship the item back because I do not want to be responsible for any costs because they sold an illegal item. The seller does have tons of other LV items for sale so I also threatened to report them to eBay (which I plan on doing anyway but want my money back first). The seller did not give me a hard time and said "send the item back and I will give a full refund". Since I paid through a bank transfer, I had contacted eBay help and they told me I have absolutely zero protection as a buyer. So I can take the risk of completely losing $290+ by sending the item back. I know I have nothing to lose since they already have my money, but it would just totally suck to send the item back and not get a refund. Does anybody know of anything I can do? Even if I got delivery confirmation (which I plan on doing), eBay cannot do anything about it, correct? Please help! Tomorrow morning is my only chance for a week to get to UPS.
Bought a fake bag. Dont want to be scammed. Please help.
- Thread starter Michy1215
- Start date
im not sure i would send it back, The problem is the seller is in the UK so threatening them by reporting them for fraud or reporting them to the IFCC probably wont work. Also you should NEVER pay by bank transfer (This is what most scammers do, as there is 0 protection) You should refuse to send the bag back, If it was stopped in customs you could technically get in trouble for trying to mail an illigal item across boarders. Tell the seller that and you are demanding your money back or you will do everything you can possibly do to get them removed from ebay and introuble for mail fraud. Report them to ebay, Square trade, leave a negative feedback, contact Vero, and louis vuitton if you have to and make sure you tell the seller your plan of action and see if they have a change of heart first.
Well, the seller won't refund you if you don't return the bag, and the bag has no inherent value for you - it's not like you can just re-sell it. To me it seems like, given the circumstances, your only option is to return the bag with confirmation, and be as nice to the seller as you need to be to get at least some of your money back. You could end up with no bag and no money, but you really wouldn't be any worse off than you are now. Sorry...
Well a few years ago i bought a bag off ioffer.com (i know i know scam central) but at the time i didnt know any better. I just threatened to report them to anyone i could think of and they refunded me and i gave the bag to my sister-in-law (who at the time was 10) They had been scamming people for awhile on that site and i didnt think being nice was going to get me anywhere. I think with these people who do this "professionally" can easily become scared into getting you quiet.
I agree.
Do all that and hopefully, they'll think it's not worth the trouble to keep your money.
I agree.
Do all that and hopefully, they'll think it's not worth the trouble to keep your money.
hmmm the thought never even crossed my mind about the item being topped in customs. I'm scared to refuse to send the item back to her though, since she already did say she would refund me. So I feel like if I cause her problems, she might not cooperate.
I would send it back to her and absorb the $20. It will irk you every time you have to look at that bag if you keep it.
I hope she does the right thing and refunds most of your money.
I had a similar incident but my seller never responded to e-mails. My bag was fake Bottega Veneta. To this day it irks me to even look at it. MY seeler ws in the UK and I was in the US. I too did nto know how unprotected bank transfers were. She was a true crook. I hope she rots in hell.
I hope she does the right thing and refunds most of your money.
I had a similar incident but my seller never responded to e-mails. My bag was fake Bottega Veneta. To this day it irks me to even look at it. MY seeler ws in the UK and I was in the US. I too did nto know how unprotected bank transfers were. She was a true crook. I hope she rots in hell.
Don't feel bad, Michy...we've all done something like this. Love for a "hard to get" bag...a fab deal...whatever. This happened to me with a Gucci bag. I didn't know Ebay was such a haven for FAKES! Paid $1200. and was sooo pleased with my deal till the bag came. Having several Gucci bags and shoes, purchased by me at Gucci, I knew right away I had been DUPED. Wrote to seller, no reply. Finally started a paypal dispute...the seller refunded my money, plus shipping. (Good to pay with paypal, for ANYTHING). I also contacted Ebay several times, they did nothing. I wimped-out and didn't leave FB, seller had 100% FB. Three months later, she relisted MY FAKE. God...I felt so bad I didn't leave NEG FB, to warn buyers. I got on Ebay's Answer Center, got great suggestions. Reported seller to VeRO (Gucci), Ebay... everyone. Other Ebayers reported her as well and they pulled the listing and gave her a slap on the wrist. Good luck!
Okay so I first emailed the seller on July 22 to say that I wanted a refund. Since then, I have been stalling to send it back because I wanted to get more information from eBay and the Purse Forum and my bank about my risk of losing my money. This is the message I sent to the seller last night:
"Hello. I'm sorry I have not gotten back to you. I have been away and I will be shipping the bag back to you tomorrow early morning with delivery confirmation and I will supply you with the number once I get to work."
and this was her response this morning:
"really bad comunication!!! and then you have the audacity to open a dispute against me when it has taken you 2 weeks to send it back and you still have not,do not send it back yet untill i return from my holidays i go in two days and return on the 25 august,why have you messed me about so much?if you send it it will take a long time to get your refund as there is no one here to sign for it and it will go back to you!,you have made this an unpleasant transaction that should have been ended now if you had got on with it!"
I don't know what I did wrong. I only opened an eBay dispute so they can have proof that the seller said I will get a refund. I can't believe that I have the audacity to do that when she had the audacity to sell me a fake Louis. I feel like she's trying to turn this around on me and I won't end up getting a refund. And now I'm scared to even tell her that I can't send it back because of customs and threaten to report her to all those places. what should I do?
"Hello. I'm sorry I have not gotten back to you. I have been away and I will be shipping the bag back to you tomorrow early morning with delivery confirmation and I will supply you with the number once I get to work."
and this was her response this morning:
"really bad comunication!!! and then you have the audacity to open a dispute against me when it has taken you 2 weeks to send it back and you still have not,do not send it back yet untill i return from my holidays i go in two days and return on the 25 august,why have you messed me about so much?if you send it it will take a long time to get your refund as there is no one here to sign for it and it will go back to you!,you have made this an unpleasant transaction that should have been ended now if you had got on with it!"
I don't know what I did wrong. I only opened an eBay dispute so they can have proof that the seller said I will get a refund. I can't believe that I have the audacity to do that when she had the audacity to sell me a fake Louis. I feel like she's trying to turn this around on me and I won't end up getting a refund. And now I'm scared to even tell her that I can't send it back because of customs and threaten to report her to all those places. what should I do?
Michy...be firm, you got ripped-off! Threaten her with neg FB, reporting her to VeRO (LV), Ebay and expose her on every purse blog in the United States. Can't do much about international postal. She's such a NUT I'm afraid she won't send back your money. If you do send the bag back...TAKE PICTURES, of everything. She may try to say you switched bags. You can also contact mypoupette.com. Donna is helpful. STAY TUFF!!!
Thanks sky!! I guess you are saying to ship the item back but threaten before I send it?
Square trade is a mediation service which can be used in the event of a dispute.
http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/confidence/programs-square-seal.html
VERO is eBay's rights ownership program.
http://pages.ebay.co.uk/vero/
I am trying to write back to her nasty e-mail but I don't want to be too harsh or too threatening because then I feel she will give me a hard time and will not cooperate. Can somebody please help me? This si what I have so far...
"Hello. I am sorry if you think there was bad communication, but I was away on vacation, just like you said you are going away on holiday. Based on eBay's rules, I have 60 days to send the item back. Please do not be offended by me opening an eBay dispute. The only reason i did it was because I wanted eBay to have proof that you said I would get a refund. I am sorry that you are offended by that but a buyer can never be too safe.
Also, I went to UPS this morning and they had told me that if I ship the item, there is a cahnce it can be stopped at customs and I can get in trouble for sending an illegal item across borders. Therefore, I did not send the item."
"Hello. I am sorry if you think there was bad communication, but I was away on vacation, just like you said you are going away on holiday. Based on eBay's rules, I have 60 days to send the item back. Please do not be offended by me opening an eBay dispute. The only reason i did it was because I wanted eBay to have proof that you said I would get a refund. I am sorry that you are offended by that but a buyer can never be too safe.
Also, I went to UPS this morning and they had told me that if I ship the item, there is a cahnce it can be stopped at customs and I can get in trouble for sending an illegal item across borders. Therefore, I did not send the item."