Dear eBay Queen: Is this a PayPal Phishing Scam?

Dear eBay Queen:

I’ve only been selling on eBay for a couple of months.  Today I received the following email from PayPal.  I have no idea what they are talking about, and I’m a little afraid to click on the link in the message.  What should I do?

Dear Member,

It has come to our attention that your PayPaI Billing Information records are out of date. That requires you to update the Billing Information If you could please take 5-10 minutes out of your online experience and update your billing records, you will not run into any future problems with PayPaI's online service. However, failure to update your records will result in soon account termination. Once you have updated your account records, your PayPaI session will not be interrupted and will continue as normal. Failure to update will result in cancellation of service, Terms of Service (TOS) violations or future billing problems.

To update and login to your account, click on the link below:

I am a little concerned by the wording in the message too!  I realize I’m a retired English teacher, but I would think a big company like PayPal would know how to send a proper message.  The wording: “However, failure to update your records will result in soon account termination.”  This made me think that it might not be a real message from PayPal.  If you can’t be certain on the authenticity of this message, do you know how to contact PayPal so I can talk to a real person?

Patty

Dear Patty:

Don’t click on that link!  It’s a phishing scam!  PayPal will always address you by your name instead of “Dear Member”.  PayPal recommends sending emails like this to spoof@paypal.com .  If you’d like to speak to someone you can call: 888-215-5506.

Your retired English teacher senses pointed you in the right direction!

 

Dear eBay Queen:

I’m so upset, I could just scream!  I had a buyer send me a message a week or so ago asking if I would lower the price on a really nice, but used Vera Bradley purse.  I haven’t been doing very well sales wise, so I took her up on her offer. She paid for the item and I sent it off.  She has received her item, and sent me this message:

 “I received my item yesterday and I am not happy.  The purse is used!  There is a chip on the underside of the toggle button.  That is a hazard! I could cut myself! The quality of this purse is not what I would expect for the money I paid.  I think I’m going to have no other recourse than to give you a blazin’ negative so every other dimwit like me will know what kind of seller you are!  I would suggest you get a good pair of readin’ glasses, or if you have glasses, clean them for petes sake! You stated this was in good condition, I thought that meant new!  So, you’ve got 24 hours to tell me how you are going to make me happy. Please don’t say to send this back.. because THAT’S NOT HAPPEN’.

I went back and reviewed my listing.  It says pre-owned under the item specifics and in the condition box.  I also said it was pre-owned the description.  I took a photo of the chip in the toggle button.  What should I do?  Should I send her the money back for the purse so that she won’t give me a negative?

No More Vera’s

Dear Vera:

Your buyer is using feedback extortion to get you to do what she wants. I would call eBay immediately and ask them for help.  I am pretty sure based upon her wording that they will side with you and say that she is using feedback extortion.  The customer service person should put in your notes that it is extortion and once the buyer leaves negative feedback, you will need to call in again to get it removed.

You clearly put that the item is pre-owned and took a photo of the chip in the button.  eBay should side with you.  Have you reviewed the feedback this buyer leaves for other people?  You may not be the first person she has done this too.

 

Strange eBay Item of the Week: Item #390994539061. I hadn’t looked up advertising collectibles for quite some time. Tonight, I decided to look at the Pillsbury Doughboy. Apparently, he’s still got it! Vintage Plush Pillsbury Doughboy Pillsbury Makes it Fun Giggles 1998 Dough Boy. SOLD: $929.00.http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vtg-Plush-PILLSBURY-DOUGHBOY-15-034-Pillsbury-Makes-It-Fun-Giggles-1998-Dough-Boy-/390994539061

 

The No Good, Terrible, Rotten Day? It All Started with Spelling & a Printer

Yesterday was a suppose to go smooth.  I know that we are never guaranteed a smooth day, but I try very hard to make it go as smooth as possible. There are so many things that could make it not run smoothly… and yesterday they were all working against me

wichita10Here's 7 of the reasons the day may not go as planned. I never thought before I had children how they each would have their own personality and all want to do their own thing.

I got up early (for me) and was going to print off the spelling sheets I needed for this week. My printer that always works… stopped working.  So I woke up my cute college student and asked him to fix it.  After an hour of him *not fixing* it because of some drum issue, I decided to send him to the library to print them off.

Meanwhile…

shippingpkgsI had children giving me grief over the school work assigned.

OR

shippingpkgss

I had children upset for the extra work they needed to get done because they did not do it when it was assigned.

eBay trouble was a brewin':

A buyer and I have been messaging back and forth over a bra that she says isn't the right one.  I've asked her the style number of the bra she did receive, and it matches with the style number of the bra in the listing.  She finally tells me the fabric on this bra isn't Jacquard.  I offer her a full refund once the item is sent back in it's original unused, unwashed condition with the tags attached.  She responds:

"I do not have tags anymore, but I can send you an image of this bra- solid white and that is why I am not happy. I have 5 of the solid white ones, but the jacquard one is more feminine and more comfy- as odd as it sounds, it is truth. I only wear this model bra.And this one is not jacquard. So, I guess I am not sending it back either because of the tags and…the shipping cost.. At this point..it goes in the garbage, and it will be end of it. If you can think of any way to make it right, please go ahead, otherwise…I don't even know what else to ask. And as far as your answers are concerned, you did answer…and we went back and forth..but nothing solved the problem and for sure, didn't make me a happy camper. So..I guess I have no choice than to leave a negative feedback Thank you"

Fantastic… she's taken off the tags of a bra she *knows* is not the fabric she wanted.. PLUS she bought the bra knowing it wasn't the right one based upon looking at the pictures and the style number…. now I need to do something to make her a "happy camper" or she's going to leave me a negative feedback which results in a defect.

Meanwhile in the shipping department.. everything seemed to be going A-OK

shippingpkgWe got our packages out and ready to go!

Remember that little Library trip…

So #2 is at the library printing my spelling worksheet for the whiny excited students… and the very sweet librarian calls me to tell me she was talking to my charming son and mistakenly overcharged my PayPal Debit card.  I tell her it's no big deal, it happens to the best of us.  She then very sweetly, and quietly tells me she overcharged me 1,940.00 dollars.  She mistakenly did not put a decimal in.

ottawalibraryHoly Smokes….

I don't know about you.. but almost $2000 coming out of my business account could potentially mess up a lot of things.  Thankfully I called PayPal and they released the hold and we were back in business.

scarlettohara

I hate to sound like Scarlett O'Hara.. but  "I can't think about that right now. If I do, I'll go crazy. I'll think about that tomorrow, after all, tomorrow is another day."

 

 

The One About The Crazy Buyer & How eBay Helped Me Out

I've been selling 16 years full time on eBay.  I've met some great people selling and buying stuff on there, and I've also met a few people that might be off their medication. 😉  This blog is about one of those people.  ** Please when you read this, don't let the crazy in this story make you overlook how eBay Customer Service helped me along the way.

On March 12th Buyer #1 sent me a couple of messages AND an offer on a shaper. 

First message: "Is this for a beige or a black one? I see pictures of a black piece, yet the listing specifies beige. Thanks"

I respond:" It is beige, sorry for the confusion"  * Keep this in mind because later they are going to give me crap about the color as another buyer.*

The retail price of the shaper is 55.00 I have it for 34.99 or Best Offer.  They make me a low 18.00 offer I counter with 24.00 and say "With Free Shipping this is as low as I can go.  Thank you for the offer."   They send me this message.

"Ok, thanks for clarifying the color. I can pay $22.00 as I am on a strict budget. I am unemployed and also selling on eBay. I am working on listings right now and not really selling anything worthwhile it seems like… :/

If this payment arrangement is acceptable, I can counteroffer on the listing and then submit an immediate payment via PayPal. Thanks for your consideration. I look forward to your anticipated response. "

They sent me a counter offer for 22.00.  I responded the same way.  24.00 "With Free Shipping this is as low as I can go.  Thank you for the offer." 
 

Then they send me this message:

"Are you looking to complete a transaction? I submitted a counter offer of $22.00. Thanks for your time. "

I decline their offer and block them. I then receive this message:

"Thanks, always a pleasure in dealing with such diligent and accurate sellers on eBay! Best of luck with your business as your tactics are unmatchable!"

They sent me 2 other messages, and I ignored them, because I had already blocked them as a buyer.

On March 20th the item sold as a Best Offer to buyer #2.  I mailed the item off and on March 26th I recieved this email:

"Hi, we would like to bring to your attention the following matter. We are in receipt of the shaper and it has an extremely strong and unusual odor which does not go away after a potent wash.

At this point, we will be forced to have this piece professionally cleaned. We are requesting a partial refund in order to execute such services.

Furthermore, the listing advises the shaper would be beige and then shows a black item in the picture which is rather confusing. At this point, the color is irrelevant as this piece looks to presently have an irreversible appalling odor.

We look forward to your anticipated response and immediate resolution."

**This email set off a bunch of red flags for me. 

  • If something has a "extremely strong unusual odor" people don't wash it, they email the seller immediately and return the smelly item.
  • A buyer doesn't want ANYTHING to do with a "extremely strong unusual odor."  Would you?
  • Then there was the color thing.  I went back through the messages, and noticed buyer #2 asked no questions about this item, but buyer #1 had.  This item said it was beige, but I accidently had put in black photos.  
  • The wordiness of buyer #1 and buyer #2

I contacted eBay customer support. The man I spoke too was super helpful, checked to see if buyer #1 and buyer #2 were related, shared IP's etc.  He told me he could not confirm if they were, but sent me to Trust and Safety.  T&S told me that they made notes on the account, and they could not tell me if they were connected, but if I was talking to Trust and Safety, that was my answer. 

We respond: "Hi, I am so sorry! We want our buyers to be happy. Please let me know what you would like for me to do."

The buyer responds:"Hi, thanks for your prompt response and attention to this matter. We would appreciate a $7.00 refund to our PayPal account which should compensate for the professional cleaning. "

*** 24.00- 7.00 is the original offer price ***

I immediately contact eBay Customer service.  The rep was once again super helpful.  He pointed out a few things to me.

  • The buyer hasn't opened a case, which is extremely unusual for an  actual unhappy buyer.
  • eBay would not require me to give a partial refund
  • The buyer washed the item, and I am not required to give a refund since it has been altered

At this point I was 80% sure it was the same person, but I really wanted eBay to confirm it. I debated on what to say in my next email to her.  It occurred to me maybe she was NOT the same buyer, and thought the chemical smell that ALL of these shapers have was an "extremely strong unusual odor" to her.  While I was trying to figure out what to do…

She sent me another email:

"Hi, what is the delay with responding to our last message regarding the partial refund of $7.00? Better yet, to not waste anymore time both yours and ours, you can proceed with the depositing the amount into our PayPal account.

We hope to resolve this today and look forward to your anticipated response. We really would not want to further dispute the entire transaction.  Thank You! "

I contacted eBay AGAIN.. and the customer service person was super helpful.  I told him of my concerns about what if it WASN'T the same person, I don't want this to be an unhappy buyer.  He re-assured me that my gut instinct was correct.

I sent the buyer a message:

"In a situation like this I would ask you to return the item for a full refund, and I would pay your return shipping, But since you washed it, I can not accept it as a return. I do not want any buyer to be unhappy, but I am not comfortable with the partial refund."

I received the following message from the buyer:

"We are glad that you reiterated the situation. Obviously, returning the item is not an option. We were unaware that the odor was so potent and would not be removed with a wash.

As a matter of fact, the condition this item was sent in, is technically NOT NEW since the smell has tainted the ORGINAL condition of the piece.

We are unhappy at this time with the way this is being handled. If you are unable to complete our request for a partial refund of $7.00, we will be forced to dispute this with our reputable credit card company.

We will also have no choice but to leave negative feedback for this transaction."

As you can imagine… with a message that has a feedback threat I contacted eBay. Where they made a note on the account if and when the buyer should ever leave a negative feedback it would be removed.

I responded to the buyer:

"The item was new. I am very sorry you are unhappy."

The buyer responded:

"We don't need your apologies. We need you to take responsibility and provide the $7.00 credit for the professional cleaning. If we have not heard from you by 5pm EST we will move forward accordingly.

Also, we will never purchase from you again due to the poor product you provided and overall customer service. That is the ONLY accomplishment you have succeeded in thus far.

Interestingly, most sellers leave feedback right after the purchase; however, you chose otherwise. This demonstrates your lack of confidence in the product you are selling. Clearly, you knew a potential issue would arise since you sent such an item in this terrible condition.

Furthermore, we did a little research and it appears you live on a FARM. Do you store your items on the farm??? We also noticed you don't maintain 100% feedback, yet the amount of transactions would not prompt someone to dig into your wonderful background. Nonetheless, at this point we feel forced to do our own investigation on this matter.

We have matched up a feedback which is appalling and resembles our situation. Here it is: August 1, 2013 – "Almost vomited from the stench". Now, we will guarantee feedback which will CLEARLY spell out the situation and be much more effective for a potential unsure buyer whether or not to proceed with a purchase. No wonder you offer prices which are appealing at first….. Where else could we purchase a shaper valued at $45 for $25… Well at a farm where ALL the animals have used it during their playtime….

Yes, you guessed it! We are VERY UPSET…… CONGRATULATIONS SUZIE…. Today is your LUCKY DAY, since due to your decisions and regardless of ANY credit, we will leave you negative feedback and you will compensate for the entire purchase through a merchant fee from our reputable credit card company.

This will be our last communication with you, and please spare your POOR responses to the ACCURATE feedback we will shorty leave you. NOW BLOCKED!"

 

This is how I WANTED to respond:

We don't need your apologies. We need you to take responsibility and provide the $7.00 credit for the professional cleaning. If we have not heard from you by 5pm EST we will move forward accordingly. Threat!

Also, we will never purchase from you again due to the poor product you provided and overall customer service. That is the ONLY accomplishment you have succeeded in thus far. You are correct.. because both of your ID's have been blocked. 🙂

Interestingly, most sellers leave feedback right after the purchase; however, you chose otherwise. This demonstrates your lack of confidence in the product you are selling. Clearly, you knew a potential issue would arise since you sent such an item in this terrible condition.  No, most sellers don't leave feedback right away.  If you looked at the feedback I leave you'd notice that it is all done on the same day at the same time, not after each individual sale. I have a program that does it for me.  I noticed you've been on eBay since 2005 with one ID and 150 feedback and 2006 with the other ID with 370 feedback.  I have around 400 to 500 transactions a month. This is why I do it all at one time and not individually.

Furthermore, we did a little research and it appears you live on a FARM. Do you store your items on the farm??? We also noticed you don't maintain 100% feedback, yet the amount of transactions would not prompt someone to dig into your wonderful background. Nonetheless, at this point we feel forced to do our own investigation on this matter. Ah… yes, you've read my "about me" page.  I don't really live on a farm.  I live on 40 acres with no farm animals. But really that's irrelevant.  An "investigation"… someone knows how to work "the Google on the Internet machine" (name that movie)

We have matched up a feedback which is appalling and resembles our situation. Here it is: August 1, 2013 – "Almost vomited from the stench". Now, we will guarantee feedback which will CLEARLY spell out the situation and be much more effective for a potential unsure buyer whether or not to proceed with a purchase. No wonder you offer prices which are appealing at first….. Where else could we purchase a shaper valued at $45 for $25… Well at a farm where ALL the animals have used it during their playtime…. Dang you have dug deep! There were probably 1200 positive feedback on top of that one negative. I must be a bad seller! What you don't know, is that buyer was complaining about a swimsuit smelling like a "swimsuit"  She did not want to send it back, and had even WORN the smelly item.  She like you wanted a partial refund and I refused to give it. Interestingly enough she would not open a case about this item, she didn't want to get eBay involved… (perhaps it's because eBay would have sided with me since the item was WORN?) 

Yes, you guessed it! We are VERY UPSET…… CONGRATULATIONS SUZIE…. Today is your LUCKY DAY, since due to your decisions and regardless of ANY credit, we will leave you negative feedback and you will compensate for the entire purchase through a merchant fee from our reputable credit card company.  My favorite part of this statement… "reputable credit card company"  I did a bit of my own feedback research.. It seems you leave quite a bit of negatives and neutrals. 

crazypants

This will be our last communication with you, and please spare your POOR responses to the ACCURATE feedback we will shorty leave you. NOW BLOCKED!  Um.. you can't block sellers… but you can block buyers, which we've done and you found away around it. 🙁  Which is against eBay rules.

Here's how I REALLY responded.

"You and I both know you feel you paid "too much" for the item as "ID #2" and that you were trying to buy it as "ID#1" but I blocked you, so you bought it as ID#2. You were angry that I blocked you and have made up this story about the item. This is against eBay policy. It is considered UNWELCOME BUYING. As a seller yourself I would think it was important to you to know and understand the rules on eBay. While we are on the subject of rules: feedback extortion, and threatening a charge back because you don't get your way might not look so good for a person who wants to be a successful seller either.

I don't live on a farm. I have a house on 40 acres. A farm implies that I have farm animals OR that we grow crops. We do neither, we simply have a home on acreage.

What's the point of complaining about my feedback? YOU tried to buy from me as ID#1 I blocked you and then you bought as ID#2. No one FORCED you to buy from me. My feedback is public and out for all to see. You wanted to buy from me got blocked and then bought from me after I blocked you.. it apparently it didn't worry you then. So why complain now? I noticed while reviewing your feedback you leave quite a few neutrals & Negatives. Maybe I'm not the one with the issue?

I leave feedback in batches once a month. It has NOTHING to do with anything except that's how I have my listing program set up to do it.You say most sellers leave feedback immediately, I've never noticed that, and I buy things on eBay under the same ID I sell from, no underhanded stuff going on here.

You freaked me out a little bit with your "investigation" comment, but Google works both ways right?

Good luck in the future with your eBay transactions."

******

queyneg

The buyer did leave negative feedback, and it was removed by eBay.  The buyer sent me 3 more emails that were over 2000 characters each. (She's very wordy)  Those emails pretty much said what a con artist and a bad seller I am, and how I need to treat my customers better… yada yada yada I didn't give her what she wanted, so I am the worst seller on eBay.  She did continue to threaten a charge back and to keep digging into my life. 

Here's an excerpt from one of the three 2000 character messages.. that made me chuckle..

"The majority of your last email was irrelevant and details that we could care less about in general. It is actually suggested on eBay once feedback is received in order to begin a "friendly and successful" transaction for the seller to leave feedback right away. Go ahead and learn the rules ebay Queen. It sounds like you feel the power to override situations that should be taken care of appropriately from a business perspective."

I like how she refers to me by eBay Queen 😉

The good news is I contacted eBay once again, and they sent her a Cease and Desist letter.  A lot of bad things are said about eBay customer support, but in this situation they really came through for me, and I appreciate it. 

What I’m Angry About: eBay Edition…

 

OH MY GOODNESS! I received this message at 10:07pm  Central on 9/20/2013 about a bra I sold.

I received my bra today 9/20/13 and was very disappointed to see that it is stained in 2 places on the front of one cup. It is advertised as NEW with no mention of these flaws and I bid and paid a lot more for this one than I did two others from another seller that came in perfect condition. I expect an identical replacement bra to be sent out immediately or my money swiftly refunded. Please contact me ASAP

As I was composing an email to her, eBay notified me that a case had been opened at 10:22pm (of the same day)  Apparently ASAP means RIGHT NOW! to her.

The case message from her said this:

"I have sent a previous email regarding the condition of the bra I received today. It is the #### model and is stained in two areas on the front of one cup. It is definitely a "second" and should not be described as NEW which leads a buyer to believe it is flawless. I expect a full refund of $25 to my PayPal acct which was paid by my AMEX card. This is my second email request.Please respond via email ASAP. "

 

In my defense, the bra was new with 2 different hang tags and no stains or issues. It had 3 photos, and there were no issues to the bra. I responded to the case, and apologized, and asked her to send it back for a refund including return shipping.

She sent me this:

 

cynthia2

I will send it back on Monday via USPS, I need another beige bra sent ASAP. For my trouble and the stains all over the front of this "NEW" bra I would hope that you would send TWO. The other ones I bought identical to this one only cost me $15 each!

** You see what she did there? For her trouble she wants 2 bras now***

I responded:

I understand you are upset, I just want to see if I understand your request. You would like me to refund your money and send you two bras? In your message you said you wanted the two new bras to be beige. The one you receive was IVORY.  Once again I am very sorry the bra was not what you expected. Please send the ivory bra back FIRST CLASS MAIL (not priority)I will refund your return shipping back for first class mail.

She responds:

I do not want my money back-I would not have paid $25 for an auction bra if I did not intend to keep it. However, I was shocked to receive a NEW bra that was stained in 3 places!  I bought 2 other identical bras in the last couple of weeks for $12 and $15.I spent twice the amount for your merchandise so it is for this reason, the cost of the return shipping of the stained bra, and for my trouble that I am requesting that TWO bras be sent to replace the dirty one.I stated the color as "beige"-and it is definitely ivory that I received. I would like the ivory,but if you only have one in ivory I would accept beige for the second one. I will be waiting for your quick response to this email.

**I called eBay and the rep told me there was clear extortion here. He told me to wait the 3 business days to escalate the claim to eBay. He also said he was noting my account.**

I respond:

I will let you know as soon as the item is sent back 

***I did not proofread what I wrote***  (dumb I know)

She responds:

"I will let you know as soon as the item is sent back" is not an acceptable solution to my problem. I believe the EBay Resolution Dept would want to know that you have agreed to a solution – not make up your mind when the item is returned. Not good business, and definitely not good for favorable feedback.

** Do You think that's feedback extortion?**

I respond back:

"I'm sorry I should have said. I'll let you know as soon as the item arrives. Not as soon as it was sent back."

I then immediately called customer support again.  The agent I spoke to this time assured me that this was feedback extortion and that the buyer was trying to extort me for an extra bra.  The agent said that she would be watching this case, and the feedback. She told me to wait the 3 business days and I would be able to escalate the claim.  I felt pretty good about it after this conversation.

An hour goes by…. and I receive this:

cynthia3

The BUYER didn't have to wait 3 business days to "work it out"… she had the case escalated and it was found in her favor!  Which means I received a mark against me….. Seriously?

cynthia4Here's the "log" from my case notes.  Do you see September 20, at 8:56PM (PST) I agreed to refund the buyer once the item was sent back?  eBay seems to have ignored that.. and the fact that she demands 2 bras to replace 1 and if I don't do it she'll leave me a negative.. and eBay doesn't require her to wait 3 business days. I'm wondering if this lady is related to the founder Pierre. 😉

Several weeks have gone by, and the bra was returned.  The case was found in the buyers favor, but de-scored so it doesn't count against me.  The buyer did leave negative feedback.

cynthia6

Which was removed. 

All is well that ends well?

 

warners1561beige1

Here's a photo of the bra in the listing.

 

cynthia7

Here's the bra that I received back.