With the economy tanking, a lot of people are going to be looking around the house and seeing if they can sell off some of their used stuff. I've been hacking away at a college degree since and all this time, I've been reselling my used textbooks on Amazon. I don't make any profit; I just recoup some of the money spent buying very expensive books that are used for only a couple of months.
In late May, I sold a used graphing calculator to a buyer located a couple of hours from me. It was shipped the day after it was ordered, to the address provided, via Priority Mail with DC AND insurance. The buyer received it two days later. Five days after he received it, I got a notice that he filed a chargeback against me, claiming that he "returned the merchandise" to me. Please note that he DIDN'T claim non-receipt, item not as described, or damage, just that he had "returned" it to me. Further, he NEVER contacted me at all. He never even left feedback. He also didn't respond to an email I sent him, asking for the tracking information on the return he claimed he'd sent to me.
I responded to the chargeback inquiry, letting Amazon know I never received the calculator back. I felt cautiously optimistic, because I thought Amazon would demand some sort of proof that the buyer had, indeed, returned the calculator to me. I thought wrong. Two days ago, I got a notice that I had lost the chargeback and the thieving buyer was being refunded.
I immediately filed a mail fraud report against the thief, and am considering taking him to small-claims court.
As enraged as I am at the thief, I am doubly enraged at Amazon. On my end, I did everything I was supposed to do. I even insured the package; if it had gotten lost or arrived damaged, I could have filed a claim. Amazon demanded no proof at all that the thief had sent the item back; they just took his word for it. They aided and abetted a criminal in committing credit-card and mail fraud.
I've had nothing but good experiences on Amazon up until now, but Amazon's behavior in allowing this buyer to steal from me has me has resulted in me making the decision to never sell anything there again, and to tell everyone I can about what happened to me, so that they can make an educated decision whether they wish to sell there, particularly if, like me, you are NOT a business doing the kind of volume that can absorb hits from thieves. I am lucky that I only lost $60.00. What if I'd sold him something that cost several hundred dollars?
From now on, I'm going to list my used books on eBay/Half.com. As bad as eBay and PayPal are, at least PayPal would have insisted that the buyer provide proof of return prior to refunding him. If I had sold the calculator there instead of Amazon, I would have been protected.
If you decide to sell on Amazon, be aware: All a buyer has to do is say, "I returned the item, " and they'll get their money back. They will NOT be required to provide proof of return. Amazon will simply take their word for it... And let them keep both the item and your money.
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