The latest Ebay buyer scam where buyers can cheat and steal from Ebay sellers...

After moving overseas from my native US (where I was an Ebay seller with 560 positive feedbacks) I created an Ebay.com.au account. Since I had great success with Ebay US I expected the same in Australia.

I naively thought that this would be a nice way to spend my time, clearing out my closets and cupboards while providing a service to buyers seeking those same items. That was before I was scammed by Maree Horseman (Ebay username zen-navigation, email cyberpunk@iinet.net.au).

My first listing was to be a beautiful and valuable "Flapper Girl" Paganne by Gene Berk dress. This same pattern dress was selling elsewhere online in mediocre condition (with pulls) for $345. Since mine was in better condition (no pulls but featuring very mild discoloration in a couple of spots), I thought a high-dollar sale guaranteed.





Naïve though I was to Ebay scams perpetrated by buyers on sellers, I wrote up my Paganne dress auction listing. I took 11 photos and wrote up a detailed auction description describing this Paganne by Gene Berk "Flapper Girl" dress as having some areas of minor staining that did not affect its wearability.

"Good vintage condition" (it's a nearly 50-year old dress) was how I described it. I included the verbiage "I am unable to offer returns, so please ask any questions beforehand." Sure, it took a few hours to complete the listing, but surely the hassle would be worth it in the end, right?

Enter our friend, Ebay buyer and wannabe model and QLD Australia resident Maree Horseman (username zen-navigation). She bid my opening bid of $99 and won the dress. Although this was a lower dollar amount than I had hoped for, I was happy enough to sell the dress. After all, I had listed the condition of the dress as "good" not "excellent."



Maree Horseman (zen-navigation) took a break from her modeling jobs in Queensland to send immediate payment and I thought all was well. I wrapped the dress carefully in tissue paper and waterproof packaging and dutifully shipped it off the same day to Ipswich, Queensland (I even included a note asking her to please leave feedback and I would do the same).

HERE'S WHERE IT ALL WENT WRONG. More than two weeks after I had shipped the "Flapper Girl" Paganne by Gene Berk dress I still had not received any auction feedback. I was eager to list more auctions on my account, but I was aware that my feedback score on my new Ebay.com.au account was on the low side.

I naïvely thought that if I gave the buyer positive feedback she would do the same. After all, I hadn't heard any complaints from her since she received the dress and it had been a few weeks. I had carefully documented its condition with eleven photos and a long description. Maree Horseman had purchased a very valuable dress at a very low price.

WHAT COULD GO WRONG?

Well, not a day after receiving my positive Ebay auction feedback, my buyer, and part-time model Australian Maree Horseman (zen-navigation on Ebay) had some NEW and UNEXPECTED complaints about the dress that had been in her possession for two whole weeks. She stated that there was staining that had not been described in the auction.

I explained that I had detailed the condition of the dress carefully top to bottom and had described the staining (which was extremely minimal and too subtle to show up in photographs). Maree Horseman said no, it's staining along the hem of the dress.

I explained that 1. The hem of the dress was black so no dark stains that she described would be visible. 2. I had taken photos of both the inside and outside hem of the dress and no staining was visible. The reverse (inside) of the dress was clean and white and the outside was black, as shown in the photos. How could there be staining?

Maree Horseman insisted that that was not the case. As bidder zen-navigation she insisted. THE STAINING WAS A BIG PROBLEM. "THE PAGANNE DRESS WAS NOT AS DESCRIBED!"


Okay, what to do? I told her that I did not agree about the condition of the dress, but that was okay because I would meet her halfway. Although my auction policy stated "no returns" she could return the dress to me for a refund. SURELY THIS PROBLEM WOULD BE SOLVED?

This just shows you the extent of my naiveté. No, returning the dress would not do! The buyer wanted a discount of 20-30% off of my starting bid (keep in mind the same dress, in similar condition, was selling elsewhere online for $345!!!).

"I'm sorry, I do not offer discounts. This dress is a valuable vintage 1970s dress. If it doesn't suit you may I suggest you return it to me for a refund. If that doesn't suit you, please consider that you could resell it yourself on Ebay."

BUT NO, BUYER MAREE HORSEMAN DID NOT WANT A REFUND. SHE DID NOT WANT TO RETURN THE DRESS. She had the dress in her possession; she had my positive feedback; and now that she had lodged a request for return with Ebay.com.au, she had my MONEY on hold.


Numerous emails back and forth with Ebay Australia revealed their policy was as such: The complaint would only be resolved when the buyer closed out the complaint. It was my job as a seller to make her happy....WHATEVER it takes.

Miss Maree Horseman was demanding a partial refund on my Flapper Girl dress auction. She demanded a 30% discount. Ebay would not get involved. Ebay had their funds from the auction listing fees, Paypal fees, and final value fees. Now that they had collected their funds their job was done...and MY funds were put on hold.

This is what your Paypal balance will look like after an auction listing with Maree Horseman as your buyer:




Note, this negative balance doesn't reflect purchases. This is because PayPal is saying I owe the money for my dress auction even though Maree Horseman had it in her possession with no plans to return it!!!!!

Ebay would not go back to my auction to see that my description was accurate and included eleven photos. Ebay did not respond to my statement that the same dress was selling elsewhere online for $345 in similar condition. The fact that I stated to "ask questions beforehand" and had a "no returns" policy was of no consequence.

MS. MAREE HORSEMAN HAD TO BE MADE HAPPY WHATEVER HER DEMAND, REGARDLESS OF HOW UNREASONABLE.

Keep in mind that I operated in good faith as a seller, offering to give her a refund if she returned the dress. The fact that she didn't want a refund, but instead tried to extort a discount, showed that buyer Maree Horseman was not operating in good faith. The fact that she waited until she already had my positive feedback showed that she was attempting to manipulate the auction feedback system in order to bully me into giving a discount.

And then Maree Horseman continued to insist on a discount for the "damaged" dress that she definitely intended to keep (who wants a "damaged, stained dress"???)

Keep in mind that I would still have to pay Ebay their percentage of fees on the FULL sale price of the auction, not on any discounted price, and because I offered free shipping, Maree Horseman's attempt to extort a discount out of me meant that I was further in the hole. In fact I would be out $22 AUD for my efforts to put this rare and highly collectible dress for sale.


Considering that I probably spent 10-12 hours of my time listing this vintage dress auction and then responding to this unjust complaint via messages to this buyer, Ebay, and Paypal, plus phone calls to Ebay, my hourly rate on this auction was probably...wait a minute, I still haven't gotten my take!!!

Ebay has their fees, Maree Horseman has "her" Paganne Flapper Girl dress (which she is not happy with but still wants to keep) and I guess I'll just figure out how to resolve the disagreement because the buyer refuses to return the dress and Ebay refuses to get involved.


RIGHT NOW I DON'T HAVE MY DRESS OR MY MONEY; instead I have a negative PayPal account balance thanks to Maree Horseman's scam as a fraudulent Ebay buyer!

If you see Maree Horseman walking around modelling this beautiful vintage dress, please note that she did not pay for it! She scammed it off of me!!!


http://newestebaybuyerscam.blogspot.com.au/2017/04/learn-about-latest-ebay-buyer-scam.html


I guess I can just eat the return shipping costs as well as the cost to ship the dress to Maree Horseman of Ipswich, Queensland, AUSTRALIA and HOPE the dress is 1. Even returned to me 2. Comes in as good condition as I sent to her. 3. Ebay "allows" me to continue selling after years as a seller with no problems and hundreds of positive feedbacks. #isntthatgrand

Be sure to add buyers like zen-navigation to your blocked bidders list so you aren't scammed like I was:

http://offer.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?BidderBlockLogin



Note to Ebay sellers: If you don't offer free Ebay shipping like I did at least you will only be scammed your payment and return shipping if you get a fraudulent buyer like Maree Horseman bidding on your item.

https://newestebaybuyerscam.wordpress.com/



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