Was this a scam?
August 13, 2013 2:17 PM Subscribe
I bought something very cheaply from eBay, but it arrived in amazon packaging with an amazon packing slip with my details and "damaged item return" in several places. It smells like a scam, but how does it work?
The item looked exactly as if it had been dispatched from amazon, and the box was slightly bashed, but not badly.
The eBay listing warned that it wouldn't be dispatched for 2/3 weeks due to the nature of the fulfillment process. But I can't understand how it works or how they benefit.
It cost less than £2 including delivery, but the only listing on amazon sells for over £20. Delivering the product must have cost more than I paid.
The strangest part was the delivery note from amazon with my address, and "damaged item return". Does anyone have any idea what happened or how the scheme works? I feel like someone is being scammed - are they? Who?
The item looked exactly as if it had been dispatched from amazon, and the box was slightly bashed, but not badly.
The eBay listing warned that it wouldn't be dispatched for 2/3 weeks due to the nature of the fulfillment process. But I can't understand how it works or how they benefit.
It cost less than £2 including delivery, but the only listing on amazon sells for over £20. Delivering the product must have cost more than I paid.
The strangest part was the delivery note from amazon with my address, and "damaged item return". Does anyone have any idea what happened or how the scheme works? I feel like someone is being scammed - are they? Who?
I think your eBay seller is (re)selling deep discounted returned goods bought direct from Amazon. You buy from your vendor. They get the cash. They then manually order the product from Amazon direct and get it sent to you.
The scam, if it were to exist, would be in the language used to sell the product - i.e if you think you were buying a never opened box fresh product.
posted by MuffinMan at 2:47 PM on August 13, 2013
The scam, if it were to exist, would be in the language used to sell the product - i.e if you think you were buying a never opened box fresh product.
posted by MuffinMan at 2:47 PM on August 13, 2013
I wonder if they somehow scammed Amazon into shipping the part to you for free, by somehow tricking them into thinking that you're a vendor that Amazon does fulfillment for, and that the seller was returning a damaged shipment to you.
posted by ceribus peribus at 2:48 PM on August 13, 2013
posted by ceribus peribus at 2:48 PM on August 13, 2013
Response by poster: Yes, it was proper amazon packaging (I've ordered far too many things from amazon!). It was dispatched from within the UK and the seller only has 5 feedback ratings in the last 30 days so they aren't a huge eBay business from China etc.
posted by nvsbl at 2:49 PM on August 13, 2013
posted by nvsbl at 2:49 PM on August 13, 2013
Actually, MuffinMan's theory sounds much more plausible than mine.
posted by ceribus peribus at 2:52 PM on August 13, 2013
posted by ceribus peribus at 2:52 PM on August 13, 2013
I suspect MuffinMan's got it right.
phunniemee: "Business card had several different business logos, Amazon among them. Package had not a thing to do with Amazon, I just figure the seller has c&p'd a few real logos to lend them an air of legitimacy."
Anyone can sell anything on Amazon Marketplace.
posted by mkultra at 2:55 PM on August 13, 2013
phunniemee: "Business card had several different business logos, Amazon among them. Package had not a thing to do with Amazon, I just figure the seller has c&p'd a few real logos to lend them an air of legitimacy."
Anyone can sell anything on Amazon Marketplace.
posted by mkultra at 2:55 PM on August 13, 2013
An alternative option for the scam here is that they have a connection to, or are someone who evaluates amazon returns. A friend of a friend had that job and always had HEAPS of random stuff in their basement. It would show up with a pile of slips like that if i remember correctly.
An unscrupulous and stupid person could mark off some of those items as damaged beyond repair and then sell them. The stupid part comes in with being too lazy or clueless to remove the labels and slip before shipping it back out.
So yea, it's distinctly possible it only cost £2 because it cost them £0 in the first place, or possibly even negative money in a double dipping sense since they were getting paid to evaluate the damaged stuff.
I can't explain that it was in a normal amazon box, but the rest of it distinctly reminded me of that.
posted by emptythought at 3:43 PM on August 13, 2013
An unscrupulous and stupid person could mark off some of those items as damaged beyond repair and then sell them. The stupid part comes in with being too lazy or clueless to remove the labels and slip before shipping it back out.
So yea, it's distinctly possible it only cost £2 because it cost them £0 in the first place, or possibly even negative money in a double dipping sense since they were getting paid to evaluate the damaged stuff.
I can't explain that it was in a normal amazon box, but the rest of it distinctly reminded me of that.
posted by emptythought at 3:43 PM on August 13, 2013
It definitely sounds like drop shipping to me.
posted by payoto at 4:02 PM on August 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by payoto at 4:02 PM on August 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
i think i remember reading something on the green recently about someone getting a package shipped to them of a small purchase they had not in fact bought. i can't remember exactly how it worked but i think the person who made the purchase on the recipient's behalf then used their credit card info to buy themselves some really expensive products. it seemed to be a way to get one's credit card info iirc. oh, here is that thread.
posted by wildflower at 4:38 PM on August 13, 2013
posted by wildflower at 4:38 PM on August 13, 2013
So I do know a little bit about Fulfilled by Amazon, where a seller sends all their inventory to amazon to ship on demand. Its possible they're a regular Amazon Marketplace seller that uses FBA and sells their damaged/returned items on eBay. Each item has an individual SKU so it would be easy to keep track of the messed up stuff and list it on eBay.
Or maybe they work at an Amazon warehouse and are stealing the damaged returns, or even getting the damaged stuff for pense on the pound. (Is that a phrase?)
posted by fiercekitten at 6:29 PM on August 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
Or maybe they work at an Amazon warehouse and are stealing the damaged returns, or even getting the damaged stuff for pense on the pound. (Is that a phrase?)
posted by fiercekitten at 6:29 PM on August 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
Another vote for drop shipping/FBA. I work in ecommerce and drop shipping is common, standard practice among all major online retailers.
posted by Librarypt at 7:37 PM on August 13, 2013
posted by Librarypt at 7:37 PM on August 13, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
(When the category of goods you sell is listed on your business card as "Techonloggy Excipment" you can use all the help you can get.)
posted by phunniemee at 2:31 PM on August 13, 2013 [5 favorites]