UK Edition
Fraud: eBay buyer lied about Louis Vuitton bag and sent back fake
As a first-time mother, I need extra money – I no longer work as I take care of our baby.
I put several bags and some unwanted items from around the house up for sale on eBay and this went well.
Then I listed a Louis Vuitton Trouville bag for £450 with best offer accepted. Complying with eBay’s listing policy, I took photos of every angle of the bag, showing that it was in excellent condition. The zip ran smoothly and there was no damage to the canvas. I included a detailed description on the details page.
A buyer made an offer of £330, which I accepted because I needed the money to pay the bills for that week.
They wanted to pay through PayPal outside eBay. I didn’t agree to this as I thought I would be best covered if the transaction was dealt with through eBay.
IA, London
You posted the bag through Royal Mail, using the tracked and signed-for service.
The buyer denied receiving it and said the signature shown was not hers. You called eBay, rightly deducing that there was something fishy going on.
eBay said you had nothing to worry about because there was proof that the item had been sent and signed for. It then closed the case the buyer had brought in your favour.
However, the buyer then opened another case and now claimed that something was wrong with the bag – which she suddenly, and contradictorily, had in her possession.
You contacted eBay, which advised you to proceed with the return as you had a return policy in your listing.
When the parcel arrived, you asked the postman to witness you opening it and took several photos.
Instead of your bag there was a fake, used Armani Jeans one. You called eBay and were told that since you had received the bag, eBay would have to close the case in favour of the buyer.
You appealed and uploaded the photos and also provided evidence that the returned parcel had not weighed the same as the one you had sent.
When you rang eBay about it, you report that the agent forgot to mute her phone, so you overheard the person she was talking to suggest she just offer a return of the final value fee, which is 10pc, and tell you that the company couldn’t help you any further.
You contacted the police and Action Fraud, and then came to me.
Further to my involvement, an eBay spokesman said: “We have reviewed this case and concluded that the buyer has defrauded both Ms A and eBay. As a result, we have suspended the buyer and refunded Ms A.”
- Jessica Gorst-Williams tackles consumer problems for Telegraph readers every week. To contact her, click here. If you want to ask a general money question, email moneyexpert@telegraph.co.uk. The best of the answers are included in our weekly newsletter