PSA: eBay Watch Purchase Scam - buyer protection isn't scam proof

[thesingularity7]

I'm hoping this serves as a cautionary tale for those that might accidentally succumb to what I believe are new tactics being used on eBay to scam folks.

I purchased a pre-owned watch about 2 weeks ago from a seller in Sweden with no feedback and a price that seemed very good. It was in the $500-1000 range. My spidey senses told me not to do it, but I succumbed to a moment of low intelligence and decided to do it anyway. I incorrectly assumed that if I were to get cheated, I should be covered by eBay or PayPal's buyer protection mechanisms.

Fast forward two days, the buyer hadn't updated the order with any tracking information. I sent him/her a message, and received no response. I reached out to eBay and indicated that something was fishy here. They reached out to the seller, who promptly updated the order with a UPS tracking number that stated that it had already been delivered (highly unlikely if it was shipped from Sweden right?... well it wasn't).

I checked the UPS tracking number and the proof of delivery showed a very large package (a mirror or a huge poster type of object) on the doorstep of a house that was certainly not my own. And the package was shipped out from somewhere in the US and not Sweden. I reached out to the seller again... no response.

I reached out to UPS who told me that this tracking number belonged to an Amazon order NOT addressed to me. It was an Amazon package that was delivered to someone else in my Zip Code. The UPS fraud team said they couldn't provide me with any further information (such as the name or address the recipient of the package) since it was not associated with me in any way and was against their privacy rules. But they were helpful enough to send me an official email that clearly stated that the tracking number provided to me by the seller was NOT addressed to my name or my address, only a similar Zip Code.

I filed a claim with eBay and provided this information - and I was denied a day later. eBay said that the seller had provided sufficient information indicating that the package was delivered to me, even though I provided the email from UPS, UPS delivery proof photograph showing a different house than my own, doorbell video footage of my own home at the supposed time of delivery, etc. After being denied this claim by eBay, I took the same information to PayPal who similarly denied my claim a day later saying eBay provided them with proof of delivery.

I don't know for certain, but it appears to me that the seller has access to a database of tracking numbers for various Zip Codes and is using these tracking numbers to fake successful deliveries. And it appears that both eBay and PayPal don't really care if you've got your package or not, and all that they're verifying is a delivery made to your zipcode.

I've filed a dispute with my CC/Bank, but given the last two failed attempts I'm not hopeful.

But I hope this helps people avoid making a naive and ignorant decision like I did. So be careful out there, eBay is not your friend even though all the aBlogToWatch and Worn & Wound advertisements may tell you otherwise 😂