I want to sell my video camera, and it seemed like the easiest thing to do was put it on Amazon’s marketplace. The “going rate” for my particular camera seems to be all over the place, so I gave it a reasonable price that would leave me content with the payout after Amazon’s hefty commission.
However, I’ve read about some buyers abusing Amazon’s return policy, claiming the merchandise is defective, and returning it in worse condition, or swapping it out for a defective version of the same item.
My thought was, I could take a bunch of pictures that show the cosmetic condition and operation of the camera on the day I ship it out, maybe even with that day’s newspaper in the shot, to prove I didn’t forge the photo headers. But then, if the buyer does indeed pull a scam, who do I appeal to? Amazon seems to have no information about this on their seller page.
There isn’t a perfect, magical solution. But you can take sensible precautions.
Get some evidence that the item works as advertised, with something signed and dated by witnesses who aren’t related to you and who don’t stand to make any personal profit or gain by backing you up. And/or get it checked by your local video camera + accessories store and get something in writing.
Make your Amazon ad really clear and honest. If there are any little faults or bits of wear and tear, say so. Be clear, be fair. Write the ad the way you would want it if you were on the buying end of the deal. Take a number of detailed, good-quality photos for your own reference.
Get the money in your account first, and wait as long as you reasonably can before shipping (while being fair to the buyer) so your bank can see if the payment is genuine and authorised. As opposed to where you send the goods promptly and a few days later the banks gets in touch to say ‘Yeah, that payment, turns out it was on someone else’s account and isn’t authorised, so we’ve deducted it from your account’.
Use a postal or courier service where you obtain proof of posting AND some sort of tracking service. Factor this cost into what you charge the buyer.
Exercise some healthy cautious discretion when deciding who to send the goods to and where. If someone gives their full name and home address, and you can check it’s a real person and a real address, and you talk to them briefly on the phone just to say ‘Hi’ and say the goods are on their way, these are good signs. If ‘Mr. 01’ gets in touch from a hotmail account, and the address is an anonymous unit on an industrial estate somewhere in Nigeria, not so good. I exaggerate, but you get the gist.
Amazon’s Marketplace does not give a Seller notice of the sale until they process the payment. The funds do not get disbursed to the seller’s account (from Amazon) until the seller confirms shipment to the address provided by Amazon.
The biggest scam attempted on Amazon for expensive items is the fake Sale Confirmation, where the thief sends an official-looking email instructing the Seller to ship to (insert country name here, usually begins with an N and ends with “igeria”). This can be avoided by only shipping once an order notice is seen on your Amazon Seller’s page, under the Manage Your Orders section. That is the only place Amazon will provide a Seller with a Buyer’s shipping address.
Less often, a thief will claim non-receipt of the item, or claim damage in shipping, or just try to return a different item than was sent. A Seller can dispute these (and signature confirmation is a great help to prove something was received) but if it comes down to a ‘he said/ she said’ argument, Amazon will rule for the Buyer.
Buyers are the ones who pay the rent, and Amazon wil rather lose a small Seller than turn off a Buyer.
BUT, most people are honest, and there are thousands of sales done through Amazon’s Marketplace every day that have no problem or conflict attached to them at all.
Thanks for the tips. The person who inquired about my return policy (thus prompting this thread) ended up buying it, so here’s hoping she keeps the camera and loves it.
I’ll admit, I did some light Googlestalking and found that she may in fact be a real, Non-Nigerian person, so I’m optimistic.
Well, I should have trusted my gut. The person now wants to return the camera, saying there are screws missing, and a rattle when recording. I know this is BS, because I carefully inspected the camera before shipping it. I took pictures from every angle.
Suppose I get the camera back and it has a different serial number. Can I just refuse to refund? Should I tell the person that I’m incredulous, or just tell them to ship it back?
I KNEW I should have trusted my gut. I’m so upset.
I think the only way you’ll really be 100% sure you won’t get ripped off is sell on Craigslist, to a local only for cash. Meet the person in a public place. He/she can look over the camera and give you cash on the spot.
I have been scammed before and Amazon is great for a buyer. This is why I always buy with a credit card or paypal funded through a credit card so I can dispute the charge.
Things like signature required are meaningless for the most part since I’ve had things delievered to my house with a signature that wasn’t mine and I never received. I think the delivery agent just scribbles something and keeps it or throws it in the mailroom.
The aboslute worst is Fed Ex delievered that uses USPS to deliver it to the addressee. I’ve had three things go missing that way. In each case I got my money back. Something’s obviously up with that way of delivery.