Returning a counterfeit ebay buy

You now realize sending it back was the wrong thing to do?

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

terrible, my uncle got a few crap ones this way

 

That's why you have to stick to your guns with ebay and counterfeits. If the seller gets it back, it'll be sold again, and the next buyer may not be educated enough, or humble enough to admit he was snookered.

 

I find it absurd and actually quite scary that a buyer would ever be allowed to keep anything just by claiming it's counterfeit. Just one more reason to never saw raw coins there

 

Somehow, I don't doubt at all you find it absurd despite the buyer's burden requiring proving it. Yes, it can be abused just like anything else.

Further, despite your assertion ebay is neither the world's largest fence or black market, CF's of all genres of merchandise and federal felony altered VIN items, plus much more are sold there in wholesale mass daily with ebay absolutely being immune from any civil or criminal culpability.

But again, their deal did not provide them immunity from Postal Fraud.

 

In my case it was more than just a "claim". I presented photographic and documentary evidence that, as in the case of the coin I bought, no 1877 Trade Dollar would have a type 1 reverse. It was pretty clear cut and indisputable. For what it's worth, the seller accepted my argument without comment, I sent the coin back and I got a full refund.

 

Easy lay and your sending it back did nothing to stop charlatans on ebay.

 

Indeed. Perhaps those saying what a wonderful thing it is should spend some time digging out another Trade thread in which the buyer, particularly after one of the forum's self-proclaimed "experts" weighed in, was contemplating trying to keep a perfectly genuine example due not to any actual evidence of it being fake, but to his own personal paranoia and refusal to pay for verification. Perhaps, if they placed themselves into said seller's shoes.... well, who am I kidding.

 

There is not a 100% correct answer to the problem. In some cases it would be wrong to keep the coin. It's always possible the seller did not know it was counterfeit and he could return the coin to where he bought it from.
It's sometimes hard to know who the bad guy really is.

 

I'm going to laugh my keyster off the first time one of you poor confused persons get made an example of and are charged with postal fraud along with real culprits.

Accessory to, direct fraud or whatever. If you know it is CF, it is a federal crime to even mail it across your county via the USPS, much less across state lines which can rack up additional charges.

 

That's perfectly reasonable to me. You and the seller came to a mutually acceptable agreement and nothing wrong with that at all. In the cases of a disagreement I would hope that notion from PCGS or NGC would at least be required before a buyer was allowed to keep anything, the potential for abuse is just to high without a significant burden of proof.

 

Those are the exact cases I was thinking of. It's one thing for someone to return something they aren't sure about or eBay to force a return, but to want to keep something because they aren't sure and are unwilling to have it graded it to find out puts sellers at unnecessary risk

 

It isn't a black market in the first place, every site like that has had people that abuse it, and even if you wanted to call it a "black market" their are far far larger markets in the world that deal almost exclusively with counterfeit items. It wouldn't even be the largest website for that

 

It is the only one that cut a deal to have express immunity for facilitating the sales of CF and altered/stolen merch in a quid pro quo hands-off and roll-over deal. Overtly in plain view and 365-24-7.

 

I returned the "coin" simply to return things to their original state - him with a product and me with my money. It wasn't mine to keep since my money was returned. FWIW, I did offer him the option of me keeping the item and him refunding all but $5 of the payment but he declined that offer.

 

The system is pretty nice. I've been on both sides of the fence with an issue and they really did protect the parties involved in both instances.

As seller- I had someone instantly file a complaint saying I mailed them an empty envelope (sealed bubble mailer with packing around the 2x2?) rather than contacting me first. I had 100% positive feedback and they left the only negative (and bogus) feedback, so I called eBay right away. In under 5 minutes they wiped the bad feedback off and my funds were available from the sale.

As buyer- I purchased a WWII N African emergency SC that looked different than the listing photo once it arrived. The photo had been doctored so I contacted the seller, initiated the return process and mailed it back certified so they had to sign for it. My money was back in PayPal the same day tracking showed it's arrival back with the seller.

Even if the seller says they'll pay for the shipping back I go certified because the couple extra dollars out of pocket is way less than the peace of mind obtained. Because of the buyer and seller protection eBay offers I feel better going in on the more expensive items because if there is an issue and I didn't overlook a "no returns" policy I'm golden.

 

Arguably if you know it's counterfeit and you send it back to him or her you're breaking the law...

 

Are you talking about counterfeited current coin and currency or for all counterfeited items including demonetized? It's my understanding that, IF convicted, the mail fraud is just an add on. You would have to be charged with a degree of counterfeiting first, which in this case I don't see that happening. You're talking about being charged with accessory to counterfeiting by returning a counterfeited item to the seller? That's being a smart consumer whether it goes back on the market or not. Logically that would make eBay more of an accessory than the purchaser. Good luck getting the shackles on them.

 

Absolutely any CF anything. eBay will never require you to return an item for a refund you prove is CF. Why would the USPS IG or Secret Service advise not to mail back an item known to be CF? Because it is a crime to do so.

 

Interesting, think of all the body-bagged coins returned by TPGs...