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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;-jeffB, post: 2565437, member: 27832&quot;]I just got a surprise -- a bad one, at first blush, but now I&#039;m not so sure.</p><p><br /></p><p>I &quot;won&quot; two slabbed double eagles a week or so ago, at a total cost of a bit over $3K. A US seller who&#039;d listed a fair amount of Egyptian coinage and a few $1000 notes listed a single auction with six slabbed double eagles, took it down, and then started listing the same coins individually. One or two of them went before I could get to them, I bought two, and the rest went fairly quickly -- the last one took a few hours more.</p><p><br /></p><p>When I received the package, it was a padded envelope containing a folded newspaper, and nothing else. Sigh -- not entirely surprising, but eBay&#039;s got my back via Buyer Protection.</p><p><br /></p><p>When I went to open a case, I couldn&#039;t find a way to do it other than as &quot;request a return&quot;, which I did. As expected, I got no response from the seller in the specified timeframe.</p><p><br /></p><p>I called eBay tonight, explained the situation, and was transferred to their &quot;high-value claims&quot; department. That&#039;s new; previously, I&#039;ve gone through the normal channels, even for claims close to $10K.</p><p><br /></p><p>The high-value claims person was efficient and personable, and explained that I would need to <b>file a police report</b> before they could proceed with the refund process.</p><p><br /></p><p>I was taken aback by this. Previously, BP had covered me with little effort on my part. It&#039;s not too far to my nearest police station, but it&#039;s a time-consuming extra step, and an annoyance. I asked if this was standard now for high-value claims, and the rep said it&#039;s <b>actually a requirement now for ALL empty-box claims</b>, even down to $25.</p><p><br /></p><p>As I thought about it, I simmered down a bit. I&#039;ve wondered often what&#039;s to protect a <i>seller</i> from buyers who order an item, receive it, then claim that they didn&#039;t. This introduces a degree of friction into that kind of scam -- doesn&#039;t <i>prevent</i> it, I think, but raises the stakes and stress for low-lifes who would want to take advantage of the system.</p><p><br /></p><p>So, I guess I&#039;ll get to visit the local constabulary, and try to explain to them why they should care about my mail-order woes. I&#039;m annoyed that I have to do this, but it <i>does</i> make me a little more willing to consider <i>selling</i> similar stuff there.</p><p><br /></p><p>Anybody else run into this? I&#039;m wondering how new the policy is...[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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