Had a similar problem when I sold my iPhone 3G 2 weeks prior to the iPhone 4 being released/on sale - the guy said it was water damaged (it'd never seen water!) funnily enough he said that was the problem 2 days after the iPhone 4 was in store. eBay held the funds for a bit and it took a while to them to finally release them (after a phone call) as it was clear the guy was lying. eBay is bad for all this!
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Sold iPhone on eBay & Buyer says its faulty. Accepting the return
- Thread starter bobbytallant
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The big problem is that if he sends you a phone that won't turn on, then you cannot verify the serial nor the IMEI number in order to prove it isn't yours unless you take it to get repaired - therefore you're out another 100 pounds.
Anyone know how to verify that information if the phone won't turn on?
Yeah this is an obvious concern for me. As I say, the sim tray could contain a serial code. Hopefully there will be some reaction when it is plugged in to itunes (although this seems a long shot).
Can anyone confirm the back of the iphone 3G is just standard (is the information on the bottom of the back unique to each iphone?)? I didn't think it was.
The iphone also had minor cosmetic imperfections of course which would be the first sign - these features will tell me it is the same casing at least.
All this would still be unhelpful if say the guy unpacked it, dropped it in water or something and claimed it came like that lol.
I'll update this thread tomorrow anyway with what comes for those that are interested.
TinyUmbrella. You can obtain the following information by simply plugging your phone in;
Model #
Firmware version
Baseband version
ECID
IMEI
Serial number
I had a similar eBay experience over the summer as well.
I sold my iPhone to a guy in Houston, TX. A week after confirming with UPS that it was delivered, the guy emailed me saying he had not received it. I communicated back saying that I see UPS delivered it and that he should have it. He took a week to respond and then said the phone was "broken" but would not go into any specifics. I emailed immediately and asked how it was broken. This time 2 weeks go by, and then he emails and says it's actually broken, but would not place a call. He claimed he would dial and it didn't work. He proceeded to open a case on me, which I lost because PayPal/eBay always sides with the buyers. He claimed I never communicated, that it was defective, blah blah.
I was pretty upset, called eBay and basically told I had to accept the return and refund. I could then go through some other process if the guy tried to swap out the phone or scam me. Once I received the phone back, I inspected it and saw that it was in fact the same phone I shipped, with NO DAMAGE. I turned it on, put in a SIM card and immediately made a working phone call. Everything seemed perfect so I figured the guy was just an idiot and didn't put in a SIM card. Then I proceeded to tap around to see what the guy did with the phone. I saw he changed the background image, moved around apps, etc... then I got to the call logs and saw that not only did the buyer get the phone to work, but he logged "2 Days, 12 Hours" of call time!!!
I was pissed! I ended up having to refund the jackass and was able to re-sell it for actually more the next time.
Anyway, that's my story... hope things work out for you and you don't get scammed. eBay needs to do more to protect sellers from stuff like this happening.
I sold my iPhone to a guy in Houston, TX. A week after confirming with UPS that it was delivered, the guy emailed me saying he had not received it. I communicated back saying that I see UPS delivered it and that he should have it. He took a week to respond and then said the phone was "broken" but would not go into any specifics. I emailed immediately and asked how it was broken. This time 2 weeks go by, and then he emails and says it's actually broken, but would not place a call. He claimed he would dial and it didn't work. He proceeded to open a case on me, which I lost because PayPal/eBay always sides with the buyers. He claimed I never communicated, that it was defective, blah blah.
I was pretty upset, called eBay and basically told I had to accept the return and refund. I could then go through some other process if the guy tried to swap out the phone or scam me. Once I received the phone back, I inspected it and saw that it was in fact the same phone I shipped, with NO DAMAGE. I turned it on, put in a SIM card and immediately made a working phone call. Everything seemed perfect so I figured the guy was just an idiot and didn't put in a SIM card. Then I proceeded to tap around to see what the guy did with the phone. I saw he changed the background image, moved around apps, etc... then I got to the call logs and saw that not only did the buyer get the phone to work, but he logged "2 Days, 12 Hours" of call time!!!
I was pissed! I ended up having to refund the jackass and was able to re-sell it for actually more the next time.
Anyway, that's my story... hope things work out for you and you don't get scammed. eBay needs to do more to protect sellers from stuff like this happening.
Yeah thanks for the story! Its crazy what some buyers think they can get away with.
I have thought for some time ebay could do something with the fact that phones have unique serial numbers and imei numbers. Like there could be a verification process before selling an item - with them being checked against imei blacklists at the same time. The phone having to be photographed ON with the serial and imei numbers showing - perhaps incorporating the ebay app for the iphone.
I dunno - I'm sure somebody very clever over at ebay could implement a system that incorporates some of this...
As a powerseller and top rated seller, eBay will be more likely to side with you, since you have a good reputation. If the OP is a paypal advantage member, you also get special support, which I've had a great experience with.
Before I sell any iphone on eBay, I will open it up and put marks inside of it, on the underside of the EMI shields. The buyer won't notice this if he opens it, and he likely wont recognize them. Another alternative is to put hologram warranty stickers on the board, which can't be transferred to the bad board.
Please keep in mind, the buyer may not be shipping to his own address if he intended to scam you. It's a common practice for scammers to have packages shipped to a neighbor that isn't home during the daytime.
A good way to tell if it's you're iphone or not is to look at the chrome ring on the headphone jack. The chrome ring on 3g iphones is brittle, and worn very easily. With excessive use, it will dull and chip, if your iphone wasn't heavily used, and his was, then the chrome ring will show it. Most people forget to transfer it when swapping the back housing for a new one.
Also, verify the S/N on the SIM slot with the S/N printed on the circuit board. The S/N on the circuit board is still on a removable EMI shield, but usually most people don't know about it. Check for fingerprints inside the phone on ALL metal surfaces.
It's the black sticker on the right top emi shield. http://blogs.pcworld.com/staffblog/archives/ifixit-iphone-3g-teardown.jpg
Go to ifixit for disassembly information. You'll need any suction cup to disassemble the phone, I used the one from my sirius radio car dock a couple times.
Before I sell any iphone on eBay, I will open it up and put marks inside of it, on the underside of the EMI shields. The buyer won't notice this if he opens it, and he likely wont recognize them. Another alternative is to put hologram warranty stickers on the board, which can't be transferred to the bad board.
Please keep in mind, the buyer may not be shipping to his own address if he intended to scam you. It's a common practice for scammers to have packages shipped to a neighbor that isn't home during the daytime.
A good way to tell if it's you're iphone or not is to look at the chrome ring on the headphone jack. The chrome ring on 3g iphones is brittle, and worn very easily. With excessive use, it will dull and chip, if your iphone wasn't heavily used, and his was, then the chrome ring will show it. Most people forget to transfer it when swapping the back housing for a new one.
Also, verify the S/N on the SIM slot with the S/N printed on the circuit board. The S/N on the circuit board is still on a removable EMI shield, but usually most people don't know about it. Check for fingerprints inside the phone on ALL metal surfaces.
It's the black sticker on the right top emi shield. http://blogs.pcworld.com/staffblog/archives/ifixit-iphone-3g-teardown.jpg
Go to ifixit for disassembly information. You'll need any suction cup to disassemble the phone, I used the one from my sirius radio car dock a couple times.
I think you need to wait and see what comes back. All of the protection is for eBay as they can never loose. I have had over 500 sales and all went well but it can happen at any time.
I have canceled bids and blocked users with poor feedback to them and when they give too much poor feedback! Just too many questions can give me the creeps and I will bad them.
I have canceled bids and blocked users with poor feedback to them and when they give too much poor feedback! Just too many questions can give me the creeps and I will bad them.
Thats some good info thanks. Yes hopefully my other feedback will be taken into consideration.
I still think even if you put stickers on the phone you are selling, or photograph the phone showing the serial number/imei number as I did etc - you would know that it is not the phone returned...
...BUT...
...ebay do not KNOW that you sent this particular phone that had stickers on, or the phone you received back from the buyer was not the phone you sent.
Ultimately it is going to be my word against there's I think. Hopefully the context of the sale (again the feedback I have, the item, the value, the fact that I know the system and know as a seller I could not get away with sending a broken phone to a buyer etc etc.) will be considered.
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Yeah Ive done the same in the past but this guy popped up in the last 10 seconds of the auction. Just my luck ey!
This story of the OP is scaring me. I have been planning on selling my iPhone 4 on eBay ever since I bought it so I can use the funds to buy the next gen iPhone. I've only got 24 feedbacks and am worried I'm gonna be some magnet for scammers. You're a Powerseller and this is happening to you, and I'm probably gonna get some dodgy buyer buying my iPhone. It still has the warranty and is factory unlocked, so I'm hoping to get some decent pay. ( (One a side note, funnily enough, I'm currently also doing a Law degree 
)
I will definately be taking the precautions the OP has taken (taking pics of serial no etc etc). Not sure whether I should go as far as filming myself pack the phone ready for despatch.
If you have the original receipt of your iPhone, it may also be supporting evidence? (If you purchased from Apple directly online, you can view your purchase history and I am sure it shows the iPhone's serial number to support your claim that that was the iPhone sold)
Please keep us updated bobbytallant and hope everything goes well.
)I will definately be taking the precautions the OP has taken (taking pics of serial no etc etc). Not sure whether I should go as far as filming myself pack the phone ready for despatch.
If you have the original receipt of your iPhone, it may also be supporting evidence? (If you purchased from Apple directly online, you can view your purchase history and I am sure it shows the iPhone's serial number to support your claim that that was the iPhone sold)
Please keep us updated bobbytallant and hope everything goes well.
@Hustler1337
While this issue with the OP is somewhat common, it doesn't happen all the time
I've sold several 3G's on eBay without any issue so it's really hit or miss unfortunately. It shouldn't deter you from selling on there though. The only bad thing (aside from the OP's situation) are the fees for selling your phone. eBay rapes you on the fees so be aware of that. They essentially double dip with both their eBay and PayPal fees. I lost around $25-$30 in fees for each phone I sold. Real bummer IMO.
BUT, you should at least try and be careful when doing so. What I found helps cut down on the scammer emails is stating in your description that you won't do any international shipping. Whenever you get emails from scammers, they're pretty obvious almost LOL funny at times. I had one scammer email me stating he wanted to buy the phone for his niece "Amber". He kept putting the name in parenthesis for some odd reason. He also wanted me to send the phone to some place in Nigeria but he wasn't sure what address I LOL'd at that email.
Give it a shot but just be very detailed in your description and post lots of pics. It helps.
While this issue with the OP is somewhat common, it doesn't happen all the time
I've sold several 3G's on eBay without any issue so it's really hit or miss unfortunately. It shouldn't deter you from selling on there though. The only bad thing (aside from the OP's situation) are the fees for selling your phone. eBay rapes you on the fees so be aware of that. They essentially double dip with both their eBay and PayPal fees. I lost around $25-$30 in fees for each phone I sold. Real bummer IMO.
BUT, you should at least try and be careful when doing so. What I found helps cut down on the scammer emails is stating in your description that you won't do any international shipping. Whenever you get emails from scammers, they're pretty obvious almost LOL funny at times. I had one scammer email me stating he wanted to buy the phone for his niece "Amber". He kept putting the name in parenthesis for some odd reason. He also wanted me to send the phone to some place in Nigeria
but he wasn't sure what address I LOL'd at that email.Give it a shot but just be very detailed in your description and post lots of pics. It helps.
ebay (= paypal) is becoming a real worry. I read today that chargebacks can be made 120 days after the auction. Three months of worry then for possible usage for that time and then a refund! Who would use this company? We must be mad!
no I think you're thinking about Craig's List..ebay is actually a very safe and secure means of shopping online
to avoid being scammed provide an accurate description of the product, don't embelish the condition and CLEARLY state your refund policy...the devil is in the details
Yep always good advice but obviously this does not prevent somebody potentially buying from you, claiming the item is faulty and returning a different, already broken item to you.
If somebody can tell me a way to safeguard against this going forward, they are a genius!
Was your phone unlocked/jailbroken when you sent it?
I ask, because, I have seen people attempting to unlock/jb their iPhones and they make a hash of it and get stuck in a loop, where the Apple logo appears, but thats all the phone does.
I wonder if the guy has attempted to unlock/jb the phone and didn't really know what he was doing and this is the end result....basically, saying the phone doesn't work, when it's his fault all the time for trying to unlock/jb it.
The good think is, if this is what has happened, you can usually sort this out with a bit of perseverance, but doesn't help re your sale.
Good luck!
I ask, because, I have seen people attempting to unlock/jb their iPhones and they make a hash of it and get stuck in a loop, where the Apple logo appears, but thats all the phone does.
I wonder if the guy has attempted to unlock/jb the phone and didn't really know what he was doing and this is the end result....basically, saying the phone doesn't work, when it's his fault all the time for trying to unlock/jb it.
The good think is, if this is what has happened, you can usually sort this out with a bit of perseverance, but doesn't help re your sale.
Good luck!
OP, also another word of advice. Sell everything AS IS from now on, and make sure you put in big red text "No bidders with XX feedback or less". My primary sales on eBay are high value items that exceed $300 most of the time, and I've done nearly 500 sales, and I am VERY picky about who I let bid on my items.
My terms are: No returns, No zero feedback buyers, no international shipping, no echecks (due to fraud), and buyers need a verified paypal address & bank accounts.
I've been scammed all of 1 time (crosses fingers) nearly 2 years ago. eBay actually sided with me that time, and I got my friend who works at USPS to intercept the package and send it back to me (after filling out a package recall form).
Every time I get a buyer with 0 feedback, I will block their payment, and I will open a cancel transaction case (if they decline, you're screwed however). If the buyer does not respond or pay, I will open an unpaid item case. If for any reason, the buyer declines the cancel transaction case, then you need to call eBay and tell them the buyer violated your terms of sale, they'll manually issue a (one time) final vale fee credit.
Also, If you ship an item over $250 without seller protection, then you'll need to require a signature for seller protection.
My terms are: No returns, No zero feedback buyers, no international shipping, no echecks (due to fraud), and buyers need a verified paypal address & bank accounts.
I've been scammed all of 1 time (crosses fingers) nearly 2 years ago. eBay actually sided with me that time, and I got my friend who works at USPS to intercept the package and send it back to me (after filling out a package recall form).
Every time I get a buyer with 0 feedback, I will block their payment, and I will open a cancel transaction case (if they decline, you're screwed however). If the buyer does not respond or pay, I will open an unpaid item case. If for any reason, the buyer declines the cancel transaction case, then you need to call eBay and tell them the buyer violated your terms of sale, they'll manually issue a (one time) final vale fee credit.
Also, If you ship an item over $250 without seller protection, then you'll need to require a signature for seller protection.
All is not lost!!!!
Do you have the PC/Mac you used to use to sync and back up that phone with?
If yes do the following
1) Open iTunes
2) iTunes - Preferences - Devices
3) Hover your mouse over the back up you completed on that device and it will show both a serial and IMEI number.
4) Compare these with the details of the phone he returns to you.
Do you have the PC/Mac you used to use to sync and back up that phone with?
If yes do the following
1) Open iTunes
2) iTunes - Preferences - Devices
3) Hover your mouse over the back up you completed on that device and it will show both a serial and IMEI number.
4) Compare these with the details of the phone he returns to you.
Cheers for that - yeah I don't think so I thought this only happened when the baseband was already on that iPad baseband a few months ago and people tried to restore their iphones and then got stuck in the loop.
Just looking at the picture I took of the iphone's About screen again and the baseband is on 05.15.04 so pretty sure this was not it (I think it was 06.15.00 right?).
Nice effort though I wish it was just that - what this guy is describing sounds like a hardware issue to me...
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Thanks. Yeah as I say, I already have all that information already (photo'd the About screen on settings in the iPhone)... But yeah I guess thats another way to retrieve this information.
Yeah that's good advice again. I do have seller preferences which prevents buyers with lower than 5 on their feedback, international buyers etc, from bidding on my items.
Unfortunately it is impossible to detect everyone who may be out there with the wrong intentions - seller preferences do help though definitely recommended.
The only thing I have to say about eBay/PayPal is that it's one big scam. If you have the legal knowledge and resources, pursue the individual buyer of fraud, extortion, defamation of character, libel, etc.
A lot of time I just feel like telling people, "I have your name and address arsehole, I'm see you in *$%#ing court you slimy piece of #$@%!".
eBay's a company, they'll leave anyone in the dust if it means they can (and will) keep the fees incurred by transactions that go through their site.
The company has a total disregard for any logical, legal process, or ethics.
A lot of time I just feel like telling people, "I have your name and address arsehole, I'm see you in *$%#ing court you slimy piece of #$@%!".
eBay's a company, they'll leave anyone in the dust if it means they can (and will) keep the fees incurred by transactions that go through their site.
The company has a total disregard for any logical, legal process, or ethics.
While videotaping yourself opening the returned item sounds like a good idea, it isn't proof. If I were the buyer, how would I know that you didn't already open the box, swap the phone, tape it back up and THEN start filming?
I've been using ebay since 1997 and have never been scammed as a buyer or seller. My advice...
Wait. You have the original IMEI and other identifying information. Don't anticipate trouble until/if it actually happens. Because let's face it, even if the IMEI matches what you sent out, you have no way of knowing if the buyer swapped parts or failed in an attempt to modify the phone and simply claims it arrived defective.
Excellent advice.
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slightly OT, but i had a similar problem with an xbox 360!
it was near mint, never had a problem with it. sold it on ebay.
about 2-3 days later, i got an ebay message saying the 360 had the rrod!
i knew it was working but the 360 was delicate at the time so could it of been damaged in transit?
anyway i told them i will accept a return at there cost, but please ensure you send me back the one i despatched to you
i have recorded the serial number, mac address etc! if one of those is different on the 360 i will report it to the police!!
so, literally an hour after sending that message to them. i got a response which went along the lines of "oh its ok it as just started to work. sorry to hassle you"
so from it having the 3 red lights it, to me messaging them my response the xbox magically starting working again lol
and i got positive feedback a couple of minutes after that message!
anyway back on topic
did you mention to they guy that you had got all the details of the phone, serial etc
if he was trying it on that might of put him off
it was near mint, never had a problem with it. sold it on ebay.
about 2-3 days later, i got an ebay message saying the 360 had the rrod!
i knew it was working but the 360 was delicate at the time so could it of been damaged in transit?
anyway i told them i will accept a return at there cost, but please ensure you send me back the one i despatched to you
i have recorded the serial number, mac address etc! if one of those is different on the 360 i will report it to the police!!
so, literally an hour after sending that message to them. i got a response which went along the lines of "oh its ok it as just started to work. sorry to hassle you"
so from it having the 3 red lights it, to me messaging them my response the xbox magically starting working again lol
and i got positive feedback a couple of minutes after that message!
anyway back on topic
did you mention to they guy that you had got all the details of the phone, serial etc
if he was trying it on that might of put him off
I have been selling on ebay for about 8 years and I can tell you that ebay is almost always on the buyers side. Every time I sell an expensive item, I'm always nervous but mostly it has been fine. There are always scammers who prey on sellers because they know how ebay works. I'm glad you wrote down the serial number. If you find out that it has been swapped, my advice to you is to get his number and call him and tell him that you recorded the serial number and that you will be calling the police and suing him. That will scare him and he might think twice. I have a friend who did that and it worked.