Home › Forums › Customer Issues › New loophole for buyers to get free items – using multiple guest ids
Tagged: combined shipping
- This topic has 17 replies, 10 voices, and was last updated 3 years, 8 months ago by
Liz.
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12/30/2017 at 3:52 pm #29552
Just had an experience with a new ebay scam, and Ebay Anchor Support refuses to help me!
A buyer purchased 2 items from me within minutes minutes of each over a month ago, one with a guest id with 0 feedback, the other with a feedback score of less than 10. Since I saw that the address was the same, I popped the items into the same envelope and shipped them off. They arrived within less than a week to the buyer.
There is a glitch in the Ebay system that does not allow for the same tracking # to be used when multiple ids buy items. I was only able to upload the tracking for the first item purchased. When I tried to input the second item’s tracking #, it said that the tracking # was used for another transaction, and it would not allow for the second tracking # to be used.
A week ago, the buyer left a negative feedback and opened a case for 1 of the items claiming that it was not received. This was for the second transaction without the tracking #. There was no claim for the transaction that allowed for a tracking #.
I just got off the phone with Ebay Anchor Support and was told that they could not do anything for me because I did not have a tracking # associated with the order. When I told the rep. that it was the same tracking # as the first, the rep. repeatedly stated that there was nothing they could do since there was no tracking #. When I advised the rep. that I tried to put in the same tracking # for the second item purchased, he stated that their system does not allow for the same tracking # to be used for multiple purchasing ids.
When told that the policy for 2 different ids is buried in their knowledge base documentation, I asked for a specific link within Ebay policy stating that Ebay requests 2 different tracking #s for 2 different ids to the same address. He was not able to provide one. He stated that it was a unique situation and that I should’ve called Ebay for clarification prior to shipping.
I will admit that since I routinely ship out multiple item orders to buyers nearly everyday on Ebay, I took it for granted that I would be able to upload the same tracking # for 2 different ids going to the same address. This is not even a unique situation for my store; I have had buyers purchase multiple items from me using multiple guest ids in the past and combined them before with no problems. I just never had someone take the actual additional step of scamming me; most people are honest and have not tried to scam in such a way before. So, to an extent, yes, I was foolhardy in trusting someone to not deliberately lie and scam to get a free item.
BUT I did a search while on the phone through Ebay’s help documentation to see if this was an official policy on their part; it’s not in their documentation anywhere that 2 different ids require 2 different tracking #s, let alone when they go the same place. The rep. made it sound as if it should’ve been intuitive on my part to just ship it in 2 different packages to the same buyer, but if it is not in their own internal help, how are you supposed to know?
So, I will now be out the item, the money for the item, and am stuck with a negative feedback for doing exactly what I do everyday. Ugh.
TLDR; buyers can scam sellers by purchasing 2 or more items using multiple guest ids going to the same address if the seller combines all of the items into 1 package and can’t provide tracking for each additional package within Ebay’s tracking system. Only the first tracking # placed into Ebay’s system for the first id will take in Ebay’s system. Ebay’s system only allows for 1 guest id to use 1 tracking #. Buyer loses all of Ebay’s seller protection for all additional items purchased on subsequent guest ids combined into the same package. Do not do what I have done. 🙁
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12/30/2017 at 4:20 pm #29553
Anonymous
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Why would anyone person legitimately use two eBay ID’s to buy two things minutes apart anyway?
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12/30/2017 at 5:25 pm #29554
Are you saying the name and address were the same for both purchases? Are you sure it wasn’t some type of forwarding company, possibly dealing with overseas buyers?
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12/30/2017 at 6:13 pm #29557
The name, address and email address were the same for both buyers. The only thing that was different were the buyer ids; they used 2 different buyer ids to buy 2 similar items to be shipped to the same address within minutes of each other.
It was an individual buyer, not a forwarding service.
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12/30/2017 at 5:59 pm #29555
In the future, I would only combine items for a single buyer ID. If a buyer uses two ID’s, then the items get shipped separately.
I dont think this is a glitch. According to eBay, you sold items to two different people, but shipped them in the same box. That’s confusing.
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12/30/2017 at 6:17 pm #29558
Yep. It was a costly mistake – for my feedback. I will definitely just ship as many separate packages as I need to in the future.
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12/30/2017 at 6:32 pm #29559
I wouldn’t beat yourself us. There was a logic to your shipping and you tried to do the customer a favor by combine shipping. But different ID’s are considered different buyers according to eBay. This will most likely never change.
Also, this is a vey rare case. I’ve never heard of a buyer using two ID’s to buy from the same seller.
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12/30/2017 at 7:27 pm #29561
question: did they have the same paypal email address when paying? could that be an argument with ebay? just curious. but yeah, that does suck and thanks for sharing so none of us make the same mistake!
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12/30/2017 at 7:54 pm #29562
That is a very good idea. I’ll contact Paypal when their refund goes through on Ebay’s end and will update this thread with the results. With the way the rep was talking, I don’t think Ebay is going to budge, unfortunately. Maybe Paypal will see it differently?
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12/30/2017 at 8:20 pm #29565
This is definitely a learning opportunity for all of us. Thank you for sharing your experience.
When dealing with PayPal, I would offer to see if they can share with you if the same payment method (credit card) is used for each username. In addition, I would offer that you remain really calm and state only the facts instead of any opinion of the facts. This may help create a smooth follow through.
On another note, I was told by an ebay rep that how you handle negative comments can be an important part of the ebay seller feedback process and overall reputation. On that note, it might be good for you to follow-up on the negative comment with a professional final comment so the buyer’s comment does not linger as representative of you and how you conduct your business. If it would be of benefit to you, would you be willing to share what the buyer’s comment was so we might be able to assist you with a final comment?
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12/30/2017 at 10:06 pm #29566
Thanks for posting this. Sometimes I explain to buyers who contact me after checkout asking me to combine shipping (using one ID) that I can’t do it because you can only insure your label for the purchase price of the item you’re printing from. That leaves the second item uninsured. I do offer to cancel and relist so they can checkout again, but most don’t want to bother with it.
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12/31/2017 at 9:10 am #29568
I just had this happen. Two transactions of similar items same buyer buy with 2 different acct. numbers. I put both items in the same package to ship. I couldn’t combine the shipping and couldn’t figure out why, I actually voided two shipping labels. When I tried to put the tracking # into the other item it told me that this number was already in use. Ugh! I called Ebay. I explained the problem and they saw that it was the same buyer, same address but different id numbers. They tried to combine them but couldn’t. The Ebay rep. put me on hold and spoke to someone else. He came back on and made a notation on the item that I couldn’t input the new tracking number into. Under the sold listing it has the correct tracking number for the item highlighted. He also had me email the buyer too explain what I had done (combined the packages bought) and send them the tracking number.
My packages just went out Thursday so we’ll see if I have any problems with this buyer.
I think that when you see the same buyer’s name and the same address for that buyer you just assume that it’s the same account number. I know I did!-
12/31/2017 at 10:48 am #29578
It sounds like Ebay doesn’t have an actual official policy prohibiting combined shipping for multiple ids if they allowed you to do so. The rep. on the phone told me that there is absolutely no way they would allow anyone to combine 2 items into 1 shipment for 2 different ids. He said that if I had called when this had happened, they would have told me that it is not possible.
It sounds like I might need to call back and state my case again to another associate. The policy should not be this flexible from one seller to another. It should be do this 100% of the time, not okay, we’ll make an exception just this one time.
I would not trust what the rep. told you to do in this case. If the buyer comes back and says he didn’t receive it, they will be on his side. You’ve lost your seller protection in this case, even with the email to the buyer since you can’t upload the tracking # with the second purchase. Hopefully what you shipped wasn’t too expensive, and hopefully Ebay will keep their word with you if things head south with this one.
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This reply was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by
almasty.
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This reply was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by
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12/31/2017 at 12:06 pm #29580
I would offer that regardless of what a rep says, when it comes right down to it, if an item can not be scanned and tracked there is no guarantee it will be “received” by the buyer. I think that if a problem arises and a buyer denies receiving an item, ebay will only support that which can be documented and tracked. I do not think ebay will spend much time (if any time at all) backing up a seller if the customer did not request combined shipping and if the buyer denies receiving an unscanned item. Most likely, ebay will put it on you the seller to resolve the issue and will probably consider it “the cost of doing business”.
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This reply was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by
AdventureE.
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This reply was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by
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01/01/2018 at 1:45 pm #29627
I don’t doubt what happened to the OP, but when I hear cases like this my first question is “How did the buyer figure this out”? This situation seems like a loophole that the buyer found by accident (perhaps they were a seller before), and they tried it out to see if the loophole worked.
If the item was high value I wouldn’t have combined shipping, since the two separate ID’s raises suspicion, but if the item was $50 or under I wouldn’t waste much time on it.
In the past (and currently) there were/are groups/websites that would list ways to get “Free products” via scams or other less than ethical means on websites like ebay & Amazon, so if this is a legit “Scam” we’re going to be seeing more of this.
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01/01/2018 at 4:22 pm #29639
Here is an update:
The case had not gone through to Ebay to decide on yet when I initially wrote this post. It was close to them stepping in and deciding in her favor. After Ebay declined to help, I returned to advising the customer that the item was shipped and delivered. She stated that it wasn’t. As to not be accusatory, I did not initially state that she was the same buyer that had purchased the first item that I had shipped to her and that she had received. I just plainly repeated that the book was delivered, here is the tracking information.
After she stated again that she had not received the item, I finally wrote to her last night, “okay, your book shipped with another book you purchased a few minutes before that with a different guest id. They were in the same shipping package. They went to the same address.”
I received no response from her. Instead, in the middle of the night, she just closed the case and the item payment went off of Paypal hold in Paypal and back into my account.
I called anchor support AGAIN just now and told them, “hey, she closed the case for this item. She has acknowledged that she has received if it she did so, right?” and the rep. agreed with me, checked tracking for the item that I had put in the case, saw that it was delivered to her city and zip code, and removed the feedback since the feedback stated “I did not receive this item.”
This whole transaction was over 2 books worth less than $15 apiece. So not worth it. Feedback is back up to 100% again. I blocked both of her guest ids, but that’s not to say she won’t create a new guest id to purchase from me again. Guest ids are the perfect way to get around blocks.
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01/01/2018 at 5:22 pm #29646
From what Ive read, this doesnt sound like a scam or a buyer with bad intentions. Sounds like someone who didnt want to make a permanent eBay account so they bought a book using a Guest ID. After they checked out, they saw another one of your books and bought it with a new Guest ID. Since you mailed them both in one package, she might not have expected that and was confused. You set her straight and she closed the case in your favor. Her only fault was giving you a negative feedback too quickly.
As many of us seem to agree, the answer is to simple ship all items separately if bought with different ID’s. No combined shipping even if going to the same person and place. That would have solved this situation.
Personally, Im glad eBay allows people to buy items through Guest ID’s. It lowers the buy for people to purchase.
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01/01/2018 at 6:47 pm #29657
This would be a very inefficient “scam”. Guest id’s have to pay immediately. So they’d be paying upfront, in hopes that you see they are the same person, hope that you ship the items together rather than individually, and then later they can file a claim as “not received”. Hmmm…
Ebay gives you the option to combine shipping under one tracking number for the same user id. It will say something like “You have transactions eligible for combined shipping”, (I don’t remember the exact verbiage). If the transactions are 2 different ids, it won’t let you combine the shipping (which should be a tip off that something is off).
There are lots of reasons why items going to the same address and same name may be bought with different ids, and not because someone is ripping you off: a reshipper, family members with the same name that live in the same house, people with a business account and a personal account that need to keep transactions separate for accounting reasons, etc.
Also, if you are combining transactions, you can absolutely insure both items under one tracking number, for the full value of both items. They just have to be combined into one shipment through ebay.
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