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This isn't an effective scam. Don't pick up the package and it'll be returned to sender for insufficient postage. You'll open a case for non-receipt and the tra

This isn't an effective scam. Don't pick up the package and it'll be returned to sender for insufficient postage. You'll open a case for non-receipt and the tracking will show that the item was never delivered, so you'll win. The seller obtaining tons of 1-star reviews will soon lose their selling privileges as a result. The scam is thus self-resolving. I was expecting a story about an actual scam that's been going around marketplaces for a while now: you buy something. You're told it shipped and are given a tracking number. The tracking soon (or already) shows the package was delivered, but you never received anything. That's because the seller never sent anything, they bought a tracking number for some other package destined for your zip code for pennies and gave you that. If you open a case, it'll be closed because the seller appears to have proof of delivery. By the time enough people leave 1-star reviews and raise hell with customer service for them to catch on and terminate the seller, they've gotten away with a lot of money.

chevill 5y ago
This happened to my father a couple of years ago and Paypal's incompetent support decided that a tracking number associated with a package addressed to a different person that weighed only a few ounces was evidence that the seller shipped a 10ft antenna to my father. He ended up shutting down a side-business of selling antiques on Ebay because he doesn't trust Paypal to not let a scammer steal hundreds of dollars from him again because they are too stupid or indifferent to read.
- brudgers 5y ago
  eBay and PayPal are no longer part of the same organization.
  - chevill 5y ago
    I don't recall saying that they still were. It happened when paypal was still practically the exclusive payment method on their platform. So probably more than a couple of years ago but the date it happened wasn't important. It was the details of the incident and Paypal's poor reaction to it that are pertinent to this conversation.
indigodaddy 5y ago
Sure, but won’t the majority of people (as I will), just pay the extra postage in order to be done with it and get their item?
- dangrossman 5y ago
  The scam isn't effective even if you do, since it will generate 1-star reviews and chargebacks no matter where the seller goes, so eventually they won't be able to continue scamming more people. They'll be dropped by every marketplace and every payment processor. It's also a lot of work... most ecommerce platforms, marketplaces and shipping services support USPS's Automated Postal Verification system. As soon as the package hits a sort center and is weighed/scanned, the insufficient postage is noted and charged to the sender. If I ship to you through Shopify or Etsy or Pirateship or what have you with insufficient postage, the difference will be charged to my credit card before it reaches your post office, and you'll get your mail as usual. To have the insufficient postage reach the buyer, you have to use stamps or a guest account at the USPS website or something else that doesn't keep your credit card on file to cover the mistake. This isn't a widespread scam, it's self-resolving, and USPS is not actively enabling it.
  - indigodaddy 5y ago
    That’s good and interesting information. Thanks for explaining those details.

chevill 5y ago

This happened to my father a couple of years ago and Paypal's incompetent support decided that a tracking number associated with a package addressed to a different person that weighed only a few ounces was evidence that the seller shipped a 10ft antenna to my father. He ended up shutting down a side-business of selling antiques on Ebay because he doesn't trust Paypal to not let a scammer steal hundreds of dollars from him again because they are too stupid or indifferent to read.

brudgers 5y ago
eBay and PayPal are no longer part of the same organization.
- chevill 5y ago
  I don't recall saying that they still were. It happened when paypal was still practically the exclusive payment method on their platform. So probably more than a couple of years ago but the date it happened wasn't important. It was the details of the incident and Paypal's poor reaction to it that are pertinent to this conversation.

indigodaddy 5y ago

Sure, but won’t the majority of people (as I will), just pay the extra postage in order to be done with it and get their item?

dangrossman 5y ago
The scam isn't effective even if you do, since it will generate 1-star reviews and chargebacks no matter where the seller goes, so eventually they won't be able to continue scamming more people. They'll be dropped by every marketplace and every payment processor. It's also a lot of work... most ecommerce platforms, marketplaces and shipping services support USPS's Automated Postal Verification system. As soon as the package hits a sort center and is weighed/scanned, the insufficient postage is noted and charged to the sender. If I ship to you through Shopify or Etsy or Pirateship or what have you with insufficient postage, the difference will be charged to my credit card before it reaches your post office, and you'll get your mail as usual. To have the insufficient postage reach the buyer, you have to use stamps or a guest account at the USPS website or something else that doesn't keep your credit card on file to cover the mistake. This isn't a widespread scam, it's self-resolving, and USPS is not actively enabling it.
- indigodaddy 5y ago
  That’s good and interesting information. Thanks for explaining those details.