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Abuse of buyer protection by fake private sellers with over 3,000 listings
Summary: bixtron complained about an allegedly private buyer with over 3,000 listings who did not pick up his items and requested a refund. The discussion is about whether the buyer is acting commercially, since such large inventories are usually an indication of that. miriam@ebay, possibly an eBay employee, explained that the review of the case is still pending and that a high number of listings does not automatically indicate commercial activity. perfect-sally criticized eBay's strategy of not consistently treating such cases as commercial. bixtron confirmed that the buyer was operating commercially and expressed frustration with the current outcome of the case.
Hello,
a supposedly private buyer with 3,000 listings online wants his €5 + €8 shipping costs back. The item with age verification could not be delivered and was therefore taken to a branch. The buyer did not pick up the shipment there for almost 2 weeks.
I asked for case 5387818148 to be closed, whereupon I was told to moderate my tone :-) Of course, before that I offered either to resend it at the buyer’s expense or to refund it minus the costs incurred.
I would like this case to be closed immediately. The message history is visible to eBay. Furthermore, I no longer want to see this buyer as a private seller on the platform with item numbers and 3,000 listings. I will report this accordingly and document it.
If eBay decides again that the whole thing is private or even refunds the customer’s money (no matter from where), then I’ll soon be here with 5 private accounts. Enough is enough!
miriam@ebay
Hello @bixtron - regarding your request: the clarification phase is not yet complete, so it is also not yet decided how the case will be resolved. Please wait for that first before assuming that the decision has already been made against you. I have left a corresponding note in the case and expressly referred to the DHL shipment status, according to which the shipment was not collected within the seven-day storage period.
A high number of listings alone also does not automatically mean that someone is acting commercially. Especially with collectors, very large inventories can also be offered privately. The decisive factor is therefore always the overall picture and the individual review of the account.
Best regards
Miriam
bixtron
OP5 days agoHello Miriam,
thanks for the reply.
With changing quantities, a system with item numbers etc., with over 3,000 items and a relevant assortment, this is definitely commercial activity. An audit would be good...
bixtron
OP5 days ago · EditedI could just openly make a private account now and quickly list 4,000 items - is that what I understood correctly? Then I'd just sell my video game collection privately...
perfect-sally
Mentor5 days agoSure, but one of us would immediately get "Post" from ebay and a request to switch the account to business!
perfect-sally
Mentor5 days agoEbay strategy: shut your eyes and push through! If someone has 3000+ listings online and ebay should continue to assume it’s a private sale, like with so many reported users, then ebay must be blind in both eyes.
These considerations about collectors and large inventories are completely baseless!
bixtron
OP5 days agoBy the way, the buyer is actually a business owner/partner. That could be established.. Whether they are actually descended from them now, I don't know, but it does kind of give that impression.
I think it's good that the buyer is now ignoring me and hoping for help from eBay.. I'm curious
bixtron
OPOct 6, 2026 at 11:23 AM · EditedHello,
So, is it correct that you checked the buyer and found that this person is a private seller and that these trucks do not come from the classifieds listings from 2024?
bixtron
OPyesterday at 11:59 AM · EditedSince the seller keeps offering quite vigorously, I'll take that as a "yes".. All right. I'm in the loop, you're in the loop. The specialist department can then be relieved of the supposed search for a solution to my problems over the last 4 months and take care of the important things, like loans for us, for example.
I'm going to go sell for free now.
petersmodellbahnstuebchen
Mentor6 days ago@bixtron
Who are you expecting answers from in this subforum?
bixtron
OP6 days ago · EditedEbay. There are eBay employees active here, who even today have assured that they will take action against sham private sellers. Or has something changed in that regard?
bixtron
OP6 days agoOr what would you do in that situation if you’ve had this happen a dozen times already, eBay only partially accepts the facts, and now you’re once again faced with a choice: let it escalate and go the official route, or submit to this BS about “We’ll refund it as a gesture of goodwill,” after the customer snapped at you even though it was crystal clear it was their fault?
Either way, the case is going to be decided against me again now, I’ll get dinged with a defect and won’t even get the fees back. So I got ripped off three times over.
And then there’s this pseudo-private seller who offers twice as many items as I do - and then gets protected by eBay too - 100% nothing will be done, and if it is, I’ll eat my hat...