TerminalDigit

The eBay SNAD Scam (How To Get Anything For Free Off eBay)

Just got burned by this, so I thought I’d let folks know.

The scam is simple and hinges on 2 key elements:

1. eBay “seller protection” doesn’t protect against this (or much else, for that matter).
2. eBay recently changed its policies to prevent anyone from leaving negative feedback ratings for buyers. Buyers can only be good people. Obviously.

And the scam itself goes like this (from the buyer’s/scammer’s perspective):

1. Buy something from some unfortunate person on eBay.
2. After it arrives, file a dispute stating the item was significantly not as described (SNAD), the seller isn’t working with you to resolve the issue, and ask Customer Support to resolve the case.
3. Wait a few days for Customer Support to decide in your favor. They will always decide in your favor for a SNAD case. They are well-trained monkeys.
4. You’ll get a refund and be asked to ship the item back to the seller. Send them a box of rocks instead; eBay doesn’t care much.

eBay used to be a halfway decent place to sell your stuff, but clearly those days have passed. I’m not a regular seller, and I only got burned for a small-value item (barely worth the time it took to write this post), but the next time I clean out my closet, I’ll take it elsewhere. Honestly, I wonder why anyone still sells there in this environment.