NHS WORKER Colin Monk-Roberts was thrilled when he sold his iPhone 14 Pro for £365 on eBay in October after upgrading to a newer model.
With over 300 positive reviews from other users, Colin, from Swansea in Wales, was no stranger to selling items on eBay and knew how to protect himself from scammers – or so he thought.
He promptly packaged and posted the device off to his buyer in Lancashire via recorded delivery, with a receipt proving the phone was a genuine Apple product.
So, he was baffled when his buyer raised a dispute claiming the phone was a fake.
He didn't bother complaining to Colin or to eBay, but instead went straight to PayPal to claim a refund, which made Colin feel uneasy.
Stranger still, he then posted a fake iPhone back to Colin and claimed that was the device that had originally been sent to him.
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Colin usually had good experiences on eBay, so felt disappointed this buyer was trying to cheat him out his money.
But he wasn't concerned as he knew he was in the right and and the evidence to prove it.
So, he cooperated with eBay and provided the receipt and delivery confirmation he had.
But after weeks and back and forth, eBay sided with the buyer – who had now walked away with a free iPhone while Colin was left out of pocket.
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And eBay said the decision was final so there was no way to take it further.
That's when Colin approached Sun Money to ask for help.
Most of the noise around online scams focuses on buyers being swindled by dodgy sellers. But Colin's case goes to show that sellers are far from safe.
In fact, platforms are often more likely to side with buyers because it has a "money back guarantee", which means if buyer and seller can't reach an agreement after three days, eBay pledges to "get your money back fast".
It can be hard to platforms to know which side is lying in disputes like this, but providing hard evidence that you posted a tracked item and can dig out the receipt, it should foil the bogus claim from the buyer.
When Sun Money contacted eBay, it agreed to review Colin's case again and has now refunded him the full £635.
A spokesperson for eBay said: "We were sorry to hear about Colin's experience, however, we are pleased to confirm that we’ve offered him a full refund, given the unique circumstances of this case.
“We have also taken appropriate action against the buyer."
Colin is over the moon to now have the cash back after months of stress, and just in time for Christmas too.
Our Squeeze Team has now won back £158,108 for readers.
What should I do if my buyer scams me?
If an online buyer tries to claim your item didn't arrive or was damaged or not as described, your best defence is having plenty of evidence and being able to prove your buyer is violating policies.
When you sell an item, take a photo of what was bought on the day it's sold, as well as the day you post it so you can prove it was legitimate and as described on those dates.
It's always a good idea to post expensive items by tracked or recorded delivery, even though it's more expensive – it could save you a lot of money if something goes wrong.
Take a photo of the postage receipt to prove the item was shipped on a certain date and keep note of the tracking information.
Make sure your item description on sites like eBay is always 100% accurate.
It's better to err on the side of caution and describe your item as "good" rather than "excellent" if you're not sure, as buyers can use this description to catch you out if they find a mark.
One thing you can do on eBay is report and leave negative feedback about a bad buyer, which will warn future sellers and sent a report to eBay.
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You can escalate a case to eBay's customer support if you're not happy.
Contact Citizens Advice if you're struggling to get anywhere as they may be able to help you figure out your rights.
You can also join our new Sun Money Facebook group to share stories and tips and engage with the consumer team and other group members.
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