North Carolina resident Jamie Blue thought she was saving a few dollars when she bought an above-ground pool on eBay for $600. She received a notification telling her that the pool had been delivered, but she never received it. “When I reached out to the merchant, they provided a tracking number and said it was supposedly delivered that night,” said Blue. “I knew something was wrong at that point.” She disputed the charge with her credit card company but didn’t win, since the seller was able to show proof of delivery. Blue then reached out to her local post office and found out the package had been delivered to the wrong address, and that it weighed only two pounds. “There was no way that was an above-ground pool with the filter, ladder and all,” said Blue. She then disputed the charge with eBay, but despite her findings from the post office, the company denied her request for a refund. Because she contacted her credit card company first, eBay said they had to back out. Once the credit card company closed its case, eBay sent Blue a refund for the pool she never received. Further investigation revealed that the seller sent a fake, worthless package to the wrong address in order to provide a tracking number. Other eBay customers have reported buying items and finding out delivery was made to the wrong address. The U.S. Postal Service has confirmed that they see this type of scam all the time from eBay purchases. They stress that tracking numbers can’t confirm delivery to the receiver because it never reveals personal information such as the recipient's name or address. If you are the victim of this type of eBay scam, there’s little you can do. Most victims say they have simply stopped using eBay.
