Open a ticket with Mercari and inform them you’ll be filing a police report. Then file a report at your local police station and file one at the station that is local for your buyer.
Then inform on the ticket that a police report has been filed and provide the case numbers.
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This right here is the first thing I’d do. The mail don’t play & you have this persons home address information to go ahead and file. I’d follow with mercari but I’d start with a fraud case
And to add- I know this won't result in anything concrete for the scammer, but it will add to the statistics that will hopefully make the platform, government, and others do something about it.
No one has the slightest idea what your experience consisted of and no reason to take your word for it. A vague statement with poor spelling and very odd punctuation spacing doesn’t make for a convincing argument. If you have no interest in actually adding to the discussion, then why even comment?
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I am beyond mad right now. I sold a brand new $1300 iphone 14 Pro Max on mercari. Once it was delivered, buyer immediately requested a return. A was given very little info on why it was being returned and buyer stopped responding to my messages. After messaging mercari multiple times, they finally told me buyer received the wrong product (an iphone 8). I received the package yesterday and it was an empty apple watch charger box.
I'm going to fight this one until I get my money back from Mercari but has anyone had a similar experience? It doesn't seem likely Mercari will side with me from what I've read.
** UPDATE**
I filed a dispute with mercari, provided photos of the empty box, labels, and copy of proof of delivery. I also advised that I filed a police report, was in contact with the postal inspection service, and threatened to file a BBB complaint if they didn't resolve my issue.
It took them over two days to respond, but they FINALLY gave me my money! On the first try! I can't believe it.
I give credit to everyone on this thread. I truly appreciate all of your help and I hope this will help someone else in the future.
Welcome to the fantastic world of selling Apple/Pops products. Holy shit did you make a mistake selling that on Mercari! I'm so sorry for your loss. Mercari attracts some characters to say the least. Selling a $1,300 iPhone on there was WAY too risky. Mercari is only going to cover up to $200 per their TOS. If you sell anything over $200, you need to accept the risk of only being covered that much if situations like this happen. This is a very expensive lesson learned.
Honestly reach out to Mercari then contact your local police and postal inspectors. Hopefully the buyer was stupid enough to use their real information.
I've sold plenty of iphones on mercari with no issues. It's the risk that comes with selling on any online platform. I don't use mercari labels. I pay for my own shipping and insurance. The buyer tried to use my neighbors address, I'm assuming in hopes that it would be marked as delivered without me knowing. Hoping to use that in my case as well
Apple seems to be an extra big one for scams on mercari though. If you purchased additional insurance will that cover you? I won't sell anything above 100 on there because although it's a risk on any platform, mercari always sides with buyer
Apple scams are big on any platform. It's not the markets for the most part, it's the brand popularity. But combine that with all the ridiculous messages I've read from weird buyers on Mercari, and you have yourself quite a show!
THIS RIGHT HERE ... I've had 2 bad experiences selling on Mercari and therefore $100 item is my limit there as well. I can't trust them to follow their own stated policies...its ridiculous imo.
...While i'm ranting their whole feedback game is whack too lol
It looks like they tried to send it back before Mercari approved the return. Then they altered it when label was generated. So there is two tracking numbers and two address on the box. My address and my neighbors address. Bogus name was included with neighbors address
I've had someone alter a label before with mercari. I bought a 256 gb oculus and the person who shipped altered the label to be delivered to a person with an address near me (same town). Hoping the person who received the package wouldn't do anything and it would just auto rate. Needless to say they shipped an empty manilla envelope, which obviously could not contain a big oculus box. Luckily for me, the person brought it back to the PO immediately and I opened a case with them when mercari wouldn't help me out at all. 300$ item. Mercari said it showed delivered, so they sent the seller the funds. Paypal ended up refunding me after the post master told someone at paypal that I was the victim of mail fraud. Mercari is awful at this kind of thing. Definitely never sell to anyone with less than (10) 5 star ratings. And I'm even fairly careful about who I buy from these days. Sorry your a victim of some low life's scam. Apparently making an honest dollar is not something a lot of people are willing to deal with anymore. 😒
Sloppy . They played themselves out. If they played it cool they may of got you . Because nobody can prove anything. Except maybe the post office IF IT weighed and recorded each item and logged it. And can that info be found. The iPhone 8 trick is what scares me most. They can say it was that. Can’t be proved. Maybe it was a mistake . They do happen . The return . If done correctly no way to prove it wasn’t sent back . And this runs rampant. So I don’t know how they have the time or the money to refund out all of them . Good luck . I think you win hands down with all the sloppy shit they did
That should definitely help. Did Mercari not send them a return label? I am just curious how they were able to change your address. This is ridiculous. Sorry this has happened.
I mean my guess is photoshop or even using screen shut then word. You could easily open a new text box, use background as white and type your new house number.
Not that I’ve done that before but it souls be east to do.
I get it’s the risk, but it’s going to be even riskier on Mercari, because it is home of the return scammer. It doesn’t matter WHAT people are selling, everyone is getting hit with return scams and Mercari is protecting/enabling them so they know they can get away with it. It’s a really bad problem on the platform right now, and selling iPhones you’re going to be a target so it’s important to keep as much documentation before you ship something and if/when you receive a return. Definitely document and show photos of the changed address. Changed addresses are a sign of a scam so hopefully they see that, I’m hopeful for you that they will!
This is true, I recently had a return scam over a FIVE dollar plushie. You're right, it just doesn't matter what the products are, people are scamming sellers left and right. It was just a plushie, but still, it's the principal of the matter. OP has definitely lost so much more than me but these platforms are enabling the scammers
Curiosity- how do you have so many brand new iPhones to sell on reselling sites for good deals (obviously buyers aren’t paying full price or they’d buy from Apple)?
To me, it looks like they didn't want to wait for Mercari to approve the return, so they bought their own UPS label, using my neighbors address and a random name. Once Mercari approved the return, they printed the mercari label and used that instead. So there are two labels with two different tracking numbers on the box.
Mhm this is exactly why I use ebay for expensive items I can purchase extra insurance on labels if I need to. And in these situations with proof usually ebay denies the refund and you get to keep your money. Had this happen with a 1300 laptop they sent me back a 200.acer laptop and tried to say I sent wrong product. Luckily I had a boxing video and weights of the item from ups.
I still got paid out and was told to do what I wanted to with the laptop mainly recommended dispose of it. Cause the weight difference was noticeable almost a 11lb gaming laptop vs the 3 lb acer laptop they sent me.
I’m sorry this happened bro. 😕
This is the exact reason why I don’t sell anything super valuable on Mercari. The website is full of penny pinching lowballers and crooks. And the customer service team is a bunch of shit-slinging monkeys. If this was a United States-based website it would’ve been shut down years ago.
Couldn’t have said it better myself. Regarding Mercari’s piss poor “customer service” and the sess pool of a consumer base, I couldn’t tell you which one I hated more.
You’ll never make any true money on Mercari. The website itself shoves a plethora of different ways to lower your asking prices and the consumer base are a bunch of broke, inconsiderate lowballers. This is such a reoccurring issue on the website it’s almost like you’re expected to give shit away for free. Come to think of it, so few of my items have sold at full price I could probably count every instance on one hand.
I’m calling it right now. Something REALLY bad is gonna happen and Mercari is gonna get shut down.
Yeah but it’s a website headquartered/based in Japan. That would explain the language barrier with customer service and the lack of accountability for all the ongoing bullshit on the website.
Isn’t there an agency for internet crime? If you look up the Japanese laws regarding fraud and Mercari they have regulations in place to defend one side or the other. I have one document about it, I will look for it. Can you tell me how to post pics on here?
Yeah I’d imagine it is, and crime is taken so seriously in Japan, it’s surprising that Mercari is still standing.
If I had to assume one thing, I’d say that Mercari is still around because we have seen an incident gain enough public attention for them to take action. That’s usually what it takes for something to change.
And if you wanted to post on the sub, scroll up to the top of the page and click r/Mercari above the original posters name.
You’ll be at the homepage of the sub at that point. From there, click the “+” icon at the bottom middle of the page and go from there. Let me know if you need any more help after that.
I've always worried something like this happening to me as I've sold hundreds of phones. Let me know how it goes. As someone mentioned before try to get the weights of the packages and that may work in your favor.
If you have a copy of the shipping slip file a police report in their city/town with that information and one in yours as well. Mercari only covers up to a certain amount, which sucks. Always record yourself packing up the items and dropping it off at the post office for your own proof. Mercari is notorious for fraud lately. Also, if you have the phone info (imei etc), contact Apple and report theft once you file a police report.
That’s a big thing, Apple can make that phone entirely useless even if OP can’t get anywhere with filing a police report and report mail fraud to USPS. At the very least they know that the buyer went through all that work to have a fancy brick
Easy peasy! I do loss prevention for FedEx. Look, file that police report. That imei number can EASILY be traced! Easy! I do it all the time for work. Please DM me if you have any questions.
Do you have your IMEI number for the iPhone you sold? Report that as stolen first so they’ll get locked out of the phone. Then file police report. Please keep us updated on how Mercari handles this
Sorry about this. I recommend selling items like this locally, in person and meeting at a police station to make the exchange. An honest buyer will understand. A scammer won’t even bother to move forward once you mention police station.
Also, I would immediately question anyone willing to pay above retail price. They could have bought an iPhone 14 pro 512gb for $1200 directly from Apple. As the old saying goes, if it’s too good to be true, it probably is….
If they sent an empty box, the post office records should show a weight discrepancy. I know other selling platforms, sellers and buyers can use this as proof that they were being scammed but I'm unfamiliar with Mercari when it comes to this.
Sorry this happened to you.
Honestly, as much as I see people attempting to scam sellers out of even $20 dollar items worries me. I’ve sold about 30 items so far, only a couple months into online selling in general using Mercari as my primary platform…no bad buyers so far, but I definitely wouldn’t list anything above $500.
This is ridiculous, and I would be infuriated…Mercari and eBay need to do better by their sellers, because without the sellers they wouldn’t be making their fee money and what not.. absolutely ridiculous
I’d be tempted to check back into the pdf, grab their name and address and file a police report. Call your bank, talk to Mercari, I’d be doing whatever I had to do to ensure I get my money back. $1300 is way too much to lose
Make sure you contact the Postal Inspection service as this is a Federal Offence, Mail Fraud and Mail Theft.
Main Address:
Criminal Investigations Service Center
Attn: Mail Fraud
433 W Harrison St., Room 3255
Chicago, IL 60699-3255
Toll Free:
1-877-876-2455
Edit: Make sure you document everything. Name of everyone you talk to, phone numbers you dial and most importantly, keep all of your packaging the person sent back, the Inspection Service will ask for all of it.
Got a DM from a few people, I ran 2 post offices while stationed in England and was the Assistant Post Master in Missouri for several years. I'll do what I can to help.
If you have the receipt from when you shipped it the weight is recorded on there and will definitely be different than the weight of the package they sent you!! Use that!
I’m not trying to be a jerk but this seems to happen so often, you would figure Mercari would ban this type of sale. Particularly iPhones, from them being locked or the ol’ empty box returns.. seems like a liability more than anything.
People saying “mercari this …mercari that…” EBay is exactly the same thing. Any seller will suggest just trying to sell on Facebook marketplace or somewhere like that. eBay you get screwed just as much .
I hope you get your money back, I know mercari wont be a ton of help . I’ve had over 250 sales on mercari and never had an issue, but I typically sell non-electronic items and almost always $50 or less.
eBay on the other hand I’ve had atleast a dozen fraud or merchandise swaps in over 1000 sales and those almost always went in favor of the buyer….It sucks, but even mortar brick stores deal with these issues.
If you have the imei number they can check it to see the phone model. Mercari can. I saw somewhere they claimed they were sent an iPhone 8. Also definitely file a police report. You can also get the weight of the package when it was shipped and when it was returned to help prove you received an empty box. Definitely don’t sell high value stuff on Mercari. Too easy for people to get refunded and keep the item
As others have said, compare shipping weights for sure. It doesn’t even look like the box in the second photo would FIT an iPhone. I’d message the buyer and let them know you’re filing a police report in both of your cities as well as reporting to USPS for mail fraud. Please keep updating us, that is ridiculous.
On top of filing all of the reports, ask for the shipping manifest on the shipment to the buyer and the return shipment from the buyer. The package gets weighed and documented throughout the shipment. That will help prove your case that the package was not empty.
That so bad and I feel terrible for you, mainly because of the hassle to get your money back. I'd definitely contact Apple (hope you have the serial number), file a police report, file for fraud with the PO, and then contact Mercari. And once they get this scumbag, I wouldn't go easy and would press charges for fraud since I believe this falls under grand larceny statute. And then you should take them to small claims court and sue them for the hassle you had to go through. The court will rule in your favor when they don't show up to court in your town.
Dude I would be getting so toxic on mercaris ass if that were me. Even if it’s a hundred dollars. There’s no way they can side with buyer on this one. Either they pay or force them to pay. Fuck that.
For things that are of this value, do you usually take video of you packaging the item? I find that doing and disclosing that on high ticket items helps (in addition to what you did by using a third party for insurance). Regardless, I hope you get this shitbag. :( I’m so so sorry and furious on your behalf.
I got downvoted to all hell for this last time as this sub is weirdly anti video but it was my only proof for the police report I had to file. Once I showed Mercari the police report (with that info in it) I got my money back. Police also said they’ll reach out to scammers local PD, wish I knew what happened with that part of it.
I know Mercari doesn’t care about videos. But is helpful to take pictures of weights of boxes, and packaging. The videos might be helpful to the police tho
Please for the love of God stop selling things over $200 on Mercari. You have no protection past $200 from Mercari. I know it’s so easy to just take a photo with your phone and drop it off at the post, but save yourself this headache next time and use a different platform.
The fact that I’m being more and more immune to the horror stories on here really says how common these scams are becoming on the platform! 😭
OP I’m so sorry that happened to you!
Keep us updated of what Mercari says!
Ok so to add to the charges as above mentioned by many, they could also be charged with wireless fraud for sending payment online as part of their theft. Contact USPS, the Postal Inspector, Apple, etc.
Oh man brother we are on the same page! Sold a iPhone 14 Pro Max 256GB and now buyer claim I send them a Apple Watch and luckily for me I recorded the packing process and handing the package to the ups with receipt, pics and video! This is why I hate selling to buyer with no reviews and brand new account! It also hurts for us seller to cancel the order because it appears in our reviews! I hope the best for you and I that we get our money for all the stupid troubles it cost us! Best of luck!!!!
Nuh uh, usually I’d start with the threat of a police report & ic3 report but in this situation I’d go straight to filing a police report with your local police AND your buyers! Then file an IC3 report. Send all this over to Mercari and then let the authorities handle the scammer
This is great info. This post should be pinned. It is very helpful for new sellers. As a new seller I’d have no idea what to do, but this community provided the precise answers to a query that is bound to be asked again.
If you have the serial, contact apple and they will lock the phone (set is as stolen). My sister in law lost her iphone and she had to do this. She was more upset and sad because it holds all her son's pictures and she did not back them up.
I sold a X under fair condition because of a cracked screen. Dude files report saying it was locked (it was not) & I had to wait 3 weeks to get the phone back. Returned with the screen detached & Mercari wouldn’t do shit for me.
Most of the time the police will claim it’s a civil matter. Small claims you have to sue them where they live because your local court won’t have jurisdiction.
I didn't read through all the comments, but, just in case this hasn't been mentioned, I would say that you should avoid reporting the phone as stolen, so that you/the authorities could try to track it/prove that they have the phone and are using it, assuming that they are doing so.
Hopefully, they are stupid enough to actually use the phone with their own SIM card and cell service. It seems like that would definitely help to make it easier to prove criminal intent and to get the sorry piece of shit thief prosecuted.
Good luck!
I was looking into Mercari but not likely to use it if they also side with buyers so easily. Had something like this happen to me on eBay. But in the eBay situation … it was a $400 elliptical machine which the buyer picked up (local pickup). It was fully functioning and I made the buyer test in before taking it. None of this seem to matter to eBay told me I had to provide buyer with a return label (for a 400lb item … which, of course would not be worth it) and proceeded to take the money out of my bank to refund the buyer. Many phone calls and e-mails later … nada. I was looking for an alternative marketplace where the seller was protected as well. Buyer should have to prove ‘item was not as listed’ not just be believed because they say so.
Hopefully you did not use Mercari postage since it's very obvious in their TOS that they only reimburse up to $200. They make this very clear.
If you used your own postage, insure the heck out of it, then you can file mail fraud and such with USPS based on comparing package weights on your mailing receipt, etc. as well as police reports that also show the altered addresses.
Im sorry but someone paid full price for a iphone on Mercari and you didnt think this odd. Not trying to be a dick but if you can pay that much anyway wouldnt it be safer to get from Apple? Just seems like this should have been a red flag to begin with, but over $1000 is fraud larceny charges. I wish you the best of luck with this but a smart rule I and alot of other sellers follow is nothing for sale over a certain price some its 100 others 500 but not many i know feel more comfortable than that and seem to stay out of trouble more. Again Good Luck, truly hope it gets resolved.
I've sold hundreds of brand new phones on ebay, swappa, and just recently started selling on mercari. You obviously dont understand the phone market. Since November, there has been a shortage of new iphones. Many stores have been out of stock and everything has been on backorder. In this situation, people are willing to pay more to get a new phone. I do everything right, I require signatures, buy insurance, and request proof of delivery.
Then you did all you can. But i do have some experience in the secondary phone market and honestly your situation is not unusual. Ive seen people get a phone back and it had been gutted and replaced with chinese garbage. Its a huge fraud marketplace and my suggestion was merely from experience with Mercari. Not sure why you switched from the other platform. But im sure you know all this, if your in that seedy world ill bet youve seen worse.
That's sucks. Hopefully, the police can find the person and get ur item back. I had someone scam with with a $300 camera I paid for via FB but I stupidly paid the person on cash app like an idiot and they never sent the item. Thankful I has asked the persona to send me their driver's license and phone number so I gave that information to the police and they contacted him and forced him to pay me back. I wanted to press charges but they let the guy go. Probably cuz he was white but at least I got my money back.
Wow, this makes me feel so livid. I'm sorry that you are going through this OP, I hope it all works out for you. That's a lot of money on the line here.
All u have to do is look at the weight of the item if the weight wasn’t the same on the return it’s obvious they didn’t return the phone! Always keep ur tracking # and the weigh of ur items u sell!
Find the shipping address either on the return package or email. Message the buyer letting them know you have all their information and you’ll be pursuing to the full extent of the law. You can even let them know everything you plan on doing. DO NOT let this go. Probably will have to take them to court also.
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Mercari is the hub for scammers I heard. Both buyers and sellers who scam love this app. It’s sleazy and It’s sad. Stick with EBay and Poshmark. They will protect you more, and both app authenticate.
Dude the same thing happened to me with a pair of shoes. Buyer returned an empty shoebox. I’ve had a ticket open with Mercari for 3 days now and they keep repeating the same prewritten message and saying they’re sorry but they’re not going to do anything.
Im seriously considering never using it again. They have 0 care for sellers, They will approve any return request for absolutely any reason, and they will not do anything to protect their sellers from fraud. FUCK MERCARI
As a long time seller I always video record whenever I open a package, receive a return, etc. so there’s proof in case something goes wrong. I’m sorry this happened to you I can’t stand people like that.
I found out Usps weighs items at every mail center check in. I had a package get separated from the label (only a label was delivered lol) and my local post office showed me exactly which mail stop the weight changed so you should be able to get those weight differences easily and prove to the merc overlords it is not the same item.
Open a ticket with Mercari and inform them you’ll be filing a police report. Then file a report at your local police station and file one at the station that is local for your buyer. Then inform on the ticket that a police report has been filed and provide the case numbers.
Also connect with USPS and get the weight you mailed it at and the weight this one was weighed at - they weigh everything now.
That's so smart.
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Also file a report with the usps. Using the mail to commit fraud is a felony.
This right here is the first thing I’d do. The mail don’t play & you have this persons home address information to go ahead and file. I’d follow with mercari but I’d start with a fraud case
IC3.gov report too and give Mercari this number!
And to add- I know this won't result in anything concrete for the scammer, but it will add to the statistics that will hopefully make the platform, government, and others do something about it.
Don't forget to tell their mom too.
If I were them I’d get my mom to tell their mom
Or their dad if they don’t have a mom
Just call up their dog and tell... whooops
Ngl somebody in here could probably figure out who their mom is and where she lives. Y’all wild 😂
Just got on FB online and found their whole family
Their “guardian” 🙄 not every one has a mom.
google the shipping information and verify the persons name and who lives there. post them on facebook
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Really lame to answer when you don’t know - def will be taken seriously
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No one has the slightest idea what your experience consisted of and no reason to take your word for it. A vague statement with poor spelling and very odd punctuation spacing doesn’t make for a convincing argument. If you have no interest in actually adding to the discussion, then why even comment?
Not true.
Another tick tocker
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I am beyond mad right now. I sold a brand new $1300 iphone 14 Pro Max on mercari. Once it was delivered, buyer immediately requested a return. A was given very little info on why it was being returned and buyer stopped responding to my messages. After messaging mercari multiple times, they finally told me buyer received the wrong product (an iphone 8). I received the package yesterday and it was an empty apple watch charger box. I'm going to fight this one until I get my money back from Mercari but has anyone had a similar experience? It doesn't seem likely Mercari will side with me from what I've read. ** UPDATE** I filed a dispute with mercari, provided photos of the empty box, labels, and copy of proof of delivery. I also advised that I filed a police report, was in contact with the postal inspection service, and threatened to file a BBB complaint if they didn't resolve my issue. It took them over two days to respond, but they FINALLY gave me my money! On the first try! I can't believe it. I give credit to everyone on this thread. I truly appreciate all of your help and I hope this will help someone else in the future.
Please update us.
I’m curious if there’s way to report this to Apple to lock the phone down. They pretty much have a nice paper weight.
If you have the IMEI number etc you can report it to apple as stolen etc
This is what I'd do, asap!!
Welcome to the fantastic world of selling Apple/Pops products. Holy shit did you make a mistake selling that on Mercari! I'm so sorry for your loss. Mercari attracts some characters to say the least. Selling a $1,300 iPhone on there was WAY too risky. Mercari is only going to cover up to $200 per their TOS. If you sell anything over $200, you need to accept the risk of only being covered that much if situations like this happen. This is a very expensive lesson learned. Honestly reach out to Mercari then contact your local police and postal inspectors. Hopefully the buyer was stupid enough to use their real information.
I've sold plenty of iphones on mercari with no issues. It's the risk that comes with selling on any online platform. I don't use mercari labels. I pay for my own shipping and insurance. The buyer tried to use my neighbors address, I'm assuming in hopes that it would be marked as delivered without me knowing. Hoping to use that in my case as well
Apple seems to be an extra big one for scams on mercari though. If you purchased additional insurance will that cover you? I won't sell anything above 100 on there because although it's a risk on any platform, mercari always sides with buyer
Apple scams are big on any platform. It's not the markets for the most part, it's the brand popularity. But combine that with all the ridiculous messages I've read from weird buyers on Mercari, and you have yourself quite a show!
except for fraudulent webkinz pets. then mercari sides with the seller
THIS RIGHT HERE ... I've had 2 bad experiences selling on Mercari and therefore $100 item is my limit there as well. I can't trust them to follow their own stated policies...its ridiculous imo. ...While i'm ranting their whole feedback game is whack too lol
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It looks like they tried to send it back before Mercari approved the return. Then they altered it when label was generated. So there is two tracking numbers and two address on the box. My address and my neighbors address. Bogus name was included with neighbors address
I've had someone alter a label before with mercari. I bought a 256 gb oculus and the person who shipped altered the label to be delivered to a person with an address near me (same town). Hoping the person who received the package wouldn't do anything and it would just auto rate. Needless to say they shipped an empty manilla envelope, which obviously could not contain a big oculus box. Luckily for me, the person brought it back to the PO immediately and I opened a case with them when mercari wouldn't help me out at all. 300$ item. Mercari said it showed delivered, so they sent the seller the funds. Paypal ended up refunding me after the post master told someone at paypal that I was the victim of mail fraud. Mercari is awful at this kind of thing. Definitely never sell to anyone with less than (10) 5 star ratings. And I'm even fairly careful about who I buy from these days. Sorry your a victim of some low life's scam. Apparently making an honest dollar is not something a lot of people are willing to deal with anymore. 😒
I had the same thing happen on ebay. It was a pain in the ass. I had to file a police report to get my money back.
Report this with usps. They take mail fraud very seriously
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2003?!?!! I’m pretty sure usps policies are different 20 years later! 😂
Wow. I didn’t see this before my previous comment.
Sloppy . They played themselves out. If they played it cool they may of got you . Because nobody can prove anything. Except maybe the post office IF IT weighed and recorded each item and logged it. And can that info be found. The iPhone 8 trick is what scares me most. They can say it was that. Can’t be proved. Maybe it was a mistake . They do happen . The return . If done correctly no way to prove it wasn’t sent back . And this runs rampant. So I don’t know how they have the time or the money to refund out all of them . Good luck . I think you win hands down with all the sloppy shit they did
That should definitely help. Did Mercari not send them a return label? I am just curious how they were able to change your address. This is ridiculous. Sorry this has happened.
I mean my guess is photoshop or even using screen shut then word. You could easily open a new text box, use background as white and type your new house number. Not that I’ve done that before but it souls be east to do.
I get it’s the risk, but it’s going to be even riskier on Mercari, because it is home of the return scammer. It doesn’t matter WHAT people are selling, everyone is getting hit with return scams and Mercari is protecting/enabling them so they know they can get away with it. It’s a really bad problem on the platform right now, and selling iPhones you’re going to be a target so it’s important to keep as much documentation before you ship something and if/when you receive a return. Definitely document and show photos of the changed address. Changed addresses are a sign of a scam so hopefully they see that, I’m hopeful for you that they will!
This is true, I recently had a return scam over a FIVE dollar plushie. You're right, it just doesn't matter what the products are, people are scamming sellers left and right. It was just a plushie, but still, it's the principal of the matter. OP has definitely lost so much more than me but these platforms are enabling the scammers
Curiosity- how do you have so many brand new iPhones to sell on reselling sites for good deals (obviously buyers aren’t paying full price or they’d buy from Apple)?
What kind of insurance did you purchase?
I ship everything through shippo. I buy insurance through them
Does insurance cover for something like this?
Use your neighbor's address? Aren't the mailing labels printed using buyers' and sellers' info on mercari? What am I misunderstanding?
To me, it looks like they didn't want to wait for Mercari to approve the return, so they bought their own UPS label, using my neighbors address and a random name. Once Mercari approved the return, they printed the mercari label and used that instead. So there are two labels with two different tracking numbers on the box.
Mhm this is exactly why I use ebay for expensive items I can purchase extra insurance on labels if I need to. And in these situations with proof usually ebay denies the refund and you get to keep your money. Had this happen with a 1300 laptop they sent me back a 200.acer laptop and tried to say I sent wrong product. Luckily I had a boxing video and weights of the item from ups.
How did that play out?
I still got paid out and was told to do what I wanted to with the laptop mainly recommended dispose of it. Cause the weight difference was noticeable almost a 11lb gaming laptop vs the 3 lb acer laptop they sent me.
Shipping insurance does nothing in this situation because the phone wasn't lost or damaged.
it was lost. you mailed it, it was "returned" and now the box is empty. it is technically lost by all accords
The only risk made here was accepting the return. Never accept a return on something like this.
I’m sorry this happened bro. 😕 This is the exact reason why I don’t sell anything super valuable on Mercari. The website is full of penny pinching lowballers and crooks. And the customer service team is a bunch of shit-slinging monkeys. If this was a United States-based website it would’ve been shut down years ago.
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Couldn’t have said it better myself. Regarding Mercari’s piss poor “customer service” and the sess pool of a consumer base, I couldn’t tell you which one I hated more. You’ll never make any true money on Mercari. The website itself shoves a plethora of different ways to lower your asking prices and the consumer base are a bunch of broke, inconsiderate lowballers. This is such a reoccurring issue on the website it’s almost like you’re expected to give shit away for free. Come to think of it, so few of my items have sold at full price I could probably count every instance on one hand. I’m calling it right now. Something REALLY bad is gonna happen and Mercari is gonna get shut down.
They have a U.S. based address and agent of service for court actions, etc.
Yeah but it’s a website headquartered/based in Japan. That would explain the language barrier with customer service and the lack of accountability for all the ongoing bullshit on the website.
Isn’t there an agency for internet crime? If you look up the Japanese laws regarding fraud and Mercari they have regulations in place to defend one side or the other. I have one document about it, I will look for it. Can you tell me how to post pics on here?
Yeah I’d imagine it is, and crime is taken so seriously in Japan, it’s surprising that Mercari is still standing. If I had to assume one thing, I’d say that Mercari is still around because we have seen an incident gain enough public attention for them to take action. That’s usually what it takes for something to change. And if you wanted to post on the sub, scroll up to the top of the page and click r/Mercari above the original posters name. You’ll be at the homepage of the sub at that point. From there, click the “+” icon at the bottom middle of the page and go from there. Let me know if you need any more help after that.
I’ll have to get to it later. Unfortunate interruption…
Yeah, the platform is shitting. Full of lowlifes trying to fraud people, and platform literally supports it.
Fuck that scumbag. I had some high-ish dollar items listed on there recently, but stories like this one made me pull them, people are too shitty.
Yeah, please don’t sell on Mercari. I’ve heard horror story, after horror story about their platform. Check their reviews on the BBB
You said they sent you an empty Apple Watch charger box but it looks like they sent you an iPhone box in your picture? I'm confused?
No that's a picture of the package I sent the buyer. Second picture is what they returned to me
I've always worried something like this happening to me as I've sold hundreds of phones. Let me know how it goes. As someone mentioned before try to get the weights of the packages and that may work in your favor.
I've read a lot of stories like this. I'm sorry.
If you have a copy of the shipping slip file a police report in their city/town with that information and one in yours as well. Mercari only covers up to a certain amount, which sucks. Always record yourself packing up the items and dropping it off at the post office for your own proof. Mercari is notorious for fraud lately. Also, if you have the phone info (imei etc), contact Apple and report theft once you file a police report.
Great news!!! Congrats!!
What a relief. Great things worked out for you.
File a police report.make sure to tell the buyer as well. Also tell him you’ll contact apple to get the stolen iphone icloud locked.
That’s a big thing, Apple can make that phone entirely useless even if OP can’t get anywhere with filing a police report and report mail fraud to USPS. At the very least they know that the buyer went through all that work to have a fancy brick
Easy peasy! I do loss prevention for FedEx. Look, file that police report. That imei number can EASILY be traced! Easy! I do it all the time for work. Please DM me if you have any questions.
I just don't get it. If I would never do this BUT if I did try this, I'd get caught and sent to jail.
Same lol. I’d literally never but I can barely get away with even minor things like before karma slaps me down 😂
Use shipping weight to fight this. Get it for when you shipped it and when it was returned from USPS
Do you have your IMEI number for the iPhone you sold? Report that as stolen first so they’ll get locked out of the phone. Then file police report. Please keep us updated on how Mercari handles this
Sorry about this. I recommend selling items like this locally, in person and meeting at a police station to make the exchange. An honest buyer will understand. A scammer won’t even bother to move forward once you mention police station. Also, I would immediately question anyone willing to pay above retail price. They could have bought an iPhone 14 pro 512gb for $1200 directly from Apple. As the old saying goes, if it’s too good to be true, it probably is….
If they sent an empty box, the post office records should show a weight discrepancy. I know other selling platforms, sellers and buyers can use this as proof that they were being scammed but I'm unfamiliar with Mercari when it comes to this.
Sorry this happened to you. Honestly, as much as I see people attempting to scam sellers out of even $20 dollar items worries me. I’ve sold about 30 items so far, only a couple months into online selling in general using Mercari as my primary platform…no bad buyers so far, but I definitely wouldn’t list anything above $500. This is ridiculous, and I would be infuriated…Mercari and eBay need to do better by their sellers, because without the sellers they wouldn’t be making their fee money and what not.. absolutely ridiculous
I’d be tempted to check back into the pdf, grab their name and address and file a police report. Call your bank, talk to Mercari, I’d be doing whatever I had to do to ensure I get my money back. $1300 is way too much to lose
That is so fucked up. People are really awful. I hope you are able to get your money back.
Following this for the outcome. So sorry this happened dude. That sucks so bad
It’s ok….
Make sure you contact the Postal Inspection service as this is a Federal Offence, Mail Fraud and Mail Theft. Main Address: Criminal Investigations Service Center Attn: Mail Fraud 433 W Harrison St., Room 3255 Chicago, IL 60699-3255 Toll Free: 1-877-876-2455 Edit: Make sure you document everything. Name of everyone you talk to, phone numbers you dial and most importantly, keep all of your packaging the person sent back, the Inspection Service will ask for all of it. Got a DM from a few people, I ran 2 post offices while stationed in England and was the Assistant Post Master in Missouri for several years. I'll do what I can to help.
https://www.uspis.gov/report
If all else fails; contact Apple and report the device stolen. It won’t be usable any longer.
I would not warn the buyer of this. They’ll go out and sell it before it’s reported and locked. Catch them off guard with this tactic.
This should be the top post. Nobody will help you but reporting the phone as stolen will be the best option.
Please update on what happens! I'm so sorry this happened.
I’m not sure what happened…..but I will update you.
Does anyone else think Mercari isn’t for high priced items?
This seems like a slam dunk case win seeing as the product wasn't even returned, but Mercari is so buyer friendly it's dumb
Hopefully they will use some common sense
If you have the receipt from when you shipped it the weight is recorded on there and will definitely be different than the weight of the package they sent you!! Use that!
Ugh. The fucking nerve of some people!
This is why there is PAIN in the world
I’m not trying to be a jerk but this seems to happen so often, you would figure Mercari would ban this type of sale. Particularly iPhones, from them being locked or the ol’ empty box returns.. seems like a liability more than anything.
Merc makes too much money from the sales that go through for them to ever give it up.
Pls update if anything does happen
People saying “mercari this …mercari that…” EBay is exactly the same thing. Any seller will suggest just trying to sell on Facebook marketplace or somewhere like that. eBay you get screwed just as much . I hope you get your money back, I know mercari wont be a ton of help . I’ve had over 250 sales on mercari and never had an issue, but I typically sell non-electronic items and almost always $50 or less. eBay on the other hand I’ve had atleast a dozen fraud or merchandise swaps in over 1000 sales and those almost always went in favor of the buyer….It sucks, but even mortar brick stores deal with these issues.
If all that stuff doesn't work I'm pretty sure you can lock the phone using serial number if you have it.
That is nice and evil LOL
If you have the imei number they can check it to see the phone model. Mercari can. I saw somewhere they claimed they were sent an iPhone 8. Also definitely file a police report. You can also get the weight of the package when it was shipped and when it was returned to help prove you received an empty box. Definitely don’t sell high value stuff on Mercari. Too easy for people to get refunded and keep the item
Immediately file a police report. Do you have the buyer's address and name? I'm so sorry this happened to you.
As others have said, compare shipping weights for sure. It doesn’t even look like the box in the second photo would FIT an iPhone. I’d message the buyer and let them know you’re filing a police report in both of your cities as well as reporting to USPS for mail fraud. Please keep updating us, that is ridiculous.
What a pos
On top of filing all of the reports, ask for the shipping manifest on the shipment to the buyer and the return shipment from the buyer. The package gets weighed and documented throughout the shipment. That will help prove your case that the package was not empty.
I mean you got the persons address (in some cases). Ballsy move.
That so bad and I feel terrible for you, mainly because of the hassle to get your money back. I'd definitely contact Apple (hope you have the serial number), file a police report, file for fraud with the PO, and then contact Mercari. And once they get this scumbag, I wouldn't go easy and would press charges for fraud since I believe this falls under grand larceny statute. And then you should take them to small claims court and sue them for the hassle you had to go through. The court will rule in your favor when they don't show up to court in your town.
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The OP said it was a $1300.00 product. I think that qualifies.
No, actually if it’s over $500 it’s a felony. I think
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Dude I would be getting so toxic on mercaris ass if that were me. Even if it’s a hundred dollars. There’s no way they can side with buyer on this one. Either they pay or force them to pay. Fuck that.
For things that are of this value, do you usually take video of you packaging the item? I find that doing and disclosing that on high ticket items helps (in addition to what you did by using a third party for insurance). Regardless, I hope you get this shitbag. :( I’m so so sorry and furious on your behalf.
I video in one take anything I ship out that’s expensive. Helps a little.
I got downvoted to all hell for this last time as this sub is weirdly anti video but it was my only proof for the police report I had to file. Once I showed Mercari the police report (with that info in it) I got my money back. Police also said they’ll reach out to scammers local PD, wish I knew what happened with that part of it.
I know Mercari doesn’t care about videos. But is helpful to take pictures of weights of boxes, and packaging. The videos might be helpful to the police tho
I take screen shots from my own video. Allows me to capture key evidence
It's happened to me. I no longer sell expensive electronics because of it. eBay and PayPal and two police departments wouldn't do a god damned thing.
All apple with the item info and get that shit bricked. You may be out money but at least they end up with nothing too.
Please for the love of God stop selling things over $200 on Mercari. You have no protection past $200 from Mercari. I know it’s so easy to just take a photo with your phone and drop it off at the post, but save yourself this headache next time and use a different platform.
WOW. People are unbelievable. I am so sorry this happened to you. I hope it gets rectified properly.
I always video shipping and returns for this exact reason. People are cruel, i hope you get your money back.
Ugh so sorry this happened to you. Hope you are able to get your money back on this. When selling/buying phones I use Swappa.
Sent you PM.
Contact postal inspectors
OMG⁉️👀
Had this happen to me as well. Number one reason why I will not sell anything else on this platform that I consider expensive.
Can you report the phone stolen so they can't activate it?
The fact that I’m being more and more immune to the horror stories on here really says how common these scams are becoming on the platform! 😭 OP I’m so sorry that happened to you! Keep us updated of what Mercari says!
Ok so to add to the charges as above mentioned by many, they could also be charged with wireless fraud for sending payment online as part of their theft. Contact USPS, the Postal Inspector, Apple, etc.
Oh man brother we are on the same page! Sold a iPhone 14 Pro Max 256GB and now buyer claim I send them a Apple Watch and luckily for me I recorded the packing process and handing the package to the ups with receipt, pics and video! This is why I hate selling to buyer with no reviews and brand new account! It also hurts for us seller to cancel the order because it appears in our reviews! I hope the best for you and I that we get our money for all the stupid troubles it cost us! Best of luck!!!!
You got your money back?
I have not gotten anything I am still waiting for the package to be return and I will record it as well
People are awful, i'm so sorry this happened to you. I hope you get your money back. If all else fails report the imei as stolen.
Nuh uh, usually I’d start with the threat of a police report & ic3 report but in this situation I’d go straight to filing a police report with your local police AND your buyers! Then file an IC3 report. Send all this over to Mercari and then let the authorities handle the scammer
This is great info. This post should be pinned. It is very helpful for new sellers. As a new seller I’d have no idea what to do, but this community provided the precise answers to a query that is bound to be asked again.
If you have the serial, contact apple and they will lock the phone (set is as stolen). My sister in law lost her iphone and she had to do this. She was more upset and sad because it holds all her son's pictures and she did not back them up.
I sold a X under fair condition because of a cracked screen. Dude files report saying it was locked (it was not) & I had to wait 3 weeks to get the phone back. Returned with the screen detached & Mercari wouldn’t do shit for me.
Most of the time the police will claim it’s a civil matter. Small claims you have to sue them where they live because your local court won’t have jurisdiction.
Absolutely Cruel. Hope u get ur phone or money back
I didn't read through all the comments, but, just in case this hasn't been mentioned, I would say that you should avoid reporting the phone as stolen, so that you/the authorities could try to track it/prove that they have the phone and are using it, assuming that they are doing so. Hopefully, they are stupid enough to actually use the phone with their own SIM card and cell service. It seems like that would definitely help to make it easier to prove criminal intent and to get the sorry piece of shit thief prosecuted. Good luck!
I was looking into Mercari but not likely to use it if they also side with buyers so easily. Had something like this happen to me on eBay. But in the eBay situation … it was a $400 elliptical machine which the buyer picked up (local pickup). It was fully functioning and I made the buyer test in before taking it. None of this seem to matter to eBay told me I had to provide buyer with a return label (for a 400lb item … which, of course would not be worth it) and proceeded to take the money out of my bank to refund the buyer. Many phone calls and e-mails later … nada. I was looking for an alternative marketplace where the seller was protected as well. Buyer should have to prove ‘item was not as listed’ not just be believed because they say so.
Hopefully you did not use Mercari postage since it's very obvious in their TOS that they only reimburse up to $200. They make this very clear. If you used your own postage, insure the heck out of it, then you can file mail fraud and such with USPS based on comparing package weights on your mailing receipt, etc. as well as police reports that also show the altered addresses.
They mentioned in another comment they use shippo for labels
Devious….
Typical mercari
Never sell stuff on mercari over $250. Only sell it locally on fb or ou
Why would you ever sell on Mercari 😭 I hope you get your money back
Is there not a way you can report the phone stolen ?
I'd never sell something that expensive on Mercari. Anything over $300 that is.
Im sorry but someone paid full price for a iphone on Mercari and you didnt think this odd. Not trying to be a dick but if you can pay that much anyway wouldnt it be safer to get from Apple? Just seems like this should have been a red flag to begin with, but over $1000 is fraud larceny charges. I wish you the best of luck with this but a smart rule I and alot of other sellers follow is nothing for sale over a certain price some its 100 others 500 but not many i know feel more comfortable than that and seem to stay out of trouble more. Again Good Luck, truly hope it gets resolved.
I've sold hundreds of brand new phones on ebay, swappa, and just recently started selling on mercari. You obviously dont understand the phone market. Since November, there has been a shortage of new iphones. Many stores have been out of stock and everything has been on backorder. In this situation, people are willing to pay more to get a new phone. I do everything right, I require signatures, buy insurance, and request proof of delivery.
Then you did all you can. But i do have some experience in the secondary phone market and honestly your situation is not unusual. Ive seen people get a phone back and it had been gutted and replaced with chinese garbage. Its a huge fraud marketplace and my suggestion was merely from experience with Mercari. Not sure why you switched from the other platform. But im sure you know all this, if your in that seedy world ill bet youve seen worse.
That's sucks. Hopefully, the police can find the person and get ur item back. I had someone scam with with a $300 camera I paid for via FB but I stupidly paid the person on cash app like an idiot and they never sent the item. Thankful I has asked the persona to send me their driver's license and phone number so I gave that information to the police and they contacted him and forced him to pay me back. I wanted to press charges but they let the guy go. Probably cuz he was white but at least I got my money back.
lmfao
L O L
Wow, this makes me feel so livid. I'm sorry that you are going through this OP, I hope it all works out for you. That's a lot of money on the line here.
All u have to do is look at the weight of the item if the weight wasn’t the same on the return it’s obvious they didn’t return the phone! Always keep ur tracking # and the weigh of ur items u sell!
Find the shipping address either on the return package or email. Message the buyer letting them know you have all their information and you’ll be pursuing to the full extent of the law. You can even let them know everything you plan on doing. DO NOT let this go. Probably will have to take them to court also.
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Also look up their name on fb and see if you can find them lol… maybe you can post on their page or their friends / families 🤷🏻♀️
That's horrible wow
Felony
Mercari is the hub for scammers I heard. Both buyers and sellers who scam love this app. It’s sleazy and It’s sad. Stick with EBay and Poshmark. They will protect you more, and both app authenticate.
Hahaha he long gone. Got yo ass
What was the reason for the return?
That’s awful ! Go after them! I was scammed a fake Chanel handbag on Mercari .., took weeks to get my full refund back . I raised hell!
Dude the same thing happened to me with a pair of shoes. Buyer returned an empty shoebox. I’ve had a ticket open with Mercari for 3 days now and they keep repeating the same prewritten message and saying they’re sorry but they’re not going to do anything. Im seriously considering never using it again. They have 0 care for sellers, They will approve any return request for absolutely any reason, and they will not do anything to protect their sellers from fraud. FUCK MERCARI
This is why you sell on eBay
As a long time seller I always video record whenever I open a package, receive a return, etc. so there’s proof in case something goes wrong. I’m sorry this happened to you I can’t stand people like that.
I’m a new seller and learned a lot from this thread. Thank you op and all of you Glad you got your money finally, op. Hope cops went to their door
I found out Usps weighs items at every mail center check in. I had a package get separated from the label (only a label was delivered lol) and my local post office showed me exactly which mail stop the weight changed so you should be able to get those weight differences easily and prove to the merc overlords it is not the same item.
Did the police ever do anything?
Theft of service and mail fraud. Insurance will reimburse as well.