More free stuff on ebay No 3

And just when you think the ebay idiot can't get any worse, then they just keep on messing up.

I first read this from an article being shown on PSU, that came from Auction Bytes here

How about this one for those of you wanting free stuff on ebay, and this one seems to be a great one for all, and up to this point I really can't see any defence against the thief and its accomplice (ebay.)

From ebays Purchase Protection Policy or better know to some as the thief's bible

What happens if a buyer believes an item is not authentic?
When buyers file a claim alleging that the item is not authentic, we require the buyer to destroy the item. Once a buyer confirms destruction of the item, we will reimburse the buyer or provide an eBay coupon.

You notice the none mention of proof of any form, that you destroyed the item or that you had the item verified by a professional.
Even if the worse came to the worse, how much does it cost you for a fake designer bag for you to destroy instead of the genuine article you bought from the ebay seller? And take photographs of the fake one destroyed.

Now the number of ways to take advantage of this are so numerous, it is just insane.

I really can't see any defence against this one, as ebay think you as the seller are just a thieving scumbag, that is out to rob the poor unsuspecting buyer.
They are ignoring the fact that you as the seller are more likely to have put a lot of effort into selling on ebay, and have plans to stay on ebay, so are not likely to want to destroy your feedback or your reputation, where as the buyer has no such concern, they can be back five minutes later with a new ID.

This one has now been changed slightly but ebay are still taking over the buyer protection, and you should read on to see how bad that is going to be for the honest seller.

So an insight into how ebay are going to run this policy is shown here at tamebay, which just confirms what we all knew would happen with ebay, and how they would be hitting the yes, yes, yes button every time without any thought or common sense. And this was not for a fake item, but apparently for an item not as described.

This is supposed to be coming out fully, next month, and as you can see by the test case that it is a great chance to get free stuff. Ebay will be claiming that they will be monitoring for misuse of this system but we all know how little ebay know about security, so this is your chance to have all the free stuff that you want with little effort.

Now as always I will consider the angle for the scumbag seller that attacks their competitors, as this one not only gets you some free stuff from your competition, which you could even sell on ebay (as they will not check.) It also costs them the item cost, the postage, and an ebay backed no arguments strike against the sellers account. Then you can hand out your bad feedback and the seller is closer to being kicked from ebay, back in their search, so you can use your alternative accounts to buy more free stuff, but with a lower payout.

Defending yourself against this one, as I said is impossible, as it is totally down to ebays judgement, so nothing you say or show will pacify their stupidity.
They also seemed to have failed to mention any seller protection for this, so it really is a case of the only way to be safe is sell some place else.

For a lot of the large sellers this will be nothing, but for the smaller sellers, this will be the nail in your ebay selling coffin.

So if you have not started moving at least some of your stuff to the alternatives, then now really is the time to start, as eventually one or several of the new ebay rules will have you closed down.

If anyone has any tips on protecting yourself against not just the scammers and destructive sellers with this one, but also the buyer who decides they are a little short one week, and figures it would not be made possible if it was not supposed to be used, then I would be happy to see a response, as I can't think of a thing.
And please do not just say bend over and give whatever the buyer asks for, as for most small sellers or auctions sellers, then that is not an option, as they have no way to build the loss into the price. A lot of us are having to do this now anyhow, but hopefully someone has a way to defend yourself from ebay. The only one I can think of is not to use it.

ANOTHER DESTRUCTOR FOR THE SELLER ATTACKER

Another great trick for those auction wrecking competitors seems to be to get round the buyer requirements, so that you do not have to fit any of the requirements.

This is quite a simple task, as all you have to do is get the buyer to make an edit of their listing.
This can be done by asking if they could add a photograph, or if you see something wrong then mention it. The target will even thank you for your help.
Once they edit their listing, another little ebay glitch seems to work its magic and turns off the buyers requirements.

Your defence against this is do not make any changes, which includes adding extra photographs. Your customers may not like it but, they will like you less if you are no longer there.