Qualified Perceptions

I was ordering kids' pajamas, and found someone selling new multiple sizes of the same item - each in a different auction. Had she had multiple auctions stating "let me know the size you want at the end" I would have been suspicious (since what do you do if all four auctions want size 3?) However, from the wording it was clear she had more and was willing to sell them. Which was probably supposed to (and did) encourage off-site bidding. (One way a seller can sneak around eBay's fees.)

She didn't have any of the items - but shipped me something (with delivery confirmation, which is all eBay needed to see that an item had been delivered.) Did the same to all buyers and made her feedback "private" so we couldn't see the actual complaints start piling up. (Which happened two days after my auction ended.) Happily, one of the other buyers managed to contact me (back when you could search someone's completed auctions within 2 weeks) and told me their story. I contacted PayPal, then alt.marketing.online.ebay (for advice) and finally tracked down emails and phone numbers for the offending party other than those registered with eBay. (Because she'd stopped answering that phone/email long before I knew there was a problem.) I called her, which frankly surprised her, and she gave me this story about a delinquent employee and the police. Which was all fine and good, except I was still going to file mail fraud on her if she didn't send out my goods (and provide a tracking number) within three days. (I think.) Plus, I wasn't going to send her items back unless she paid for return shipping. (This had some basis in mail law, which is why if stores mail you unasked for stuff, they have to pay to get it back.)

Basically I frightened her, and she refunded my money that day. With a threat that I had to return the items she shipped. I contacted PayPal, they voided her refund (and thus claus) but refunded the money to me nonetheless (since she'd been found at fault.) They couldn't refund anyone else because she hadn't left any of the money in her PayPal account.

I've followed her since then, and sadly she's learned from me. She filed mail fraud on me (for not returning the items, and I haven't heard back from them since I answered) and has certainly threatened many others with it. She's changed IDs periodically (currently 1lawyer1nurse and ourkidsweargap) and as far as I can tell, makes enough money for eBay that they don't invalidate her completely. I should probably complain to them again, since she seems to be up to her old tricks. (Her MO seems to be generate gobs of positive feedback, then goes into cheat everyone mode right before Christmas so that she can then do her Christmas shopping.)