[SCAM] Buyer returned random item to my neighbors house

[TrentFisher6]

**Sorry for long post, TLDR at bottom**

Hello!
So a little over a month ago, I sold my iPhone 5s on eBay. A week after the buyer received it, he opened up a PayPal dispute claiming that the Bluetooth wasn't working and he wanted to return the phone. Fair enough, I sent him my address and said that I would refund him in full & pay for his return shipping once I received the phone (I pay for return shipping since it was my fault for not checking Bluetooth). A month passes by and I haven't heard from him nor received the phone back. The day before the dispute ended, he escalated it to a claim, stated that he shipped the item 2 weeks ago, and added a tracking number to confirm it. The tracking number showed that the item was delivered to my zip code(USPS only shows zip code, not full address) on the 15th (I'm reading this on the 27th) but I haven't received anything 0.o So I called my post office to see where the package went and they said that it was addressed & delivered to my neighbors across the street. This couldn't have been an accident because we have totally different street addresses, I am guessing that he looked up my house on google maps and then choose the one across the street so that it would be the same zip code. I called my neighbors and asked them if they had gotten anything and they replied that they did, in fact, receive a package addressed to "The owners of this property" that contained a blue micro USB cable, and the tracking number on the package was the same as the one he put into pay, presumably so that it showed up as the same zip code as mine. Now I new that this was a scam. I called PayPal and told the person that answered what happened and he agreed that it was definitely a scam and that he would close the claim in my favor (That was yesterday). It has been over 24hrs though and nothing has happened. The only thing I'm worried about right now is that PayPal is going to automatically close the claim in the buyers favor because I haven't responded (How am I supposed to respond?? The only option I get is "I have received the item - it has been returned by the buyer."). Should I just wait longer and see if anything happens or should I call back to PayPal?

Some other stuff - I shipped the phone to the buyer in New Jersey but it got returned from California, I get that he could just be traveling but that is pretty weird. He also wanted me to send him the refund quick as he was "Leaving the country in less than a week" - well he obviously didn't cuz he shipped it back to me from CA, also him saying that he needed the refund quick was a big red flag for me.

TLDR;
Sold an iPhone, buyer returned a random item to my neighbor's house, presumably so that it would show up that it got sent to the same zip code as mine. I called PayPal and they agreed that it was a scam and said that they would close the claim but haven't (yet).

Any help would be appreciated, Thanks! 🙂

[Whac-A-Mole]

Call PAYPAL and remind them what they promised you.

If they do nothing,Paypal robot roaming the site will close it as tracking shows delivered,then you wil have to appeal to get a paypal rep to look into it.

You have a problem,as the buyer sounds like a pro,so he could do a chargeback with his cc issuer if he loses the Paypal dispute.

My advance is to anticipate such chargeback(assume Paypal sides with you) and gather evidence from your local post office that it was delivered to a different address and get statements from both local post office and neighbor,take pictures of package with the neigbor address and tracking and the cable in the box,pictures of the shipping label attached to the box,and the content sitting in the box.

do it now..

[Whac-A-Mole]

different return address would not help your situation,but one possibility would be he could have sold the phone to someone,and now he is returning a cable.

look up his address,where is he and who has the original ship to address,and do a search on Ebay for completed listing and sold listing if he has sold your phone under a different ID.

he could also sell it on Craigslist,only Ebay knows if he has sold the phone under a different Ebay ID,we cant see it. 

selling ipone on Ebay is just begging someone to steal from you !There is a big neon sign which said STEAL ME if you have low feedback ! 

[sharpiemarker]

Aw man, you missed an op to get the rep to close the case right then and there on the phone.  If this dispute tanks, file a complaint through BBB.org so it can be forwarded to PayPal executive escalations dept, they will investigate.  Would be interested to see how they would solve such a case as bbb post resolved and unresolved cases there.  Interesting reads.

[TrentFisher6]

They closed it in his favor even after calling 2 people who both said they would close it in mine 😞

I'm trying to appeal now

[Whac-A-Mole]

yes,robot sided with your buyer as the tracking show it has been delivered.

how much is the total payment,if $750 or more,signature is required on return.

if no signature,he loses.