From experience…and I’ve always received a refund.
For those who don’t know how a shipping scam works…
First, if using Paypal (which a lot of scammers do to process the transaction), only open a claim with them, not your credit/debit card at the same time. That’s the last resort as a dual claim will invalidate your Paypal claim.
USPS: Only gives you and the payment company the zip code for delivery. Scammer uses an algorithm to search USPS for a package going to your zip code and uses that as proof of delivery. Solution is time consuming as you have to call and have USPS confirm that your address is not the address referenced in the tracking number (you don’t need the other address). Then ask that they email you a “letter on stationary” stating that. Provide that to Paypal/your bank.
FedEx: Avoid if at all possible. They will not help you. But here’s how this works. Shipper send a package to your address (but probably the incorrect size and weight) with signature verification, just prior to delivery, the shipper has FedEx return the package to him/her. It comes back, they sign for it. If you just call up the tracking number, it will show delivered to YOUR city and signed by someone. Here’s where Paypal comes in handy. They will deny the claim as it looks like you go the package. You need to call and get a semi-intelligent human on the phone. Remember, if Paypal handled the transaction, they have the shipping/tracking info. But you MUST MUST MUST have them call up the DETAILED TRACKING from the regular tracking page that says delivered to your city. The detailed tracking will show the seller asking for it to be returned and actually delivered to their city.
UPS: Sorry, I have never had an issue with any UPS transaction.
DHL: Same as UPS.
I have had the shipping USPS scam pulled on me.
I shipped a package to Florida. Buyer claimed the item was defective with eBay. eBay approved the return even I proved it was not defective in the way the buyer indicated. No big deal, I will just relist it. However, the buyer sent the item to an address 10 blocks from my address. I did not know the this at that moment because all I saw was the package was delivered to my ZIP CODE, and it was signed for it. But no package. First red flag was the buyer purchased his own return label instead of using the provided return label from eBay. So I went to the post office and they printed me a nice detailed shipping ledger of that shipment. Buyer used a flat rate envelope on what should have been a box weighing about 5 pounds. Buyer used priority mail so that it would move along nice and fast, and eBay computer return process is that once it shows delivered back to seller, it is all automated on the refund to the buyer. I could not stop the refund even I called and called and told customer service I have the print out of where the fake package went to and it was not my address. I lost the appeal to the case and that made me a lost of the item which was $900 USD… and the refunded amount of $900 USD.
I even went to that business address the flat rate envelope was shipped to and they claim it was empty and they threw it away. Well, it was 6 days after the fact of delivery as I was shocked and had no idea what had happened to start a tracking process in my mind.
eBay just expects you to have lost of product and funds built into your yearly projections. I am about $5000 in the hole for 2021. Always can hope that 2022 is a better year.
ebay also known as trashbay will NEVER side with sellers. They don’t care about sellers at all. They will hold your funds hostage, they will restrict your selling privilege if they feel like it. You can have 10+ year perfect track record on ebay and have your selling privilege suspended because of ONE buyer with ZERO feedback who just signed up for his account last week.
For the record, these were not ebay sales, but people using PayPal for payment processing.