Scam or confused customer?

Hi All!  I need some advice.  I got a message yesterday, via Etsy messaging, from a previous buyer saying she never received her order.  It came through her order string, so I didn't think much about it.  Given the season, and my experience with online orders, I understand that orders do get lost.  So after checking the tracking and yes, it looks like it's been just sitting at the post office for the last two weeks, I asked if she'd like a refund or for me to resend the order.  She agreed for me to resend the order.  No big deal.  Then, and here's the rest of the story, she messaged me again this morning saying she is having the same issue with another order.  I do not have another order with her name on it, so I asked her to send me the order number.  She sent me "both" order numbers and neither of them are the first order in question, nor any order in my history.  

Could she just be confusing me with another shop she ordered from, or could someone else be in her account sending me these messages?  And, do I respond by telling her that the order numbers are not from my shop?  Any help would be great!!

Thanks!!

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Re: Scam or confused customer?

Oh... also, I sent an email to the customer rather than messaging through Etsy... just to cover all the bases I could think of... she emailed me back and said it was not her messaging me.  WHAT????  I'm so confused as to how this is even possible. 

 

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bradgoodell
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Re: Scam or confused customer?

Someone could have hacked her Etsy account.  Or a family member could be using it.

Clarify everything before doing anything.

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bradgoodell
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Re: Scam or confused customer?

Also, if the order numbers aren't front your shop, tell her those aren't your orders and she has contacted the wrong shop.

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DavidandRau
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Re: Scam or confused customer?

Sounds like you are caught in a triangle scam.  Just leave it until the customer opens a case.  Dont email someone outside of etsy

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Re: Scam or confused customer?

i emailed her using the email from her order.  i'm still new at this and learning as I go, but i shouldn't email someone using their order email?

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RiversEdgeRelics
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Re: Scam or confused customer?

If her original order has been sitting at the post office for the last two weeks, why didn't she go pick it up?

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Re: Scam or confused customer?

It's not sitting at her post office.  it's sitting at a post office in between.  like they just tossed it aside or it fell behind a counter?  idk what they do with those packages.

 

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Re: Scam or confused customer?

This^^^^^^^^^^^
I was thinking the same thing.
Why would the buyer state they didn't get their order when it's BEEN at the PO for 2 weeks?
In your original post you didn't state that the order from you was at the wrong post office.

But it also sounds like the buyer thinks "Etsy" sells ALL these items and has no clue that Etsy is made up of millions of sellers since she sent you 2 order #'s that are not yours.

@TheNomadicBohemian 

ETA: File a missing/lost report with USPS, maybe then they'll notice it's at the "wrong" PO.

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Re: Scam or confused customer?

First, never replace an order until you receive the first shipment back or the post office notifies you that the package has been lost. If the customer has it delivered to a PO box it is their responsibility to pick it up. Did you explain to the customer that she must go to the post office to pick up her package? She may be under the misimpression that she placed an order that was to be delivered to her home address. 

Second, do not enter into conversations with a customer about orders that were not purchased from your shop. Simply inform them that those orders were not purchased from you and if you have a kind heart and a little time, explain how they can look at their previous orders to find the correct seller.

I had a customer contact me on Amazon one time and she had never ordered from me on Amazon. She had ordered from me previously on Etsy. When there is any question about an order, I always search the orders on both Amazon and Etsy by customer name and order number. So third, look up any orders placed by that customer by name. And if you sell anywhere else, check the orders there too. 

Deal with customers only through Etsy! If this person that you emailed says she is not her contacting you, then could it be someone else in her household using her email and Etsy account to place orders? I know my grandkids used to use their mom and dad's accounts to place orders on Amazon until they were grown. So if there are others in her household, she needs to check with them.

Finally, be very careful that this is not a very complex scam that has been orchestrated. Just tell her that with all of the issues you cannot ship or refund anything until you receive your previous shipments back. 

 

UPDATE: Just saw your post that was done while I was typing. If it is not at her post office, file a missing or lost shipment with USPS. You can do that online.

 

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RiversEdgeRelics
Conversation Maker

Re: Scam or confused customer?

@TheNomadicBohemian 

 

Knowing her purchase has been sitting in a Post Office in a different location is a horse of a different color.

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Re: Scam or confused customer?

@bradgoodell  - How to I "clarify" everything?  I searched for both order numbers "they" sent me and neither one of them are mine.  Is there something else I should do?

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Re: Scam or confused customer?

You can't clarify orders that aren't your orders.

Tell her those are NOT your order #'s and direct her to her purchase/review page at the top under her avatar so she can see what shops she bought those other items from.

Tell her there's nothing you can do about those 2 orders because they're not from your shop.

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bradgoodell
Community Maker

Re: Scam or confused customer?

What Vintage said.

Clarify to the person contacting you on Etsy that those aren't your orders.

Also, if you email the buyer and they say "that isn't me messaging you" tell them to log into Etsy and change their password or report the fraudulent messages to Etsy.  See what happens. 

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Re: Scam or confused customer?

@TheNomadicBohemian
 
I'd direct that buyer to her "Purchases/review page" and mention those other order #'s are NOT from your shop and she can look on that page for  contact info for the other shops.

I wouldn't resend/refund at all on the order sitting at the PO. I'd do some investigating before I did anything.

Can you call that post office that has her package that she did purchase from you? 
Or maybe get your PO to call that PO where the package has been sitting for 2 weeks?

I don't know how you sent it but Ground Advantage and Priority includes insurance.
If it's been long enough, you could file a claim for missing/lost package.

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SugarTaffySoap
Conversation Maker

Re: Scam or confused customer?

@TheNomadicBohemian Can't Etsy determine what shop the order numbers belong to? I would contact them.  You may want to contact the post office supervisor to have them investigate further on your order.

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Re: Scam or confused customer?

Even if Etsy could determine what shop those 2 order #'s came from, I seriously doubt they'd tell the OP what shop they came from because of privacy concerns.

The buyer can find this out easily enough, by clicking on her purchase/review page. 
There's really no need to contact Etsy.

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Re: Scam or confused customer?

UGH!  Sometimes I naively forget that there are people out there who will do/try anything to scam someone.  Just a side note... this one order is literally a $15 order of 2x2 stickers.  I typically send these orders out in "flat" packages... no insurance just because of the inexpensive aspect of the whole order. 

@vintageNCtreasures  Is it worth still filing a claim?

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Re: Scam or confused customer?

If you have no insurance then you can't file a claim to get your money back from the PO.

Did you use Etsy to print the 1st class "flat" package with the Pitney Bowes delivery confirmation #?

If so you still might be able to file a missing/lost item report on USPS so hopefully they'd find them at the other PO and send them on their merry way to the right PO.

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Re: Scam or confused customer?

@vintageNCtreasures - understood about the claim without insurance.  And, yes, I always use Etsy to print the 1st class labels... I initially thought that would be the "safest" way to mail my orders.

Aaaannnndddd...  "they" just messaged me again and said "disregard those orders. it's just this one."  Of course, that message came after I emailed her.  I definitely did not handle this the right way.  I'll be visiting this forum way more often from now on!!  Should I message back saying those order #'s are not from my shop and mark it as spam?  Or, go through USPS to find the package?  Or just bite the bullet and mail out a new order?  I'm still so new and still trying to develop my brand and niche and I constantly worry about ratings and disappointed customers... I'm very much a people pleaser by nature.   

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Re: Scam or confused customer?

I'd just message her back on that new message about those 2 orders and just say, those orders aren't from your shop.

If you mark as spam, then any other messages she sends you about the missing order from you would get sent to spam.


If that info shows it's at the wrong PO, I'd still file a missing/lost package.

I'd let her know that you were going to open a case on USPS since it is at the wrong post office and hopefully get it delivered to her.

Missing Mail and Lost Packages | USPS

You need to do #2 on that page first for this option "Complete a Help Request Form"

If after 7 business days from when you submitted your online help request form your mail or package hasn't arrived, submit a Missing Mail search request (on #3).

It can't hurt to try.

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Re: Scam or confused customer?

Thank you!!!!

 

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Re: Scam or confused customer?

@TheNomadicBohemian: "it looks like it's been just sitting at the post office for the last two weeks" We have found that many times opening a search with USPS at https://usps.my.site.com/emailus/s/package-inquiry causes a package to be "found" and restart its journey. If nothing else, USPS will say that they cannot find it and you can file an insurance claim if it shipped Ground Advantage or Priority Mail.

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Re: Scam or confused customer?

That makes sense... I've done that in the past for my personal orders.  However, the problem is, the Pitney Bowes tracking number is not recognized on the USPS site.  And, I cannot find anywhere on the Pitney Bowes site where I can contact anyone or submit a "lost package" claim.  It really is frustrating.  I'm actually contemplating not using Etsy for shipping any more.

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Re: Scam or confused customer?

@TheNomadicBohemian: "... the Pitney Bowes tracking number ..." If you are shipping First Class Flat, then you do not have a real tracking number, just what is essentially a serial number issued by Pitney Bowes. Based on what we have seen in other posts, scanning of these labels by USPS can be rather spotty. I would not be surprised if a fair number of carriers are not even aware they should scan these flats.

 

"I'm actually contemplating not using Etsy for shipping any more." We don't use Etsy labels for different business reasons, but I think here the issue is more the postal class rather than the provider. I know that this will not work for everyone, but we only ship with real tracking. We would rather lose a few orders than deal with untracked shipments.

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