Ordered a used pressure washer online and got a box of rocks instead

I found this deal for a refurbished electric pressure washer on a resale site for $45, which seemed way too good to be true, but I went for it anyway. When the package arrived last Tuesday, the box was super light and rattled, so I knew something was off. I opened it up and there were just six fist-sized landscaping rocks wrapped in bubble wrap, not even a hose or a nozzle. I was so mad at myself for not reading the seller's ratings more carefully, because they had like three total reviews and one said "scam." I filed a dispute with the payment platform right away and uploaded photos of the rocks and the shipping label. It took four days, but they refunded me the full amount after I pushed back on their first denial. Has anyone else gotten outright scammed on a deal that looked too perfect from a new seller?

2 comments

2 Comments

bettywilson1mo ago

A friend of mine had the same thing happen with a fake phone, and what worked was filing the dispute with the shipping company's insurance claim too, not just the payment platform. Having both complaints going at once made them refund quicker...

craig.tessa1mo agoTop Commenter

Hang on, but what about checking if the seller's return address is actually real or just a PO box that bounces? If you can show the shipping company that the address is fake from the start, it might shut down their whole "we delivered it successfully" defense. I mean, that's a thing scammers do, they use addresses that don't actually belong to them so the return gets lost. Having proof the seller's info is bogus could make the insurance claim a lot easier to win. Just a thought, maybe it's worth looking into the seller's details before you even start the disputes.