🛑 eBay Buyer Scams Are Killing Small Pet Brands (And It’s Not Even Subtle Anymore)

Let’s talk about something no one wants to admit out loud: eBay is a goldmine for scammers—but not the kind you’re thinking of. I’m talking about the new generation of “legit” scammers: entitled buyers, rule-abusing returners, and fake item-not-received claimers who are quietly killing off small pet businesses one refund at a time.

If you’re a small brand selling anything from dog ear mite drops to canker powder or hamster hammocks, you’re not just dealing with competition. You’re dodging a landmine of eBay refund abuse, buyer manipulation, and eBay’s “the customer is always right—even when they’re a professional liar” policies.

Let’s rip the bandage off and look at the rot underneath.

🧨 Scam #1: “Item Not Received” – The Queen of All Lies

The scam: Buyer orders your product. You ship it. It’s delivered. They wait exactly 3 days. Then:

“Item never arrived. I want a full refund.”

Meanwhile, your tracking says: Delivered at front door at 2:42 PM. Photo proof available.

Too bad. eBay shrugs and says, “You didn’t require a signature, so you’re liable.”

Welcome to the Pet Product Scam Zone, where you lose your product, lose your money, and probably lose your mind. And here’s the worst part: these buyers get to KEEP the item. They know eBay won’t make them return it. They’ll probably sell it on Vinted. Or feed it to their neighbour’s dog for fun.

🤡 Scam #2: “This Product Gave My Dog Diarrhoea and Emotional Trauma”

Ever had this gem?

“My dog took one sniff of your canker powder and had explosive diarrhoea for 9 hours. He’s emotionally scarred. I demand a refund.”

First of all, what kind of dog sniffs canker powder? It’s not cocaine. Secondly, they used the product, so it’s not returnable. But eBay lets them open a return anyway, and suddenly you’re refunding someone who smeared your product into their dog’s nose like it’s Vicks VapoRub for Labradors.

🦹‍♂️ Scam #3: “Received the Wrong Item” (They Didn’t)

Some buyers have unlocked God Mode on eBay. They’ve figured out how to keep your item, get a refund, and report YOU.

The trick? Claim you sent the wrong item. Like this:

“I ordered 4 x 20g Cosmo Canker Powder. I received one empty box with cat hair in it.”

You check your camera footage. Your packer triple-sealed it, bubble-wrapped it like a Fabergé egg, and used a signed delivery. Doesn’t matter. eBay will side with the buyer, refund them, and tell you to calm down.

Why? Because on eBay, the burden of proof is always on the seller—even if the buyer has a 37% feedback score and a username like “LegitReturns246”.

💥 Scam #4: “Fake Returns with a Brick Inside the Box”

No joke. This happens.

You approve a return. The item comes back. It’s a completely different product. Maybe a broken charger. Maybe cat food. Maybe just a brick.

You contact eBay. You upload photos. They say:

“We can’t verify the contents of the package. Refund stands.”

Oh cool, so you just lost your product AND gave someone a free refund AND paid for return shipping. But sure—eBay is just a “neutral marketplace.”

🧛‍♀️ Scam #5: The Serial Returner

This one is my favourite (read: least favourite).

You see the same name pop up. Again. And again.

They buy. Use the product. Wait 2 weeks. Open a return. Claim it “didn’t work” or “gave my cat an allergy.” Then repeat with the next brand. And the next.

These people don’t own pets. They own refund habits.

And guess what? eBay won’t flag them. They won’t block them. They won’t even warn them. Because “buyers are allowed to change their mind.”

How many times can they change their mind before they’re just a thief?

⚰️ What This Does to Small Brands Like Us

We’re not Amazon. We don’t sell 10,000 units a day. We’re small businesses, often solo entrepreneurs packing orders from our homes, obsessively answering every message about whether the ear mite drops can be used on guinea pigs (no, stop asking).

Every refund hits us like a punch in the chest.

We’re not making £100 profit per item. After packaging, fees, postage, and ingredient costs, we might make £3–£6. That disappears the second a buyer starts a bogus return.

Then there are the eBay fees. Oh, yes. Not only do they take a cut when the sale happens, they don’t give those fees back when a buyer scams you.

You lose money… and eBay profits. Coincidence?

💡 Some Funny But Real Buyer Messages We’ve Received

Here’s a quick hall-of-fame from our inbox:

🗯️ “I put the powder in my cat’s ears and he licked it off and now he’s sad.”

🗯️ “This powder didn’t stop my dog from being itchy after one use. Is it fake?”

🗯️ “Can I return it even though I spilled it into my carpet?”

🗯️ “I want a refund because the package smells like warehouse.”

🗯️ “I only used half the bottle, but my dog died (unrelated), and I’m emotionally not ready to keep this.”

🗯️ “My tortoise didn’t like it.” (You’re not supposed to use it on tortoises, Karen.)

📉 How eBay Encourages This Behaviour

eBay protects buyers with godlike privilege, and sellers get treated like disposable background characters.

Sellers can’t leave negative feedback for buyers.

Buyers can leave 1-star reviews for “slow delivery,” even when it’s Royal Mail’s fault.

eBay auto-accepts return claims without verifying anything.

Sellers are told to “resolve issues amicably,” which is code for “give them a full refund or we’ll ban you.”

If this were a relationship, it would be textbook emotional abuse.

🔥 Our Warning to Pet Buyers

If you’re a genuine buyer: We love you. We live for your kind reviews and cute dog photos.

If you’re a serial refund artist, entitled scammer, or TikTok refund trend follower:

We see you. We’re screenshotting everything.

And when your dog’s ears stink again in 3 weeks because you threw away the only product that worked—don’t come crawling back.

🧠 What Sellers Can Do (Even If eBay Doesn’t Care)

✅ Take photos of every packed order

✅ Use tracking numbers, even for small parcels

✅ Switch to recorded delivery for high-risk postcodes

✅ Block repeat scammers manually

✅ Report suspicious buyers to eBay (even if they do nothing)

✅ Keep all communication on eBay for evidence

✅ Share stories like this blog—because silence helps scammers

🚨 eBay Needs to Change (But Won’t)

eBay’s current system incentivizes dishonesty and abuse. They could fix it tomorrow.

They won’t—because scam returns generate platform profit. It’s cheaper to sacrifice a thousand small sellers than lose one high-volume buyer.

But one thing scammers and platforms always forget?

We talk.

We build communities.

And we’re not going down quietly.

⚠️ Final Words for the Scammers

To the people using the “item not received” trick:

Hope your dog’s next ear infection bites back.

To the ones sending back empty boxes:

Try that at a market stall and see how fast your teeth get counted.

To the TikTok refund crowd:

Life is long. Karma is patient. And your scammy reviews will catch up with you.

💥 Support Small Pet Brands or Watch Them Disappear

Every time you refund a product after using it…

Every time you lie about delivery…

Every time you claim your cat had a breakdown after sniffing powder…

You are not just getting a refund.

You are actively destroying a small brand trying to help animals.

So support small businesses.

Leave honest reviews.

And please… don’t be a scammer with a fluffy profile pic.

We know who you are.

We have the receipts.