‘’Item Not Delivered’’ - eBay Scam That’s Stealing Our Sanity (And Our Canker Powder)
- Cosmo Canker Powder
- May 28
- 5 min read
Ah, the modern buyer. Armed with a phone, a free return policy, and the tactical skills of a career con artist.
We see you, Cheryl.
We see you, Jason From TikTok.
And today, we’re putting your scam under the microscope in our latest exposé:
The Shocking Rise of the “Item Was Not Delivered” Fraud.
If you’re a small business owner shipping genuine products like canker powder and canker ear mite drops, this one’s for you.
And if you’re a scammer?
Grab a seat. You’re about to star in the Hall of Fame of Shame.
The Script of the Scam
We all know how it starts.
Buyer places order.
You pack it with care, tracking, and a little love.
Courier confirms delivery.
Buyer: “It never arrived.”
Platform: refunds instantly, no questions asked.
You: Out of money, out of product, and out of your damn mind.
What makes it worse?
They leave a review saying,
“I really loved the canker powder! Too bad I never received it 😉”
Case Study #1: The Vanishing Powder
Order: Canker Powder (4-pack)
Tracking: ✅ Delivered to doorstep with GPS scan
Customer message:
“Package never arrived. I checked under the doormat, behind the bin, inside my soul. Nothing.”
Claim: Full refund
Days later: Buyer posts a TikTok video unboxing the exact item with the caption:
“Shhh… got it free, y’all!”
Yes. We saw it.
Yes. We screen recorded it.
No. The platform did nothing.
Why This Scam Works So Well
Because online marketplaces are broken.
Here’s the cold hard truth:
If a buyer says it didn’t arrive, they’re believed instantly.
If a seller says “But here’s the proof,” the platform replies:
“We value our buyers’ trust. Decision is final.”
So let’s get this straight:
We ship a tracked product.
Courier scans it.
Buyer receives it.
Uses it.
Lies.
Gets refund.
Keeps the item.
AND WE PAY A FEE FOR THE PRIVILEGE.
Welcome to modern e-commerce.
“It’s Not Stealing If I Say It Nicely”
The new scam culture is polite, friendly, and expertly manipulative. These aren’t criminals in ski masks. These are:
“Hi lovely, just wondering if maybe you sent the order yet?”
“I hate to be a bother but… the product was never delivered and I’d love a refund xoxo.”
“I don’t want to leave a bad review but I’ve contacted my bank…”
They weaponize kindness.
They use emojis like daggers.
And they walk away with free canker ear mite drops in their cabinet, while we cry over spreadsheets and PayPal disputes.
We Ship Canker Powder, Not Dreams
Look, we’re not a megacorp with a warehouse in the shape of a smiley face.
We’re a small, stubborn business shipping real canker powder, real canker ear mite drops, and real care to people who actually want to help their pets.
When a scammer lies about a delivery, they’re not just taking a jar of powder—they’re:
Taking a slot from a real pet in pain
Stealing income from a small team
Undermining trust in the system
Making us lose sleep, money, and sometimes our will to live
And they always say:
“It’s just one product.”
But when it happens 10, 20, 30 times a month?
That’s not a mistake. That’s a business model.
Case Study #2: The Phantom Mite Drop
Item: Canker Ear Mite Drops
Shipping: Sent Royal Mail Tracked 24
Status: ✅ Delivered
Buyer: Sends blurry screenshot of “nothing on doorstep”
Platform: Instantly refunds
Buyer 3 days later:
“These drops are amazing! My pug’s ears have never been cleaner!”
We messaged politely:
“Hi, we saw your message that the item was never delivered, but we noticed your comment…”
Buyer:
“That must be someone else. I didn’t post that. Can I order more?”
Yes, you can.
From our blacklist.
The Psychology of “It Wasn’t Delivered”
Let’s be honest:
This scam exists because some people believe “corporations can afford it.”
The irony?
We’re not a corporation.
We’re literally people packing orders in a room with too many pets, a printer from 2008, and hope.
When someone says the item never arrived, they’re making a choice:
Believe the lie
Justify the theft
Sleep like a baby while we stress over account suspensions
Why Platforms Don’t Care
Because they don’t lose.
We do.
Platforms:
Refund the buyer to look “customer-obsessed”
Penalize the seller with a fee
Keep the buyer active on their app
Tell us to “increase shipping insurance”
Suggest using more expensive couriers… which they also take a cut from
It’s a scam within a scam.
We Don’t Mind Mistakes. We Mind Malice.
Look—we get it. Sometimes stuff genuinely does go missing.
We’ve replaced those orders. We’ve paid double shipping. We’ve included extra gifts.
That’s not the problem.
The problem is when buyers:
File claims before the tracking even updates
Screenshot our own emails to “prove” non-delivery
Lie repeatedly, across multiple orders, on different platforms
Leave fake reviews to extort freebies
That’s not customer service. That’s psychological warfare.
The Real Cost to Small Businesses
Every “item not delivered” lie costs more than money:
The product is gone
The shipping is gone
The refund is gone
The platform fee is gone
Our seller metrics drop
Our trust in people dies a little
Multiply this by dozens of claims a month, and what you’ve got is a business being strangled by falsehoods.
What We’re Doing About It
We’re not helpless.
We’re now:
✅ Blacklisting repeat offenders
✅ Sharing fake claim data across platforms
✅ Saving tracking screenshots like court evidence
✅ Offering free items ONLY through verified replacements
✅ Requiring signature on high-value orders
✅ Reporting TikTokers and eBay Users who promote scam hacks (yes, we see you)
And most importantly—we’re talking about it.
Because sunlight is the best disinfectant. And we’re about to bleach the hell out of this scam.
Message to Honest Buyers: We Love You
We know 95% of our buyers are angels. You’re the ones who:
💚 Send pictures of your dogs after using canker powder
💚 Message us if your parcel is late without screaming
💚 Leave reviews without threatening us
💚 Actually want the product—not the drama
To you: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
You’re the reason we keep going.
Message to Scammers: You’re Not Invisible
You might think we don’t know. But we do.
We see the patterns.
We see the names that keep popping up.
We see the reviews on one platform after lying on another.
We may not win every case, but we’re documenting it.
And one day, that digital paper trail will come back like a boomerang from hell.
Final Word: Your Free Jar Isn’t Worth Our Sanity
So here it is.
To the person who said “my canker powder never arrived” while posting pics of your perfectly treated bulldog:
We see you.
To the one who claimed “no delivery” but used our canker ear mite drops on your TikTok pet grooming video:
We screen recorded it.
And to every future scammer planning your next “it didn’t arrive” heist:
We’re ready. We’re watching. And we’re done being polite.
Because this isn’t just about powder in a packet.
It’s about respect, honesty, and the survival of real, hardworking businesses.
So next time you’re tempted to click that refund button “just to see if it works,” remember:
It does.
But so do we.
Comments