The Hall of Shame: Chargeback Karens, TikTok and eBay Scammers & The Death of Small Business Sanity
- Cosmo Canker Powder
- 5 days ago
- 5 min read
Welcome to the Hall of Shame—where petty fraudsters wear fake empathy like cheap perfume, and small businesses get stomped out by entitled refund warriors with the click of a button.
If you’re a small business owner who’s ever screamed into a pillow after receiving a “not as described” chargeback from someone who kept the product AND left a 1-star review, this blog’s for you.
If you’ve ever checked your account and seen a £39.99 reversal because “the buyer’s nephew ordered by mistake,” buckle up.
If you’re a customer who proudly buys on TikTok and eBay, files a claim, gets your money back AND keeps the item — congratulations. You’re on the list. The Hall of Shame list.
TikTok: Where Refund Fraud Goes Viral
Ah, TikTok. Home of viral dances, conspiracy theories, and now… the blueprint for scamming small businesses.
You’ve seen them:
“Wanna get free stuff? Just say it didn’t arrive lol”
“I got this whole skincare haul and told PayPal it was damaged”
“I said I was allergic and boom—full refund plus store credit”
Somewhere along the way, TikTok’s algorithm decided fraud is cute—and businesses should just eat it.
Newsflash: We’re not Amazon. We’re not Zara. We don’t have a million-pounds chargeback buffer and 24/7 bots replying “sorry for the inconvenience.”
We have ourselves. Maybe a dog assistant. Chow Chow Dog. And a spreadsheet full of hope.
Real Stories from the Frontlines
Let’s take a tour through some real-life “Hall of Shame” moments:
🧼
The Antibacterial Cosmo Scrub Swindler
Sold: Antibacterial Cosmo Scrub, £7.50
Claim: “My Dog got a rash.”
Reality: Posted a TikTok two days later saying “omg this Scrub is AMAZING”
Status: Kept product. Got refund. Left review: “Didn’t like it.”
🐶
The Pet Powder Pirate
Sold: Cosmo Canker Powder (obviously perfect)
Claim: “My dog doesn’t have ears anymore.”
Reality: Product was delivered, opened, used—then disputed as “unauthorized.”
Status: Chargeback granted. Buyer kept powder. Probably used it on themselves.
📦
The Vanishing Act
Sold: Cosmo Pet Blaster Drops
Claim: “Didn’t arrive.”
Reality: Tracking shows item delivered. Buyer posted an unboxing on TikTok.
Status: TikTok: 1, Reality: 0
Why Chargebacks Are Killing Us
Let’s get real. When a chargeback hits:
We lose the product
We lose the money
We get slapped with a £15-30 fee
We lose time fighting it
Our account standing takes a hit
All while the **“victim” is out there flaunting the product in a TikTok or eBay haul with “✨Thanks for the refund✨” in the caption.
And banks? They almost always side with the buyer. Why? Because it’s easier to take money from a seller than question a customer’s honor.
“Buy Now, Scam Later” Culture
We’ve entered the era of:
“Try before you lie”
“It’s not stealing if I file a dispute”
“I deserve a refund because I changed my mind and I’m the main character”
There are full Reddit threads and TikToks teaching people how to lie, fake screenshots, edit tracking, and weaponize customer protection policies.
They call it “buyer strategy.”
We call it fraud.
You Can’t Return Morals
Let’s be clear: Chargebacks are meant for fraud or non-delivery.
Not:
“I didn’t like the packaging.”
“The product didn’t vibe with my dog.”
“I got dumped and decided to rage refund everything.”
You used the item. You kept the item. You are not the victim.
You’re the digital version of someone eating an entire meal at a restaurant and then saying it was “cold” as you lick the plate clean.
Funny? Maybe. Sustainable? Absolutely Not.
We want to laugh. We want to “small biz owner reacts” with sass. But here’s the truth:
Every false chargeback:
Steals hours
Hurts our credit
Reduces our platform trust score
Pushes small shops into the red
One seller put it best:
“I make £8 profit on a £25 order. One scam wipes out four legit sales. I’m selling but I’m going broke.”
Dear Serial Refunders, We See You
We keep the emails.
We see the unboxing videos.
We screenshot your comments.
And when we say “we remember,” we’re not joking.
One woman:
Ordered Cosmo Canker Powder
Filed a chargeback saying “never arrived”
Then posted a dog TikTok where the powder was clearly visible on her side table
We sent it to the bank. Denied.
They said: “A photo is not proof.”
You heard that right:
Bank will still side with Karen Refundstein.
Why We’re Naming Names (Figuratively… for now)
This blog? This is therapy. This is revenge via writing.
We won’t publish full names—yet—but we’re building The Hall of Shame.
A sacred scroll of usernames, case studies, and stories that will live on as a monument to modern-day scam culture.
Not because we’re petty (well… maybe a little), but because enough is enough.
If you:
File fake disputes
Lie about deliveries
Keep and use items then “accidentally” charge back…
You’ve earned your crown.
Queen of Refundland. Duchess of Digital Theft. Lord of Lies.
What Can Honest Buyers Do?
Speak up: If you see refund fraud on eBay or TikToks, call it out. Report them.
Support real shops: Buy from small businesses you trust and don’t ghost them over a £6 mistake.
Give grace: Sometimes things go wrong. Give sellers a chance to make it right.
Write honest reviews: They help more than you know.
Say THANK YOU: It means the world when we hear it. We remember kind buyers forever.
Message to Fellow Sellers
To the tired, overworked, refund-flooded indie shops reading this:
You are not crazy.
You are not alone.
And no, it’s not “just how business works now.”
We see you printing labels at midnight.
We see you crying after your 8th chargeback this month.
We see you sending freebies to calm down a buyer who left a 2-star because the postman was late.
You’re doing your best. And you’re still standing.
Now go pour a drink. Take a breath. Print this blog. Tape it to your wall. And when the next refund troll hits?
Smile.
You’ve got the Hall of Shame on your side.
Final Thought: Just Because You Can Doesn’t Mean You Should
Yes, TikTok lets you keep the product.
Yes, chargebacks are easy.
Yes, small sellers rarely win.
But ask yourself:
Is your free candle worth someone’s grocery money?
Is your fake rash refund worth the mental breakdown of a solo maker?
Is a £30 scam really worth your integrity?
Because for every scammer getting “free stuff,” there’s a real person on the other end—packing orders by hand, using their rent money to ship things with love.
Don’t end up in the Hall of Shame.
Unless you already have. In that case—hi.
We see you.
And we’ve got your refund… right here.
🖕💳
With Love
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