HELP! Bought a watch from Ebay, fake China quartz watch arrived

I bought a JLC memovox black dial from ebay on the 25th of October. Today it finally arrived, my mum signed for the package and i opened it later on. Initially, everything looked fine as it came in a normal envelope sent using USPS by a seller with good standing on ebay. The envelope was sealed tightly and so i used a scissors to cut it open. Then when i pulled out the box, which was sealed but had a hole of an obvious rip in the centre, i spotted a metal bracelet sticking out, only partially wrapped with bubblewrap. I found it strange, as the watch pictured does not come with a metal bracelet so i pulled it out from the hole and i was greeted with a fake "Junhao" quartz watch.

I have raised an issue with paypal and as item arrived significantly different from what was bought. I also contacted the seller to which he responded that i was lying. After some explanation i told him i suspect mail has been tampered with.

How do i go about resolving this and ensure that i get my refund back. I also hope the seller gets his money back...any advice?

Assuming the package was tampered with may have complicated things for you.
Did the seller have a return policy? This is the beauty of Paypal. It may take some time but at the end, you should prevail..
Hopefully, you have not left feedback for the seller.
I would also ask that you post the ebay listing to alert other members of this seller..

Unfortunately for the seller, potential mail tampering / theft is their problem, not yours.

Paypal should refund you your money, but it will come at the seller's expense.

100% correct. Keep it simple. You didn't get what you ordered. Let them sort out what happened.

Also, your obligation is to return what you got. Seller should have insured the watch anyway.

Few months back I lost a Railmaster via Fedex Express. It was insured. Everyone was made whole.

Hi everyone (@WatchVaultNYC @cicindela @BobXX @TTG)

Thanks for your kind reply. I contacted the seller and now we are whatsapping, i told him i would contact paypal and try to resolve the matter and a dispute case has been open. Now the onus is on me to return the watch as packaged.

I was wondering how do i return a jlc memovox when what came was a fake junhao watch. How do i send proof the paypal that this was what came so he wont raise a appeal against me saying i returned him a fake watch? When i send back should i send all the box and envelope too to help him with his insurance claims?

I am now pretty sure it was not the sellers fault. Upon inspection, i realised the envelope was cut into and the customs declaration was pasted over it so without inspection from inside the envelope, it would be impossible to identify that the mail was broken into.

What do i do now that the seller replied that a refund will be made upon returns. However in a private email he stated specifically that the item should be returned as received(which i believe he thinks it is a jlc memovox). I do not want to be at the losing end of this so i want to make sure paypal gets all evidence of the watch that came before i send it back so no appeal can be made against me but on paypal's dispute resolution centre, there isnt a section to upload pictures.

I will provide update on everything after the storm is blown over including pictures and what i did so other forum members have reference next time. Once again thanks for all your advice, it is really appreciated as i am stressed out over this sum of money that could potentially be lost and this is the first time it has ever happened to me.

Regards
Jerome

Do i send everything that came including the box and the envelope to the seller?

Ok i understand, ill do what paypal asked and perform the returns. I will get my money refunded back first then try and help the seller if he needs. Anything i need to take note when sending back the package?

How do i ensure that no appeal against me is made when he receives the "fake china watch" which was what i received and accuses me of not returning the actual item.

Sorry for what happened. I would also take phots of everything (i.e., the package, envelop and the watch) before returning them, just in case you need them for future reference.

Hey guys,

I spoke to paypal and was told to just return the package as is to the seller. They advised DHL/Fedex as Singpost is not as reliable and to ensure that seller signs for it upon receiving.

Will heed all your advice and send everything back accordingly and hopefully get my refund back ASAP. Will keep this thread updated for future reference.

Regards
Jerome

@cicindela Hey man, thanks for the tip. I kept both issues of not receiving the item i ordered and reasons why it did not come as i ordered seperate

Today, i have already Fedex-ed the parcel returns back to the seller and i also sent paypal the photos of the watch that i received. I also visited my local post office to file a report about the package and filled up any relevant forms so that if USPS checks with Singpost, they are able to get my statement.

The return is expected to arrive on Tuesday latest and i am hoping there won't be any hiccups thereafter and the refund will be made directly to my account after seller has received the package and signed for it. Will update again 😉

Just a little tip that may help others. I understand you cannot always open a package in front of a delivery person to act as a witness, so after signing for delivery video yourself opening the package as soon as possible after arrival. Show details like the address label and also the condition of the package before slowly opening. It's not categoric proof but it could well be viewed as strong evidence if needed.

I don't do this if Amazon sends me a couple CDs but for a JLC from eBay you can be absolutely certain I would do this. It costs you nothing and takes just 2 minutes, so think of it as a little extra safeguard.

That's good advice. I once purchased a fairly expensive watch that arrived in the flimsiest of packing from another country. After opening, it initially appeared to be in good shape, however the crown came loose at the first touch and fell out completely along with the stem. I contacted the seller via eBay who kept trying to force communication outside the system via private email. I tried to relay what the seller had written to eBay, but they will not accept anything unless it goes through their system. The same applies with PayPal.