Online model seller in Japan scammed by buyer who returned different kit with pieces cut out

Online model seller in Japan scammed by buyer who returned a different kit filled with junk

An online seller in Japan got scammed by a buyer who returned a different model kit that already had all the pieces cut out.

The disgruntled merchant turned to social media to vent their frustrations after their complaints to the e-commerce platform went unresponded.

Seller claims customer deliberately returned different product

On Wednesday (13 Nov) morning, the seller shared two sets of photos on X. The first set showed a Tamiya model tank kit with all the pieces still in the runner. This was apparently what they sent the buyer.

online seller scammed returned original

Source: @akkord841 on X

The second set showed the product that was returned to them after the buyer requested a refund.

While similar in appearance, a closer inspection revealed that it was a completely different Tamiya model tank kit. Additionally, all the pieces have been extracted from the runner.

online seller scammed returned refund

Source: @akkord841 on X

The seller said they submitted the photos along with the complaints to Mercari — the Japanese e-commerce platform in question. However, the complaints were apparently ignored.

They even added that the buyer received their refund after saying there was nothing wrong with the item they were returning.

E-commerce platform eventually agreed to reverse refund

The post soon drew the attention of Japanese netizens. At the time of writing, the post has garnered over 12 million views and over 800 replies.

About 12 hours after the initial post, Mercari responded to the seller.

The company claimed that they decided to cancel the transaction after investigating the case.

However, Mercari added that they will not be responsible for the mediation between the buyer and seller.

The response drew massive criticism from Japanese X users. The criticism eventually prompted another Mercari response to the seller.

After monitoring the series of posts on X, Mercari’s social manager said they were trying to convince management to reconsider their response. This angered the seller, who said the company only changed their stance after seeing the outrage.

An hour later, Mercari said it would reverse the refund they originally granted the alleged scammer.

Despite receiving money for the purchase, the seller found themselves unable to forgive Mercari for their response.

“Although they said they’ll take appropriate measures, the alleged scammer simply changed their names and are still on the platform,” the post said.

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Featured image adapted from @akkord841 on X. 

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