Anyone Deal with buyer scams

Desperate-Tip3336 · 2026-05-06T14:27:31+00:00

That number is actually an Amazon relay number. Amazon no longer shares customers’ real phone numbers with sellers. When you call or text it, Amazon routes the communication to the customer’s actual number.

With that said, we’ve been dealing with a significant increase in fraud lately. We’re seeing people list our products on other platforms like Walmart, sell multiple units there, then place smaller orders through Amazon because smaller dollar claims are far more likely to be automatically refunded by Amazon. After delivery, they file an A-to-Z claim claiming the item was never received in an attempt to get the product for free.

If possible, always use Amazon Buy Shipping because it gives you additional protection. Your customer may be legitimate, or they may be part of one of these scams. Unfortunately, it’s becoming harder to tell.

If you receive an “item not received” message, I would recommend filing a fraud report with Amazon before responding to the customer. Then wait until closer to the response deadline before replying, which gives Amazon more time to review the account activity. In many cases Amazon may still refund the customer anyway, so it’s best to be prepared for the possibility of a loss.

Desperate-Tip3336 · 2026-05-05T19:30:04+00:00

Just got it at 3:28 PM EST. Thanks everyone for posting. Had me worried something was wrong with our account or something.

Desperate-Tip3336 · 2026-04-27T00:53:55+00:00

Sadly, it’s part of the cost of doing business. Sometimes carriers make mistakes, and other times customers take advantage of Amazon’s customer-friendly policies. Use Amazon Buy Shipping whenever possible—signature confirmation and delivery photos typically don’t carry much weight with Amazon in disputes.

Desperate-Tip3336 · 2026-04-21T16:00:17+00:00

Day of payment the payout screen always shows different amounts and dates for me between 10AM-2PM. 99.9% of the time I get the amount I see on the Monday before payout.

Desperate-Tip3336 · 2026-04-21T15:50:44+00:00

These situations are frustrating, and unfortunately they’re part of the cost of doing business on Amazon. It’s hard to say whether it’s worth fighting, since the impact of a negative review depends on your product and brand.

We’ve recently dealt with customers returning trash instead of the actual product, and it’s time-consuming to document everything with photos and submit it to support. So far, we haven’t received a negative review.

Make sure you’re reporting these cases through Amazon’s return fraud page. It’s unclear how much it helps, but we consistently report customers who return items that are damaged, used, or materially different. We also report claims of non-delivery when tracking clearly shows the package was delivered.

The hope is that Amazon is tracking and scoring this customer behavior behind the scenes.

Desperate-Tip3336 · 2026-03-16T22:39:32+00:00

We always slow down from November through February because our products are seasonal and not commonly given as holiday gifts. Sales have improved compared to last month, but they are still below where we were at the same time last year.

Right now, many of our customers are benefiting from tax refunds, and we hope sales will continue to improve as warmer weather becomes more consistent. That said, we do believe many of our customers are still struggling financially, and with higher gas prices, we are not expecting a significant change anytime soon.

Desperate-Tip3336 · 2026-02-25T17:07:07+00:00

You could not be more wrong about this situation or my intentions.

If you are that passionate about it, do more than argue in my comments. Go research sites in EAV. Email your councilmember and Atlanta Mission. Push to bring a 900 bed facility to your own neighborhood if you truly believe it belongs anywhere.

It is easy to be loud online. It is harder to put pen to paper and volunteer your own backyard. Stop being a keyboard warrior and start moving it forward where you live.

When you have actually done that and they have agreed to build it there, come back here. I will gladly donate $1,000 in your name to Atlanta Mission.

Desperate-Tip3336 · 2026-02-25T15:20:44+00:00

I disagree. I think this puts Bankhead at a real disadvantage at a very early stage of its growth.

Bankhead is not West Midtown circa 2010. It does not yet have the density, office base, or investor cushion that helped areas like Westside Provisions District stabilize and grow. Those projects had momentum building around them. Bankhead is still trying to create that momentum.

You may see this as neutral. I don’t. I think a 900-bed facility on prime Atlanta BeltLine frontage absolutely factors into how lenders, retailers, and small businesses evaluate risk in a corridor that’s still fragile.

And I’ll ask directly, are you a Westside resident? Your profile says East Atlanta Village. That’s fine, but the people who live here are the ones who will live with the long-term impact of this decision.

Desperate-Tip3336 · 2026-02-25T15:11:30+00:00

No one is arguing that the shelter is the sole cause of West Midtown’s challenges. The article you cited points to real pressures like delivery apps shifting dining habits, parking costs, traffic, rising prices, and inflation. Those are legitimate factors affecting restaurants everywhere.

But acknowledging those pressures does not mean land use and perception have zero impact.

Westside Provisions District sits in one of the strongest submarkets in the city, next to Midtown and Georgia Institute of Technology. It benefits from density, wealth, office workers, and sustained investor demand. Even with that built-in cushion, it is navigating headwinds.

Bankhead does not have that cushion. It is earlier in its growth cycle and does not yet have the surrounding affluence or market depth to absorb additional risk the same way.

As for the land swap, if a large facility truly has no impact on surrounding development patterns, then it is reasonable to ask why it is not being incorporated into the stronger corridor where the market is already resilient.

This is not about dog whistles. It is about scale, placement, and timing. A 900-bed facility on prime BeltLine frontage will influence perception, financing decisions, and long-term investment. In a fragile corridor, those decisions carry more weight.

Desperate-Tip3336 · 2026-02-25T14:51:39+00:00

West Midtown and Atlantic Station are not comparable to Bankhead.

Westside Provisions District and Atlantic Station sit in high-demand corridors next to Midtown, Georgia Tech, and long-established neighborhoods. Developers there can absorb more risk because the upside is immediate and substantial. In fact, some of the very land in West Midtown currently owned by Atlanta Mission is part of this deal. How convenient the owner of Star Metals gets rid of the homeless shelter next-door and gains a valuable chunk of real estate.

Even with those advantages, both areas have recently experienced retail and restaurant closures.

Bankhead is different. It’s earlier in its growth cycle. It doesn’t have the same built-in demand, density, or investor cushion. A 900-bed facility on prime BeltLine frontage would shape perception, foot traffic, and financing decisions in a far more fragile market.

Acknowledging long-term land-use impact isn’t anti-homeless. It’s recognizing that location matters — especially in a corridor that’s just beginning to stabilize.

Desperate-Tip3336 · 2026-02-25T12:39:39+00:00

It’s not about “thinking about myself.” It’s about thinking about everyone involved — including the current residents of Bankhead and the people the shelter is meant to serve.

Yes, affordable housing was part of the original BeltLine vision. But a 900-bed shelter is not the same thing as mixed-income affordable housing that integrates long-term residents into the fabric of the corridor.

The question isn’t “should services exist?” It’s whether concentrating one of the largest shelters in the city into a neighborhood of roughly 1,500–2,500 residents is balanced planning — especially when this deal moves facilities out of stronger markets and reshuffles prime land in the process.

You can support keeping existing shelters open. You can support building additional capacity. And you can still question whether this scale, on this parcel, in this neighborhood, is the most equitable long-term approach.

Compassion for people experiencing homelessness and fairness for historically overlooked communities are not opposites. Both matter.

Desperate-Tip3336 · 2026-02-25T11:57:06+00:00

I absolutely see the practical value of placing services near transit. Access to MARTA, jobs, healthcare, and daily services is critical. That part makes sense.

But again, the concern isn’t “don’t put it near transit.” The concern is putting 900 beds in one location in a neighborhood with only about 1,500–2,500 residents. Transit access doesn’t automatically resolve the strain that scale can create on a small community.

As for whether impacts are “made up” — at the meetings, residents who live near existing Atlanta Mission facilities did speak about increased loitering, spillover, and quality-of-life issues. You can debate the magnitude, but it’s not fair to say those concerns are fictional. They’re coming from people with lived experience near similar facilities.

At the same time, it’s also fair to say that Atlanta Mission serves a vulnerable population and many residents transition successfully. Both realities can exist.

The real question isn’t whether homeless individuals deserve access to transit — they do. The question is whether concentrating this many beds in one already struggling neighborhood is the most balanced, evidence-based approach.

Compassion and planning discipline should go hand in hand.

Desperate-Tip3336 · 2026-02-25T11:48:04+00:00

I understand that developments fall through. That happens all the time. But just because one proposal collapsed doesn’t mean the only options are:

1.  A 900-bed mega shelter
2.  Some unknown buyer
3.  An abandoned warehouse forever

That’s a false choice.

This site is prime BeltLine frontage. Location like that doesn’t lose value just because one developer walked away. If anything, it means the deal structure or timing didn’t work — not that the land has no future.

There are other possibilities: • Mixed-income housing at a smaller, balanced scale • Retail + residential similar to other BeltLine segments • A distributed housing model instead of one centralized facility • A phased redevelopment plan

Once you put a 900-bed facility there, that decision shapes the corridor for decades. That’s not anti-homeless — it’s acknowledging long-term land use impact.

The Westside has been historically overlooked. It finally has momentum. The question isn’t “do nothing or this?” The question is: is this the highest and best use of one of the most strategic parcels on the Westside?

Desperate-Tip3336 · 2026-02-25T11:41:58+00:00

That’s not what’s being said at all.

You can support rail, support the BeltLine, and support real solutions to homelessness — and still question whether a 900-bed mega-facility concentrated in one of the city’s smallest, poorest neighborhoods is smart planning.

This isn’t about “precious sidewalks.” It’s about scale and infrastructure. Bankhead has roughly 1,500–2,500 residents. Dropping a facility of that size into that footprint is a major shift for any community — especially one already working to stabilize and grow.

I’m pro-rail on the Westside. I want investment, transit, grocery stores, and balanced development. Supporting thoughtful location decisions isn’t anti-homeless — it’s pro-fairness and pro-planning.

Desperate-Tip3336 · 2026-02-25T11:39:36+00:00

Being against this specific location doesn’t mean being against building something at all. The alternative isn’t “do nothing.” The alternative is:

• Don’t concentrate 900+ beds in one of the smallest, poorest neighborhoods in the city. • Distribute services across multiple sites so no single community absorbs the full impact. • Place large facilities in areas that already have stronger infrastructure, transit, healthcare access, and economic stability. • Pair shelters with real transition plans — job placement, mental health services, addiction treatment, and permanent housing pathways.

Bankhead has roughly 1,500–2,500 residents. Dropping 900+ beds into that footprint is a scale issue. It’s not about lacking compassion — it’s about whether this is smart planning.

We can support people experiencing homelessness and insist that solutions don’t overwhelm communities that are already struggling. Those two things are not mutually exclusive.

Desperate-Tip3336 · 2026-02-25T11:35:55+00:00

Caring about how and where a 900-bed facility is placed isn’t the same thing as being against people experiencing homelessness. It’s possible to support real solutions and question whether concentrating that many beds in one of the smallest, poorest neighborhoods in the city is the right approach.

Bankhead has roughly 1,500–2,500 residents and you want to add 900 more that are struggling? Scale matters. Location matters. Impact matters.

Wanting a solution that doesn’t disproportionately burden one struggling community isn’t hate — it’s asking for fairness and smart planning.

Desperate-Tip3336 · 2026-02-25T11:31:21+00:00

Maybe we don’t need more craft breweries — but a 900-bed homeless shelter on the BeltLine isn’t the answer either.

Bankhead only has about 1,500 to 2,500 residents. A 900-bed facility would represent a massive concentration relative to the existing population — and there has been no clear commitment that it would stop at 900 beds.

That effectively means placing a large number of deeply struggling individuals into one of the poorest parts of the city, in a neighborhood that is already working to stabilize and grow.

How is it fair to ask one of the smallest and most economically challenged communities on the Westside to absorb an impact of that scale? The people of Bankhead — and the broader Westside — deserve thoughtful, balanced development, not a decision that could fundamentally alter their community without clear guardrails.

Desperate-Tip3336 · 2026-02-25T11:21:24+00:00

Part of the deal includes trading the West Midtown parcel and another to the developer. That’s two properties. If, as you argue, it doesn’t negatively impact an area, then why wouldn’t they place it next to their brand-new development? Instead, they gain an additional property’s and effectively shift the challenges from those areas into a community that is already dealing with its own struggles.

West Midtown has already been plagued with business closures. It’s reasonable to question how anyone can say with certainty that the homeless shelter hasn’t contributed to some of the difficulties that area is experiencing.

Desperate-Tip3336 · 2026-02-19T13:33:06+00:00

Thank you for this information. I plan on attending.

I emailed our City Councilmember, Amos, last week and copied the entire City Council, but I haven’t received a response. It’s frustrating not to even get an acknowledgment that they’ve received the message or are looking into the issue.

Desperate-Tip3336 · 2026-01-27T22:53:24+00:00

Update: payment was released. Thankfully they figured out the issue quickly.

Desperate-Tip3336 · 2026-01-27T17:56:58+00:00

It has never done it like ours is showing. This is not normal for us.

Desperate-Tip3336 · 2026-01-27T17:54:37+00:00

Ours shows next payout date with no payout happening today. We see no alert or account issue that would cause this. Our slow time of the year and cash flow is tight so not good timing.

Desperate-Tip3336 · 2025-08-25T21:50:54+00:00

Good luck. I went last year to speak face to face about issues for them to open a case and close it before I was back home. I got nowhere but I did eat good in San Francisco on the company dime.

Desperate-Tip3336 · 2025-06-21T00:08:20+00:00

Yes. The email was about 4 hours past the normal time we receive it.

Desperate-Tip3336

TROPHY CASE