I spent 3,000 yuan on Xianyu buying a "like-new" phone


The seller said he only used it for two months, and the invoice and box are all there.
We agreed to meet at the subway station for face-to-face exchange.
When we met, I saw he was a pretty well-educated college student, and he even showed me his student ID: "Bro, don't worry, I’m from Xiamen University, I don’t scam."
I believed him. I scanned the QR code to pay, and when I got home and checked—
The IMEI code showed this phone was refurbished, actually used for a year and a half, with 82% battery health.
I was furious and went back to find him. He refused to admit it, saying, "Second-hand items are non-refundable."
Later, I used three tricks to make him refund willingly:
First trick: Check his Xianyu history
He had five "like-new" phones listed at the same time, all different brands and models.
A normal student wouldn’t have five idle phones at once—he’s a professional reseller.
Second trick: Check his social media accounts
Search his phone number, and the profile picture is a logo of "Luxury Goods Recycling."
Search his account, and it’s full of videos about "phone recycling quotes."
Third trick: Take screenshots as evidence
Capture all his descriptions on his homepage like "personal use" and "student’s personal use."
These are false advertising, and the platform can recognize it as fraud.
I bundled these three pieces of evidence and sent them to Xianyu customer service,
and also told him, "I’ve prepared the materials, next step is 12315 and the court mini-program, your choice."
Half an hour later, he refunded the money.
On second-hand platforms, nine out of ten people claiming "personal use" are actually resellers.
The remaining one is a student selling on behalf of a reseller.
Later, I summarized a rule:
Anyone who actively shows you their ID card or student ID during face-to-face exchange probably has a problem.
Because normal people wouldn’t carry those around.
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