First time seller - Got an offer, but paranoid about being scammed

[saryvonn0]

Hi, 

First time seller here. Selling an expensive product (4550 USD). I got an offer he wants it shipped to Hong Kong even though his account seems registered in US. But he did change the address within eBay so that is all good as I understand it, correct ? 

He has an account since 2012 with over 4000 reviews and all 100% positive. Can I trust this completely ? 

And first I put price plus shipping then after negotiating with him I lowered the price a bit and said shipping was 150USD and he asked me to update the listing. 

I don't know why but I have serious trust issues selling on eBay after reading lots of horror stories. All advice appriciated

[robbie31415]

1) Don't sell anything you can't afford to lose.

2) Always only ship to the address on the order.

3) Sellers can only leave Positive feedback for buyers.

Scammers are everywhere on eBay. Is this buyer a scammer ? I have no clue. You are a new seller and are more of a target to scammers for high value items.

[saryvonn0]

Thank you. So basically the positive feedbacks hold no value? Or the age of the account?

[tobaccocardyahoo]

Ship using Ebay International Shipping (EIS). Do not use any other method.

EIS covers all issues once the item has reached the Ebay Shipping Hub.

Since you are shipping from Iceland, you cannot use EIS. You have little recourse if any scam occurs.

New sellers who offer big ticket items are targets for a wide variety of scammers. They should not be offering big ticket items. Offering this item as your first item was a mistake. Since you have not made the sale yet, close the listing.

As @robbie31415 says the positive FB is worthless. So is negative FB for sellers. FB is an obsolete relic from when Ebay was not policed in any way.

[sextons-sweet-deals]

did you look at the buyer's feedback history left for others? Are you shipping under eBay's Interantional shipping service to be protected? 

Places like Hong Kong, South Korea, and Japan have some very solid wealthy people. 

It's mind blowing that a putter can sell for such a price. 

Being a new seller with such an expensive item can make you a target for fraud. It's up to you after collect more data / comments. 

might be best to sell local so the buyer can inspect and try it out. 

[soh.maryl]

Aren't there enough red flags there to reasonably just ignore the offer and put him on your BBL?

Am still surprised that eBay would allow a new seller to list such a high-priced item. 

[janet9988]

You are located in Iceland and are only selling/shipping to the USA.

[chariot_badges]

---

@robbie31415 wrote:

1) Don't sell anything you can't afford to lose.

2) Always only ship to the address on the order.

3) Sellers can only leave Positive feedback for buyers.

Scammers are everywhere on eBay. Is this buyer a scammer ? I have no clue. You are a new seller and are more of a target to scammers for high value items.

---

To the above list, I would suggest one addition:

4)  If you are THAT afraid of getting ripped off, don't sell anything retail.  Not on line, or in a brick and mortar.  You WILL get ripped off.  Do this long enough, and somebody will get in your pocket.  Count on it - and by that I mean BUDGET FOR IT. 

It's called 'shrinkage', and it doesn't only happen in cold weather. 

. 

[slati_2013]

Check feedback buyer has left for others and received. See if he has purchased high end items including the one he purchased. If possible see if the items he has been buying are expensive as this one.  If you ship, make sure you chose a shipping service that will deliver to his door and get a signature. Choose fast express shipping. 

If the buyer planned to scam you, he probably would not be negotiating the price and shipping. That said, the choice to ship or not is yours. This is a high end item. Any sale here is going to be risky regardless of the country you sell it to. 

[12345jamesstamps]

Are you selling this for quick money? Because it is not going to happen. New sellers have a hold on sales for 30+ days. So you will have to mail it out using your money before getting any funds from the sale. And you have to ship it within the time frame.

And remember "no returns" does not mean "no returns". If item is "not as described" you will have to pay for return shipping.

I think it best to sell such an item in your country than to another country.

[trbl13]

If you Cannot ship Using eBay's International Shipping Service...which Protects You..

then I would have Serious Concerns about this Sale..If you Selected Shipping Only to the USA..

you should Not be Shipping to Hong Kong. Especially a $4550 item..As a New Seller you are very Vulnerable..

My Opinion would be to Cancel the Sale..saying there is a Problem with the Address. I Wish you the Best...Whatever you decide.

[dbfolks166mt]

     Really trying to understand this situation. As janet9988 mentioned you are located in Iceland and the following listing only shows as shipping to the US. I suspect that the original address the buyer was using was that of a freight forwarder which is why he would see the listing and be able to purchase and ship. If they changed the address not sure how they are still seeing it and how  you are going to ship. 

     Shipping through the freight forwarder is low risk since the buyers MBG coverage ends when the item arrives at the FF. This does not prevent the buyer from opening a chargeback however and in that situation under the premises of a NAD chargeback you would have virtually no protection. 

     If it were to go through a FF there may be some customs issues the first when the item comes into the US through the FF and the second when it arrives at the buyers location in Hong Kong. This may be part of the reason the buyer is wanting to have the item shipped direct. 

     Personally this is not an item I would have ever listed on eBay in the first place. HUGE amount of risk even if you were a seasoned seller and you did accept returns. 

[robbie31415]

I would disagree with this statement

"Shipping through the freight forwarder is low risk since the buyers MBG coverage ends when the item arrives at the FF. "

No address voids MBG coverage. This has been verified by eBay staff in the past.

You would have to get the buyer to admit the item is being forwarded.

So shipping to a FF isn't 'low risk' in my opinion, but similar risk to any address in the US.

[fashunu4eeuh]

Hi @saryvonn0 and welcome.

The time to evaluate one’s risk tolerance is before listing the item, not after the sale when eBay rules can impact your account. While it is always within your power to ship or not ship, these rules can penalize sellers who decide to cancel the sale without a buyer request to do so. 

Another poster suggested canceling using “problem with address”. This is in order to bypass the penalty that could be imposed for a seller-initiated transaction cancellation. (eBay seriously frowns on the practice, and considers it a grave infraction.)

However, as there is not really an actual problem with the address, it could be unethical to select it as the reason, and if the buyer complains to eBay about it, you might get in worse hot water. “Out of stock” would be the expected choice but then the seller must accept the defect penalty given by eBay.

eBay’s reasoning is this: Cancelling sales without a buyer request can create consumer disappointment and a BBE (bad buying experience) for the customer. As an international seller, you need to avoid situations creating BBEs because eBay is cracking down on those overseas sellers who do it.

So it is up to you now to weigh your next steps. Defects can effect one’s selling privileges in the long run. If you haven’t done so, I would urge you to read up on eBay’s seller performance policies before listing more items.

Best of luck to you.

[saryvonn0]

Thank you so much I had no idea about that.

I’m not planning on selling more on eBay than this one product but seriously doubting if I should remove the ad since it’s so easy to be scammed it seems