During a sale, when should I get the buyer's shipping address? (My concern is scams.)

[vintage.muscles]

I am a first-time seller, so I'm unfamiliar with the steps. I got an offer from a buyer whose account says China, but whose delivery location is listed on eBay as a 9-digit zip code (no street address) in the United States.  Since there was no street address, my understanding was he wants me to mail this item to a Post Office Box, which seemed vulnerable to scams.  Since he didn't provide a street address before agreeing to his offer, I declined the offer. Did I jump to a conclusion about the delivery address? In other words, is the full delivery address provided to me by eBay later in the process?

Here's an interesting complication... He sent me a second offer, and this time the delivery location was listed a 9-digit zip code in the US 3000 miles away! That's definitely a red flag.

[monica-sells]

I apologize, I am not sure what you are seeing (re: location of offer)

You are receiving these "Best Offers" from your current listing...correct?

You will see the final "ship-to' address AFTER the buyer pays you....

You can decide what to do at that point with the buyer (if they seem suspect)

but there are very few reasons to not make a sale.....

on the other hand, there are times to just walk away

[klhmdg]

Accept the offer or dont.

You are putting way too much "thought" into this. Did you not list to sell?

If you accept and the buyer pays, you ship.

You will then have the address.

A PO Box is the most secure place to ship. USPS doesnt just hand out packages to anyone. PO Box is only for people listed on that PO Box.

[reallynicestamps · Accepted solution]

You get the zip code to help you in packaging.

You can look up that zipcode on google maps- if it is in an industrial/commercial area near an airport it is very likely a freight forwarder.

That's good news, because most of the Money Back Guarantee does not apply once the shipment reaches the forwarder.

A seller is only required to provide return shipping from the buyer's input address at time of checkout - that goes for any return where a seller provides shipping ('free' returns, etc).
 https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/All-Items-Are-Free/m-p/31966203#M1772511
Message #20 from tyler@ebay 

When eBay receives his payment the full address will be given to you.

Now.

You won't actually receive the payment for a bit, because payments to new sellers are Held against performance.

However

You can use the Held funds to buy a shipping label, and when you buy through eBay you get a discount on that label, plus a lot of the reporting of tracking is automatically applied to your account.

More important.

Do you have your Managed Payments account set up? Without your SSN and checking account information eBay is unable to transfer the customer's payment to you when the Hold ends.

[monroe67]

While I'm not familiar with this particular scam attempt, I'd say:   Do Not Communicate further with this person.

Yes, the full delivery address will be provided to you, the seller, by eBay later in the sale process.

There's no reason for you, the seller, even to know the buyer's shipping address until he/she pays through eBay, at which point you will receive a message/e-mail from eBay saying it's OK to mail the item.  eBay provides you the shipping address at that point.  

Do NOT mail the item to any address other than the one eBay gives to you.  You will forfeit any eBay protection, like for a lost item claim, if you do mail it to another address.  

There is nothing inherently evil about a Post Office box.  You, the seller, just need to know that UPS and FedEx don't deliver to US Postal Service post office boxes.   In fact, it's often safer for the buyer for you to send a purchase to the buyer's post office box, as long as you send it through the US Postal Service (USPS).  

Keep coming back to this forum.  It's a good way to learn the finer points of eBay's procedures.  

[luckythewinner]

A seller does not get the buyer's delivery address until the buyer pays for the item and provides his delivery address with the payment.

[stuffygrotto]

Very first item selling anything? Take off the 'make offer' and let the auction run its course.

Make sure you go into your account settings (Top LEFT of page, click the drop down menu "ACCOUNT" SETTINGS"  under your first name)  then choose 'Buyer Preferences' and tick the box that says require payment info before bidding. Like this>

Buyer Payment Requirements

Require buyers to provide a payment method before they place a bid.

Require buyers to provide a payment method before they make an offer.

[tobaccocardyahoo]

Expecting that you can identify a scammer by their address is foolish, you cannot.

Expecting that you can find reliable information about who is going to scam you if you use a search engine and research the name and address is highly unlikely.

What seems to the inexperienced seller is an indication of a scam, usually is not. As others have said, there is some level of safety associated with PO Boxes and Freight Forwarders, and you can add to that safety level by adding signature confirmation to your shipment.

I advise sellers to never offer anything for sale online which they cannot afford to suffer the loss of. The consumer protection laws, and therefore all online marketplaces, are biased in favor of the buyer and what you think is incontrovertible evidence of a scam may not be evidence which is even considered.

[1tuna]

this is rather simple

you use seller hub to get the address

seller hub tells you what to ship and when, its pretty much foolproof

if you have eIS or ebay international shipping set up then it does not matter where they live

never ever rely on any messages about where to ship

nothing said in a message is going to change the MBG or money back guarantee

seller hub is what you need to rely on, never a message

@vintage.muscles 

[iamalwaysright]

I'm sure you got some great info from other members who replied, many here know their stuff and are super willing to help.

I didn't read your entire post but I just wanted to say this big tip after reading your first two sentences.

Rule of Thumb: If you are a new seller on ebay, DO NOT sell to anyone internationally. Just don't do it yet until you get a good grasp of things while selling domestically. International sales add alot more complications and risks. Things you don't need while you learn to sell on ebay.

[reallynicestamps]

there is some level of safety associated with PO Boxes and Freight Forwarders, and you can add to that safety level by adding signature confirmation to your shipment.

To be unnecessarily explanatory.

• PO boxes require the renter to provide identification before the key is handed over. In addition, if the shipment does not fit into the box, it must be picked up at the counter and ID shown once again.
• Using a forwarders means the customer is giving up most of the protections of eBay's Money Back Guarantee.
• And while Signature Confirmation is only required to win a Not Received Dispute over $750value, you can add it to anything. The customer must then sign before receipt, often also providing ID to the carrier.

If you are a new seller on ebay, DO NOT sell to anyone internationally.

• This is not because international customers are any more dishonest than others, but because the sheer logistics of shipping are hard enough domestically and it is worth the time to learn how to ship before venturing into international commerce.

[simply-the-best-for-you]

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@vintage.muscles wrote:

I am a first-time seller, so I'm unfamiliar with the steps. I got an offer from a buyer whose account says China, but whose delivery location is listed on eBay as a 9-digit zip code (no street address) in the United States.  Since there was no street address, my understanding was he wants me to mail this item to a Post Office Box, which seemed vulnerable to scams.  Since he didn't provide a street address before agreeing to his offer, I declined the offer. Did I jump to a conclusion about the delivery address? In other words, is the full delivery address provided to me by eBay later in the process?

Here's an interesting complication... He sent me a second offer, and this time the delivery location was listed a 9-digit zip code in the US 3000 miles away! That's definitely a red flag.

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You never get a street address until the have purchased.  I do not see the bolded as a red flag.  They figured you didn't want to ship to what was likely a freight forwarder, so they either switched to another FF or changed it to a friend or family member.  What is the item & how much money are we talking about? 

[vintage.muscles]

You guessed correctly. The first location was a freight forwarder in Delaware (a state with no sales tax), and the second a FF in Oregon (also no sales tax). The item is a 14k gold watch, my first item for sale.

I WAS going to list a number of VHS tapes and vintage comics on eBay, but my new concern is whether eBay is going to hold my payments for a LONG time since I'm a new seller. If you have any ideas on reducing that hold interval (I need $ soon), that would be most appreciated.

P.S. Say hello to Nigel.

[simply-the-best-for-you]

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@vintage.muscles wrote:

You guessed correctly. The first location was a freight forwarder in Delaware (a state with no sales tax), and the second a FF in Oregon (also no sales tax). The item is a 14k gold watch, my first item for sale.

I WAS going to list a number of VHS tapes and vintage comics on eBay, but my new concern is whether eBay is going to hold my payments for a LONG time since I'm a new seller. If you have any ideas on reducing that hold interval (I need $ soon), that would be most appreciated.

P.S. Say hello to Nigel.

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Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa.  Pump the brakes my dude!  The item being a 14K gold watch makes ALL the difference!   New seller, expensive item, foreign sale, switching locations, these are the sign of a scam waiting to happen.  Don't ship anything.  I'll post more in a minute!  

[simply-the-best-for-you]

Ok, I see it's only $98, so that isn't as expensive as I thought it would be, but a good rule of thumb is not to sell anything on Ebay that you can't afford to lose, ESPECIALLY when you are new & easily taken advantage of.   Ebay has a pretty iron clad Money Back Guarantee for the Buyer, which means if anyone claims your item is not working or otherwise Signifcantly Not As Described (SNAD), you WILL have to refund them!  ANd they don't need to prove it!  Most buyers are honest, but the combo of you being new, this being a relatively expensive item & the switching of addresses makes me very nervous for you.  The only time someone attempted to scam me, it involve changing FF addresses & I say that as someone who as shipped to FF's hundreds of times.  I think you dodged a bullet & I would put them on your Blocked Buyer List too.  I would also not offer it worldwide  

You'd be much better off starting out with your VHS tapes & some lower priced items.  Build up some feedback & experience & learn how it all works.  Yes, Ebay will hold your $$ and no there's nothing you can do to speed up that process.  

I can't wait for the new movie they're working on to come out.  It's about a band who have gotten old, all hate each other, but decide to tour for the $$$.  Sound familiar? 🤣