Is this an eBay scam?

[daddydarththeone]

Is this an eBay scam?

Today(10/15/19), someone offered the same exact amount that I was asking for an item. Then he sent me a email via eBay's email system, asking me to text him as he had questions about the item.

A few red flags went up right away:

1) Why didn't he ask his questions via eBay's email system?(communicating via outside email(and I'm assuming calls and text) are against eBay's rules)

2) I noticed that he had just joined eBay(as of today).

3) I noticed that he was located in a country that the USPS doesn't track their shipments.

I'm already aware of the phone/fax/text scam, where you are instructed to phone/fax or text a number, and then you get charged something like $39.99 per min(or more).

Is this a known eBay scam? Has this happened to anyone else?

[itz_stacey]

yes, it's a scam. the dork is trying to set you up for the fake "you've been paid" email that WILL LOOK like it came from Pay-pal, but it didn't. 

They want you to text them so they can ask you for your pay-pal email address.

Report the buyer, block them and move on. 

[daddydarththeone]

Yeah, thought so. When I get 'you've been paid' emails from eBay, or PayPal, I always check my account first, to make sure payment was made, and that their eBay user ID address matches up with their PayPal account address, and make sure that their shipping address isn't in a country that the USPS doesn't track. Yeah, I know somewhat paranoid, but I've been burned a few times over the last 20+ years of selling.