Buyer Wants Me To Ship To A Hotel That His Friend Is Staying At Later This Month

[the_vape_folks]

This kind of put a bad taste in my mouth. So I just sold a product for $820 plus $76.33 shipping cost. The buyer is from New Zealand and has 0 feedback.  He originally had issues paying for the product, but did pay on the 2nd day. The invoice from paypal DOES show the hotel address for the shipping address. It's just the way that he types and talks that kind of makes me a little suspicious.  This is his last message:

"Hi there again.
I just paid for the auction (via Pay Pal) and I thank you so much for your patience.

Now I know you have been wanting to get rid of this parcel but can I ask you for one more favour.

I am from New Zealand and obviously shipping to here would be very expensive.
But I do have a friend going to the United States later in August.

He will be staying at the Ritz Carlton in Chicago from the 20th to the 23rd

It would be awesome if you could hold on to this package and ship it at a time when it would arrive somewhere inbetween those dates. (I estimate shipping on the 13th)

Please let me know if this causes you any inconvenience.

I humbly thank you again for your patience and I hope you can understand my situation.

One again Thanks"

So what do you guys think? Like I said this item sold for just shy of $1000 and I don't want to risk losing that money, but  what do I do in this situation. Like I said the paypal invoice does show the hotel address on it so I should be safe no matter what, right?

Thanks!

[doubledz-a2z]

Not that uncommon.   Most hotels have a separate receiving service.   Call the hotel and do some inquiring.  There may be a special way to address the package since the amount will require a signature and you can add a line on the shipping page before you print.   Might call ebay as well just to find out if seller protection will cover this transaction.   If it is an item you think will sell again quickly you may want to cancel and relist.  I no longer sell internationally but I have shipped to Las Vegas hotel and Brazilian buyer met up with his package there.  Worked with no problems.  Ritz no doubt offers this sort of service.

[orangehound]

I've shipped probably 5-10 items to international travelers staying in domestic hotels.  Never had a problem.

[csbbct]

@the_vape_folks  I hate to be the only negative one here, but there are several things that concern me about this so please take these comments into consideration before making your decision:

• Buyer with zero feedback – many scams are executed by “new” buyers with zero feedback
• You are a relatively new seller with only a hundred or so feedbacks and you are selling a high priced item – a magnet for scammers
• Twice in your post you refer to the Paypal “invoice”. What do you mean by that?  Did he somehow talk you into sending him an invoice through Paypal?  If so, not good!  It’s exactly what scammers do to get your real email address so they can then send you a FAKE email making it look like you received payment from Paypal. 
• Have you logged into Paypal (separately, not through a “Paypal payment email”) to verify that the payment IS THERE and that Paypal shows it as a confirmed address and that it’s okay to ship?  You only said the "invoice" showed the hotel address.
• He wants to save money on shipping, yet he supposedly paid you already for shipping to New Zealand and didn’t ask for the adjustment before paying? Has he asked you to refund the difference in shipping amount to him?

I think it wouldn't hurt to have a conversation with Paypal about this one and confirm that you will have all the seller protection you need for it.

Whatever you do, do not ship this unless you see the actual money in your actual Paypal account!

[misfitfun]

Unless buyer pays for guaranteed day of delivery service there is no certainty that it would get there in the correct timeframe.You may want to tell him that.Regular mail delivery dates are estimates only

[the_vape_folks]

Thanks! I already have the money on my paypal account, but I haven't touched it. When I say invoice, I mean I logged into paypal, looked at the transaction, and the address of the hotel is what is on it. He also hagave me the days his friends is staying there askialong with a name. I used to work at a hotel so I know that the address format is correct. So I should have enough seller protection, correct? 

Also, he never paid me for shipping to New Zealand. That shipping cost is for the hotel.

[this*old*attic]

I’d double check directly at PayPal to see the payment.

You MUST send with signature confirmation for packages $750 and over.

Address must be the actual shipping address on the payment details, NOT just in a note.

 I agree with the above poster that you might call the motel to see if they have any special directions.

Honestly, these are the requirements for PayPal to cover you, but I just don’t like the cadence and flowery language of the note. New Zealand is an English speaking country and the buyer sounds, well, Nigerian. It has that flavor. Sensibility? It “sounds” like one of those scam approaches, and I’ve received them.

[the_vape_folks]

Right? I found the message to be quite strange too. I might just cancel the order and retwist it. Sucks... 

[csbbct]

I still think it wouldn’t hurt to have a conversation with someone from Paypal about it.  You can usually get through to them pretty quickly.  I’d ask about everything you need for maximum seller protection – what happens if package is lost at the hotel (they’ll probably tell you to pay extra to get a signature upon delivery), what happens if an “unauthorized charge” is filed after you send the package, etc. etc. 

After he made the payment (I assume it included shipping to New Zealand?) he stated “I am from New Zealand and obviously shipping to here would be very expensive“.  Is he looking for you to refund him the difference?  If so, I think I’d make sure the package is received by his friend in Chicago before doing so as you may have additional costs if the package is returned to you.

Not trying to unnecessarily scare you;  I just want you to be safe!  Good luck! 

[the_vape_folks]

He never gave me an address in New Zealand. The address I got in the paypal transaction (I looked at the transaction on the paypal website and the address is the hotel). That is why I'm so confused. He didn't send me extra money for shipping is or anything. He just wants me to hold onto it and have it sent to the hotel between the 20-23. 

[a_c_green]

---

@the_vape_folks wrote:

So what do you guys think? Like I said this item sold for just shy of $1000 and I don't want to risk losing that money, but  what do I do in this situation. Like I said the paypal invoice does show the hotel address on it so I should be safe no matter what, right?

---

If that is the Ship-To: address received with the payment, then yes, that is where you ship. I assume that the friend's name is on the address as well.

It wouldn't hurt to call the hotel and ask if the package can be sent in advance of his arrival. Be aware that they will probably not confirm his reservation with you for privacy reasons, but as long as they will sign for the package on delivery, then your delivery obligation is complete. They probably will, as they cater to high fliers all the time, and accepting a package for a guest is trivial.

If the guy is staying at the Ritz-Carlton in Chicago for several days, he has either very deep pockets or a fat expense account. That is one of the top ten historic hotels in Chicago, not a fly-by-night motel, so I would have no hesitation shipping something there, especially with Signature Confirmation.

[csbbct]

When I saw $76.33 for shipping, I just assumed that was international shipping rates.  I just went into your listing and see that is the shipping cost to a Chicago zip code so I guess that makes a little more sense to me now.

[loveyourimagination49]

Did you just relist it?

[this*old*attic]

I agree that all indications are a go.... but the overly polite and kind of awkward language in the message has me uncomfortable.

[fab_finds4u]

You're covered as long as tracking shows it is a signature delivery and it was delivered by the delivery date in the listing.  PayPal invoices can be faked.  Did you actually go to your PayPal account and confirm the transaction is there and it says OK To Ship?  You should be OK if you mail it with signature delivery confirmation to the address PayPal said to ship it to.    

You're NOT OKAY if you wait until the 13th to mail it. 

Reason being is if purchased today the delivery date is Aug 13th.  If he paid yesterday the delivery date is probably Aug 12.  Asking you to wait could be THE SCAM.  At one minute past midnight on the 12th he will be able to open a claim of NOT RECEIVED and if the tracking doesn't show DELIVERED he will automatically get a refund.  And he gets to keep the package when it arrives late.   RITZ is the type of Hotel that will hold the package,  but it's not your responsibility after it arrives so I would go ahead and ship it as usual so it tracking will show it was delivered by the delivery date.  You can avoid a late shipping ding with the message if you wait but waiting also makes you a sitting duck for an item not rec'd scam.  

Here's my concern.  Zero buyer sounds like he's done this been there before,,,,,,,,,most new buyers do not know about the shipping address change they need to do so that's a red flag.   

It worries me they didn't contact you first.  

It worries me because the type of item you're selling  combined with the expensive price is a theft magnet.     

It worries me he's concerned about shipping charges to New Zealand yet how's his friend going to get them to him?  Quite a few pieces looks like an extra piece of luggage charge to me.   They aren't going to fit under the seat.   Seems sketchy.  His reason for the change of address to save money seems to be easily shot down.  Doesn't pass the smell test. 

I can see why you're on the fence.  

Were it me I would cancel using problem with buyer's address (you won't be able to get a direct signature there) and return their payment.