Buyer trying to scam me? Any advice?

[affiniti1]

Hi All,

I have a high priced item for up for auction ($1500) and a brand new eBayer (signed up yesterday), with an address of Panama placed a bid.  I've set up the auction to not ship internationally, so not even sure how he/she got a bid in?  He/she emailed me after the bid and said that his/her Paypal address would be US address.  I've asked via email a few times why is it different, but not getting a response.  There's about 7 hours left on the auction.  I've been contemplating cancelling the bid and blocking.  I've sold several high priced items before, but the situation is just weird.  Just want to make sure I'm not missing a new type of scam.  What other information should I asked for?  Not sure how to confirm the Paypal address until it's paid for though?  Thanks for the help.

Thanks

[missjen831]

Her bid got through because you either failed to set up your blocks--you have to block each country (exclude shipping locations you don't ship to) and then buyers with a primary addresses you don't ship to OR the buyers primary address is a US address.

Hard to say if it is a scam. Scammers do use forwarding services but so do honest international buyers. If you do not want to ship to a forwarding service, you can payments from non-us paypal accounts if you have a paypal business account.

[ittybitnot]

The buyer may have a US address.  They may use a reshipper service which will allow them to bid on a US only listing.   If your buyer, or any buyer, wants your item for free, ebay is the place to do it.    Never post anything for sale that you cannot afford to lose. 

[luckythewinner]

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I've set up the auction to not ship internationally, so not even sure how he/she got a bid in?

You cannot block a buyer based on where they live. You can only block the address where a buyer wants the item shipped. And you are taking payments by PayPal, you do not get the buyer's address until they win the auction and pay you. 

He/she emailed me after the bid and said that his/her Paypal address would be US address.  I've asked via email a few times why is it different, but not getting a response.

Nort should he respond. He is complying with the rules of your listing, and it is frankly none of your business why he is having to shipped to a US address. 

Not sure how to confirm the Paypal address until it's paid for though? 

You can't confirm it now because you won't get it unless he wins and pays you. 

I've been contemplating cancelling the bid and blocking. 

That's your prerogative. 

What other information should I asked for?  

There is no question you can ask that will detect fraud. 

Just want to make sure I'm not missing a new type of scam. 

On eBay, any buyer can steal any item from any seller at any time by using a fraudulent SNAD claim. He doesn't need a "new type" of scam; the tried and true scam still works just fine. 

[a_c_green]

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@affiniti1 wrote: 
He/she emailed me after the bid and said that his/her Paypal address would be US address.  I've asked via email a few times why is it different, but not getting a response.

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Well, technically he doesn't owe you a response, although I see you've cancelled his bid now anyway. 

He's almost certainly using a reshipper, and you would need to ship only to the domestic address of the reshipper, not all the way to Panama. If he decided to return the bicycle wheels, he would have to return them to his reshipper in the U.S. before they could be returned to you; you would not be on the hook for return shipping from Panama. 

Realistically, that didn't look like a scam bidder to me, despite the price tag. Bike wheels are not scam items, and the dollar value of the cancelled bid looks like a real bid, not a sky-high number that a scammer would use to ensure a win regardless of any competition.

[theofficefan4life]

Anything worth over $100 I usually do buy it now (with immediate payment) + best offer. That way, whatever offers I get, I have the ability to "weed out" to the best of my ability if a potential buyer is legit or a scammer. It's not 100% foolproof, but better than the scammer risks of an auction. I would NEVER do an auction for an item worth $1,500 for the very same problem you are experiencing. I wish you luck.

[alepub]

1 of many scams suddenly showing up.  Cancel and block.

[femmefan1946]

If you want to expand you business internationally, you should sign up for the Global Shipping Program.

This is designed as a Seller Protection Program. You are only shipping to the GSP plant in Kentucky. They handle customs, sales taxes and delivery from there.

Make sure if you decide to use them that you include the place of manufacture in the Item Specifics (which we are supposed to do anyway). This is for the benefit of the foreign customs office because : free trade agreements.

The only drawback in my experience with shipping internationally (since around 1975) is that Paypal will charge you 4.4% on a foreign based payment instead of 2.9% on a US-based one.

[mansons2005]

Just as a thought - there are thousands of American retirees residing in Panama (for financial reasons), and if this would-be buyer is one of them he may be using a re-shipper or his daughter-in-law's address, or even his own "summer" address in the States.