How to respond to scam buyer

[annoswal-0]

I made a sale yesterday and "for fun" I always look up the address to see where my item is going.  This time the mailing address was flagged all over the Ebay Forum and Reddit as a scam - the old "I never got my item" routine.  So I cancelled the sale and chose as the reason why was that there was a problem with the address.  Now the seller has messaged me asking why I cancelled because he/she paid.  Do I respond?  Can they see the reason I chose to cancel?  Should I just not respond and leave it alone?  

Also...how long should I wait to relist?

[bonjourami]

If this was a freight forward company, you will always see negative stuff about them on the net. But they forward thousands of pkgs a day with no problems. When I was selling full time, I never had a problem with ff's. You, as the seller, are only responsible for getting the pkg safely to the ff.

If the buyer paid and you then cancelled the transaction, you can not relist until the buyer receives his refund and the cancellation is complete.

[lakefor94]

Since you already cancelled, no need to respond, place the buyer on the buyer blocked list.

Take the watch down for a few weeks and then relist. Out of sight, out of mind, so to speak.

[toysaver]

The address was likely a freight forwarding service.  Some sales to these addresses are scams but not all.  The USA is thee best country in the world and we have thee best stuff,.... everyone wants it.  

I'm not comfortable shipping to freight forwarding services.  Not because of scammers but because the package I wrapped will be opened and repacked by the freight service and then again by customs.   This increases the exposure to breakage or missing components.  

EBay used to allow you to block buyers that lived in a country you didn't ship to but changed the wording in preferences to had a shipping address in a country you didn't ship to.  This created a loophole for the freight forwarding services.  

[annoswal-0]

Thanks for your help.  How do I block that buyer?  I've never done it before?

[annoswal-0]

I think you could be right about freight forwarding.  The buyer is listed as being in Georgia (I'm assuming USA, not the country), but the address is Delaware.  Weird.  How do I know if it's freight forwarding in the future, so I can avoid sending to them?  I appreciate your thoughts!  

[lakefor94]

Here ya go

https://www.ebay.com/bmgt/BuyerBlock

[heckofagame]

More sales for someone else, I guess.

[lakefor94]

@annoswal-0 

Most all of my buyers using FF's in the past have gone off without a hitch.  I will admit to having circumvented a few over the years though not due to the actual FF, but due to obvious issues with the buyer. 

Vet the buyer, not the FF.

That watch though......  could be a target....

[marnotom!]

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@toysaver wrote:

EBay used to allow you to block buyers that lived in a country you didn't ship to but changed the wording in preferences to had a shipping address in a country you didn't ship to.  This created a loophole for the freight forwarding services.  

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I’ve been using eBay from Canada since the early 2000s when there was no ability to block or restrict buyers whatsoever and I don’t recall sellers being able to block buyers based on their country of registration.  I do recall Griff posting his input on a discussion board thread that had several posts from sellers irked by only being able the block being based on shipping location.  His explanation was that blocks based on buyer’s location or country of registration were considered discriminatory.

The use of Freight Forwarders or Uncle George’s house in Idaho by a buyer living outside the US is not a loophole.  It’s a means for the buyer to meet the seller’s “Ships to US only” terms.

[sextons-sweet-deals · Accepted solution]

You may have jumped the gun too quickly.

Did you take the time to look at their profile?  It should tell you what country they are from and how long they have been an eBay member.

How about looking at their feedback history? What kind of feedback have they left for sellers in the past?

[annoswal-0]

Maybe I did, but I just got a vibe.  Their feedback is good, but none of it is new.  I'll sell the item sooner or later...would rather not risk it.  It's on me and that's okay...

Thanks.

[annoswal-0]

Okay.  I'll be on the look out with the watch.  Didn't think it would be such a "thing" to sell.  Oh well.  Such is life.  Have a great day!

[marnotom!]

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@annoswal-0 wrote:

I think you could be right about freight forwarding.  The buyer is listed as being in Georgia (I'm assuming USA, not the country), but the address is Delaware.  Weird.  How do I know if it's freight forwarding in the future, so I can avoid sending to them? 

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If you’re looking at the buyer’s feedback page, you’re seeing their country of registration, not their state.

As far as I know, there’s no way to block or exempt purchases from buyers with specific types of addresses except for Post Office boxes (for sellers who don’t use USPS to ship).  As long as you ship to the address given in the transaction details and you have online viewable evidence that the item was received at that address (with signature confirmation if applicable), you’ll be protected against a fraudulent claim of non-delivery.  I’m wondering if all those “scam” posts you saw were either referencing the item’s final delivery point or weren’t even eBay purchases.

[bonjourami]

"I'm not comfortable shipping to freight forwarding services.  Not because of scammers but because the package I wrapped will be opened and repacked by the freight service and then again by customs.   This increases the exposure to breakage or missing components. " 

The buyer would have a claim with the freight forwarder,they lose their MBG when the pkg is forwarded. Once the item is accepted by the ff they are responsible for damage claims.