12-25-2016 04:47 AM - edited 12-25-2016 04:49 AM
Got the following message via eBay's internal messaging system...
"Hi there! My name is Candy and I love your store 🙂 I'm hoping to get a early start on my spring and easter sweaters so I'm looking for anything and all pastel and knitted. Animal motifs, ribbons, lurex...just about anything is nice.
I went ahead and attached photos of examples of sweaters I'm searching for as well. Any size whether it's baby, girls, teens, woman is fine. I am buying for the family as well and I'm interested in buying as many like these that you have
Do you have any images you can send me of your easter stock? You can also email me photos at xxxxxxxxxxxxxx@gmail.com"
I am am not a liquidator or wholesaler and don't specialize in clothing -- have one baby sweater and a few one-piece baby rompers -- maybe six items out of 200+ that fit her "criteria."
Any ideas about what this person is up to? Looking for merchandise to flip either on eBay or another site/B&M store? Trying to promote her own listings? (Though looking at the ID this message was sent from there is little if any selling activity?)
I'm just going to ignore the message and not respond, but I'm curious as I have a hard time believing she's "shopping for family" especially when she sent me pix of her own assorted sweaters/tops. What do you all think?
12-25-2016 04:55 AM
First of all, "Candy" is most likely Boris, trying to get your personal email address when you send "her" those extra photos.
Does the account looked hijacked?
Definitely ignore and block.
12-25-2016 04:56 AM
Hard to tell - but I think she might be looking to steal your designs to make her own, or to send to a manufacturer in China. I would do one of two things - ignore her, or raise the prices significantly on the items you think she might be interested in and send her the pics. I'd have to think about it for a while.
12-25-2016 05:16 AM
Yikes! I am a simple soul and can't come up with a single thought of what she is up to. Could she simply be looking for an eBay buddy?
12-25-2016 05:25 AM
@Anonymous wrote:First of all, "Candy" is most likely Boris, trying to get your personal email address when you send "her" those extra photos.
Does the account looked hijacked?
Definitely ignore and block.
Yikes! I hadn't thought of that. But you can send pics through eBay messages now, so that could be avoided. And the OP doesn't have "Candy's" email address, only the message.
12-25-2016 05:26 AM - edited 12-25-2016 05:27 AM
@livadia wrote:I have a hard time believing she's "shopping for family" especially when she sent me pix of her own assorted sweaters/tops. What do you all think?
She did not say she is "shopping for family", she said she is also shopping for family - perhaps meaning that if you have anything that she likes that fits her family, she will keep it rather than resell it.
I keep reading messages on these boards from disappointed sellers saying that eBay is completely dead and claiming that they are doing fabulous on other venues and getting much higher prices ther. Perhaps this buyer is one of those sellers, and is using the misfortune of other eBay sellers to her advantage.
Lucky
12-25-2016 05:37 AM
She might be buying to embellish them and then list them on ebay/Etsy/ect at much higher prices for her handcrating. There are several sellers doing it to ugly Christmas sweaters.
I have gotten requests like that and they almost never buy unless you are giving the stuff away.
Next could be that they are looking for a specific high dollar brand or style and hoping to get it cheap from the unknowing.
12-25-2016 05:51 AM
Claims are easy to make online, but the discussions over there are all about no sales, no views, throttling, etc. same as here.
12-25-2016 05:53 AM
There's always this: http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/rfe-spam-ov.html
12-25-2016 09:10 AM
@myboardid wrote:Hard to tell - but I think she might be looking to steal your designs to make her own, or to send to a manufacturer in China. I would do one of two things - ignore her, or raise the prices significantly on the items you think she might be interested in and send her the pics. I'd have to think about it for a while.
Unlikely. I don't have "any designs." I sell vintage items. From what I can tell I have one item out of 200+ that she'd be interested in -- a vintage albeit new with tags baby sweater-- which is why her email makes no sense. She's now on my BBL.
12-25-2016 09:20 AM
@Anonymous wrote:First of all, "Candy" is most likely Boris, trying to get your personal email address when you send "her" those extra photos.
Does the account looked hijacked?
Definitely ignore and block.
Yeah, my radar went up when "she" provided her direct email address and asked me to send photos of any additional "stock" I may have for offer. I didn't think the eBay messaging system allowed the inclusion of outside email addresses but apparently it does.
Not sure how I would determine if the account has been hacked. "She" has in excess of 200 feedback. Four or five feedbacks from sellers in the past six months is the most recent activity. She has four feedback comments from people she sold to in the past. Those were six-plus months ago.
Regardless, she's been blocked and I don't intend on responding.
12-25-2016 09:23 AM
@747cable wrote:Yikes! I am a simple soul and can't come up with a single thought of what she is up to. Could she simply be looking for an eBay buddy?
LOL...
If that's the case, she could have at least done a BIN on the one and only sweater I have up for sale she professes to be interested in!
12-25-2016 09:25 AM
@myboardid wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:First of all, "Candy" is most likely Boris, trying to get your personal email address when you send "her" those extra photos.
Does the account looked hijacked?
Definitely ignore and block.
Yikes! I hadn't thought of that. But you can send pics through eBay messages now, so that could be avoided. And the OP doesn't have "Candy's" email address, only the message.
No, that's incorrect. "She" included her direct email address in her message. Needless to say, I won't be communicating with her.
12-25-2016 09:26 AM
Her name is NOT Candy, it's China and there's nothing sweet about her.
Ignore her or send her some pictures of Donald Trump
12-25-2016 09:38 AM
@retrose1 wrote:She might be buying to embellish them and then list them on ebay/Etsy/ect at much higher prices for her handcrating. There are several sellers doing it to ugly Christmas sweaters.
I have gotten requests like that and they almost never buy unless you are giving the stuff away.
Next could be that they are looking for a specific high dollar brand or style and hoping to get it cheap from the unknowing.
I did check and she is on Etsy, but as a buyer not a seller though of course she could have another ID.
Can't imagine why anyone would want to buy the one baby sweater I have up for sale and embellish it: http://www.ebay.com/itm/NWT-BLUE-BIRD-Pink-Orlon-Baby-Cardigan-Sweater-TeddyBearBalloonsSz18Months-/...
But, appreciate you weighing in with some possible "motives." All good suggestions. Thanks!
But, thanks for taking time to