Hi, Need advice on ring sale to Vietnam-buyer with no name-freight forwarder with bad Google reviews

[geofizz1]

Hello, I hope there is nothing to worry about, but I am uneasy about a men's class ring I just sold (US $360.10).  I have never sold jewelry before, but I would think that scammers are more prevalent in this category.  During the auction I noticed that almost all the bidders were based in Vietnam. Nothing wrong with Vietnam, however that is not a country I ship to.  The shipping settings for this auction were set to reflect that, so I assumed they were all going to use a freight forwarder.   I have had other auction winners that used freight forwarders, so I am comfortable with that.

The bidder paid promptly, then sent me a message asking that no receipt be put in the box, and stressing exactly how he wanted the package addressed (it was the same address as ebay stated).  When I click on Purchase Shipping label in ebay, the buyer does not appear to even have a name, just a short letter/number ID very similar to his ebay ID.

He is listed as a US bidder, but the ship to address is a permutation of a Vietnamese freight forwarder in Portland.  He changed the name a little, and added a line (which I understand could just be identification for an account he has there, I don't know).  I Googled and found that this is Pacific Shipping, 5050 NE 112th Ave, Portland, OR 97220. They have 26 Google reviews, many of them terrible, stating this is used by scammers on ebay and to never ship to that address.  I don't know if it's allowable to post the buyer's ID or the requested ship to address.  If it is, I can post it.  His feedback appears okay.

I have nothing against freight forwarders, but I am just leery of 1) so many bad Google reviews re ebay scams; 2) no real name for the buyer; and 3) the request for no receipt in the box.  Any advice would be appreciated.

[kenscorner]

Cancel this transaction and block bidder. Scam for sure.

[fab_finds4u]

I would not take Dr. GOOGLE'S MagicReview Pills. The eBay seller's job is done when the seller proves delivery to the freight forwarder.  If any scams are going on it would be the seller accepting a return and receive  the wrong item back.  That happens erywhere, though I tend to believe it's worse in some countries. 

[kensgiftshop]

You can look up any freight forwarder and find a lot of bad reviews, but they never show you the good ones.

[donsdetour]

scrap gold:  its just easier when you get it for free, easy to do on the eBay.

High risk game for sure:

Note freight forward has worked very well for me through the years.

[geofizz1]

I, too have sold internationally through freight forwarders quite a bit this year and last.  Never had a problem.  It was just a trifecta of red flags: his request that no paperwork be placed in the box; the fact that he does not even list a real name;  and the terrible/scam reviews of the freight forwarder; and the change of name of the freight forwarder than what shows when you search that address online.  Oops, I guess that's four things. 

I know that in theory I just need to get it safely to the freight forwarder, but I am fearing that he will eventually claim that it was damaged or not as described.  I think I will call ebay tomorrow for advice.

[lesegouts]

The freight forwarder may have instructions from the buyer to ship directly to their customer, and they do not want them to know the price paid. That's why no paperwork inside.

[geofizz1]

I had not thought of that.  But I called ebay the other day to get their advise.  They strongly urged me to cancel the sale and block the bidder, so I did.  Ebay said buyers are not allowed to request that no documentation be sent with the item.  That along with the other issues was more than enough for them to recommend cancelling. Thanks to all who responded with advise.

[redmodelt]

The freight forwarder would need to know the value of the item(s) in order to fill out custom forms which is what an invoice would show. Not including an invoice would allow them to fake the value of the item maybe keeping it under the VAT import fees of the country it is going to. Packages going out of county are subject to being opened and inspected. 

Think you are correct in the extra information added being the inhouse id for this shipment. 

[geofizz1]

You're probably right about them planning on undervaluing the ring.  I have heard of buyers asking a seller to put a different amount on the paperwork, but never to include no paperwork.  Not a practice I condone or wish to get involved in.

[eaux-de-vie]

Kiss your ring and your money goodbye if you ship. 

Overseas sales are not worth it and selling anything of value on here is a big risk even domestically. You can get a rock back if they ask for a return.