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Different Buyers same shipping address.
We just opened our store and our first three orders all have the same shipping address. But looking at the sidebar on the orders, they all show a different buyer. Is this a scam that we aren't aware of? We're not sure how to handle this situation. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
10 comments
wooden_flower
Mentor3 years agoIf they paid it is probably not a scam - scammers don't pay.
If the IDs all have 0 feedback, it was probably a guest buyer - not registered - who did not know to use the cart, or to change the quantity. Or it could be someone who needed to use multiple payment methods.
Unfortunately, with different IDs, you can not combine the shipping. So I would ship each item separately. You could then send the buyer a note explaining that since they did not use the cart and bought as a guest, you are not able to combine their purchases into a single package.
huskytrailers
OP3 years agoThank you wooden_flower. We haven't passed the hold period on our account yet for funds to be released. So technically, we're not sure if the money will actually show or not. We won't receive a payment until April 13th from eBay.
It just seems awfully weird that three different buyers, all with feedback under 10, would buy the exact same item and they are all going to the same place. I mean, who needs 3 left handed trailer brakes?
wooden_flower
Mentor3 years agoIf eBay says paid, then the payment is there and the buyers can not reverse the payment.
It does seem odd that they bought 3 of the same item where you usually only need 1.
Are the names similar? Is the address a home or perhaps a freight forwarding company? Do the IDs have any other recent activity?
I would be tempted to cancel all 3 purchases using 'problem with buyer's address', and put the buyers on your blocked list. https://www.ebay.com/bmgt/buyerrequirements
If they are legit buyers and complain to eBay about the cancellations, I think the most you will get is a message telling you to be careful to select the correct reason for cancellation. I would justify it as a suspicious address.
huskytrailers
OP3 years agoThank you very much. I will follow your advice. Kind of stinks that we got excited for our first sales. Our biggest worry right not is just opening our store and that we may get negative feedback right out of the gate.
shipscript
·3 years agoHave you looked up the address on google maps? That's where I would start, just to get my head around some of the questions.
huskytrailers
OP3 years agoYep. It's a house. I think now what happened is that they ordered one yesterday and paid for that item. It shippied out yesterday. This morning there were the two new orders for the same item, same shipping address. I cancelled one of today's orders and issued a refund. Thinking this through logically, I think I they placed yesterday's order and paid for it. Then this morning, ordered two more (the two different orders today) knowing we don't have a reputation yet, knowing we are trying to build that. Since there isn't actually money for either of today's orders in our eBay account, when I cancelled one of today's orders and issued the refund AND we already shipped out one brake, they got their money back and got a free brake.
Closing our store down right after I finish this message. The headache isn't worth it.
shipscript
·3 years agoYou can cancel, but would be unable to refund today's orders unless they have been paid (eBay is still holding the payment). If the order you shipped yesterday was paid prior to shipment, then that order should still be fine. You don't need to cancel your store or account, as that will not change anything that is currently in progress.
wooden_flower
Mentor3 years agoAs long as you have tracking for the one you shipped, and you shipped it to the address on the payment, the buyer will not get a refund unless it never gets delivered. eBay is still holding the money for order #1 - it will be released to you after delivery.
If order #2 was paid and you refunded, you are done with that one. That refund has nothing to do with order #1.
If order #3 was paid, you should refund it. If not paid, you can not issue a refund against it. Since the payment was just made today, and you have no other available funds to use, eBay will ask you for a payment method to process the refund. Then the original payment will be released to you.
I’m sorry you had to deal with this right at the start of selling. Scammers do try to target new sellers, but I’ve never seen a scam involving multiple purchases - it seems a bit complicated for a scam 🙂 . So hang in there!
huskytrailers
OP3 years agoThe names are all different (Buyers) but the shipping name is the same. I was able to cancel one order, but can't cancel a second because there is no money in our eBay account to issue a refund. I guess only one of them was actually paid for.
I know this will get easier to understand everything going forward, but so far, what a pain.
mr_lincoln
Mentor3 years ago@huskytrailers Here is a link to your Financial Summary pge on Seller Hub's Payments tab: Seller Hub | Your financial summary | eBay
Look on the right and there is a window titled: Recent activity. ALL your recent transaction will be listed there. If you see 3 identical purchases they were all paid for and the refunds via Cancellations should be accessed from your Bank account or back up payment method if your Available funds are not sufficient to cover the costs.