Locked
Discussions in this board are limited to the original poster and Community Mentors
Verify buyers
I've had many fake users bid on my items and make offers on Buy-it-now items. I've wasted a ton of time waiting for payment, carefully scrutinizing any buyer engagement and relisting my locked up items. Is there a way to ask EBay to verify users? Today, I received a suspicious offer...
1) Made an offer for the full Buy-it-Now price
2) Member since 2001 but no ratings
3) Lots of feedback from longtime users, but many duplicate non-standard reply text... again 0 ratings
How can I determine if this buyer is legit without spending hours on the phone with EBay?
10 comments
disneyshopper
Mentor3 years agof the buyer has not paid by day 4, on day 5 the seller can file a Cancellation with the reason Buyer didn't pay. The seller gets his/her FVF credited, the buyer gets an unpaid strike recorded on his account, no one can leave feedback. Two or more unpaid strikes, and the buyer will find it difficult to bid/buy from sellers who block buyers with 2 or more unpaid strikes. Do you have your Buyer Blocks in place?
https://www.ebay.com/bmgt/buyerrequirements
As a new seller, you are ripe for scammers. List as fixed price with Immediate Payment Required (you will need to switch to the advanced/business tool for that option, which is located in the upper right corner of the Quick Listing Tool), no Best Offers, and your listing will stay active until someone actually pays for the item.
jmm-824
OP3 years agoThanks! I could not find the buyer requirements earlier. Used your link to find the settings. I've set options to help limit the automated bots and trolls. These are not real users but machine generated. They do not care if bots get banned, as they can just create another 10,000 at no cost. The crooks can apparently create an unlimited number to invade Ebay and wreak havoc. Requiring verified payment options will slow them down. EBay does not seem to care. Otherwise they would make a better effort to rid their service of swindlers who prey on valid users.
Thanks for your help!
- jmm-824
P.S. - and yes I need to work to get more feedback from real buyers.
an-57470
·3 years ago@jmm-824 Hi
You don't make an offer for FULL Buye It Price. That is a red flag. If buyer want to pay full price, he just clicks Buy It Now.
You are a new seller and a target for scammers. Ignore email or text offers or offers higher than the asking price or requests for eBay Gift Cards. Ignore questions asking for your PayPal email. Sell only thru the eBay listing. Stay on the eBay Platform. Even when you do this you may get nonpayers. A buyer has four days to pay for an item. If they don't pay, cancel the transaction because the buyer did not pay. Buyer will get an unpaid item strike and two strikes significantly decreases their ability to even bid on eBay since most sellers have those nonpayers blocked from bidding.
You may try listing the item as a Buy It Now with Immediate Payment Required feature.t
jmm-824
OP3 years agoThank you, your response has been very helpful. Yes, the first indication was the offer for full Buy-it-now price. This fake user was more sophisticated than the other dozen or so that I've encountered. This user had a full list of feedback users with old testimonials, a join date of 2001, etc.
I did not know about the immediate payment feature. I'll have to hunt it down and set it. That would prevent many phishers and shorten the time it takes to fend off the bots and fake users and get my items relisted.
Thanks!
an-57470
·3 years agoThe Immediate Payment feature is on the listing when you choose listing format.
disneyshopper
Mentor3 years agoImmediate Payment Required is only for fixed price listings. If you accept a Best Offer, the IPR does not apply.
jmm-824
OP3 years agoThanks. I'm unable to revise my listing to make it an Immediate Payment item. I'll have to choose that when relisting. Not sure how EBay can justify the option is only available if the item does not accept offers. Making an offer and the method of payment are totally different things.
I did get to chat with a customer service agent. They said that "domelid" was a valid account. However, I'm extremely suspicious. The account looks totally manufactured and the address is unspecific. All the feedback users also look fake or are harvested from other listings. I may just let the offer expire in a few hours. If they really want the item, they will re-offer or send a note, etc. If this user ends up being fraudulent and EBay reports they are real, fireworks may ensue!
disneyshopper
Mentor3 years agoWhen a seller accepts a Best Offer, the buyer may not be online, so Immediate Payment can't be required. However, ebay is in the process of requiring buyers to specify a payment method when they submit a Best Offer, and if the seller accepts, the payment method is then charged. I have no idea how long it will take for this to be site wide. ebay is doing this to decrease unpaid items.
jmm-824
OP3 years agoIn looking at my Offers history, the vast majority are from fake users. Very frustrating. EBay needs to provide a way to distinguish fake from real users. Maybe past real money transactions is a good litmus test. We need something to go on or it's not worth the trouble fending off the bots and trolls trying to get my identity info to harass me outside EBay. Any ideas?
rock.star
·3 years agoAs a new seller, all offers you receive will be from scammers. Real buyers dont buy from zero feedback sellers. Try buying some items to increase your feedback