Worried about possible scam from a buyer who says they are about to leave the country they are in

Question

Hi,

I don't really know how the global shipping program works, but I had a buyer purchase something from me earlier that was going to Hong Kong. They had 0 feedback and reached out to let me know that they needed the item within 10 days before they left the country and went back to Australia.

The item is going to Hong Kong through the global shipping program, I believe. It went to an address at eIS with the person's name.

What happens if the item doesn't arrive before this person leaves the country?

Is this a scam?

They have 0 feedback and had just created their account a few hours prior.

I immediately shipped out the item within 2 hours of the purchase due to the deadline, but I'm now starting to worry under the circumstances.

disneyshopper · Accepted Answer

With the EIS, if the buyer files an Item Not Received case, the EIS will refund the buyer, and you still get to keep the payment.

inceptions · Answer

It will be a very lucky occurrence if the item arrives within 10 days. International shipments can take up to 30 days (though most arrive sooner). Delays processing through customs as well as the extra trip to the shipping hub and time spent there are factors.

Instead of shipping, I would have cancelled the transaction for issue with buyer's address, explained the situation to the buyer, and advised him to repurchase and use his Australia address if he still wanted the item. It's too late for that now, so fingers crossed the package will be returned to you. If it is, then refund for the item price (not including shipping).