Am I being set up for a scam? US buyer cancels, then re-buys, apparently to ship to Ukraine...
This morning, I got a cancel request, didn't think anything of it, and approved. No sweat - cancellation completed.
This afternoon, the same buyer buys the item again. It's a US address, but just out of curiosity, I checked the address and it's a "Ukraine Express" trucking terminal in DE. The item is a restored antique truck power steering pump, which might be useful to someone working at a truck terminal in DE, but not so much to someone in Ukraine, so I'm just checking.
Is this a scam I hadn't heard of yet, or does it seem OK? It's not a thousand dollars, but it's not chicken feed, either. And it's a rare part that I'll use eventually if it doesn't sell here.
9 comments
sextons-sweet-deals
·8 months agoTo have the same buyer request to cancel and then come back to buy, does raise a red flag.
What does this buyer's profile look like? How long have they been an eBay member, and the feedback they have left for other sellers?
Can you afford to lose a $400+ sale if they try to open a case?
You can ship with signature required for the freight forwarder or entertain using eBay international shipping services in your listings. I believe you have seller protection under that program.
kibble-net
·8 months agoThis is the way.
marnotom!
·8 months agoBuyers using freight forwarders forfeit their Money Back Guarantee protections.
Having eBay International Shipping on a listing doesn’t stop a buyer from using a Freight Forwarder if that’s the buyer’s preference. Also, I don’t believe eIS serves the Ukraine at present.
Like others, I don’t see anything that screams “scam†about this transaction.
luckythewinner
·8 months agoThere is a risk of fraud with every eBay transaction, no matter what the item is, where the buyer is located, where it is shipped to, or whether the seller thinks the buyer should want one or not.
gurlcat
·8 months agoNever had a single problem with Russian or Ukrainian buyers; they are AWESOME. Robbie's theory on what happened makes sense. Ship the item, and congrats on the sale!
robbie31415
·8 months agoForeign buyers will use what are called Freight Forwardeds.
These freight forwards send items in bulk to specific areas. Since it's in bulk it's cheaper shipping.
DE is very common place for these forwarder.
BTW your title and description doesn't match to me. Confusing.
What probably happened is they used their actual address by accident realizes it then canceled then repurchase with their freight forwarder 'Ukraine express'
untod
OP8 months agoThanks to everyone who replied - I guess my concern was unfounded.
The shipping address was the same the first time, but I see now that the shipping service changed. The buyer has 1K+ feedback, as a buyer only, for over a year; but he has never left any feedback. I do have eBay international enabled on all my listings.
sin-n-dex
·8 months agoIt's less common to get scammed by a buyer with 1K in FB, but can still happen (my two worst scammers ever had 1K feedback when they finally got turfed).
I'd hazard a guess your buyer made an error in purchasing and instead of suggesting you change something, he cancelled to repurchase. That's what's supposed to happen if there's a mistake made when buying.
I think you're probably OK, unless it's a high scam type item, I would just ship and not worry. I use a shipper and I put insurance on packages going to certain freight forwarders because USPS doesn't always scan the package as delivered and some buyers use that as a chance to get a free item. (Doesn't happen often, but often enough it's worth the extra $1.50 to insure).
C.
untod
OP8 months agoMy listings all specifically say that I won't change anything after the purchase.
None of my items are typical scam targets, but I still try to pay attention to what buyers are doing. I'm also extra-cautious with valuable rare parts because I've already lost some due to mishandling by the US carrier before the handover to eBay int'l.