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As an eBay seller, how can a buyer scam seller?
I just got an offer to my listing which was a laptop. I am not a shopowner or trader. It was my personal item, a 1 time sale. I want to see if a buyer can scam me ?
The offer looks suspicious, buyer in US Navy, no bargaining and asking me to add a $500 gift card to be shipped with product (all of these looked like a scam) and the buyer will pay me all through ebay by increasing the payment amount. Paying through ebay got me interested in this.
It feels like a scam. So I just want to confirm if this is a scam or not?
8 comments
kh-stanley1
·2 years agoHi everyone,
Due to the age of this thread, it has been closed to further replies. Please feel free to start a new thread HERE if you wish to continue to discuss this topic.
Thank you for understanding.
isaiah53-57
·2 years ago@muhano-10
IT - IS - A - SCAM!
You were smart to ask about this - I can only imagine how often this happens to people who fall for it - You see numerous reports of it here, but I can only assume it is a tiny percentage of actual criminal sales... that most dont use this forum for anything, and most who do, are too embarrassed to admit they fell for it. My guess is the percentage of scams and thievery here would blow your mind and will only continue to worsen, all thanks to the MBG...
dbfolks166mt
·2 years agoThere are multiple ways a buyer can scam a seller out of an item. Others have already let you know that this is a scam as is anything involving a gift card. You are a new seller and listing a high target item for the scammers. You can search this forum for other types of scams that buyers pull on sellers and there are a LOT of different ones. You should sell the laptop through a local forum where the exchange is in person and reduce the scam risk as well as avoid any potential shipping issues, that also include scam attempts for empty boxes, damaged in shipping, INR's...............
jmbm3540
·2 years agoI just got an offer exactly the same like this.
eburtonlab
·2 years agoAs a new seller, you will attract many more scam offers than legitimate ones.
A message that says "I am interested in your item, kindly text me", an offer equal to or greater than your buy it now price, asking for your PayPal email address or a request for a gift card is generally the start of a scam where the scammer winds up sending a phony payment email that makes it look like the seller has received a payment when none has actually been received. Scammers like to target new sellers, particularly those selling expensive items.
Sending contact information (text or email) prior to a transaction payment is a violation of eBay policy; this policy is designed to protect honest buyers and sellers from this sort of thing, and to prevent off-eBay sales.
Never buy a gift card for anyone unless you are giving them a gift.
As a seller you should always check your account directly (not following a link in an email) to see if you have actually been paid prior to shipping. If an actual buyer does not send an actual payment, after four days you can cancel for nonpayment; this will prevent either party from leaving feedback and give the "buyer" a nonpayment strike. Be sure to set your buying requirement to reject bids or purchases from users with two or more strikes in the last year.
eBay will likely remove the scammer's account shortly, but the scammer will just create a new one or hijack an old one and continue sending scam offers and messages. Sellers must remain wary of any user that wants the seller to violate eBay policy.
You can avoid many common scams by listing your item for a fixed price with immediate payment required and by not accepting any offers. That way the buyer must complete checkout and actually pay in order to proceed.
roadking5555
·2 years agoHeed the other posters warnings.....TOTAL SCAM
babclassics
·2 years ago500 dollar gift card! Run like the wind and dont look back.
iamalwaysright
·2 years agoTotal scam. Never accept an offer when the buyer's offer price is attractively high or is asking to buy them a gift card too. They can buy it themselves. It is likely the buyer will send a fake payment confirmation or use a stolen credit card or something.
You will lose 100% on these. Scammers loooove new sellers with low feedback. Don't sell your laptop on ebay with a new account like that.