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New buyer account with 0 feedback?
Question for you guys, a buyer just paid for one of my items ($40) but they just made their account 2 days ago. There’s no feedback for me to go off of and I’m concerned they may be trying to scam me. Has anyone else dealt with a new account with 0 feedback? How would you go about this? If I cancel, pretty sure I will get dinged correct?
47 comments
bigdaddycm
·11 months agoThe fact that you can't scam a seller and maintain buyer feedback means it is way more likely that a no-feedback buyer will try to scam you - it's not a 100% certainty (I agree that everyone starts at zero), but it's a red flag and worth considering. I went back to my sold listings and only found one of hundreds of sales where the buyer had no sales history (that one turned out to be a questionable refund request).
At the end of the day, scams are a cost of doing business. I've only been hit a few times, but they always leave a mark.
bigdaddycm
·11 months agoI guess I’m in the opposing camp since I was scammed just last week on exactly this kind of purchase. Buyer claimed item arrived broken and went straight to eBay who gave me option of full refund or paying to ship broken item back. I refunded item ($50) and messaged buyer requesting photos of broken item, which was ignored. Today I got order for $100 item from buyer who registered yesterday and has no sales history (same pattern as last week). Second red flag on both these sales is buyer doesn’t haggle over price, which in itself is rare. Most buyers are legitimate, but I don’t think it’s terrible idea to be wary of the bad apples. eBay offers way more buyer protections than seller ones, and a lost item hurts worse than a lost sale.
jonathanbrightlight
·11 months agoHaving 0 feedback does not make it more likely a buyer will attempt to scam you. The return request you described might not have been an attempt to scam you. And how much feedback did you have when you opened your account?
cashmeredelight
·2 years agoeveryone has to start the same way including you.Don't assume it is a scam
gloryglorygifts
·2 years agoI would say probably about 75% of my sales last year were from 0-50 feedback scores. No problems from any of them. They could be checking out as guests too just fyi. They pay, you ship.
I don't go crazy with my feedback for the newbies tho. I just say thanks for a fast payment and we look forward to working with you again.
Good luck to you and happy sales.
lvr-3929
·2 years agoYou just have to take your chances. Usually it's fine. I just sold to one the other day, item shows delivered, knock on wood it will be fine.
I have more issues with accounts with lots of feedback, they seem to think they can get away with more because they're established. Then they don't pay or do other stinky things.
an-57470
·2 years agoThere are 0 feedback buyers that I've had no problem with as a seller
There are 1000 feedback buyers that I've had problems with as a seller
There are 0 feedback sellers that I've had no problems with as a buyer
There are 100,000 feedback sellers that I've had problems with as a buyer
Two things to think about: A) Everyone starts out somewhere and B) you can't ALWAYS judge a book by it's cover (or feedback rating). Since sellers can't leave neg for buyers anymore, this is even more true.
Unavailable member
·2 years agoYes, you would get a defect, because the true cancellation option you can select is out of stock.
I sell to countless buyers with zero feedback, many of them buy with guest accounts. If the buyer paid, you ship.
Honestly, I have more problems with buyers that have hundreds of feedback.
deltilogical
·2 years agoProbably a guest buyer - lots of them these days and you are probably giving away a sale if you cancel - google the address and see what the destination looks like. If its a vacant lot, its a problem with the buyer's address.
itsjustasprain
·2 years agoI would say if its a vacant lot then its a problem with Google Streetview. After all - why would even a scammer provide a fake address? That ends up as nothing but an undeliverable package.
mam98031
·2 years agoThat is not necessarily true. Google maps can take up to 3 years to update.
When we had the house we live in built. It took about all of that time before we started showing up on anyone's GPS much less Google maps.
adkhighker
·2 years agoNow that everyone has hopefully set your mind at ease, you can thank the buyer for their purchase by saying so in the feedback you can leave for them. A brand new buyer will feel soooo good when they see their first feedback. Make sure to pack the calculator well enough to impress them how well your handle your sales.
In the rare event that you ever do have a problem with a buyer, come straight back to this forum for help again. In the meantime, good luck with your sales!
rockyroadtradingpost
·2 years agoMy first purchase on ebay was over 20 years ago, when I had zero feedback.
I paid about $150 by mailing a paper check and still use the item to this day.
Every buyer starts some time. Just relax and enjoy the sale.
coastaltechsolution
·2 years ago@rockyroadtradingpost
Yes the good old wait 7-10 days for check to clear please days ðŸ˜
I mad my first purchase as 0 new buyer in Aug 00, still here buying and selling.
My first purchase was an Atari 2600 with some games , want to say it was around $75.00 - $100.00
rockyroadtradingpost
·2 years agoCool.
Mine was in 2000, also. I remember being concerned that the check would make it safely to the seller.
baydealz
·2 years agoThose were the days. I did that on here, and Yahoo (they used to have classified ads). People would mail check, allow time for it to clear, then I'd box up and ship out. I sold a pair of skis in 1998 half way across the country, I couldn't believe it was worth it to the guy and was suspicious, it all worked out. No feedback, no rules, no nonsense and no crime. Simpler is always better.
mam98031
·2 years agoPayments via Snail Mail was extremely time consuming for everyone involved. Simply depositing the payment into your bank was never good enough to then ship the item out. You had to wait to make sure the payment cleared, as they all did not. We also had to be on guard for counterfeit Money Orders as those became very popular too.
If everything cleared, then we shipped. By the time the buyer got what they paid for it was a good 3 weeks from time of purchase.
Now we get payments within seconds. We don't have to take it to the bank and keep are fingers crossed that the payment would clear. And we can ship the item out quickly which enables the buyer to get their item in days, not weeks.
Yes we have scammers now, but we certainly had them back in the good old days too. Since the good old days the site has grown and evolved. Buyer don't want to wait all that time to get what they purchased either and most sellers would not want to run to the bank on a daily basis.
There are pros and cons to both ways of doing things.
"No feedback, no rules, no nonsense and no crime." None of that is correct. We had FB, rules and scammers. Possibly you did not have any to deal with, but they all existed.
wheelworkzmurfreesboro
·2 years agoOver 1/2 my buyers have zero feedback. Im assuming they found my listing from google. No issues except they do not leave feedback/
jerseyboymusic
·2 years ago@volteratek
Everyone starts somewhere.. even you did! Welcome them as a new customer and exceed expectations!
At least it's a $40 item... not $400
chapeau-noir
·2 years agoThey signed up and purchased your item.
You pack and ship.
The end.
coastaltechsolution
·2 years agoNew 0 buyer to me is I hope they are happy with purchase and item, save me as a seller and hopefully come back again (and again!) ðŸ˜
tobaccocardyahoo
·2 years agoA buyer's feedback is almost always useless information.
Buyers cannot get negative or neutral feedback.
Any sellers who writes negative sounding FB as a positive can be disciplined and the FB will be removed.
Every bad transaction I have had on this or any other venue has had a seller with all positive FB before I bought and after I bought. So the availability of negative FB is not any greater clue to the satisfaction to be had.
If you cannot afford to risk $40, sell cheaper items.
mam98031
·2 years agoAll true. I would add that looking at the Feedback Left by the buyer can be extremely telling.
evry1nositswindy
·2 years agoI love giving brand new buyers their first feedback!
djvp53
·2 years agoI've sold to zero feedback buyers before. I haven't had any problems with them. My stuff doesn't attract a lot of scammers and everybody has to start somewhere. I started selling when I had fewer than 10 feedback as a buyer. Customers had to trust me for me to get a start.
Most buyers on eBay have more feedback than me so I sometimes notice that. I've occasionally seen buyers with low or no feedback go on to quickly pass me by becoming frequent shoppers on eBay and repeat customers from me. Hopefully, you have the same experience. Best wishes.
baydealz
·2 years agoSometimes they actually work out. Most real traders have history and know the system. You used to be able to block them; I knew exactly how the sycophants in here would respond. Maybe it's not a scam, a naive noobie, someone using a throwaway account, a bad actor...and maybe I'll win the lottery. Just realize that when they complain as any of those actors, you WILL lose, cash, time, shipping and item.
I didn't see your listings, but unless you only use this as a ecommerce channel for some bulk items you get from China and can afford 5% losses, but the trading community days are over (ie used items/garage sales), they don't want you. Wish they just admitted it prior to playing games (no feedback by sellers, forced returns, forced shipping labels at 2x the price, ignoring of buyers who ship back incorrect or broken item, etc.)
And if you cancel it as a shop could do, you'll get negative feedback and bad marks 'ebay had to step in,' which they do and it won't be on your side.
Enjoy.
legalbeagle52
·2 years agoHi @volteratek ,
I would mail it out and wouldn't give it a second thought. As others have mentioned, everyone has to start somewhere. I'm selling for over 20 years & I've had very few scammers... approx. 10,000 sales & not a single scammer had 0 feedback! I've had many 0 feedback buyers. I'll be honest, when I first started I used to worry too, but calmed right down when I saw that it was never a problem. The few scammers I had were high feedback buyers & some were sellers. But any scammers were few & far between.
I would doublecheck, google the address & make sure the apt. # is on there. Many new buyers forget to put it down. It could be sent back without it. I've had it almost happen. You could send the buyer a quick thank you note & let them know you appreciate their business. That way if there's any problem, they have an actual "person" to get back to. Just my 2cents.
Mail it out, then sit back & enjoy your first few sales. It's exciting! I still remember it! 😊
Good luck! All the best ...
albertabrightalberta
·2 years agoA $40 calculator? If this amount of a sale is so stressful, perhaps ebay isn't the right venue for you.
Personally, my biggest problems with buyers (though they've been few) have come from experienced buyers who know the ins and outs of ebay and know how to get away with their dastardly deeds.
I've never had a problem with a 0-feedback buyer. NEVER. (I hope I don't jinx myself!)
I'd be happy with the sale, tell the buyer how happy I am that they trusted me as their first ebay experience and I'd pack and ship the item.
ckimodog
·2 years ago@volteratek
They might just be a guest account. Many people go that route to purchase things, not to mention the items you are selling are really not in the scam category. I would accept the sale and be thankful. JMO.
Happy Selling
selsa84
·2 years agoOne of my highest selling items ever on eBay sold to a guy that opened his account that same day. He is now one of my biggest customers.
toysaver
·2 years agoNo need to cancel. Look at the big picture. An account with zero feedback does not equate to 'criminal' activity. There are plenty of people in the world who want no footprint or trail of online activity and make a new account for each purchase. There are plenty of people who simply have to make a new account because they can't remember passwords or have new devices. There are plenty of people that are not compulsive consumers and shop infrequently.
soh.maryl
·2 years agoShouldn't we be encouraging new buyers.
And you have exactly 10 more feedback than the buyer. So should he trust you?
dnasilver
·2 years agoWe have a fair amount of one timers. The last sale in Jan was for over 2,500, brand new account no feedback, well they have one now from us. We never had any issues, but that does not mean you won't.
fashunu4eeuh
·2 years agoHi @volteratek and welcome. Congrats on your sales!!
In the 15 years i’ve been selling here, never encountered a dishonest buyer, not with low feedback, nor high feedback, no problems. (Had a couple of bad sellers, but never a bad buyer.) I’m careful about what i sell and usually avoid listing in high scam categories. Those would be gaming items, electronics, computers, smartphones, luxury designer goods, etc.
It is true that there is no way to avoid risk in online selling. eBay policies favor the buyers’ interests. Sellers bear all the liability. But being fearful of new accounts, worrying about scammers, is borrowing trouble before it happens. It is better to anticipate good outcomes with transactions—it supports a healthier attitude which can only improve customer relations.
So i judge trading partners by their actions, not by their sales history. New buyers are necessary for the overall health of the site. As a general rule, newbies should be welcomed, and not held up in suspicion based only on that one criteria. Besides, scammers always tip their hands and reveal themselves.
Wish you all the best and much selling success. Appreciate your coming to the forum with this matter. Good luck!!
na_833338
·2 years agoIf you don't want him, I'll take him.
I get a few zero feedback buyers every week. I just sold something to a zero FB buyer in the last hour. No problems for me, but I sell mostly vintage collectibles. It sells, I ship it. Everyone has to start here with no feedback.
inhawaii
·2 years agoMy advice/opinion.
Don't worry about newly registered or low/no feedback buyers. Don't even give it any thought. Just ship it.
mam98031
·2 years agoIsn't that rather a double standard. You are a new seller to Ebay, so should buyers stay away from you and assume you will scam them just because you are new? Of course not. So why would you think that of a new buyer?
We need new buyers to join the site. It is the only way we can grow and get more sales. We need more buyers. So treat the newbees well. Offer GREAT customer service.
What is it that you think a buyer's feedback could show you? They can only get positive FB. So buyer FB is pretty useless. About the only think on their FB screen that is worth looking at is their FB left for others. That is far more telling than FB they receive.
You have no GOOD reason to cancel the transaction. So if you decide to do this, you would select that you were out of stock on the item. The reasons available are very limited. But this one would be your fault, so you would need to take the defect on your account because of it.
I think you are over thinking this and working yourself up about something that is likely not a problem at all. But it is up to you.
reallynicestamps
·2 years agoSome of the more paranoid posters will be telling you that you should not list anything you cannot afford to lose.
And those calculators may come under on of the categories that do have a high fraud reputation.
Unless they are now considered collector's items and come under vintage collectibles by now.
I would send a Message to your buyer(s) thanking them for their business and letting them know that for their security you will be upgrading shipping to Signature Confirmation, so that the package will not be left unattended but will be safely Held for them at their local Post Office.
For under $5 you have either won the heart of an honest buyer or annoyed the H double hockey sticks out of a potential scammer.
itsjustasprain
·2 years agoThe third and most likely possibility is that you have 'annoyed the H double hockey sticks' out of an honest buyer. Signature Confirmation below $750 gets you no more seller protection against an Item Not Received claim than what Delivery Confirmation gives you for free.
Just ship the thing promptly.
mam98031
·2 years ago@itsjustasprain and @reallynicestamps Why would anyone require a signature upon delivery of a $40 sale?!?! That simply doesn't make sense to me.
reallynicestamps
·2 years agoHeadgames.
For $1.50 you have the satisfaction of knowing that the buyer will have to look a clerk in the eye and put his mark on the receipt. It's peace of mind .
For $1.50 the buyer has either the satisfaction of knowing you "upgraded" his purchase and value him.
Fo $1.50 the scammer has to decide if he is willing to look a clerk in the eye and put his mark on the receipt to get the item he planned to "steal".
Cheap and effective insurance.
mam98031
·2 years agoThere is all kinds of ways that can backfire on the seller.
First you can really upset your buyer if you don't tell them about this BEFORE shipping it with signature required. Lots of people work outside the home and no one is there to sign for it when the carrier delivers the rest of the mail. So the carrier then has to leave a form for the buyer to let that they can pick up their package at their local PO the next day, or they can note a date on the form when the carrier could re-deliver it, but that will delay it by at least 2 more days.
The seller isn't upgrading their purchase nor adding value to what they purchased from the seller. Signature required doesn't increase the value of the item in any way.
A seller that does this is not only wasting money on a low $$ item, but risking upsetting their buyer and also risking them hitting their FB because of this.
And this thing about "looking a clerk in the eye", means nothing, besides they may opt to just have it redelivered on the following Saturday or some other day that works for the buyer.
So the seller is delaying delivery and causing the buyer extra work to get their item. That will likely end badly for the seller.
albertabrightalberta
·2 years agoIt's not $1.50. It's $4.15 at the p.o. and $3.50 online. On a $40 sale, it's not worth it!
a_c_green
·2 years agoSignature Confirmation is actually $4.15 retail or $3.50 on-line. That's not particularly cheap, nor is it any kind of extra insurance. As noted already, Delivery Confirmation provides the same protection (and this is all relating to the delivery only; it would have no additional benefit in a Not As Described case).
itsjustasprain
·2 years agoGiven their thinking that SC costs $1.50 when in fact it is $4.15/$3.50 then I doubt that is something that they really do.
dbfolks166mt
·2 years agoEveryone has to start at 0. I have sold to a lot of 0 feedback buyers over the years, many of which were using guest accounts, and never had any issues. The item you sold is probably not high on the scammers target list at $40 so your risk is probably pretty low.
rosachs
·2 years agoYes - if you cancel, you will get a defect.
Why do you feel that this particular buyer is going to scam you? Everyone starts out with zero feedback. Everyone. Some of us just did that a lot further in the past than others.
Scams usually will have other identifiers than just zero feedback. What identifiers are you seeing - what leads you to believe you may be scammed?
If you ship with tracking to the address eBay provided, and post your tracking number to the order, and the package arrives with a delivery scan, you are pretty well covered by eBay. The delivery scan eliminates any possible INR (Item Not Received) claim. They could clain SNAD (Significantly Not As Described) or that it arrived damaged... but scammers are not keen to open cases within eBay... it builds a 'paper trail' that can eventually get them banned, or at least that singular ID.
With an order that small, it's unlikely that anything bad will happen. Not impossible, but unlikely.
-Bob.