New Seller - Did I just dodge a bullet?
Hello, everyone. I've recently decided to try my hand at selling here on eBay in order to "de-dupe" my pottery collection. I thought that vintage Scandinavian pottery was a "low-fraud" category, but I've just been given a cold, hard slap of reality across my face. I have a sinking feeling that my most recent sale is not one I should honor . . . . and eBay agrees.
My buyer joined eBay today, and while I know that is enough for many to cancel a transaction, I wanted to keep an open mind. (In fact, my second sale here was from a woman visiting from Sweden who joined eBay specifically to purchase one of my items. I was nervous, but I sent her a "Welcome to eBay" introductory note, and we started talking. The vibe was good, and I decided to go ahead and accept her Best Offer - and the transaction ended with both of us over the moon.) However, apart from being new, today's buyer had a weird way of spelling what is a fairly common name: I won't use the real name here, but a similar example is ABBTT when to me, that seems like a typo of the surname ABBOTT. I reached out to her and welcomed her to eBay and asked her to simply clarify the spelling of her last name. Radio silence. I wanted to have her items packed and ready for UPS tonight by our town's 6PM cutoff, so I reached out to eBay for guidance.
The agent that called me said that her username is actually tied to an account by a man (presumably her spouse?) with the same surname but spelled the way one would expect, ABBOTT. I thought that perhaps the husband was making this purchase for his wife or something, but the agent said that if that were the case, his name would appear on the order. The order has a female's name on it, but the username is a variation on a typical male name (something like john.ab-70). The address is legitimate - at least according to Google Maps - but the more I talked with the agent, the more uneasy I became. My listing was a BIN with a Best Offer option, and she just outright bought it without negotiating -- which is terrific, but that rarely happens these days. And an hour elapsed with no response to my request for a simple surname spelling check.
eBay suggested that I write to her one last time, and if I don't get a reply back by tomorrow to cancel the transaction. eBay said not to ship until the buyer responds. I sent her a polite note apprising her of the situation:
BUYER, I just received a message from eBay advising me not to ship this order until we receive clarification on the proper spelling of your last name. (Since I'm a fairly new seller, this is a first for me, but apparently, my Seller Protections could be voided if I ship to someone other than you. There's also a risk the parcel may not be delivered.) I'm going to go ahead and have UPS package this order, but I've been instructed not to ship until I hear from you. I'm sorry for this inconvenience, but given the dollar amount, it's nice to know that eBay has both our backs!
I guess my question is, what is the scam here? Is this just an innocent case of someone registering and misspelling her surname? Could I possibly be correct this was a man trying to make a purchase for a woman in his life? Has john.ab-70's account been hacked? The buyer paid and my funds aren't being held, so do I really have any reason not to ship, despite what the eBay agent said?
My goodness, I'm just trying to sell some teapots and meet some other Scandinavian pottery enthusiasts! ðŸ˜
Thanks in advance for any advice/guidance.
fashunu4eeuh
·3 years agoHello and welcome @boskev !! It is always good to see a lurker turn to poster. (Like you, i was a lurker long before i became a regular poster.)
It is normal to feel some anxiety when dealing with eBay matters, especially as a new seller. To be honest, sometimes it still takes a bit of faith for me to send that package out, and i have been selling for 15 years.
If it is any consolation, i’ve never had an issue post-sale with a buyer. Never had one try to defraud me or open a case. (Had a couple of bad sellers, but never bad buyers.) Not to say it doesn’t happen, it most certainly does. But i try to be cautious, and tend to avoid selling in high fraud categories that attract the most scamming attention (gaming, electronics, computers, smartphones and other devices, designer luxury goods, etc).
My best advice to you is to come here to the forum first when you have a concern or question. eBay customer service has suffered since the pandemic, and the call center has not been well-staffed since. Sometimes their advice is wanting. Sadly, sometimes we have seen it to be downright damaging.
Since you stated your goals—you are here to sell and to meet other enthusiasts—stick to that. Boiled down, that means: you list, they buy, you ship.
Thank you for reaching out here to share. Your post will help others who may experience the same concerns.
Wish you much success!
boskev
OP3 years agoWhat a lovely post! Thank you so much for that warm welcome.
Here's hoping that this sale has a happy ending . . . .
fashunu4eeuh
·3 years agoYou are most welcome.
reallynicestamps
·3 years agoThe number times I have misspelled my own name, which is hyphenated and two unusual forms, is close to infinite now.
And just as often I see names with oDd capitAls because of typos or incorrect street formats (Chemin Du Panorama instead of chemin du Panorama) because of literacy fails.
I would use Signature Confirmation of Delivery (and tell the customer that you made the upgrade for their protection ) so that it will not be left on a random doorstep and the claimant must provide identification if not at the actual address.
EBay does not require Signature until the value is over $650 , but this is for your peace of mind, not for eBay's standards.
ms.rodriguez*
·3 years agoSignature confirmation is required on items $750.oo and higher.
reallynicestamps
·3 years agoYes.
But in this case it is there for the seller's peace of mind.
Canada Post charges $1.50 for Signature Confirmation. Worth every penny.
ms.rodriguez*
·3 years agoYou need to ship with the exact name that is in the payment. I am wondering if this person is using a freight forwarder and the letters that you are see are just some of the letters of their last name. As for the ebay employee telling you not to ship, I never heard of that either.
I word of caution. When using Ebay to print UPS labels , some sellers have gotten a bill weeks later for a huge surcharge. So get the buyer's name and address on a tablet or phone and go the the UPS and buy the label there. Pay them once and you won't get another bill from UPS in the future.
boskev
OP3 years agoThis is an interesting point that I hadn't considered.
When I dropped the items off for packing, based off the dimensions of the box they were going to use, the UPS Store estimated cross-country delivery at about $80. When I went to eBay and keyed in the same dimensions and even added another pound for weight, my total came to $52 -- just $2 shy of what I charged for shipping. So I opted to print the label off eBay. Even the UPS employee told me as I was leaving that I'd likely get a deeper discount off eBay on the actual shipping charges.
But I never knew I could be levied a surcharge after the fact. Does that always happen, or just here and there?
ms.rodriguez*
·3 years agoThere have been several posts about these unexpected UPS charges here. The sellers were caught by surprise. The boxes tended to be big and heavy. If you use UPS, do a search and the read the other posts. I only shipped UPS once and never again will I do that.
monster-deals
·3 years agoI just sold a $30 Members Only jacket only to get random trash returned.
If it is worth $1 it is in a scam category on ebay.
caldreamer
·3 years agoNot every customer is a scammer. You will drive yourself crazy if you Google earth all your customers. There is always "some risk" when selling online (anyone can "reverse payment" after they receive your item or return fake item). These are just the risks of selling online (fortunately, most customers are honest).
When customer pays for order (just ship to address shown on EBAY). If customer asked to change to different address that would be a problem.
pooh333piglet
·3 years agoMy thoughts are I would never send a message like that to a buyer. There was no need for you to state you are new to selling. Also 1 hour and no response?! C'mon give people a break. We all don't sit here with ebay or a phone glued to our eyes. I personally keep all notifications for ebay off. I have for like 7 years at least. Lastly, ebay agents tend to repeat what you are saying. They try their best to agree with you and keep you happy whether what they are responding with is true or not. As long as you are shipping to the address in payment it all seems OK to me.
boskev
OP3 years agoThanks for your candor. *sigh* I'm feeling pretty foolish right now. I'm going to run into town and ship the order out since it's ready.
I was just trying to be careful.
soh.maryl
·3 years agoNo need to feel foolish at all. You asked a question. You received answers. You responded graciously to us. Selling on eBay is a learning curve and sometimes the curve is steep. Feel free to come here and ask for help if you need it.
mtgraves7984
·3 years agoI'm feeling pretty foolish right now.
@boskev
Do NOT do that ^^^ to yourself. As a matter of fact, humility pays Bonus Points... we don't pay those willy-nilly! 😊
boskev
OP3 years agoThank you for that. I really appreciate it.
UPDATE:
While I was in the UPS Store finalizing the packing/labeling, my buyer wrote to me and confirmed that her surname was missing a vowel. The tone of her email was appreciative -- she seems to feel grateful that boskev and eBay were diligent and caught this typo. (I was beginning to fear that my earlier messages might have irked her, but she seems to be giving me credit, deserved or not. I think my positioning this as something eBay was advising me to do might have saved me a bit -- not that that isn't true, but I initiated contact with eBay, not the other way around.)
She understands that even with the misspelling, UPS will deliver the parcel as long as the address is valid -- and she confirmed that there were no issues with her address. So the parcel is sealed and in the hands of UPS, a delivery date is set, and we both can already follow everything in our respective eBay consoles. But man, was this anxiety-inducing!
It's funny, I started this thread thinking that I'd be getting a bunch of high-fives: "Way to go, boskev! How great that you and eBay were 'on the case,' snuffing out fraudsters online!" And instead, the thread took a sharp left turn down, "Dude. What's the problem? Just ship the thing to the address the buyer provided! She paid, didn't she?" ðŸ˜
I've been a lurker on this and other forums and always chuckle when a thread doesn't go exactly the way the OP had intended. And now here I am.
Thanks, everyone, for all the invaluable input. Anyone need a teapot?
Kevin
soh.maryl
·3 years agoIt "took a left turn down"? You came here voicing misgivings and most of the answers were helpful.
If all you wanted was applause, you did get some of that also.
craigsdieselrepair
·3 years agoDon't feel bad. Most new sellers have this idea that everyone is a scammer. It's just part of being a new seller. As you become more experienced you will see that most buyers are good buyers.
I run into maybe one a year. I'm dealing with a problem buyer right now (actually a problem return now). But normally the buyers are great. It does take time to get used to selling and to gain trust in selling to strangers. But in time, you won't worry at all when you ship an item. Just be sure to insure expensive items if it makes you feel better (I don't insure everything- usually items over $200).
I wish you the best, and I hope the transaction goes extremely well!
soh.maryl
·3 years agoDon't exactly see the scam potential, but I no longer sell here, so maybe someone else will have a different opinion.
On eBay, the seller is required to ship to the exact name and address seen when the buyer pays. It doesn't really matter if the name seems odd.
Have no idea who you are discussing this with who is telling you to hold off shipping. And have also never heard of any eBay agent getting so involved in a transaction. Where did you get the # for this "agent"?
boskev
OP3 years agoHi. I went to the Help Section and thought I'd start a chat session, but there was an option for someone to call me back. It took less than a minute for an agent to call me. He was quite polite and, frankly, he seemed more worried than I was at the time.
Does the fact that the buyer hasn't replied yet influence anyone's opinion? I mean, if I'd paid $400 plus tax for some pottery, I'd be a little more engaged than this person seems to be.
soh.maryl
·3 years agoSorry -- still does not change my opinion. When I make a purchase on eBay, I buy, pay usually immediately, maybe make note in my head of the estimated delivery date and then go on about my household chores etc. Have never ever checked back to see if I've received any kind of message from the seller.
boskev
OP3 years agosoh.maryl, thank you. I understand what you mean. I just received a call that the buyer's parcel is ready to ship - i just need to go and provide a label, insert my thank you note, and then they'll seal it up and load it by 6PM.
If I go ahead and do that and the transaction does go south (for whatever) reason, does the fact that I ignored the eBay rep's advice void any protections I have, limited though they may be?
soh.maryl
·3 years agoYou "received a call that the buyer's parcel is ready to ship"?
What's up with that? Do you not have it in your possession?
The fact that you ignored eBay's advice should have no impact on the situation if the transaction goes south. What kind of going south do you anticipate?
boskev
OP3 years agoSorry, I wasn't clear. I dropped off the items to be packaged. I don't have the capability to "fragile pack" items just yet, so I have an arrangement with the UPS store in my town. They just called to say that the items are packed and can ship as soon as I provide a label.
redmodelt
·3 years agomaybe the seller is having it professionally packaged for shipping at some place like a UPS store.
soh.maryl
·3 years agoThank you. That's exactly what IS happening per the seller's message.
pjcdn2005
·3 years agoIf I go ahead and do that and the transaction does go south (for whatever) reason, does the fact that I ignored the eBay rep's advice void any protections I have, limited though they may be?
No. The chat/phone reps do not always give the best information and I have never heard of their 'advice' influencing the outcome.
a_c_green
·3 years agoNo. Unfortunately there are too many instances related here where the CS reps simply have no idea what they're talking about.
Your seller protection requires you to ship to the address received with the payment, but no one (including the USPS) cares whether the recipient's name is misspelled. As long as it's addressed to the City and ZIP received with the payment (technically, the street address is not tracked or verified as part of an Item Not Received dispute), it will be fine.
mtgraves7984
·3 years agoDoes the fact that the buyer hasn't replied yet influence anyone's opinion? I mean, if I'd paid $400 plus tax for some pottery, I'd be a little more engaged than this person seems to be.
@boskev
Maybe the buyer (of a $400+ piece of pottery) is out having her toes done or such.
For what it's worth, I've sold to '0' and low feedback buyers who only onboarded when they saw the item I was selling. I've not had problem one when that is the case. I'm hoping that is your situation, too.
With your last message, you kind of painted yourself into a corner (IMO)... I guess I'd wait out the response. Good luck!
boskev
OP3 years agoOh, boy. I was only doing what the eBay rep told me to do. And I agree -- I didn't want to slam the door on all zero-feedback buyers.
mtgraves7984
·3 years agoAnd have also never heard of any eBay agent getting so involved in a transaction.
@soh.maryl
And I wonder if this 'agent' advised the OP that an 'Out of Stock/No longer available' option is what the OP risks?
soh.maryl
·3 years agoAnyone else feel like that CS rep gave the OP more information about the buyer than should have been given or than was needed to resolve the issue?
mtgraves7984
·3 years ago@soh.maryl
Bahahaha... YES! I was even flashing on the old Seinfeld 'Rabbi' episode. "Let's call him...... 'George'". 🤣
Edit to add: Full disclosure... I was flashing (before we got to that part) just reading through the post. 😬
boskev
OP3 years agoI have to say, I was surprised myself at the level of detail the rep gave me about the other person apparently attached to this account. I think that's part of what made me nervous initially -- I wasn't even aware you could share an eBay account with someone else. I know that you can have multiple "ship to" addresses, but that didn't seem to be the situation here, according to the eBay rep with whom I spoke.
pjcdn2005
·3 years agoI don't see a bullet. Is this being shipped within the US? I wouldn't worry about the spelling of the name. Seller protection for item not received is based on the item arriving to the address used at payment. It's best not to change anything on the payment info unless it is to add an apartment number or to separate a super long address on to 2 lines.
I 'might' be a little more cautious if the item was going through customs but domestically it shouldn't matter.
Out of curiosity, if this is being shipped within the US which state is this being shipped to?
boskev
OP3 years agoYes, this is being shipped to California.