Sent an item to the wrong buyer.
Hello. I am a new seller on eBay and I got really confused since I saw someone message me about them having a wrong address on their file and sent me their additional info. I stupidly got excited and immediately rushed to USPS to hurry and send it because I know people hate waiting. But when I looked back, the buyers name wasn't the same and it was two different people. I gave the person who bought it a refund but the item is being sent out to the person who messaged me, but they sounded like they were willing to buy it. I tried to USPS's "package intercept" but it costs $216! It's just a phone that I've sold and I don't know what to do right now. I am very scared about not getting the item back or the person not paying for it. What should I do?
the_fancy_fox
·3 years agoHow It Works
You can request that the destination Post Office hold the item for you or have it returned to sender.
Intercept
steboon_91
OP3 years agoHey guys great news. I got my item back!
Screw those nasty scammers! But I did a package intercept and I really had no hope of it working since it got all the way to the scammer, and right as the status said out for delivery, it got intercepted and all of my worries went away. The interception fee was still $216 but I contacted USPS and they corrected it to the normal $17. The item is coming to me as of posting this.
So I wanted to say this to all of you again, thank you for helping me clear my mind and allowing myself to self reflect as some of you guided me to still package intercept. Unfortunately these scammers are everywhere and I am aware of that now. I really hope I can make this second chance right and still become an eBay seller but take more careful measures to ensure that I high value item will get to the ACTUAL BUYER, instead of some fraudulent **bleep**.
I will be more careful next time and looking into everything about the seller and their location. Thank you guys so much for replying and being down to earth about my situation.
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simply-the-best-for-you
·3 years agoWas the 'new' re-routed address overseas? IDK how the Intercept fee is that high. I do know that the USPS info I posted indicates that it is $17 PLUS the shipping fees, but I can't figure out how the shipping fees can be that high, unless it's overseas. Not a bad idea though to just go to your local PO & see if they can help you.
You are NOT incompetent. You're new at this & still learning. Scammers are very good at what they do b/c they do it every single day, it's easy to become a victim. Hopefully you've learned some lessons about not acting so quickly & only using the data that is in your Seller Hub for order information.
Just a point of clarification, you CAN (as in the system allows you to) change a buyer's address, but in general you should not do so. Even when it's a legit buyer, who has legit moved, they need to be the one to change the address.
A good rule of thumb is to never sell anything you can't afford to lose. That said, new buyers of high dollar items are easy prey. I have been on Ebay since 1997 & only had 1 scam attempt in all that time. Once you become a more established seller, the scammers tend to leave you alone. Your Ebay selling career doesn't have to be over b/c of this 🙂
slippinjimmy
·3 years agoUSPS Intercept only applies to Domestic shipments.
supercharger-parts
·3 years agoI'm sorry that you had this experience. I am stunned the the package intercept would be $216, I'm really curious how it is that expensive. It is not guaranteed. If I were in your shoes, I would look up the post office associated with the zip code you shipped to and call them. I would not call the 800 number, actually click on the post office info to get the local number. Ask to speak to the postmaster and explain your issue and ask THEM how the best way to go about having the package returned to sender is. I have no idea if this would help or not, but having someone in that facility aware of the issue, you might get lucky and they may have a suggestion.
slati_2013
·3 years agoYep, I knew before I even checked that it as an iPhone. New sellers are always targets for iPhone scams. Even experienced iPhone sellers are targets. I don't know how you keep getting $216 for the package intercept but it is wrong. Try to intercept the package.
fashunu4eeuh
·3 years agoIt sounds like you have been scammed, i am sorry to say.
The scam is this: a fraudster skims sold listings for high-dollar items, often targeting new sellers, for items that can be easily flipped. They contact the newbie, posing as the actual buyer, with a story about the address being wrong. The scammer gives an alternate address and urges fast shipping, designed to get the item in the mail stream before the seller catches on.
Oftentimes new sellers don’t know all the important policies and safeguards, and the scammer uses this inexperience against them.
For example, if a buyer inputs the wrong address at checkout, and wants to change it after payment, the seller must cancel the sale and the buyer must repurchase the item, changing the info to the appropriate address at checkout. Just sending the package to the alternate address without canceling the transaction then voids the seller protection against Item Not Received cases.
An INR case can be closed in the seller’s favor if tracking shows delivery or attempted delivery to the address of record on the transaction. Sent to any other address and the seller must refund the buyer in full.
Should the fake buyer defraud you in this way, they would have committed a felony for using the mail to commit fraud. You can contact the US Postal Inspectors to make a report of the theft. They investigate for any carrier not just USPS, fyi. They take such offenses seriously.
Ostensibly you have a name and address to give to the authorities. Of course it might be bogus, but the phone is going somewhere where the scammer can take possession.
Sadly, i know of no method available to recover such losses the seller will suffer in such a scam. So sorry this happened to you.
steboon_91
OP3 years agoI will try to attempt a delivery intercept which I am aware that is not guaranteed. But you are right, it seems like I am incompetent to sell and watch out for these mistakes that are easily avoidable. I should have known..
fashunu4eeuh
·3 years agoHi there again. @steboon_91 No no no—you are not incompetent as a seller, and hope my post did not convey that message. I apologize if it did.
As a new seller, there will be mistakes. I have made my share! It can take some time to get up to speed on eBay. And to learn all the ropes to be able to conduct business successfully here. eBay is a challenge and it takes time to navigate it.
I applaud your efforts to deal with this situation as openly as you have, and believe you are on track to be a great seller. With a little time, you’ll acquire allv the experience needed to excel.
Wish you all the best.
steboon_91
OP3 years agoYes, you are right. There will be mistakes as such is the nature of us humans. I was just clouded in disappointment but after reading your message, I have hope that I can get my item back and resell it as a better seller with the knowledge of this scam and looking into many more within eBay. I really want to thank you and everyone who commented on this post for taking the time and looking at my problem. It has really cleared my mind, and once again. Thank you.
amybethshouse
·3 years agoIf you can’t do an intercept online without paying that crazy amount, go to your post office as soon as they open tomorrow and get them to help you with this. Don’t let that scammer get your phone!
Good luck and I really hope you get your phone back.
As has already been said, you are not incompetent, just a new seller who was eager to get your item to the buyer in a hurry. That’s a good quality to have.
I honestly don’t understand how some people can live with themselves.
dbfolks166mt
·3 years agoYou have the scammers name and address you can always contact their local police department and file a case. If there have been a number of reports related to this person or address the police may investigate or take action. You can report the buyer to eBay but since it was a new account eBay is unlikely to do anything and they don't support the sellers much anyway.
See if you can find the IMEI number and if you don't recover the phone report it to the black list and render the phone pretty much useless to the scammer. So sorry this happened to you. If anything ever seems strange or you have questions you cannot find the answers to from either the eBay help files or from previous posts, simply ask before. There are a LOT of seasoned sellers that participate on this forum that have seen or dealt with about anything you can think of.
dbfolks166mt
·3 years agoI am pretty sure that you are not going to get the item back. Why does it not surprise me when you said it was a cell phone. One of the biggest targets for scammers. You have several things going against you.
1. You are a new seller
2. You listed a high value, high target item.
3. You do not accept returns.
Did you not see the notification from eBay in your seller hub when the buyer paid saying to print and ship the item? If you have the IMEI number you can report it to the blacklist which will make the phone pretty much useless to the buyer/scammer.
southern*sweet*tea
·3 years agoPackage intercept is in no way $216. It's $17 https://www.usps.com/manage/package-intercept.htm
Never, never, NEVER change the address. NEVER.
As you found out, scammers that send messages to sellers pretending to be the actual buyer of an item. They want to try to get the seller to change the address after the sale, hoping the seller never verifies that their ID is the not actual buyer. When a seller does this three things happen: the scammer gets free stuff, the actual buyer gets a refund and the seller gets robbed.
Check the ID that sent the message. If it is NOT your buyer, block them here: https://www.ebay.com/bmgt/BuyerBlock
The scammer will not be paying you. Concentrate on getting your phone back, if it's not already too late.
simply-the-best-for-you
·3 years ago@southern*sweet*tea Thank you for finding that. The link I posted went into a lot of detail, but never quoted a price.
And yeah, I'm afraid the OP may have fallen for a scam. Waiting for clarification. But if they did, I'm not sure that there's anything that can be done other than trying to get their item back.
steboon_91
OP3 years agoI am pretty sure I got scammed too. I looked at the eBay profile that messaged me and it was created today on 3/23/2023. The reason I got confused is because I didn't get any notification about anyone buying it, but I got that message from the person saying, "My address is not correct, here are the correct ones" and shared the info with me, so I thought they were the buyer that needed another address change and then I looked at the order and it was someone else. I've asked them about the info, and they confirmed that they are not that person and gave them a refund. And I have read that package intercepts are cheap, but I don't know why it keeps saying it's $216.26 or I'm just not reading right and it's something else.
simply-the-best-for-you
·3 years agoI found this, but it looks like it's not a flat fee.
https://faq.usps.com/s/article/USPS-Package-Intercept-The-Basics
simply-the-best-for-you
·3 years ago@cardxcraft I don't think this is a "mix up", I think OP is saying that someone else messaged her to redirect the pkg to them. Can you please clarify OP @steboon_91 ? Did the person who message you also buy something? LIke you just switched the lables on 2 different pkgs? Also, I have never recalled a pkg, but are you sure on that price? I thought it was around $20. Well worth it if you're talking about a phone & you were scammed into sending it elsewhere.
I"m thinking it's a misdirection scam.
inhawaii
·3 years agoI think you're right.
In which case I don't think there is anything the seller can do.
cardxcraft
·3 years agoThe best way to make it right is to be up front with the buyers and let them know of the mix up. What's done is done.
I live by the mantra of most buyers are honest.
inhawaii
·3 years agoI agree.
Honesty, humility and a little butt-kissing can go a long way.
simply-the-best-for-you
·3 years ago@inhawaii Well, it sure can, but I don't think a label mix-up is what OP is describing. Waiting for clarification.