Can I refuse to sell to someone with low feedback?

[birdsnshells]

It seems like whenever I list an electronics/computer item over $100, I get people using Buy It Now who have 0 feedback...some with unconfirmed Paypal addresses, and/or living overseas (even though I have in the listing to only ship to the USA).   I'm sure most of these are scammers and trying to figure out how to protect myself better.

This one person just bought two of my cameras (two of the same one for some reason).  They only have (2) feedback and one of them is from two days ago.   The Paypal address is confirmed, but I'm still nervous to ship to them.   They could just say that the camera is broken or I shipped them a box of rocks or anything. I've heard that ebay always sides with the buyer in these situations but don't know from experience.

Can I put something in my listings like "I can only sell this item to someone who has an ebay feedback history at least 3 months long and at least 10 positive feedback"   Or is that against ebay rules.

I am stressing out about what do with these cameras and just wanted to get some advice.  Thanks !

[lewmur]

I just received a request to accept a $500 Paypal payment for a tablet with a $225 "buy it now price", if I would ship it a Maylasia.  The person's eBay account was one day old.  An obvious scam.  But what do I do if this same person wins the auction in a couple of days?

[loveyourimagination49]

It’s a scam!

[hidy-hoo]

@lewmur wrote:

I just received a request to accept a $500 Paypal payment for a tablet with a $225 "buy it now price", if I would ship it a Maylasia.  The person's eBay account was one day old.  An obvious scam.  But what do I do if this same person wins the auction in a couple of days?

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@lewmur  Hi, lewmur ~ welcome to the Part Time Sellers Group.  Yes, an obvious scam and one that is used quite frequently in the electronics category, especially targeting low volume/new sellers selling higher priced electronics...good catch on your part.

You can do one of two things ~ I am a little confused ...has the faux buyer actually bid on the item or just made an offer?  If they have bid, you can cancel their bid.  If they bid at the last minute and win you can open an Unpaid Item Dispute for non payment since they most likely won't pay.

If you should receive a PayPal notice that a buyer has paid, ALWAYS go directly to your PayPal account to make sure that the payment is actually there...faux PayPal emails are used by scammers on a regular basis.

[loveyourimagination49]

^^^
Thanks hidy
I was at a stop while reading that. I only had time to get out scam. I couldn’t let someone get scammed, but that’s all the time I had.

[theguitarpartsguy]

Yep. Also, if you're SURE it's a scam, and your gut feeling is often right on these things (I have found this to be true from experience), you can also put them on your blocked bidder/buyer list so they can't purchase from you.

[boho-chic-trends]

I have heard about these scams happening all the time.  A good way to protect yourself is to video tape yourself putting the item in the box, making sure you video tape the entire item.  Then video tape yourself taping up the box  and putting the label on it.  Then video tape yourself handing it to the postal worker at the post office.  It's extra work but this will protect you showing that you did put the item in the box and that you did indeed mail it properly to the seller.  In regards to the item being damaged, I am not sure what to do other than have insurance on the item. I personally will not sell to anyone outside of the US for this reason.

[buyselljack2016]

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@boho-chic-trends wrote:

I have heard about these scams happening all the time.  A good way to protect yourself is to video tape yourself putting the item in the box, making sure you video tape the entire item.  Then video tape yourself taping up the box  and putting the label on it.  Then video tape yourself handing it to the postal worker at the post office.  It's extra work but this will protect you showing that you did put the item in the box and that you did indeed mail it properly to the seller.  In regards to the item being damaged, I am not sure what to do other than have insurance on the item. I personally will not sell to anyone outside of the US for this reason.

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eBay does not accept any of this as proof of anything. A complete waste of time.

necro thread from 2012

[corneilus]

Hi, I need help with this issue. I sold a computer to a woman who started asking questions about it while it was still in transit sounding like she had buyer’s remorse already. When the item arrived, even though I do not accept returns, she started a return authorization because she said the box was too damaged and the item must be broken. After I confronted her that the box was recycled and the item was well packed, she opened it, apologized and dropped the return request and now my money is unfrozen.   Now she has gone in and did a buy it now on another electronic I have for sale, but I don’t want to sell to her again.  She didn’t know what she was buying last time, caused me way too much trouble, and tried to get a refund.  Is there a way I can refund her on the second sale and say “sorry I’m selling to somebody else” without negative feedback?  I want my listing reopened and her payment voided.   

[loveyourimagination49]

You can cancel, get an out of stock defect and receive negative feedback or send to your repeat buyer. I’d choose the latter.

[corneilus]

Thanks.  The issues with the first transaction were resolved so I guess I’ll give it a whirl and see how it plays out. 

[theguitarpartsguy]

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@corneilus wrote:

Thanks.  The issues with the first transaction were resolved so I guess I’ll give it a whirl and see how it plays out. 

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Hopefully, since the first transaction ended up working out in your favor, this one will go smoothly.  Repeat customers can be a VERY good thing.  I sell my own brand of guitar parts that I have manufactured to my spec, and I have a few repeat customers that buy from me on a fairly regular basis... it definitely can add up, although I'm selling mostly items that are around 10 dollars, so in my case it takes a while to add up, LOL.  Hopefully your customer will be happy this time, too, and keep buying from you, this could turn out to be a very good thing for you at the end of the day.

[skargonix]

An expensive laptop I'm selling was just won by a buyer who joined yesterday and has zero feedback.

Here's what I did:

1. Text the contact number and ask for confirmation. This doesn't prove much, as it could be a Google Voice or some other VoIP number of the scammer. But at least the buyer confirmed.

2. Google the buyer's name. In my case, it turned out to be an apparently legit student, with a Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn presence. The location (city/country) checked. So I sent a connection invite via LinkedIn, added him as a friend on FB, and a follow on Twitter, then asked him via text to accept.

He was a bit uncomfortable about being contacted on social media, but accepted my LinkedIn Request, so looks like I'm having a legit buyer with zero feedback.

eBay could make this entire process easier if it allowed optional identity verification via social media.

[thingsforyourotherhouse]

I know you can block buyers that you have had bad experiences with but if they have made the purchase you could cancel, however that would be a strike against you.
You do have some seller protection, and with eBay's return policy you are kind of stuck.
You could always message the customer and ask them why they are buying two, maybe it turns out they have twins and it is a birthday gift?
I have scammed many times, so protect yourself.
In your return policy state that refunds will not be issued for items tampered with.
Take out extra shipping insurance and package the heck out of the item.
Photograph the items prior to shipping with the days newspaper.
I have been selling her for over 10 years now and I could tell you some stories. Everyone has to be new at one point. I always love being the first person to leave feedback on newbies page!

[thingsforyourotherhouse]

You can create a return policy to set your own terms
State that refunds will not be made until the item has been returned and inspected.
Charge a restocking fee
Bait and switch is common practice so on items like electronics you can always make a small pen mark inside a battery holder or somewhere where it would not be noticed, be sure to photograph the mark so if they return an item which is not the same you have 100% proof.
I once shipped a $800 ceramic bird. It had a fort knox wooded crate the bird was strapped down and it was filled with foam. Imagine that it got broken, and the photo of the pieces were not the same color? But it was insured so I covered my rear and the customer ended up having to deal with the post office. I got my money all was good

[railerwill]

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@buyselljack2016 wrote:

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@boho-chic-trends wrote:

I have heard about these scams happening all the time.  A good way to protect yourself is to video tape yourself putting the item in the box, making sure you video tape the entire item.  Then video tape yourself taping up the box  and putting the label on it.  Then video tape yourself handing it to the postal worker at the post office.  It's extra work but this will protect you showing that you did put the item in the box and that you did indeed mail it properly to the seller.  In regards to the item being damaged, I am not sure what to do other than have insurance on the item. I personally will not sell to anyone outside of the US for this reason.

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eBay does not accept any of this as proof of anything. A complete waste of time.

necro thread from 2012

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Absolutely correct, in fact, EBay doesn't accept ANYTHING as evidence of pre-shipment condition for products. E.g. (and this is just one example!), I sold some $300 software, factory sealed, numerous high rez photos of the actual SEALED software, videos packaging the sealed software, sealing the outer carton, etc.

Buyer receives the software and almost immediately submits one of these goofy eBay claims (whatever they're called) requesting a return. Buyer claimed the software was scratched. Again, SEALED, from a major software company, NEVER opened. Explained to eBay that I had photos AND videos. EBay's response? "Yes you can contest the return but (paraphrasing) you will lose, we will find on the side of the buyer." We talked to several other sellers this happened to, read one case where a poor women had sold a valuable piece of jewelry, but had it appraised by a certified gemologist prior to shipping, documented, photos, witnesses, etc, etc. Rather than fight it, the poor lady just accepted the return. The jewelry was not even similar to the one she sold but eBay wouldn't hear any of it. She had to refund the money. It wasn't just that this venal buyer had exchanged "paste" for a valuable item, apparently the seller's jewelry was somewhat of an heirloom, from a grandmother. The seller was emotionally distraught and out several thousands of dollars.

Best way to cover yourself on this obsolete selling platform (eBay), don't sell anything over $10, $15 or at the most $20. Definitely do not sell high-tech equipment such as DSLRs, expensive printers, etc. While there are unscrupulous sellers on this mess, there are probably and equal amount of unscrupulous, dishonest, untrustworthy buyers.

Better yet, just avoid eBay entirely. As a former successful eBay seller commented on one of these forums, eBay is an extremely outdated selling standard that has outlived it's efficiencies and effectiveness.