Seller scam?

[k2def25]

Curious if this is legit or not. The seller of an item I bid on, but ultimately lost (seller has all positive reviews) messaged me after the auction stating highest bidder cancelled on their listing. 

They asked me if I could send my PayPal if I’m interested and they would give me a discount to negate the hefty eBay fees. 

is this legit? 

[ms.rodriguez* · Accepted solution]

Tell him to get lost.   It's illegal to do that.  If the winner back out, the seller can click 2ND CHANCE OFFER and if you were the second place bidder, you get that email.   If you agree to the price (the price that you bid), you click the pay now button (or accept and then pay now.)  The seller still has to pay fees to ebay and you still have buyer protection.  This is the only way to do this transaction.

The seller might have a duplicate but he still can't tell a buyer to pay outside of ebay.  That is grounds for a suspension.  Tell him.

[spark-chaser1]

This situation plays out time and time again.

Do not do anything that takes you off of the system here. Do not pay thru third party processors, do not message outside of Bay messaging, and do not do anything that is off the established grid.

Too often we see buyers come here and got scammed, and then we find they made a back - room deal.

If this happens, you lose. Every time.

I think that this may be happening right here, so tread carefully. Ms. R nailed it, in my opinion.

[mtgraves7984]

They asked me if I could send my PayPal if I’m interested and they would give me a discount to negate the hefty eBay fees. 

@k2def25 

Trust your gut. Of course, this is scammy behavior. The seller can relist and sell through the platform.

[spark-chaser1]

So true. Scammy indeed. The seller knows darn well that there is a system in place to protect the buyer AND the seller, and I know that system has its faults.

OP... consider this... Why would a seller jeopardize both themselves and you by insisting that you do business off of the system? A novice seller may make an honest mistake, but a master manipulator will know how to work that to their advantage and will know exactly what to have YOU do to make it pay for THEM.

So don't do it.

[ckimodog]

@k2def25 

If that person wants to pay you, they can pay you via the payment methods that Ebay offers through managed payments.  They do not need to pay your paypal account directly.  This is a scam attempt. Don't correspond with this person any more. Block them and report them.  

[dnasilver]

"It's illegal to do that." What law would be broken? It is a policy violation for eBay, but what law makes it "illegal"?

[lamber9347]

You can report this seller to eBay for asking to take a transaction off eBay. That is a big no-no on here and eBay really enjoys coming after sellers who get caught doing this. Best of luck to you....

[fab_finds4u]

His fees aren't your problem. He's dreaming up a reason to get your PayPal to send you a PayPal invoice which takes you off eBay to make the payment. You also give up your PayPal protection. With a PayPal invoice you send money via friends and family and you can't  dispute that type of payment.  They'll have been paid and they know you can't  do anything if they don't  send the item,,,,,,,,,so guess who won't  be getting the item?

[ms.rodriguez*]

First of all, this is Ebay's site and they deserve every cent that they get from a sale.  To go outside of ebay is a no-no.  Ok, it's not a law that will get you arrested but every seller on Ebay knows that it is illegal to do that.   Not only can the seller be suspended, but the buyer can be suspended too.    If a seller does NOT like the fees, then they can easily sell from their driveway via a yard sale or go to a flea market .   

Common sense should tell a buyer that something is wrong.  There is NO guarantee that they will get their item or that their money will be returned if the item is not as a described.