A buyer asked me to include a $400 giftcard with the doll I am selling as a gift to his cousin

[angetim-31]

Hi everyone I'm a first time seller on here. I'm looking to sell the dolls my grandma kept for me that are still in their boxes. I received an offer today for the Barbie Enchantress I put up for auction and was asked to include a gift card that they would give me the money for. The person buying told me they're a US Navy officer and wouldn't be able to do it themselves. That felt off to me but then he did send the money. However, he had me communicate with the service paypal email to talk about that agreement and the email I received from paypal which looked very official said the funds would be withheld from me until I sent them a picture of the gift card and receipt. Why would I need to wait if you're going to pay for it? Is this a scam? This feels like it should be part of some legitimate process but I get the feeling I might be walking into a trap.

[mtgraves7984]

Yes... it's a big ole fat SCAM. Good catch.

Cancel the order (I can justify 'Buyer requested', with the additional demands) and block the bidder.

[eburtonlab]

A message that says "I am interested in your item, kindly text me" is generally the start of a scam where the scammer winds up sending a phony PayPal email that makes it look like the seller has received a payment when none has actually been received. Scammers like to target new sellers, particularly those selling expensive items.

Similarly, any potential buyer that wants to pay more than your buy-it-now price or asks you to purchase a gift card for any reason is trying to scam you. eBay has no way for a seller to add the extra cost to the transaction, so that should tell you that the buyer has no intention of paying you through eBay (or at all).

Sending contact information (text or email) prior to a transaction is a violation of eBay policy; this policy is designed to protect honest buyers and sellers from this sort of thing, and to prevent off-eBay sales.

Ignore anyone that wants to communicate outside of eBay prior to a transaction payment. eBay will likely close the scammer's account eventually; unfortunately the scammer will simply open another account and continue sending such messages.

As a seller you should always check your PayPal account directly (not following a link in an email) to see if you have actually been paid prior to shipping. If an actual buyer does not send an actual payment, file an unpaid item dispute and go through that process to get your fees back and to give the "buyer" a strike -- and set your buying requirement to reject bids from users with two or more strikes.

[ittybitnot]

 That felt off to me but then he did send the money. 

No, the person did not send you the money.  They sent you a phony payment notification saying you were paid.  Don't buy the giftcard, don't send a photo if you did.  


Do NOT respond to the typical "text me" scammer or "change the shipping address" crooks that approach sellers through the eBay message system. 

Always log in directly to PayPal or eBay NEVER through an email link.  If you did use the handy link provided by the scammer, you'd best get busy with virus scans and changing your passwords. 

[portkoop-0]

I see only a SOLD auction in your listings...

If in fact it was paid for, this would show as ready to ship on your "Awaiting shipment" page.
If there is nothing there, that means payment has not been satisfied.

If this auction sold to this individual, you will most likely have to proceed with an Unpaid Item Dispute  to get your final value and listing fees refunded and to prevent sidestepping policy.

[ittybitnot]

If this auction sold to this individual, you will most likely have to proceed with an Unpaid Item Dispute....

That is good advice as well, if the item is showing SOLD.  In that situation, I would suspect the 'text me' scammer made an "offer" through the actual best offer feature, the seller accepted (making the listing show SOLD), and then the 'text me your email address'  'buy a giftcard' scamming  business started.  

[a_c_green]

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@angetim-31 wrote:

Is this a scam? This feels like it should be part of some legitimate process but I get the feeling I might be walking into a trap. 

---

Yes, it is 100% a scam. Just stop responding; there is no real sale here. Cancel the transaction as others have said and add that fake buyer's ID to your Blocked Bidder List (here).

All you are seeing are fake payment notifications dressed up to look like messages from PayPal, but that is not how real sales work. An actual payment will be shown on your eBay Sold Items page along with a directive that it's time to ship, once the buyer's clear payment has been received. Any requests for you to text the buyer for any reason, along with any requests to buy extra gifts or similar, are immediate signs of a scam attempt.

[toysaver]

For what reason are Navy Officers unable to buy giftcards the "normal way"???? 

THERE IS NONE

[maxine*j]

100%  S C A M !   Run, do not walk, away from this.  thank your lucky stars that your instincts are working well.  Everything about it is wrong, wrong, wrong -- and it's a scam we see here every day.  

[fern*wood]

No one has a cousin they wish to give $400. to. 😁

[wesk_36]

"However, he had me communicate with the service paypal email to talk about that agreement and the email I received from paypal which looked very official said the funds would be withheld from me until I sent them a picture of the gift card and receipt."

Some of the criminals are very good at fashioning fake emails; the more sophisticated criminals will have links set up to steal your log-in and/or other information if you were to tap/click on the emails links.

Take a byte out of crime and forward the spoofed fake paypal email to:

spoof@paypal.com

https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/security/suspicious-activity

Pretty much the same that everyone else has said;

Never communicate with emails about your account, always login to your paypal account directly from your own device to see if you were paid.

If you logged into paypal from an email, change your password to be safe.

On ebay, don't deviate from the norm.

Just say no.

Communicate thru ebay messages only and never take communications off ebay thru emails, texting, calls,,,

If you have to relist an item due to fraud or non-payment, file a case in the resolution center so you will get your final value fees credited back to you.

https://resolutioncenter.ebay.com/

"I sold an item.
   -- I haven't received my payment yet."

🎄

[lovefindingtreasures2]

Mega scam, run, don't walk from this con artist non Naval Officer. What a jerk, implying he is US military too.

Follow the advice given here, glad you came to the boards to ask before you became a victim to this scam.

[portkoop-0]

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@ittybitnot wrote:

If this auction sold to this individual, you will most likely have to proceed with an Unpaid Item Dispute....

That is good advice as well, if the item is showing SOLD.  In that situation, I would suspect the 'text me' scammer made an "offer" through the actual best offer feature, the seller accepted (making the listing show SOLD), and then the 'text me your email address'  'buy a giftcard' scamming  business started.  

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Ah yes, I had not thought about that, and I realize you're not the OP but that brings another situation to light:
NEVER end auctions early because of offers!

Don't do it, if someone is making you an offer tell them to put in a bid and good luck.

Guaranteed they won't even bid, and if they do it will be a half-hearted attempt.

Fact is if someone is making offers, you will ALWAYS get more for your auction if you let it run its course.

[a_c_green]

Well, it's true that they're probably hoping to get your item for themselves before the bidding goes higher than they can afford, but making an offer is not in itself a scam indicator, especially as an auction with no bids received yet may also be showing the Make Offer button. If the seller wants the item gone in a hurry and the buyer is offering enough for it, the seller can accept the offer, but still needs to be aware of how payments actually work on eBay. The scam in this case is in the payment, not in how the supposed buyer claimed the item.

In my buying account, I will sometimes make an offer if I think I can get the item for less that way. If the seller declines, or comes back with a counteroffer that's too high, I may then plug in a minimum bid just to get rid of the Make Offer button before someone else tries with a higher price.

[nkmipgolf]

Wow! Good for you. Others have sent it then sat back and wondered where their money was.  scammers pick on new sellers hoping they do not know how PayPal works.   If eBay made gift cards traceable this would not happen instead of some hairy dude sitting in an internet cafe in eastern Europe making millions off it.