Am i fixing to be scammed

[haundo-11]

I have An item that recently sold and said customer is asking that i purchase and include a gift card with item and ship to as a surprise gift to a family member and they will include those funds with purchase funds? Is that normal I'm new to selling and it just kinda concerned me. 

[kus1617]

IT'S a SCAM!!!

[aeparts1]

You're going to get lots of scam activity. A new seller with high dollar items is a thieves favorite target.

[vintagecraze50]

Gift card scam seems to be one of the popular scam tactics on here at present. Report this user to Ebay for fraudulent activity.

[terrycece62]

Not normal THIS  IS A SCAM  

Scammers will come up with all kinds of  stories to get you to agree 

Message buyer  that s/he will need to buy their own gift cards

Offer to cancel the transaction

Has the scammer paid yet ?

You have to check your selling account to verify  that the funds are there.

Do not  go by email notification  --  chances are more then not that  this scammer will want to cancel 

If s/he  requests cancel you can use buyer request when you cancel

[duffy4444]

   YES, it is a scam!   Read down a few hundred posts here and on the shipping forum, to see the embarrassment and anger of those in your position who fell for the scam. You will also see the advice in the replies, so you can determine the best way to handle it.

   This is happening to you because you are a new seller trying to sell high-value items. That is a recipe for attracting scammers like flies to ... well, you know what.

   STOP  selling high-value items until you get more experience, many more feedbacks, and knowledge of what a new seller needs to know. Cancel that order immediately, if you are certain that the payment is actually in your "Awaiting Shipment" section in your Seller Hub at eBay (many scammers will also send to you a FAKE email that says you have been paid, when you actually haven't). Then report the scam attempt to eBay.

   Other experienced sellers will tell you more about this scam on this thread, and how to avoid scams altogether.

   Bottom line: NEVER, EVER  sell any item on eBay that you are not prepared to risk and lose, along with your money on a forced refund. Ebay's seller protections are sorely lacking in any really meaningful help against scammers.

   The best thing you did was get on this forum and state your concern. The worst thing you did was list high-value items as a new seller.

Cheers, Duffy

[gracieallen01]

YES - you are being prepared to be scammed.

YES - you are a new seller, with a bullseye on your back that can be seen from space, with lettering saying 'Scam Target HERE'.

Never send a 'gift card'.  Never text .

[ittybitnot · Accepted solution]

@haundo-11 

Never reply to the "text me" scammers.  Unfortunately, when you use the "Best Offer" feature, you don't know you have the text me scammer until you accept.    At least you can report the buyer right away for 'trying to take the sale off eBay' or something like that.  The ones that just message you to text them without using the make offer feature cannot be reported on site. 

You are never going to get paid by this person.  The closest you are going to get is a 'fake payment notice' saying you were.  Basically, they want the gift card money.  They will want a "picture" of the code so they can drain the card immediately. 

If eBay gives the ID the axe all will be good.  Otherwise, you wait until after 4 days have passed, then the option will appear that will allow you to cancel the sale for non-payment and can relist. 

As suggested, a 'new' seller ID is going to be a scam magnet, especially for high dollar items. Please read here and learn, so that you can avoid the most common ones. 

Even if you get paid for something, know that most any item can be had for free (at your expense) by using a fraudulent claim.  Assess your own risk tolerance and proceed accordingly. 

[haundo-11]

Thank you so much i did contact ebay immediately and informed them of transaction. 

[*madison]

Aside from being a target for scammers, I think you might get other problems from legit buyers if you sell your items.

The photo's and the descriptions on your listings need to be better than they are at the moment.

[hueography]

YES ITS A SCAM. NO QUESTION. REPORT PERSON.

[alternativetradecorporation4]

Don't do it you will never see your item again.

[kh-leslie]

Hi everyone,

If you believe that you or someone you know was scammed into buying eBay Gift Cards, visit our gift card page to contact customer service and find additional information related to gift card scams.

Thank you.