eBay

sin-n-dex · ‎10-20-2020

So it's happened three times now (in my eBay history as a seller) that someone has sent me an eBay message telling me they purchased something (and paid for it), but when I check, the item is still for sale, they didn't purchase anything. I usually chalk that up to someone who didn't navigate the check out correctly and doesn't realize they didn't actually purchase it.

With that thought in mind, I let them know it hasn't been purchased and is probably still in their cart. But at no point in time does the item get purchased later, or do I ever hear from the buyer again.

I don't get this scam. Telling me something has been purchased is pointless because without a sales record I have no address to pack and ship it. And since I go to eBay's "ready to ship" to print out invoices and shipping labels, telling me something's been purchased does nothing, because if it's not on this list, it doesn't get shipped. If it hasn't been paid for I can't print a label (I check Paypal anyway, but still... you have to actually buy the item for it to show up on the ready to ship list).

So what kind of scam is this?

C.

atarmiga · ‎10-20-2020

Maybe it's not a scam at all. There are a lot of stupid people out there. Good thing they actually have to purchase the item before they can leave feedback!

luckythewinner · ‎10-20-2020

@sin-n-dex wrote:
I don't get this scam. Telling me something has been purchased is pointless because without a sales record I have no address to pack and ship it. And since I go to eBay's "ready to ship" to print out invoices and shipping labels, telling me something's been purchased does nothing, because if it's not on this list, it doesn't get shipped.

Just becuase a scam doesn't work on you does not mean a scam does not work.

clemowbooks · ‎10-20-2020

Maybe if you had a less intelligent and organized response the next message would be the "Send me a TEXT with your Paypal address" scam?

This confusion is what you get for being a smart cookie.

Probably chocolate chip.

chapeau-noir · ‎10-20-2020

I also fail to see how this scam would work on anyone - I know there are a lot of dumb people, but the fact that no transaction was ever even made makes it kind of hard to work the rest of the scam, i.e., have the item sent.

Maybe they flunked scammer school.

“The illegal we do immediately, the unconstitutional takes a little longer.” - Henry Kissinger

"Wherever law ends, tyranny begins" -John Locke

sin-n-dex · ‎10-21-2020

@clemowbooks wrote:
Maybe if you had a less intelligent and organized response the next message would be the "Send me a TEXT with your Paypal address" scam?

This confusion is what you get for being a smart cookie.
Probably chocolate chip.

I get a notification my phone when it sells. If I see the message before I get the notification I generally check on the computer.

It has actually happened that I got a message that someone bought and paid (and their ebay message was a follow up to tell me to pack carefully, or something), and the notifications didn't arrive. But when I go to my eBay, I can see the sale happened. The notifications are just delayed.

C.