Buyer Scam

[fu4fun]

Hello, I just had a buyer win an auction for an expensive bracelet. The buyer contacted me asking me to send it to a different address that seemed odd. I googled the address and found that the address is associated with multiple incidents of scamming sellers out of items. The seller hasn't paid as of yet. Can I just cancel the transaction?  Thank You

[nobody*s_perfect]

First, you should check whether that address-change request even came from the actual buyer.  There's a scam in which the scammer sends a message to redirect an item they didn't even win. A real buyer can just use the 'Change" link that appears next to their default name and address right on the payment page.

Don't cancel the transaction; you don't have a valid reason. You have to just wait 4 full days until you get the option to cancel on the basis of "Buyer hasn't paid."   Here is the Help page about what to do if a buyer doesn't pay:

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/getting-paid/resolving-unpaid-items-buyers?id=4137 

[pjcdn2005]

Did the person who sent the message have the same ebay ID as the person who won the bracele? It's possible that the message is from someone totally different and is trying to get you to send the item to them instead of to the buyer. Since the buyer hasn't paid, there is no need for them to have sent such a message.  They would have just put that address in when they paid.  If the message is from someone else, just ignore it.

Wait for payment before you do anything.

I am guessing that the address they gave to you is a freight forwarding address so although some people who use that service may be a scammer, many of them are not.

[m60driver]

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@fu4fun wrote:

Hello, I just had a buyer win an auction for an expensive bracelet. The buyer contacted me asking me to send it to a different address that seemed odd. I googled the address and found that the address is associated with multiple incidents of scamming sellers out of items. The seller hasn't paid as of yet. Can I just cancel the transaction?  Thank You

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Do not even bother to respond to the person.  Just wait for payment and ship only to the registered address. Odds are it is just a scam and buyer will not pay.  

Perhaps someone else can chime in as to whether you can cancel a transaction once a buyer requests a change of address different than the address of record.

[froggyjump]

Cancel the transaction immediately.  No need to divulge into crazy, just cancel. Make sure you put the reason as problem with the buyers address since it's true. You've googled and found many id's and addresses. Get out of it asap

[bbravo65]

@froggyjump 

...I would do the same as your advice...

[luckythewinner]

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@froggyjump wrote:

Cancel the transaction immediately.  No need to divulge into crazy, just cancel. Make sure you put the reason as problem with the buyers address since it's true. You've googled and found many id's and addresses. Get out of it asap

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The last time this happened to me, I verified that the request came from the buyer and checked the buyer's feedback. It turns out the buyer was an occasional buyer who had not purchased in about a year. 

I politely explained that because of sales tax calculations and eBay's tracking requirements, I would need to cancel the transaction and the buyer would need to add his new address to his eBay account before repurchasing the item. 

The buyer repurchased the item with the new address, and the transaction went smoothly. The moral of the story for me is that not every address change request is a scam. Sometimes it is just a buyer unfamiliar with how eBay currently works.  

[yuzuha]

Yep, I too had one a few months ago where the buyer had moved and forgotten to change their address in eBay. I cancelled, they fixed their address and repurchased, zero issues whatsoever.

A legit buyer won't have a problem with you explaining that they'll need to repurchase after fixing their address.

[froggyjump]

Yes that's true, I've had that happen before too. Good thinking

[a_c_green]

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@fu4fun wrote:

The seller hasn't paid as of yet. Can I just cancel the transaction?  Thank You

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You mean the buyer hasn't paid as of yet. Before we go too far down the garden path here, can you please confirm what more than one responder has asked: did the change of address request definitely come from the same eBay user ID as your buyer? If it came from anyone other than your buyer's ID, just ignore it, as that is a common scam.

[vintagecraze50]

They can cancel the transaction ABSOLUTELY and not get a defect becuase the buyer is telling the seller they want it shipped SOMEWHERE ELSE other than what is on the ebay account which IS problem with buyer address reason for cancellation. They need to tell the buyer to change their address to to one they want it shipped to and then let them buy it again.

[axiombody]

I have this happen about once a week and always send to the address they give me with no problems but I would rethink if it is something rather expensive as Ebay doesn't guarantee if it is sent to another address outside of the one provided.

[axiombody]

Now that i think of I'm pretty sure if as you say the buyer hasn't paid he can change the address before paying.  Tell him to list the address he wants it shipped to when paying.

[ckimodog]

Yes, you can cancel.  I only ship to addresses that are provided on the ebay invoice and that are confirmed.  That way you are covered if the buyer states they didn't receive the order.  I would block as well.  

[hawkwind5454]

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@nobody*s_perfect wrote:

Don't cancel the transaction; you don't have a valid reason.

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I haven't had to use this feature in a very long time but the once I did I used "There was a problem with the buyers address". Possibly this choice is no longer available??