Buyer asked me to contact them via text message. Is this a scam?

[dunquito]

I am a brand new seller on eBay and probably have much to learn. On my third sale, after accepting the buyer's offer, the buyer asked me to contact them via text message as they were "in the military" and had some questions about the item. Maybe I was stupid to do so, but I did.

They asked about the condition of the item being sold (already odd because it was clearly listed and photographed on the listing). Then, after I told them, they followed up and said they wanted the item shipped to a different destination as it was a "birthday present" for a cousin, wanted me to include a $400 Google Play gift card (which they would supposedly pay for via PayPal), add $50 for shipping and $50 for gas/"stress". 

I declined and said I am not comfortable with meeting demands other than what I listed on the site. I blocked the buyer's number, and canceled the sale.

Is it "normal" for a buyer to ask for additional favors like this? Furthermore, may I be in danger because this person now has my phone number? How else should I have handled this situation?

[itscalledapostingid]

This is always a scam.

[aw-auto-parts]

100% scam and you did the right thing. Your 0 feedback score is also going to make you a more enticing target for these interactions. When a buyer asks you to communicate off of eBay's platform, I have a copy/paste response that states for both of our protection, I will only communicate via eBay messing system. Also, NEVER change the address as you will lose seller protection if (more like when) they claim the item was not received. They use the "military" ruse to make you feel sympathetic for them and is also commonly found on other platforms and dating sites. 

[714ricki]

Its not normal for a buyer to contact a seller or to request additional items to be sold off of the platform. In the future, decline all communication requests that are away from the ebay platform. Plus, definitely stay away from gift card scams. When you receive such odd requests just cancel the order, refund the money, block the buyer, relist the item, & just treat it as a learning experience. 

Hang in there!

[dryophelia]

@dunquito 

What reason did you choose when cancelling the transaction? 

[a_c_green]

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@dunquito wrote:

Furthermore, may I be in danger because this person now has my phone number?

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No.

Your intuition guided you pretty well in this case, but definitely start out by selling much less valuable items that you can afford to lose completely if things go sideways. High-scam items such as smartphones or laptops are better sold locally for cash. No one halfway across the country or halfway around the world has a pressing need for your specific example.

[spark-chaser1]

I was glad to see you didn't fall for this. Luckily you saw right through it. A lot don't, and go through with it. I don't understand how it happens, frankly. 

This scam mostly relies on greed and naivety to work. There are times when it may be normal for a buyer to ask for unusual things, but this scam and others similar to it go overboard.

It should be obvious when they are " buying" some kind of widget and then start asking to add 400 bucks worth of gift cards, ship it to alternate addresses, pay through third party systems other than EBay, and using communications other than EBay. That's a lot to put on a seller, and unless you are new, its likely to be refused regardless.

The whole process violates at least 3 to 4 policies alone, with perpetrating a scam added on top of it.

[dunquito]

Thank you for your reply. What throws me off is this particular person has over 1000 feedback reviews, all 100% positive, and has been a member since 2003. Any insight on how that might be?

[dunquito]

I chose the option along the lines of "Problem with the buyer's shipping address." Why?

[spark-chaser1]

The "buyer" may be operating from a hacked/ hijacked account.  

[fashunu4eeuh]

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@dunquito wrote:

I chose the option along the lines of "Problem with the buyer's shipping address." Why?

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That’s good, you chose well. The reason you were asked is because a seller-initiated cancellation can trigger a defect to be placed on one’s account by eBay. But the ‘problem with buyer’s address’ reason was the right choice and has no penalty attached to it.

That you did not know this signals that you need to do a bit more reading about selling on eBay. Below are a couple of links to help bring you up to speed.

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/selling-policies/seller-performance-policy?id=4347

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/member-behavior-policies/order-cancellation-policy?id=5298

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy...

[rugerskick]

Yes its a scam.

[fashunu4eeuh]

What you have just witnessed is a text book example of favorite scams—They are military, trying to buy a gift, text me, send gift cards, send to an alternate address. Luckily you were too savvy to fall prey to such a scam attempt. But many do, sadly.

Keep in mind for future reference that there is rarely a need for a buyer to communicate with a seller off eBay. The “text me” scammers will initially send contact information thru eBay messages, hoping the new seller does not know that trading contact info prior to the sale is against eBay policy.

Once the scammers have hooked an unsuspecting seller, they will send him a convincing-but-fake “you’ve been paid” message and hope the seller is green enough not to check his actual account for payment and for the eBay-generated “it’s time to ship” alert. 

Trying to get the seller to include gift cards with the item is icing on the cake for scammers because they are generally untraceable. Gift cards are the quickest and easiest way for them to steal money from the seller. 

Always send the item to the address of record on the transaction. Sending something to an alternate address voids the seller’s protection from an Item Not Received claim. Legitimate buyers can input any address they need during the payment process. So a seller need not ever change an address when the buyer can do it himself during checkout.

Sellers cannot avoid risk when selling online, but liability can be mitigated by learning as much as possible about eBay rules and policies. It is important to know as much as the scammers do about conducting business on eBay. Good luck to you on your eBay selling journey. I think you will do well here. Have a safe and happy New Year!

[cacla-9109]

I had the exact same thing happen to me. I reported it to eBay and was told the “buyer’s” account was hijacked/hacked, which answers the question as to why the user name had so much good/previous feedback. 

[gemarakop_trading]

Welcome to ebay.