Buyers requesting I text them regarding offer I accepted from them to purchase???

[jsebastian65]

Hi Everyone,

I've occasionally sold and most bought on ebay for the last 20 years. I recently got laid off and decided to start sourcing and selling items.  

I've just listed a quite a few items, two of which are relatively pricy, $70 and $100. I listed them both late last night and when I got up in the morning had offers from buyers for $20 and $30 over my starting bid price.  I accepted the offers and sent an email to the buyers thanking them for the offer and telling them I accepted and needed prompt payment so that I could have the item shipped within 24 - 48 hours after receipt of payment.

Now for my question.  Both of these (different) buyers responded asking me to text them on their phone numbers to "ask questions [so they may arrange purchase].  Is this normal????

Texting is the same as receiving messages from the ebay platform, in that your still typing in a question and receiving a typed message.  I'm afraid to text them as on another platform they warned sellers not to do this due to high probability of fraud.  

Please let me know if anyone else has had this request and how you handled it.

Thank you in advance for any information you have to share.  It is weird that this is the first time this has happened with two transactions within three hours of each other. 

Waiting to hear from y'all!

Judy

[buyselljack2016]

@jsebastian65 

Same holds true here. Don't do it.

Scammer.

Will want info to send false payment notice.

[sugarnspice777]

Cancel purchase and block them, like last post said, it is a scam. Never answer emails either!  

[biggymoe]

SCAM ALERT 101!!  Have no further communication with them!!

[buyselljack2016]

@jsebastian65 

Per the cancel suggestions.....................  do that on day 5 when the buyer does not pay, using "buyer did not pay" as the reason.

If you just cancel...........  for the wrong reason...............  it will harm your account.

[simply-the-best-for-you]

These are scammers.  Do not communicate at all.  Red flag 1, the high offers.  Red flag 2, asking you to text.   Usually they go for much more expensive items, surprised they are doing it for such low dollar items (relatively speaking), but they're getting more bold lately.   Just wait until day 5, when you haven't rec'd payment  & close with UPI. 

[rugerskick]

They are scams.  Block, report.  When they dont pay, after 4 days, select to cancel with reason buyer didn't pay, so their acount gets a strike.

[ckimodog · Accepted solution]

@jsebastian65 

Hi Judy-

Ebay has changed over the years and this is a total scam attempt.  Please do not reply to them or give them any info.  They must pay you through the Ebay platform.  Block them and report them. 

If I could be suggestive...avoid the auction style listings and list all your  items at a fixed buy it now price with immediate payment required checked off.  NO best offers either.   Unless you follow my and the others suggestions here these types will continue to annoy you and take up your time.  You are here to make money...not chase it.

All the best. 

[southern*sweet*tea]

Any communication must be done through Ebay messages ONLY, not through email, text or phone. Scammers will try to get you to take the sale off of Ebay, or get your personal information so they can send you a fake payment email, hoping you are too new and naive to verify that you have actually been paid. No LEGITIMATE buyer needs that information.

Here are some red flags to watch out for.

1. Buyer asks for your email address, Paypal address
2. Buyer sends you a phone number to text/call him/her
3. Buyer asks you to buy gift cards to go with the order
4. Buyer asks you to send the item to a different address after paying
5. Buyer wants you to send the item overnight/express and will pay you a lot extra to do this
6. Buyers says that they cannot pay through the eBay website and sends you a link to click on so that the payment will go through
7. Buyer offers more for your item than the price you have it listed for

If ANY of the above happen, do not contact the buyer. Block them here: https://www.ebay.com/bmgt/BuyerBlock This will prevent them from buying from you.

[duffy4444]

   They have no intention of ever legitimately paying you. They just want your email address so they can reply to it with a totally FAKE notice that you've been "paid". So they want you to ship the item, and it's all theirs with you left out in the cold wondering if you've been successfully scammed and yet never properly paid. eBay cannot help you at all if there isn't a real sales transaction and real money being paid through the correct channels.

   Never, ever ship any item that does not show up in your "Awaiting Shipment" list under "Orders" in your Seller Hub. If an order is not there, you haven't been paid. Period.

   The other recommendations here are right on... especially from @ckimodog regarding modifying your listings to avoid the majority of scam attempts against you, a new seller with a scam target on your back.

   Block both buyers and don't respond at all to any emails from the scammers. Wait 4 days by doing NOTHING, then on the 5th day cancel both bogus sales with "buyer did not pay".

    Good Luck and welcome to the anti-scammer club here on eBay!

Cheers, Duffy

[jsebastian65]

@southern*sweet*tea 

Thank you for this details list. I always like to give folks the benefit of doubt, but this was just too weird.  

Since I've been sourcing at estate sales and auctions for some items, I've been finding some unique items. Plus I've been holding on to some items that I "knew" would hold and increase in value.  I just uploaded them doing the opposite of what @ckimodog suggested (I will change that immediately!).  

I am nervous now as several days ago I listed an item and within 45 minutes got an offer of similar increase over the starting price.  The difference was that the buyer paid right away. No shenanigan's.  I waited until the second day after receiving payment for the item and shipped the item. Later that day, I got an email asking me to "be sure to reinforce the package".  

I always take great care to ship items, going over board a bit to ensure items arrive safely. This item is thick resin and not likely to easily break.  Regardless, I carefully wrapped it, padded it with bubble wrap and put it into a perfectly suited medium weight box sure to with stand Priority Mail shipping. 

After these last two purchase with offers over the start price of an auction, which is how the one above started, I'm nervous about whether I will have a false claim of damage upon the package receipt!?  

I've got my fingers crossed that I'm just being paranoid.

Thank you again, for sharing your information and knowledge. I'm so glad to have found this network and appreciate everyone's input.

THANKS Y'ALL - Judy

[jsebastian65]

Duffy,

Thank you for the information. I'm learning.  I hope I don't loose my rating. I worked really hard to get the 100% status.  I never thought I would find myself in this type of defense mode!

My Best, Judy

[jsebastian65]

@ckimodog,

Thank you for letting me know my most recent listings were done completely wrong! 😮 I was wondering what I did to bring on these fraud attempts.  

I am fixing my listings as I write.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

[jsebastian65]

Thank you! I spoke to ebay last night and they walked me through how to blacklist the two buyers from the listings and suggested exactly what you mentioned.

[jsebastian65]

Thank you for the reply! I'm so thankful for this network!