eBay

infinite_grim · ‎06-19-2017

Brand new account opened purchases a $80 item from me. The "item sold" email indicates they had 0 feedback. Looks like they now have 1 feedback from purchasing something else within the time it sold and now.

Upon googling their address I find a BBB website with 13 complaints saying that the street address (but different unit numbers) are a scam/fraudulant purchase forwarding address.

I would post the link, but I'm sure that isn't allowed since it is supposedly the building this person supposedly lives in.

infinite_grim · ‎06-19-2017

After some more digging, the buyer opened their account today, and the address is a Shipping forwarding company where people from outside the US purchase items in the US and the company, Shipito.com then ships it to them outside the US.

Seems like a perfect way to scam someone or get around export laws.

a_c_green · ‎06-19-2017

If your PayPal account indicates that you've been paid, then you ship to the address received with payment. That address sounds like a reshipper, that's all. Your responsibility is complete once your tracking shows a Delivered status in the buyer's City and ZIP code.

tunicaslot · ‎06-19-2017

Didn't you once have 0 feedback??? TG new buyers are registering here all the time. It could have been a guest - would that make you feel better. If there is a confirmed address in Paypal - ship the item. If as stated in the other post and it's a reshipper - all the better for you as once the item is reshipped to the buyer - the MBG doesn't cover them.

tarpedge · ‎06-19-2017

Your buyer doesn't live in that building.

It's a freight forwarder, that will reship the item to your buyer in another country.

infinite_grim · ‎06-19-2017

Which has dozens of reports all over online of fraud and purchase scams, which makes the buyer with 0 feedback very suspect.

Would you guys ship an $80 item there?

infinite_grim · ‎06-19-2017

100% true, but i didn't sign up and buy multiple items the first day I opened my account and try having them shipped to a mail forwarding address connected with fraud and online scams.

wolf*song · ‎06-19-2017

The great thing about being a sentient being is that you have free will. If you don't wanna send it, don't send it. Take the ding and move on. Can't say I wouldn't do the same, in your situation, but then, I never apply Ebay's suggestions to my listings. I always list auctions for the minimum I'm willing to take for the item. Like you, I can't afford to sell an expensive item for pennies on the dollar.

Live and learn. Luck to you.

tunicaslot · ‎06-19-2017

The buyer may have no idea that the ship forwarder has had problems before - if you feel threatened than cancel the transaction - but you will have a defect for the next year - so be careful of future transaactions.

And sorry - but when someone gets an Ebay acct - they are probably excited and buy everything they've been looking at before they were registered.

vintagecraze50 · ‎06-19-2017

Under normal circumstances sending an item to a reshipper is fine but if this address is linked to a fraudulent shipping company I would call ebay and paypal and have them see this and then Cancel the order and be sure you do not GET A DEFECT for this because this may be a scam and there should be no defect associated with this cancel. Call both of them now to investigate.

buyselljack2016 · ‎06-19-2017

13 BBB complaints is not significant amount of complaints. They likely ship hundreds of items with no problems.

Choice is of course yours as to ship, or cancel and take the ding.

I have shipped to freight forwarder in Miami. No problems.

infinite_grim · ‎06-19-2017

True.

Is it also not deceptive of a buyer to use a ship forwarder to get around my "no internation sales" stance and settings on eBay?

Some items sold on eBay are ITAR controlled and shipping out of the US is against the law. This doesn't apply to my case, but could in others.... with these ship forwaders...

a_c_green · ‎06-19-2017

@infinite_grim wrote:
Which has dozens of reports all over online of fraud and purchase scams, which makes the buyer with 0 feedback very suspect.

Actually no, it doesn't. They're a reshipper; reshipping is what they do. The USPS is a shipper as well; shipping is what they do.

@infinite_grim wrote:
Would you guys ship an $80 item there?

I not only would, but have. Many times over. I have some regular customers who all share the same reshipper, in the case of larger reshipping companies. (See, for example, the many buyers who all use one of several "flightto(Airport_abbreviation_here)" buying accounts, a very popular one for Japanese buyers.)

As to your concern about multiple purchases on the same day, keep in mind that you don't need to set up an eBay account just to look around; you would set one up once you're prepared to buy something.

In short, there is not one thing that you have described so far to indicate that your buyer is a scammer, and if you are shipping to the address provided with their PayPal payment, then you have your seller protection in effect.

yuzuha · ‎06-19-2017

@infinite_grim wrote:
Which has dozens of reports all over online of fraud and purchase scams, which makes the buyer with 0 feedback very suspect.

Would you guys ship an $80 item there?

Would I? Sure. If the buyer opens a chargeback, all you have to do is upload tracking proving that you shipped it to the address on the PayPal transaction and you're as good as gold. An INR claim? You're only responsible for getting it to that address. SNAD? The shipping label you issue will be for that address, meaning that the buyer will have to get it back to the reshipper and then into the US mail stream within five days or you can get the case closed in your favor.

infinite_grim · ‎06-20-2017

What makes me scared about that, is I've heard hundreds of stories of buyers lying and saying the box was empty or something else was in the box and eBay always sides with them. I know this is much more common in expensive cell phone sales, but what would stop someone from doing it with $80 items too.