Fear of getting scammed

[catwat_82]

I’m a new member, have zero feedback, thus opening me up to scams. Constantly getting offers well over asking price.  But just today, had a “buyer”, offer $10, on an item I have listed for $3, and also hasn’t even been bidded on.  I tell him my reservations ( although he has 100% feedback zero are neutral or negative), but he was rude in his msg when I declined offer and stated why.  So I type his handle in at EBay and he has nothing for sell, yet his feedback from booth as a buyer and seller are chalk full of glowing comments…? What do y’all make of this? 

[eleanor*rigby]

It seems perfectly clear to me. What do YOU make of it? 

Are you familiar with a seller's Blocked Buyers List? Put the person's id on yours. NOW.

And stop communicating with him. Just ignore or delete any further messages from him.

[vintage-camerastuff]

Fear of getting scammed is a healthy fear to have when selling on ebay.   I am afraid of yellow jackets.  Which is OK because all of my jackets are black.

[albertabrightalberta]

You should see red flags any time you get offers over your asking price. 

Know that scammers look for new users who may not know or recognize the tactics used to take advantage of you. 

You did the right thing by coming here and asking questions before making an expensive mistake. 

[soh.maryl]

You are not required to respond to offers.  

ALL buyers have 100% positive FB.  They can't be given anything else.  

A buyer who has nothing for sale is not suspicious.  Many of us only buy or only sell or do things on a different ID.

Please do some more reading.  

[eye_of_the_tiger]

@catwat_82 

That is a scammer. The feedback he had was most likely from buying cheap items. Why would he put in an offer for $7 more than the BIN (buy it now) price?  

[downunder-61]

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@catwat_82 wrote:

I’m a new member, have zero feedback, thus opening me up to scams. Constantly getting offers well over asking price.  But just today, had a “buyer”, offer $10, on an item I have listed for $3, and also hasn’t even been bidded on.  I tell him my reservations ( although he has 100% feedback zero are neutral or negative), but he was rude in his msg when I declined offer and stated why.  So I type his handle in at EBay and he has nothing for sell, yet his feedback from booth as a buyer and seller are chalk full of glowing comments…? What do y’all make of this? 

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You never tell a buyer your reservations. How would you feel if I told you I won't sell to you becuse I think you may scam me - I would have been offended and most likely rude as well.

If you are going to freak out over being scammed for $5 or $10, eBay is not the place for you, sorry.

[catwat_82]

$5-10 adds up quick when it’s used repeatedly on multiple sellers.  Again, why would anyone offer more $ than I have it listed esp when there are ZERO bidders? 

[catwat_82]

Exactly!

[creativecrisis]

As a new seller, you can take some precautions to limit scam attempts.

• List your items as fixed price with immediate payment required. 
• Don't use best offer on the listings, and avoid auctions. If you receive an offer anyway, ignore it or simply and politely decline without explanation. Add the username to your blocked buyer list so they can't try to buy from you in the future.
• If a potential buyer asks you to text them or otherwise communicate outside of eBay, don't respond. Add the username to your blocked buyer list.
• Until you have some experience and seller feedback, don't try to sell scam-prone items, such as electronics, phones, cameras, and designer or luxury goods. 

Also, read the seller policies and help pages, as well as this discussion forum, to learn as much as you can about selling on eBay.  The site has little protection for sellers; it's up to you to protect yourself.

[bearswatching]

ALL eBay users who are buyers only have 100% positive feedback. 

[eye_of_the_tiger]

Oh...he could have put in an offer because it was an auction and he knew the prices were going to go higher. Maybe that's why he put in a higher offer? 

[kensgiftshop]

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@catwat_82 wrote:

Again, why would anyone offer more $ than I have it listed esp when there are ZERO bidders? 

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Because the buyer is probably thinking it'll sell for higher then their offer.

Buyer is hoping you'll accept their offer before bidders start.

[a_c_green]

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@catwat_82 wrote:

I’m a new member, have zero feedback, thus opening me up to scams. Constantly getting offers well over asking price.  But just today, had a “buyer”, offer $10, on an item I have listed for $3, and also hasn’t even been bidded on.  

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If it does get bid on, the Make Offer will go away. You opened the auction for $3 "or best offer," and you have an offer, so why are you getting freaked out about that?

To be clear, if this was a Fixed Price listing of $3 and someone offered you $10 instead of simply buying it, that would be a scam. If the listing has a Make Offer button on it, as your auction does, then you will get offers. The idea is for you to accept the offer and end the auction, but if you're getting offers this early in the auction, it might be best to let the auction ride. The offers you're getting now are from interested buyers who are afraid that the price will go higher than what they want to pay if they don't persuade you to end the auction early and sell to them.

[reallynicestamps]

but he was rude in his msg

Scammer.

Block.