Hi folks. I sold an item recently and the winning bidder was not USA based. Their paypal account is Russian, but the ship to address is a warehouse in the usa. A quick google search on that address turns up a lot of red flags regarding russian scams and fraud. (950 ridge rd ebay) i'm not listing the full address for privacy but just that portion is sufficient for you to see the problem.
My listing clearly states USA bidders only. I had already created the shipping label when I realized the paypal account was russian. I promptly messaged the buyer and let him know I would be canceling the order because they are not from the USA and the auction clearly stated "USA bidders only". I voided the shipping label and refunded the payment.
On a related note, I received a message from a different ebay account (with 0 feedback) regarding the auction a day prior. The message was in Cryllic (russian language). I responded to that inquiry and said I only speak english and sell to USA bidders only. They replied in Cryllica again, so I did not send further communications.
I suspect this account was the actual bidder, but since they were russian they needed a freight forwarder, so they enlisted the services of the winning bidder of my auction.
Not wanting a repeat of this, I just adjusted my papyal settings to block non-usa verified accounts.
I'm still waiting to see how all this unfolds, but I think I did the right thing.
Once I know i'm in the clear, ill do a second chance for the second highest bidder
