First time seller: I accepted a scam offer.

[hynzla]

A buyer made an offer on a laptop I'm selling. The shipping address said Chicago, IL, and I am new to selling, so I accepted.

They then messaged asking for my pay pal email address + full name, and told me to contact them at their cell phone number.

This immediately made it obvious that I was being scammed. Checking their profile revealed they are based in Singapore, not Chicago. I ceased communication and forwarded all the suspect emails to spoof@ebay.com

I've seen advice to wait 2 days and file a UPI (Unpaid Item Request), and this does seem safe, insofar as the scammer doesn't pay. I'm concerned that they still might pay and file for no receipt and cause me more problems.

Since this is clearly a scam, I would rather just cancel the transaction. But I obviously do not want any defects and want the final value fee returned to me. Will I incur these penalties if I cancel? I would choose 'problem with buyer's shipping address' if so, but I'm not sure if that will pass scrutiny.

[silverstatetreasureboxes]

This is a scammer and will not pay. You the  seller have paid attention and you deserve a gold 🌟. I wish you much success little grasshopper!!!!

[southern*sweet*tea · Accepted solution]

They will NOT pay.  In this case, filing a UID will do no good, since the account is disposable. They'll just continue their scamming with a new account if needed. Cancel using the buyer address problem option, and then block.  Your fees will be refunded and you can relist if desired.

This isn't going to be necessary for you, but I'm posting in case there are those reading who are still unfamiliar with this very, very common scam. Read the entire thing:

Anytime a buyer wants you to text or email them, it is a SCAM.
Do not engage with them at all. Give them no information.

Report the "buyer"

Block https://offer.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?bidderblocklogin

Ignore

The whole idea is for the seller to be blinded with greed, or just stupidity, and for the scammer to get the seller's phone number or email address. Once that happens, the seller receives a very real looking, but very fake email stating that they have been paid, and in order to receive their funds they need to ship the item right away. Sometimes these emails will also have a phone number, for the seller to call and "verify" the transaction. That phone number is a direct line to the scammer.

These scammers depend on a seller's greed/naivete/ignorance/stupidity to ship the item without checking to see if they have actually been paid. It works surprisingly well, even with established sellers, because for some strange reason people want to "trust" emails.

There is no reason on this planet for a buyer to need a seller's email address, phone number, or any sort of financial/payment information. Everything a buyer needs is right there when they click the buy now button on a listing.

In addition to the above, anyone asking for a gift card to be included is a SCAMMER. Anyone offering to pay more for an item than the listing price is a SCAMMER. Anyone making an offer higher than the buy it now price is a SCAMMER.

[silverstatetreasureboxes]

@southern*sweet*tea thank you for posting that info about this scam, upon the praising I did for the OP, I realised I really hadn't helped much with his question. Guess I just was so thrilled that OP was paying attention. Now for the issue of the lap top computer being a new seller...NO to listing it.

[mam98031]

GREAT JOB!!  You did EXACTLY what you should have done.  Great catch.  You knew taking the transaction outside of Ebay wasn't right and you stopped it BEFORE your got scammed.  You are a sharp cookie and a job well done.

I wouldn't mess with an UID.  I would file for a cancellation with the reason as a problem with the buyer's address.  Using that reason will keep you from getting a defect on your account and get you the FVFs refunded to your selling account.  

If anything else arises as a result of this transaction, come on back and tell us about it.  There are some very seasoned sellers here that can help you along your journey.

Again, you did a terrific job catching this before they stole your product and possibly some money from you in addition to that.  If electronics is going to be your thing, it will keep you on your toes as it is probably the highest category for scams on Ebay.  So keep doing what you are doing and hopefully more good transactions will come  your way.  I wish you nothing but the best.

[hynzla]

Are you saying I shouldn't sell a laptop as a new seller? I now realize that this is a higher value item in a category that scammers will target new sellers within. However, I likely will use eBay henceforth to sell items similar to this, such as GPUs and other computer electronics I use & want to resell. I hope there is a future there for me..

also thank you for the support 🙂

[hynzla]

Thank you to everyone who replied and supported here. This is all good information.

I ended up requesting a call from eBay customer support. The woman who helped me was very polite. She instructed me to cancel the order with the reason "seller requested to cancel the item", which she said is a valid reason for a seller to cancel if payment has not been received. She assured me that I would incur no defects and that the FVF would be credited back to me. She advised not going through the Unpaid Item process.

If you are reading this and have accepted a scam offer: provide no information, cease communication, and cancel the order. Your item will be relisted for free immediately with no penalties.

You can also block the scammer's account and report them to eBay, though their disposable account may never return anyway. If you are unsure, request a call from customer support and they will guide you.

Before accepting offers, look at the buyer's profile, location, feedback, and reviews. If it seems suspect, message them and gauge their response. Buyers need no additional information to complete payment on their own: no names, no PayPal email, addresses, etc. Never ship an item until eBay officially alerts you that it is paid for and ready to ship. Any communication / transaction outside of eBay will void your protection.

[glorybells]

New sellers selling electronics are just absolutely scam magnets.  And legitimate buyers are sometimes hesitant to buy from low feedback sellers, thinking the seller might be a scammer.

Try buying some inexpensive items to build up your feedback, that will help with both thinning out the scammer crowd and making buyers more interested in buying from you.

[powell-memorabilia]

Sell away, but keep on with your good due diligence.  Just be sure to add a percentage mark-up for scams, in-transit damage, returns, etc..  Far too many sellers price items, and forecast profits, based on nothing going wrong.  

[hynzla]

As a buyer I have 9 reviews / 100% positive feedback. The items are all electronics I've purchased to build computers. Do you think I need more feedback? On my for sale item, I tried to take clear / crisp photos with a DSLR, and I photograph / describe the flaws in detail to show good faith. I'd hope that a prospective buyer would message if unsure, then I could continue to demonstrate my legitimacy.

[soh.maryl]

"She advised not going through the unpaid item process." ?????

She also advised you to cancel citing seller requested cancellation? So she encouraged you to lie??

[silverstatetreasureboxes]

@hynzla You have everybody's support here because you've done your homework in Ebay101! Re-read all the posters replies and absorb it all in, and keep reading this forum for new juicy tidbits everyday 😆. This will make you an even better seller than you already are! Now, go get em...slowly!!!!

[mtgraves7984]

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@soh.maryl wrote:

"She advised not going through the unpaid item process." ?????

She also advised you to cancel citing seller requested cancellation? So she encouraged you to lie??

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^^^ That is  a new tack for C/S to take, no? I mean, being so logical and 'seller-friendly' and all...

I could justify 'buyer requested' as a cancellation reason. Not recommending, just sharing. Good luck.

[glorybells]

eBay itself considers you a new seller until ALL  of the following are met:

1). At least 25 successful sales 

2) at least 90 days since your first sale 

3) at least $250 in sales 

I would try to get your feedback up around 25 or 30 at least.  But - I’m not really worried about you.  You’ve done your homework (so many people jump into selling without finding out anything at all about how eBay works), and you know how to watch out for scams.

[hynzla]

I guess you can see it as: the buyer is requesting cancellation by requesting inappropriate information and demonstrating intent to scam. That reason seems to be eBay's way of empowering sellers against scammers. This is my second time calling eBay CS, and they were very helpful then as well. Maybe I'll see the other side some day.