Help! Overnight shipping. Scam?

[rescuedthreads]

I'm still kind of new at this and have an item that's priced in the $40 range. I was just messaged (through ebay) by a buyer who wants it shipped overnight ($38). I was trying to figure out how to make that happen, but due to my research I'm starting to wonder if this is some kind of scam. The buyer has been on ebay since March 22,2017 and has 1 review. Now I don't really want to do this even though I already told the buyer I would. Is there a graceful way to back out?

I would really appreciate some advice from some experienced sellers out there.

Thank you!

[tproffitt]

I've had buyers request a item be sent / received at a certain time day (next day, two days, by Friday...etc.)  I will message them and let them know the cost for each, which they will be responsible for, of course.  Most of the time they will just pick the 2 day priority option when they find out the cost for next day or Priority Express.  

If they purchased the item and then wanted to negotiate the shipping, then I would just respond back with your normal shipping method and let them know that other options are available but will have to be covered at the shipping charge listed by USPS.  Never allow a buyer to negotiate shipping method if they aren't going to foot the bill for the excess.

[Anonymous]

"Never allow a buyer to negotiate shipping method if they aren't going to foot the bill for the excess."

And make sure the money is in your PayPal account before printing the label!!!

[rschissler]

I'd be nervous over whether or not it can actually be delivered overnight.  And if it isn't, are they going to be mad at you?

[nowthatsjustducky]

This is as far from a scam as conceivably possible.  If your item is not set up with calculated shipping, edit it to do so.  And while doing that, simply add USPS Priority Express as a shipping option that the buyer can select.  If you have your package weights and measurements properly set; Overnight shipping cost will be calculated automatically.

Also, the buyer's feedback is completely meaningless, and is nothing more than a participation trophy, due to the fact that buyers can only receive positive feedback or none at all.  The part of a feedback on a buyer's account that matters is their feedback they leave for others.

[d-k_treasures]

USPS Express isn't guaranteed 1 day to or from every zip code. You would have to check to see if it's available, or use Fed Ex/UPS overnight.

[rescuedthreads]

I'm unable to add the USPS Priorty Express because I have an open Best Offer from the buyer. Do you know how to get around this?

Thank you!

[nowthatsjustducky]

Is the one wanting the overnight shipping the one doing the Best Offer?  If so, let him know that you need to "reject" the offer so that you can edit the listing to reflect overnight shipping.

The other option would be to have him buy it, then you should be able to send an invoice with overnight shipping as an option.  And as a last resort (which is probably what I would do), let him make the purchase, then use the Request Money feature in PayPal to request the additional shipping funds.

[rescuedthreads]

Never mind. I went ahead and accepted the BO and then sent an invoice to the buyer with the upcharge on the shipping. Thanks everyone for your help.

[itsjustasprain]

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@nowthatsjustducky wrote:

This is as far from a scam as conceivably possible. 

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No it isnt - scammers may want overnight delivery so the seller can get the item shipped before anyone finds that theyre paying with a stolen credit card and they can pick up the shipment before anyone can act fast enough to recall it.

But $40 seems pretty low for a scam & OP seems to be selling mostly clothing so in this case i would just add an overnight ship method and immediate payment Required on the BIN listing and then tell buyer to buy it. If the Op was selling a laptop or smartphone then my answer might be different.

[slippinjimmy]

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@itsjustasprain wrote:

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@nowthatsjustducky wrote:

This is as far from a scam as conceivably possible. 

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No it isnt - scammers may want overnight delivery so the seller can get the item shipped before anyone finds that theyre paying with a stolen credit card and they can pick up the shipment before anyone can act fast enough to recall it.

But $40 seems pretty low for a scam & OP seems to be selling mostly clothing so in this case i would just add an overnight ship method and immediate payment Required on the BIN listing and then tell buyer to buy it. If the Op was selling a laptop or smartphone then my answer might be different.

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Who cares? In this situation it's PayPal left holding the bag (as long as you can prove you SHIPPED). In fact the faster you get it out the door the more likely you will get to keep the money.

PayPal has the very best Fraudulent Use protection for card not present transactions in the entire payment industry.

[nowthatsjustducky]

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@slippinjimmy wrote:

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@itsjustasprain wrote:

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@nowthatsjustducky wrote:

This is as far from a scam as conceivably possible. 

---

No it isnt - scammers may want overnight delivery so the seller can get the item shipped before anyone finds that theyre paying with a stolen credit card and they can pick up the shipment before anyone can act fast enough to recall it.

But $40 seems pretty low for a scam & OP seems to be selling mostly clothing so in this case i would just add an overnight ship method and immediate payment Required on the BIN listing and then tell buyer to buy it. If the Op was selling a laptop or smartphone then my answer might be different.

---

Who cares? In this situation it's PayPal left holding the bag (as long as you can prove you SHIPPED). In fact the faster you get it out the door the more likely you will get to keep the money.

PayPal has the very best Fraudulent Use protection for card not present transactions in the entire payment industry.

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As much as I like to slam PayPal for their general arrogance and other "We're the Phone Company, we don't have to care" appearances, I do have to agree on this.  This is one of the things they do right most of the time.

[couldabeenworse]

Requesting overnight shipping is indeed one of the established Red Flags of a scam transaction.  However, it doesn't mean much in the absence of other red flags, like requesting an alternate address or sending a phony paypal email.

But even if it's not a fake payment scam, it adds a significant risk to the seller.  If the buyer claims Not As Described, seller will be out $38 in shipping vs $8.  I would have some concerns that this is a rental scam, or that maybe the buyer legitimately will find some minor defect.

[chrysylys]

There's a Tommy Bahama thing in this price range and I seem to remember a few similar threads indicating they attract scammers for some reason.

[rescuedthreads]

Well I went ahead and accepted the BO and invoiced the buyer including the expedited shipping. I sent a note that if the item isn't paid by a certain time, I can't guarantee the item will ship out today. So far I've had no response. I'm kind of hoping they just want to cancel the transaction. And from now on, if someone requests overnight shipping, I will decline. It's turning out to be quite a hassle. Hopefully I've covered enough bases that I won't be out all my money if something goes wrong with this transaction. 

Thanks to all who had input on this subject. It is very much appreciated. Hopefully it will help some other new sellers as well as myself.