Help, am I about to be scammed ?

[peacockessentials]

last week I got a multiple sales, when I went to ship them out I noticed it was to the same buyer. I clicked on the buyer's page it showed he is based in Ukraine. I thought it was odd that a person living in Ukraine would be buying golf clothes, and collectors clothing in the midst of a war. I contact an eBay rep to discuss my concerns, is there shipping to Ukraine? But the rep said that the package isn't going to Ukraine, it's going to New Jersey. I googled the New Jersey addressed, 600 Markley Street Port Reading, NJ 07064. According to the internet it said that sellers across the country are being scammed for years. The eBay rep said I can cancel the order so I did and blocked the buyer. The buyer continued to reached out to me through message, now today the same items sold to another buyer from Ukraine. The shipping address is now from California. I talked to an eBay rep again today and he said that I should go ahead and ship the items to CA and make to purchase the shipping label from eBay and that this will protect me from the buyer trying to open case against me and request a refund claiming that items were never received or that the purchase was not authorized because I followed all eBays rules. My question now to anyone reading this, should I believe that I'm protected from being scammed out of new with tags worth $850 or should I go with my gut and cancel the sale again and risk being dinged by eBay. Please help. 

[brandsonhands]

If you blocked all international locations (and you did for all of your listings), then you have rights not to deal with international buyers (because of a credit card surcharge for international payments or whatever your reasons are - you are the one who asses the risks of your business; nobody will back you up). And especially such expensive items, and to Ukraine...Most of us who sell internationally, have been scammed by Ukrainians, so that market is very risky. And it is odd that some channels still using war propaganda and keep showing old pictures over and over again. Something is very wrong. 

[1tuna]

if thats the reason that you used then its cancellation abuse

the address was just fine.

the cancel button is not an "easy" button and should not be used unless its a very good reason

over use of the cancel button is a real problem. its just as bad as return abuse

ebay wants to knw that you are shipping the buyers merchandise and its not happening here

@peacockessentials 

[duffy4444]

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@albertabrightalberta wrote:

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@peacockessentials wrote:

Thank you for for all the advice and you're right about the reps i've noticed a big change since 2020 with them. Does cancelling with "problem with address" ding you account?

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Cancelling with "problem with address" isn't honest. There's no problem, just that you don't want to ship to that address. 

I've shipped items to various freight forwarders in various states and have NEVER had a single issue nor been scammed.

I think you were wrong to cancel and wrong if you lied about the reason for canceling.

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   To @albertabrightalberta: 

     I also ship occasionally via freight forwarders AFTER making a value judgment based on whether I want to risk losing the item and perhaps my payment as well. I have been scammed by international buyers twice when I decided to take the risk of a freight forwarder. Therefore, I have a high-value limit for anything I sell on eBay, either domestically or internationally. High-value items are reserved for Craigslist - they don't touch eBay's listings at all.

     What you think of as "lying" about the reason for canceling is not a lie at all. We all know that with a freight forwarder, it is eventually supposedly going to a final address  that is totally unknown and therefore risky, and that the seller doesn't want their sale to go. That actually IS a "problem with buyer's address", regardless of eBay technicality.

     Whether eBay "likes" it or not, it's not their money that is at risk of being lost... It's the seller's money, investment, effort and business, and is a slam-dunk loss when a cc chargeback is invoked, even months down the road. Again, it's not the potential loss of your items and money that's on the line in this instance -- It's the OP's $850 of inventory and money... therefore, their decision to cancel or ship.

Cheers, Duffy 

[brandsonhands]

Totally agree with you. And it is always those who don`t sell or sell in a very low risk categories shame a seller who is about to be potentially scammed. What an ill wishing to the OP! Huge red flags around the address he got and the user`s location. OP clearly doesn`t want to sell to international buyers. Those who find a way around, violate his sale terms. 

[albertabrightalberta]

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@brandsonhands wrote:

And it is always those who don`t sell or sell in a very low risk categories shame a seller who is about to be potentially scammed. What an ill wishing to the OP! 

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You have no idea whether I'm a seller and what I sell. I do sell and in a category with plenty of potential for fraud. (My category is (mostly) designer handbags and accessories.)

As I posted, I've never had a problem with buyers who've used FF.

But I will say that I've dodged dozens of bullets by offering a b.o. option in my listings. Best offers give me the opportunity to check buyers' feedbacks left for others and that's more helpful and offers more insight than claiming "problem with address" and is completely within ebay's policies when I block problems! 

YMMV. 

[southern*sweet*tea]

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@duffy4444 wrote:

    NEVER, EVER  sell online, and especially ship, any items that you and your business model are not prepared to lose, in addition to the double insult of the loss of your payment on a forced refund that is way out of line with common sense.

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^^^THIS cannot be stated enough on this board^^^

It's not just an Ebay thing, it's anywhere online. 

Any buyer anywhere at any time who pays with any sort of reversible payment method (Paypal, credit cards or debit cards) can lie and get their money back for up to six months after the sale  through their payment method with just a couple of mouse clicks. 

[brandsonhands]

Those buyers who use freight forwarder addresses violating terms of sellers who don`t want to ship internationally. Period. And if you want to take that risk, it is your personal choice. But don`t shame OP and force him to ship to a potential scammer. He is in his full rights to cancel it for a shipping address reason.

I personally ship internationally - mostly directly with excluded locations. I also get an occasional order to a freight forwarder, which I investigate and decide if the risk worth me to ship - I excluded those location for a reason in the first place. Moreover, some freight forwarders don`t have a final scan, and a seller at a mercy of a buyer`s honesty. I`ve been in those shoes as well. 

[albertabrightalberta]

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@brandsonhands wrote:

I personally ship internationally - mostly directly with excluded locations. I also get an occasional order to a freight forwarder, which I investigate and decide if the risk worth me to ship - I excluded those location for a reason in the first place. Moreover, some freight forwarders don`t have a final scan, and a seller at a mercy of a buyer`s honesty. I`ve been in those shoes as well. 

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It doesn't matter whether the item gets a final scan once it arrives to the buyer in their country, thus whether the buyer is honest or not and their recourse would be based on the BUYER'S contractual agreement with the freight forwarder. 

Once tracking shows delivery to the FF, the seller is protected against INR as well as NAD. 

[brandsonhands]

Did you read what I wrote? Some FF don`t have a final scan to FF address - which is the required thing to avoid INR case. They have some agreements with USPS not to scan packages coming to them. This is quite known thing and being discussed here as well. No scan to FF+dishonest buyer=loss.

[forbins_tela]

wars, natural disasters, epidemics etc… bring out the best in humanity, and unfortunately, the slicksters  in the world.  Actions from the regions suffering these terrible events should draw skepticism, right off the bat.  The real danger are the scams that come from the places that AREN’T in this category. Someone in Ukraine has close to a grand, and they want to spend it on golfing equipment? Hmmmmm🤔🤔🧐 I’d pass, but if you have a way to get in touch with them and get your questions answered, then you should still be cautious with your items,  account, and your personal property and your hard earned cash.   As always:

                                                             Caveat Emptor 

[kh-taylarie]

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