How do we know we aren’t selling to scammers?!

[jawa7400]

A couple of weeks ago, I sold a phone to a buyer with a zero rating. I don’t normally do this but they deposited funds in PayPal so it seemed legit. So a week goes by and the funds are still “pending” in PayPal. ZERO response from buyer when I contacted after sale. I was able to finally finish an unpaid item case on this through eBay, relisted the phone and it sold this morning. THIS buyer has a rating of 9. I read their reviews and almost everyone posted that this buyer is a scammer. So now this is TWICE in a row! And their funds are also sitting in “pending” on PayPal. I’m not sure if I can just cancel this order so I can get this silly thing relisted for a THIRD time, or if I have to wait another 7-10 days for eBay to start an unpaid item case...again. My question is not really a question but a complaint....is there any real way to avoid buyers like this and get my items sold to legitimate buyers? I enjoy selling on eBay and I’ve had way more good transactions than bad. I’m just frustrated because the process of canceling this and getting my final value fee credited is slow. It’ll be a month before this item gets sold! Any suggestions?

[klassic*kids]

Unfortunately there really isn't a way to know if you are dealing with a scammer, particulary due to the fact that it is against policy for a seller to leave negative feedback for a buyer.  Those scammer FB's you are seeing are false-positives and against eBay policy.

You are selling a high scam item.  Phones are magnets for scammers especially if you are a newer seller with a low amount of FB.  

The good news: the buyer likely won't pay -- he is hoping you ship while payment is still pending.  You should be able to open another UPI and list again.  However, I would consider not selling such a high scam item here until you build up your FB.

[soh.maryl]

When you have not been paid by 48 hours after the end of an auction, you need to go to the Resolution Center and open an unpaid item case.  You do not ever cancel unless requested to do so by the buyer or if you find out you are unable to ship the item.  And, given your new status and the high dollar item you want to sell, you should consider fixed price, immediate payment required.  

[luckythewinner]

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@jawa7400 wrote:

How do we know we aren’t selling to scammers?!

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You don't. 

On eBay, any buyer can steal any item from any seller at any time, unless he makes a mistake in the process. 

As a seller, you must recognize this and decide whether it worth selling here, and if so it is wise to build a reserve for losses into your business model. It is also wise to take prudent measures to reduce the changes of it happening, and to minimize the impact when it does. 

I accomplish this by avoiding problem categories; by not listing anything I cannot afford to lose; and by choosing my merchandise carefully to limit the amount of money I put at risk for any given transaction. 

[retrose1]

Any suggestions?

Yes.  Not listing any type of electronic or phone on ebay on a 13 selling feedback id.

Newer sellers are profiled and targeted by scammers.  To avoid them, it is a good idea to not list high risk, high demand or high dollar items on ebay until you have as much recent selling feedback as the dollar value of the item you are listing.

[*eponymous*]

Milions of iphones are bought and sold on eBay every year without a problem.

The OP has sold iphones and higher pricepoint electronics for years, apparently without ANY issues.

I don't know where this information about not selling items that cost a few hundred bucks comes from. Do you have a link to a verifiable source?

[*eponymous*]

the process of canceling this and getting my final value fee credited is slow

Cancellation occurs immediately, even though buyer is asked to verify receipt of a refund - or that no payment was made.  I don't know why you would have to wait to relist because the buyer doesn't have the option to dispute the cancellation or do anything else to "hold you up".

Getting the fee credit takes one billing cycle.

[michael_atw]

We don't know.  Every transaction could be a thief.  Fear them all.  They can open cases for 6 months.  One after the other.  

[kattinsanity]

I don't believe a seller can just "cancel" a transaction because the buyer didn't pay.  To void the transaction with no payment a NPB case needs to be opened and closed to get FVF returned~~ONLY then are you free to relist the item.

Maybe the 2nd winner of this phone did pay with a legit e-check that would have cleared within a few days?  That could be why it was "pending".  Paying with an e-check through pay pal means they are paying with their bank account and is perfectly OK with both ebay and pay pal.  No reason to cancel the transaction again because of pending payment.

[retrose1]

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@*eponymous* wrote:

Milions of iphones are bought and sold on eBay every year without a problem.

The OP has sold iphones and higher pricepoint electronics for years, apparently without ANY issues.

I don't know where this information about not selling items that cost a few hundred bucks comes from. Do you have a link to a verifiable source?

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Not sure if we can link to the boards here.

Newer sellers come here just about every day about how they lost their phone/jewelry/camera/high dollar item and the money and got scammed.

Yes, the people with less experience have fewer problems, but can you tell me where my advice to list high dollar items until newer sellers get more experience is wrong or bad advice?

[kattinsanity]

About the only way almost everyone out of NINE  could state he is a scammer is if he is also a seller?  MOST sellers know you can't (shouldn't as it's against ebay policy) leave a positive with a negative comment for any buyer.  What were the reasons for the "scammer" feedback & was he a seller or a buyer?

I see  posts here everyday from sellers calling their buyers "scammers"  because a buyer claims the item was damaged or doesn't work or wasn't as described.  A LOT of sellers can't and won't accept the responsibility  for a transaction gone bad so label the buyer a "scammer" to convince themselves that THEY are right.

[swenson8781]

You don't, as you already know.  If you are trying to make a living on eBay selling phones, electronics, computers, etc (high scam categories), then it's worth it to stick it out and keep trying.  Set your items to 'immediate payment required', and plan on having to go through this process frequently.  If you get a paying buyer, and the item is of substantial value, be sure to send with signature required, to avoid INR claims. 

If you are NOT planning on making selling high scam items your business here, then sell it on your local Facebook group & be done with it.  You'll have a much more pleasant transaction, get your cash right away, and no worries about possible INR or SNAD claim.