How to handle 0 Feedback Buyer with Deregistered Account? Please help!

[zemun80]

I had an item bought and paid via PayPal today. The money is in my PayPal account. However, this buyer has registered today (0 feedback), purchased my item, and de-registered immediately afterwards.Therefore, there is no way to contact this buyer.

I suspect this is a scam. I can not find a phone number to talk to the Ebay representative.

Please help me figure out how to proceed without getting negative strikes against my account.

Thanks.

[pburn]

Buyers can't "deregister" their accounts. Only eBay can do that. Did the message next to the buyer's member id say s/he was "no longer a registered user?" If so, that means eBay suspended/terminated the buyer's account.

Since the buyer already paid, can you still ship it? Do you still have access to that buyer's name/address? If not, you could cancel the transaction due to "problem with buyer's address" and process a refund.

[zemun80]

Yes, the message next to the buyer's id is "no longer a registered user".

I still have a PAID-SHIP NOW message with the buyer's address.  I checked the address on google maps and it shows an empty building lot in a new development.

Same name and address are in the PayPal transaction. Seller protection eligible.

Should I send this item? What is the likely outcome and what is the best non-painful way around this? To cancel the transaction and incur the defect?

Thanks.

[acrc3113]

Cancel the transaction "due to problem with buyer's address". You will not receive a defect and eBay will refund the "buyer", if in fact the buyer actually paid.  Do not ship. There has to be a good reason why eBay terminated their account. I wouldn't waste time on why they did. No phone call needed and it goes through almost instantaneously.

[pburn]

You do realize Google Maps is not displayed in "real time," don't you? The image you're being shown could be from one to three years old.

At my last job, I walked into my boss's office and noticed he had the Google image of his own home up on his computer screen. I asked him what he was doing, and he said his kids were supposed to be home at 3:30, and he was watching to make sure what time they actually arrived.

True story.

[zemun80]

Yes, although there could be a home on that lot now, the empty space just added to my uneasy gut feeling.

Your boss must have got worried waiting for his kids to get home 🙂

Thanks.

[redlmc]

I would cancel the transaction due to an issue with the buyer's address.  This is evidently a scam and if you ship, you will probably have issues.  Cancel and run and block the user, if you can.

[southern*sweet*tea]

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@pburn wrote:

You do realize Google Maps is not displayed in "real time," don't you? The image you're being shown could be from one to three years old.

At my last job, I walked into my boss's office and noticed he had the Google image of his own home up on his computer screen. I asked him what he was doing, and he said his kids were supposed to be home at 3:30, and he was watching to make sure what time they actually arrived.

True story.

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I haven't checked in a couple of years, but it used to be when my address was typed in on Google Maps, an empty field five miles at the other end of our road was given as our address. We've lived in the same place since 1998.  I think they reversed all the house numbers north to south. We live on the north end of the road and that field is on the south end.  Same with our neighbor. They had their address on the south end of the road.

Google Maps may be right  most of the time, but they're not right all of the time.

[zemun80]

Thanks everyone for your help and advice. I greatly appreciate the time and effort you give to support the ebay community.