IS this buyer a possible scammer? using storage location? NEED help fast!

[topbargainseller]

HI guys i really need input in this, i recent listed this item for sale: 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/222875466410?ssPageName=STRK:MESOX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1561.l2649

And a buyer bought the item pretty quickly.

He paid everything with paypal, Now i was a little bit too quick to print out the shipping label, when i noticed that the address on the label was a little fishy. I ended up having to void the label and research the address. The address seems to be in the middle of nowhere, researching it online states that it's actually storage facility.  

This feels like a possible scam to me, i need advice guys, what should i do? should i just cancel the order? and can i cancel the order and what happens if this person don't accept the cancellation request? thanks. ALso i've sent the buyer a message to verified his address, and i'm waiting to see what he says

P.S. what happened to the ebay seller options, i remember when we sold something we could excplicitly ell ebay to only accept verified paypal sellers and also tell ebay to exclude people with unpaid item strikes, i don't see that option anymore, or am i blind?

[kensgiftshop]

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@topbargainsellerwrote:
researching it online states that it's actually storage facility.  

The address might be to the office of the storage facility.

[city*satins]

You could write to one or two of the buyer's recent sellers whom he's left feedback for and compare addresses and ask if all went okay.

Also, you could contact eBay customer service and ask if the buyer has used this ship-to address previously and whether there is any reason to be concerned about it. 

I had a buyer who ran a storage and truck rental facility and used that as the preferred ship-to location since she was hardly ever home to receive packages and felt more secure having delivery to the place of business.  It's not uncommon at all.

[city*satins]

You also could log into Paypal and check out whether the buyer is using a verified or confirmed address or whatever it's called nowadays.  You just go to the payment transaction and open it up and read it.  If it doesn't say anything though, that's not necessarily a bad sign.

[city*satins]

Freight forwarders are a common method that overseas buyers use to purchase items from sellers who only ship to US addresses.   You are only responsible for proof of delivery to the US address, and if the buyer has a problem with an item, and the situation requires that you accept a return for refund, you are only responsible for returns from the USA, not for international returns.

[variety_nook]

You stated: "He paid everything with paypal"

In the P.S. portion of your OP you stated: "what happened to the ebay seller options, i remember when we sold something we could explicitly ell ebay to only accept verified paypal sellers "  

(I'm assuming you meant, PP Buyers)

You are the Seller, correct? So go to your PP account and look to see if the address that the Buyer wants the item shipped to is the same as the registered address with their PP account. Only ship to the address that PP has for the buyer! Just below the buyers PP address it will state whether or not it is Seller Protection Eligible.

If the address is the same on the shipping label as the one associated with their PP account and it's Seller Protection Eligible, Then ship.

That's what I would do anyway.

[thallidguy]

A lot sellers call forwarding companies "scams" because they don't understand how they work, or eBay and PayPal Seller Protection work.

It's increasingly common for overseas buyers to use companies based in the United States to collect their mail order packages for them and forward them on to their country. In part, this is a response to the rising cost of international shipping (in effect, the forwarder combines shipping for the buyer) and also because there are so many sellers who refuse to ship international (and not always for logical reasons).

The important thing to keep in mind is that buyer protection pretty much ends once you safely deliver the item to the forwarding service, so it's not much different from any domestic transaction. In fact, eBay got the idea for the Global Shipping Program from these forwarding companies — it removes almost all of the potential liability issues from the seller, as long as you get it to the forwarder all right.

There seem to have been cases of scammers using forwarding services to have items shipped to them, but this is not a problem inherent to the services themselves, and there is no unusual risk to you as a seller. You can get scammed just as easily by an American hacker stealing an account and associated payment info. To say that forwarding services themselves are bad is like saying that cash is bad because drug dealers use it for their transactions. Or that food is bad because poisoners have used it to kill people.

I've been shipping to buyers who use forwarding services for 15 years, never a problem. 

[topbargainseller]

thanks guys i might just ship it out anyway if i'm really protected by selller protection, but i don't know, my guts telling me this is a bad move, i might just send a cancellation request, if this buyer would even reply...

[missjen831]

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@topbargainsellerwrote:

thanks guys i might just ship it out anyway if i'm really protected by selller protection, but i don't know, my guts telling me this is a bad move, i might just send a cancellation request, if this buyer would even reply...

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You'll get a defect if the buyer doesn't ask to cancel. And there are no more cancellation requests on the sellers end, the buyer no longer gets to accept or deny.

[variety_nook]

EXACTLY! I would much rather ship to a freight forwarding company based in the U.S. as opposed to shipping directly to whatever country.

[c.b.]

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@variety_nookwrote:
EXACTLY! I would much rather ship to a freight forwarding company based in the U.S. as opposed to shipping directly to whatever country.

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me too.

i have shipped items worth over 1,000 dollars successfully to the forwarding companies in the usa -- complete with tracking and signature.  i could not get the same sevice if shipping overseas.  i do not see any problem EXCEPT as others have already explained...  did paypal say it was okay to ship with seller protection?  and, keep in mind that the registered address does not have to match the shipping address as long as it is one of the buyer's paypal addresses.   so, my advice is to call PAYPAL and verify that the address is a safe address according to paypal.  as long as it is, and you deliver it to that address...then you would be covered according to the stated policies.

[ebbyisme]

Now I can't tell the future.... and I have no idea what will happen in this case.... but I do pay attention to what has happened in the past from personal experience....

I've had trouble with a buyer from California..... I've had trouble with a buyer from Iowa.... I've even had trouble from an older lady from my own state.....

BUT.... I have never had trouble from a buyer using a freight/mail forwarder... and I don't have second thoughts when a sale comes in from a buyer using one.... as a matter of fact I have never even heard from a single buyer using a freight forwarder after the sale.... unless he wanted to buy another item or he wanted all the stock I have of the same item.....

[tiramisu41]

@topbargainseller

IF...

• You have checked your PayPal account to make sure the money has been received and deposited into your account from the sale
• The verified PayPal shipping address is the same one as in the eBay transaction record

THEN...

• There is no reason for you not to ship.  It doesn't matter if the package ends up being sent to Mars.  You are only liable for getting the package to the address on the label you printed out from eBay.
• If the buyer files an INR, and you have proof (tracking) that the package was delivered to the address you were provided by eBay, the buyer will lose the case.
• If for some reason, the buyer files a SNAD, you are only liable for return postage from the US address.  Up to the buyer to return it to the freight forwarder.
• If you cancel, you have no legitimate reason to do so, and could end up with a defect from eBay.

 As others have pointed out, it is very common for foreign buyers to use a freight-forwarding service.  eBay's own GSP basically functions the same way though charges buyers a lot more than other freight-forwarding companies.  I've had many buyers use such services, and never once have had an issue.

So given all that, what exactly is it you are so afraid of happening?   I think you're being unnecessarily paranoid, TBH.

P.S. Chances are your buyer won't answer you to confirm the address.  Very possible he/she doesn't read/write English well enough to do so which also doesn't make him/her a scammer.

[duggmills]

Call the storage facility office and ask for the buyer. If he doesn't work there I'd ask for his home address and number. The storage facility should decline your request.

Email the buyer and ask for his address and phone number. Ask if he owns or rents. If he rents ask for the landlord's name address and phone number. If he says he owns, look up his property tax info to confirm.

I there a way to tell if someone has made any recent changes to his or her shipping address on PayPal?

[variety_nook]

I like your P.S.
I might also add, not to mention the time difference. It may be the middle of the day where I'm at, but the middle of the night where the buyer is at 😉

And then you have to throw in, kids, school, work, dinner, etc.........

I think everybody can relate to that.