Is this a scam?

[xenxusb_13]

Today i sold an item for 159.99, The buyer first sent an offer of 159.99 and then bought the item as an offer. 

Then later i was sent a message to contact them at an email and phone number for a question on the product.

Is this a scam? 

Sorry for the inconvenience I'm new to selling

-Thanks

[chapeau-noir]

Yes - it's a scam - never do any communication off site.

Unfortunately, new sellers will get hassled with this until you get a few sales under your belt.

ETA:  Never apologise - it was a smart question!

[eburtonlab · Accepted solution]

A message that says "I am interested in your item, kindly text me", an offer equal to or greater than your buy it now price, or a request for a gift card is generally the start of a scam where the scammer winds up sending a phony payment email that makes it look like the seller has received a payment when none has actually been received. Scammers like to target new sellers, particularly those selling expensive items.

Sending contact information (text or email) prior to a transaction is a violation of eBay policy; this policy is designed to protect honest buyers and sellers from this sort of thing, and to prevent off-eBay sales.

Never buy a gift card for anyone unless you are giving them a gift.

As a seller you should always check your account directly (not following a link in an email) to see if you have actually been paid prior to shipping. If an actual buyer does not send an actual payment, after four days you can cancel for nonpayment; this will prevent either party from leaving feedback and give the "buyer" a nonpayment strike. Be sure to set your buying requirement to reject bids or purchases from users with two or more strikes in the last year.

eBay will likely remove the scammer's account shortly, but the scammer will just create a new one or hijack an old one and continue sending scam offers and messages. Sellers must remain wary of any user that wants the seller to violate eBay policy.

You can avoid many common scams by listing your item for a fixed price with immediate payment required and by not accepting any offers. If you do receive an offer you are willing to accept, lower the buy it now price to the offer amount. That way the buyer must complete checkout and actually pay in order to proceed.

[xenxusb_13]

Thank you for your info i'll be sure to use that later in my selling 

Have a good day

-Xenxus

[xenxusb_13]

Thank You i'll be sure to watch out for this later.

 Have a Great Day

-Xenxus

[quiltgeek]

SCAM.  The thief wants to get you to communicate with them in text or email, outside of eBay so they can send you a fake paying notice.   

Wait until the 5th day after they win the listing, then cancel the sale with the reason "buyer has not paid". 

They get an Unpaid Item Strike in their account (you can't see it, but it's there), you get the Final Value Fee refunded by eBay and neither you or the scammer can leave feedback.

[eburtonlab]

You are most welcome -- I am very glad you asked first.

Good luck with your sales.

[eye_of_the_tiger]

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@xenxusb_13 wrote:

Today i sold an item for 159.99, The buyer first sent an offer of 159.99 and then bought the item as an offer. 

Then later i was sent a message to contact them at an email and phone number for a question on the product.

Is this a scam? 

Sorry for the inconvenience I'm new to selling

-Thanks

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Yes, it’s a scam. Scammers like to target new sellers selling expensive/high value items. I’d recommend selling items under $25. Once you get more positive feedback, and more sales, I believe you’ll get no (or less) scammers. Good luck!