Need Help knowing if this is a scam or not

[usnap0]

I have only 15-10 hours left on this buyers option for one of my bids. It started at 375$ but he bidded about 25$ more making it 400$ which is amazing. Only problem is that it says he started his account in 2003 and lives in germany. But its shipping to my state can anyone please help me figure this out i really don't want this to be a scam. I ALSO P.S am setting a new bank account up and if it actually does go through the payment how will i get my money? 

[usnap0]

Understood and thank you i will do that then!

[a_c_green · Accepted solution]

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@stephenmorgan wrote:
Not sure if it is but that About page (Bio) reads like a message to someone.  Why would that message be on their About page?  If someone wanted something and bid on it there is no reason to send a message saying if you can not text them then to cancel the order.  I am thinking it is a scam.

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Let's clear up any uncertainty about that: it is a scam, 100%. That text which is (oddly) planted on the buyer's About Me page is a standard, word-for-word copy of the message usually sent directly to the seller after their offer has been accepted (in sales where Immediate Payment is not required in order to clinch the deal). If the seller falls for it (by texting the number given), the scammer can then text back a completely fake payment notification in reply, thus luring the seller into a communication path that eBay cannot see.

That secondary request to cancel the sale otherwise is to let suspicious sellers back out of the deal instead of drawing more attention to the scammer's hacked account (and possibly tipping off the real accountholder) by not paying, triggering eBay payment notifications and possibly getting an Unpaid slap on the account. They can snare more sellers by operating as quietly as possible and not drawing eBay attention to the purchases on the hacked account.

Just as a guess, I think that message on the About Me page of the hacked buyer account might be stored there as a copy-and-paste source when trying to lure as many sellers as possible into off-site transactions and fake payment notifications. Multiple scammers may be using the compromised account at the same time.

[broto_64]

Oooo OOO!!! Yes!!

Not only is it a scam message but the reason it is on the about page is to stay off Ebay's radar (which would be alerted to such stuff going through messages), and like you said it is to lure as many sellers as possible before that account gets shut down.

Not sure if that account can be reported ...

[soh.maryl]

It would probably be best if you take down that listing and do some more reading about how to sell here.

That's an obvious scam attempt.

Plus you have almost no information about the item you are selling other than the title.  

[ittybitnot]

@usnap0 

You really need to know some things BEFORE you go about selling here.   You are a new seller, and the scammers are going to be on you like white on rice, until you get more feedback and recognize them when they start up on you.  You can research here using the "All content" portal at the top of the page,  and familiarize yourself on  the following terms/topics (sort by date for the latest information) that relate to the usual scam attempted against sellers.  You can always come back here for help, too:

Text me scammer

Change of address scammer

Freight forwarder

Fake tracking return scam

Payment Dispute

Money Back Guarantee for Buyers

How to report a scam message on the eBay message page

How to deal with buyers that don't pay

I am sure there are more, but if you are familiar with these terms and know what they mean, it can often save you a lot of trouble.  Remember that any product on eBay can be obtained for free at the seller's expense with the right kind of phony claim.  Some scams can easily be avoided, others are more difficult.  Read, learn, and arm yourself with the power of knowledge.  Get some experience with transactions that go right, so you can at least sense when something is suspicious or out of place.  Never be afraid to ask here, but get a thick skin for those often snarky replies indicating you should already know better.   

It is best not to learn by the TRIAL BY FIRE method unless you don't mind giving away your products for free. 

Good luck!  

[itsjustasprain]

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@soh.maryl wrote:

It would probably be best if you take down that listing and do some more reading about how to sell here.

That's an obvious scam attempt.

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So this is interesting: it looks like that compromised buying account was used to score a $1500 vintage penny from another seller with (1) feedback just yesterday. The newbie seller left a 'Thank you' feedback within a day of the auction ending (on the 11th) which suggests that he might have fallen for the same scam message that the OP here did NOT get fooled by.

[a_c_green]

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@broto_64 wrote:

Not only is it a scam message but the reason it is on the about page is to stay off Ebay's radar (which would be alerted to such stuff going through messages), and like you said it is to lure as many sellers as possible before that account gets shut down.

Not sure if that account can be reported ...

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The seller can report it, yes. If so, it might not be too late to help that seller of the $1500 penny (as described in the previous message above) if the package can be recalled in time, once eBay recognizes that it's a hacked buying account. Who knows...