New buyer account with 0 feedback?

[volteratek]

Question for you guys, a buyer just paid for one of my items ($40) but they just made their account 2 days ago. There’s no feedback for me to go off of and I’m concerned they may be trying to scam me. Has anyone else dealt with a new account with 0 feedback? How would you go about this? If I cancel, pretty sure I will get dinged correct? 

[rosachs · Accepted solution]

Yes - if you cancel, you will get a defect.

Why do you feel that this particular buyer is going to scam you?  Everyone starts out with zero feedback.  Everyone.  Some of us just did that a lot further in the past than others.

Scams usually will have other identifiers than just zero feedback.  What identifiers are you seeing - what leads you to believe you may be scammed?

If you ship with tracking to the address eBay provided, and post your tracking number to the order, and the package arrives with a delivery scan, you are pretty well covered by eBay.  The delivery scan eliminates any possible INR (Item Not Received) claim.  They could clain SNAD (Significantly Not As Described) or that it arrived damaged... but scammers are not keen to open cases within eBay... it builds a 'paper trail' that can eventually get them banned, or at least that singular ID.

With an order that small, it's unlikely that anything bad will happen.  Not impossible, but unlikely.

-Bob.

[dbfolks166mt]

     Everyone has to start at 0. I have sold to a lot of 0 feedback buyers over the years, many  of which were using guest accounts, and never had any issues. The item you sold is probably not high on the scammers target list at $40 so your risk is probably pretty low. 

[reallynicestamps]

Some of the more paranoid posters will be telling you that you should not list anything you cannot afford to lose.

And those calculators may come under on of the categories that do have a high fraud reputation.

Unless they are now considered collector's items and come under vintage collectibles by now.

I would send a Message to your buyer(s) thanking them for their business and letting them know that for their security you will be upgrading shipping to Signature Confirmation, so that the package will not be left unattended but will be safely Held for them at their local Post Office.

For under $5 you have either won the heart of an honest buyer or annoyed the H double hockey sticks out of a potential scammer.

[mam98031]

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@volteratek wrote:

Question for you guys, a buyer just paid for one of my items ($40) but they just made their account 2 days ago. There’s no feedback for me to go off of and I’m concerned they may be trying to scam me. Has anyone else dealt with a new account with 0 feedback? How would you go about this? If I cancel, pretty sure I will get dinged correct? 

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Isn't that rather a double standard.  You are a new seller to Ebay, so should buyers stay away from you and assume you will scam them just because you are new?  Of course not.  So why would you think that of a new buyer?

We need new buyers to join the site.  It is the only way we can grow and get more sales.  We need more buyers.  So treat the newbees well.  Offer GREAT customer service.

What is it that you think a buyer's feedback could show you?  They can only get positive FB.  So buyer FB is pretty useless.  About the only think on their FB screen that is worth looking at is their FB left for others.  That is far more telling than FB they receive.

You have no GOOD reason to cancel the transaction.  So if you decide to do this, you would select that  you were out of stock on the item.  The reasons available are very limited.  But this one would be your fault, so you would need to take the defect on your account because of it.

I think you are over thinking this and working  yourself up about something that is likely not a problem at all.  But it is up to you.

[inhawaii]

My advice/opinion.

Don't worry about newly registered or low/no feedback buyers. Don't even give it any thought. Just ship it.

[na_833338]

If you don't want him, I'll take him. 

I get a few zero feedback buyers every week.  I just sold something to a zero FB buyer in the last hour.  No problems for me, but I sell mostly vintage collectibles.    It sells, I ship it.  Everyone has to start here with no feedback.

[fashunu4eeuh]

Hi @volteratek and welcome. Congrats on your sales!!

In the 15 years i’ve been selling here, never encountered a dishonest buyer, not with low feedback, nor high feedback, no problems.  (Had a couple of bad sellers, but never a bad buyer.) I’m careful about what i sell and usually avoid listing in high scam categories. Those would be gaming items, electronics, computers, smartphones, luxury designer goods, etc.

It is true that there is no way to avoid risk in online selling. eBay policies favor the buyers’ interests. Sellers bear all the liability. But being fearful of new accounts, worrying about scammers, is borrowing trouble before it happens. It is better to anticipate good outcomes with transactions—it supports a healthier attitude which can only improve customer relations.

So i judge trading partners by their actions, not by their sales history. New buyers are necessary for the overall health of the site. As a general rule, newbies should be welcomed, and not held up in suspicion based only on that one criteria. Besides, scammers always tip their hands and reveal themselves.

Wish you all the best and much selling success. Appreciate your coming to the forum with this matter. Good luck!!

[dnasilver]

We have a fair amount of one timers. The last sale in Jan was for over 2,500, brand new account no feedback, well they have one now from us. We never had any issues, but that does not mean you won't. 

[soh.maryl]

Shouldn't we be encouraging new buyers.

And you have exactly 10 more feedback than the buyer.  So should he trust you?  

[toysaver]

No need to cancel.  Look at the big picture.  An account with zero feedback does not equate to 'criminal' activity.  There are plenty of people in the world who want no footprint or trail of online activity and make a new account for each purchase.  There are plenty of people who simply have to make a new account because they can't remember passwords or have new devices.   There are plenty of people that are not compulsive consumers and shop infrequently.  

[selsa84]

One of my highest selling items ever on eBay sold to a guy that opened his account that same day. He is now one of my biggest customers. 

[ckimodog]

@volteratek 

They might just be a guest account.  Many people go that route to purchase things, not to mention the items you are selling are really not in the scam category.  I would accept the sale and be thankful. JMO. 

Happy Selling

[albertabrightalberta]

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@volteratek wrote:

Question for you guys, a buyer just paid for one of my items ($40) but they just made their account 2 days ago. There’s no feedback for me to go off of and I’m concerned they may be trying to scam me. Has anyone else dealt with a new account with 0 feedback? 

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A $40 calculator? If this amount of a sale is so stressful, perhaps ebay isn't the right venue for you. 

Personally, my biggest problems with buyers (though they've been few) have come from experienced buyers who know the ins and outs of ebay and know how to get away with their dastardly deeds. 

I've never had a problem with a 0-feedback buyer. NEVER. (I hope I don't jinx myself!)

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@volteratek wrote:

How would you go about this?

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I'd be happy with the sale, tell the buyer how happy I am that they trusted me as their first ebay experience and I'd pack and ship the item. 

[legalbeagle52]

Hi @volteratek ,

I would mail it out and wouldn't give it a second thought.  As others have mentioned, everyone has to start somewhere. I'm selling for over 20 years & I've had very few scammers... approx. 10,000 sales & not a single scammer had 0 feedback!   I've had many 0 feedback buyers.  I'll be honest, when I first started I used to worry too, but calmed right down when I saw that it was never a problem.  The few scammers I had were high feedback buyers & some were sellers.  But any scammers were few & far between.

I would doublecheck, google the address & make sure the apt. # is on there.  Many new buyers forget to put it down.  It could be sent back without it.  I've had it almost happen.   You could send the buyer a quick thank you note & let them know you appreciate their business.   That way if there's any problem, they have an actual "person" to get back to.  Just my 2cents.

Mail it out, then sit back & enjoy your first few sales.  It's exciting!  I still remember it!  😊

Good luck!  All the best ...