No feedback buyer bought ~$200 item

[j02237589]

Just had a buyer purchase a rather pricey electronic for almost $200. The buyer has NO feedback and I am a little concerned about shipping it.

I realize you can filter out buyers with certainty feedback scores but I believe the lowest you can set is is -1 or lower. Everyone starts out with no feedback, so  yeah...

I also realize if I cancel and relist, he may leave me negative feedback.

I have sold to buyers with no feedback and had no problems. However, I have never sold something that was worth this much, let alone an electronic. I was wondering what any other sellers would do in my situation?

[good_picking]

Check buyer account 

Address and phone number again.

200$ is Your item value.

Confirm buyer address by massaging 

Add trackable tracking number.

[fashunu4eeuh]

Hi, i would ship. As long as you have gone to PayPal to verify the funds are there, then i would treat this sale like any other. Good luck and congrats on your sale!

[lvb67]

Don’t do it.  I had a horrible experience last year when I sold a very expensive item on eBay to a dishonest buyer who claimed that they never got the item.  It’s a very long story, but the bottom line is never sell an expensive item to a buyer with zero feedback.  Also, always keep hard copies of proof of delivery because tracking numbers expire after a certain time.  I was scammed again this week on another site by a buyer with zero feedback who claimed that I sent her the wrong item.  This was also a very expensive item and I (foolishly) sold it to her because I hadn’t had a problem selling to a buyer with zero feedback on that site before.  Boy, was I wrong!  If my misfortune  can prevent a fellow eBay seller from getting scammed, then some good will have come from my very expensive lessons. Good luck!

[j02237589]

Thank you for your advice!

I think I'm gonna cancel the order and then relist it a few weeks from now so that they HOPEFULLY forget about it by then

[corvettestainless · Accepted solution]

That was HORRIBLE advice and you should NOT follow it. 

a.) You will get 'dinged' for cancelling the order and it is against ebay policy to not follow through on a sale due to a customers feedback number

b.) Nothing will stop a 'future' 0 feedback buyer from buying next time and next time. 

c.) Everyone starts somewhere- sellers cry about low sales and lack of advertising on ebay, a person 'bites' and buys something only to have a seller back out of the sale. Goodbye new buyer for all sellers. 

d.) If everyone did that to everyone that was new, we'd have no buyers eventually.

[wrong66]

This is the best advice from corvette. Don't make a bad decision based on ONE person's experience. I've sold dozens of expensive items (in the thousands of dollars) to 0 feedback buyers, several of whom are now some of my best repeat customers.

[j02237589]

Just checked and the address is fine but there is NO phone number.

[nobody*s_perfect]

You seem to be really stretching to find reasons to back out of this transaction. I have been selling on eBay since 1999 and have never checked to see a buyer's phone number.

[kensgiftshop]

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@j02237589 wrote:

 The buyer has NO feedback and I am a little concerned about shipping it.

---

The time to be concerned is before listing the item, not after it's sold.

Just because they have no feedback, doesn't mean anything.

I've sold to many new buyers and haven't had a problem.

As long as the payment is in my Pay Pal account and they say it's ok to ship, I'd ship the item.

[gracieallen01]

How much feedback did you have when you started on ebay?

[shhboom]

I've haven't had a problem with a zero feedback buyer the past 20 years, and I've sold mostly electronics, which are especially vulnerable to buyer scams. One of the greatest risks is a  buyer who swaps parts and then returns a non-working item for a full refund. So it helps to show as much proof beforehand that the item works. You could make a video showing the item fully working, post it on YouTube, and tell the buyer you posted it to instruct him how to operate the item. This may discourage him if he has any thoughts of scamming you.  However, if a buyer is intent on scamming you, then there's not much you can do because eBay usually sides with the buyer.

[alnor2010]

We have been selling on ebay since 1997 and still have no reason to check on a phone number.  That doesn't mean a thing.  Ebay has their phone number anyway.

[alnor2010]

Seller protection is still very good.  You should go through with the sale.  You can have a long time repeat customer in this person.  Keep in contact with him or her and keep it friendly.  Don't worry until it's time to worry.  This might turn into the best customer you ever had.

[arhirii2007]

This exactly. If a buyer is intent on scamming any seller, they will probably find a way to do it (and eBay will likely side with them). The vast majority of buyers are honest and 0 FB says nothing about their likelihood of scamming you.