Possible inex group scam

[rj94north]

I recently sold my used phone to a winning bidder with an address that is an Inex Group in Delaware. The buyer has 9 stars and an account a little over a year old. They want me to send just the phone (without any of the accessories I was going  to send) to that address with a printed invoice in the box that shows a price lower than the price they paid for it, more specifically they paid over $100 but the invoice they want me to print shows just under $100. 

I've received a payment through PayPal but it's on hold as eBay does, I also checked the address on eBay / PayPal and they all match that same Inex Group.

I've read up on this place and it seems a lot of scammers use this company as a way to say they never received the item, it's broken, etc. to get their money back and keep the item. But I've also seen a few saying there are actual people just trying to use the service.

I want to know if there is any sort of protection for me if I go through with the transaction and ship the item. Or if I should just cancel it now and try again.

Any help is greatly appreciated, thank you!

[coffeebean832 · Accepted solution]

Using a re-shipper is not a reason for concern and doesn't make them any more likely a scammer than if the phone was being shipped to someone your own state.

The buyer is asking you to change the price on the paperwork so they can avoid customs fees- this is illegal and it's against eBay policy.

Let them know you are unable to change the price on the paperwork and ask if they prefer to cancel the sale. If they still want the item then ship it.

The only way to completely avoid scams is to not sell anything. Before you sell anything you need to decide if you're willing to take a risk.

[a_c_green]

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@rj94north wrote:

I recently sold my used phone to a winning bidder with an address that is an Inex Group in Delaware. The buyer has 9 stars and an account a little over a year old. They want me to send just the phone (without any of the accessories I was going  to send) to that address with a printed invoice in the box that shows a price lower than the price they paid for it, more specifically they paid over $100 but the invoice they want me to print shows just under $100. 

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An invoice is basically a bill or demand for payment. You have already been paid. 

The paper that goes in the box is a Packing Slip, and it does not list any prices on it. If your PayPal account shows their payment and that it's okay to ship, then now is the time to ship.

[rj94north]

This is what they want me to pack with the package, like I said the price here is lower than what they actually paid. I'm thinking it's what @coffeebean832 said where they're trying to avoid fees.

[a_c_green]

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@rj94north wrote:

This is what they want me to pack with the package, like I said the price here is lower than what they actually paid. I'm thinking it's what @coffeebean832 said where they're trying to avoid fees.

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Oh, okay, I see...

I would tell them that you are not going to include false paperwork, and ask them if they want to cancel. 

I think you can probably cancel anyway based on the buyer's demanding something that is not part of the sale, but maybe they will agree to back off that. If you're sending a domestic shipment that's only going as far as a reshipper in another state, then you don't have to worry about Customs forms or any of that. 

[picknparley]

If you don't cancel this transaction my suggestion is to be sure you don't fudge the value forms.  You would be wise to send everything you offered in your listing as there's a big possibility you would get an INAD. 

Me, I would cancel this sale due to buyer asking for something outside the listing.

If you go through with it, be prepared to face unpleasantness. 

[femmefan1946]

There are lots of freight forwarders/re-shippers in Delaware, and when an eBay purchase is forwarded, it is no longer eligible for the Money Back Guarantee.

They want me to send just the phone (without any of the accessories I was going to send)

This is a setup for a Not As Described scam, but  he's outsmarted himself by using a re-shipper.

to that address with a printed invoice in the box that shows a price lower than the price they paid for it, more specifically they paid over $100 but the invoice they want me to print shows just under $100.

This is a scam on his reshipper and on the customs department of his country.

If he's willing to cheat on taxes, he's willing to cheat on you.

'

Offer to cancel the transaction as Buyer Request, which has no repercussions on you or the buyer.

Then refund all but the Paypal fees which are not refunded to you.

If he is unwilling to go for that, you could also use Problem With Address.

Again, no repercussions.

It's the fake invoice/packing slip that is the red flag here, not the reshipper.

EBay has its own freight forwarding service, the Global Shipping Program, which is touted as a strong Seller Protection for sellers otherwise unwilling to ship internationally.

[a_c_green]

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@femmefan1946 wrote:

They want me to send just the phone (without any of the accessories I was going to send)

This is a setup for a Not As Described scam, but  he's outsmarted himself by using a re-shipper.

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I agree, but on the other hand, he could claim missing parts anyway; I don't think that's really a factor here. (I suppose that since the buyer is foreign, or at least we're assuming that he is, a U.S.-spec phone charger might not be very useful in his country, whichever one that might be, and he might save forwarding costs from his reshipper if he wasn't paying for the weight of a charger that he couldn't use anyway.) The fake invoice here is the real problem.

[picknparley]

But we all know that emails between clients are not admissible in the event of a claim.  To suppose the buyer has no use for the charger is kind of feeding into the whole situation of this not being a wise sale to proceed with. Too many red flags!

[trehar_4]

Do not provide a fake invoice as it is fraud.

[trehar_4]

I forgot to mention that you need to send whatever was advertised in the listing or they can claim not as described.  It doesn't matter whether they can use it or not.  Protect yourself.

[rj94north]

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@trehar_4 wrote:

I forgot to mention that you need to send whatever was advertised in the listing or they can claim not as described.  It doesn't matter whether they can use it or not.  Protect yourself.

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So I had to get it shipped midday yesterday and only saw the first 2 replies. I didn't send the false invoice with the package but I made the mistake of only sending the phone.

So I guess we'll see if this bites me in the butt or not. Thanks for all the advice!

[sd-redneck]

When selling a cell phone, never ever provide a separate receipt with it. (especially falsified!)  If it is a legitimate buyer, they can print the sales information from eBay.  A seller who gets scammed can easily blacklist the phone (brick it).  The phone can not be activated in most cases as is useless to the scammer.  But, if you provide a separate receipt with it, they may be able to get that phone removed from the black list!