Potential buyer from Ukraine with no feedback/rating.. I'm cautious here

[zigeepigee]

Hi there, I put up my first item for auction (a graphics card), and right now the highest bidder is a dude from Ukraine. It's a fairly recent account (Based in Ukraine, has been an eBay member since Apr 11, 2021). I'm worried because I did some googling and found a lot of sellers were scammed shipping to Ukraine where the buyer complained they never received the item, got a full refund, and in turn, the item! As this is my first time ever truly using/selling on Ebay, I'd like to know some best practices for avoiding getting owned.

Ryan

[vintagecraze50]

Graphics cards are hot scam items. I would be blocking countries that you do not want to sell to. If you are a new seller you are a target for a potential scammer. 

[vintagecraze50]

As a new seller. Sell the item buy it now with immediate payment required. It will save your a lot of scam emails and other problems as a new seller with a hot scam item.

[holidaze1]

I've been charged 1.65%. I put the cost in the handling fee only for international sales.

[zigeepigee]

Thanks everybody for all of your thorough responses. As to why am I putting it up for auction, the reason I am putting it up for auction is because I'm limited at the moment to $500/month. I can't place a buy offer at the price I would like because of this limit. 

[wrong66]

So, I see you didn't end the auction and it sold. Well, good luck on that one. Wow.

[thebestbuybaril]

Thank you for the correction; I appreciate that.  I finally found where I saw the things you can change.  It says  something about feedback rating, but it is linked to something else.  I guess I misunderstood

 Buyer Requirements

[zigeepigee]

Haha, still waiting on payment! We'll see though, it's been a few days. Might have to relist it honestly 😕

[dbfolks166mt]

     The best you can hope for is the buyer does not end up paying for this and you can cancel the sale for non-payment. If you ship to the Ukraine there is a good possibility that you will get scammed out of the money as well as the card. I noticed on the listing that you do not accept returns which will probably not make that much of a difference in this case. Pretty high risk on a $730 card. 

     Graphic cards seem to be one of the high target items for scammers these days along with a lot of other electronic devices. I sell very little internationally and when I do I limit the countries I will sell to with China, Russia and the rest of the FSU being at the top of that list. While those markets are lucrative there is simply to much risk and virtually no seller protection. Scammers in the US are bad enough but at least there is some legal recourse albeit limited as well. 

[dbfolks166mt]

     There is a plus side to the buyer using a FF since their MBG ends with the delivery of the item to the FF. While it will not protect, initially, from a chargeback eBay has put some seller protection policies in place regarding chargebacks. If I was shipping directly, which I don't,  to China, Russia or any of the rest of the FSU I would have bigger concerns. But I always go by the #1 rule as a seller and that is to never list anything you are not willing to take the financial loss on. 

[zigeepigee]

oh i'm sorry, I was responding to a previous comment. I blocked the Ukraine bidder, and a legitimate buyer from the US ended up being the top bidder. I'm working through payment with him and he hasn't sent payment over yet, hence why I will likely have to relist.

[wildpitchsports]

With the way things are going over there right now in Ukraine (and Los Angeles apparently) I wouldn't ship anything there who knows when/if it will arrive or get ran over or shot out of the sky.