These scammers are a pain, and there is no real way for eBay to stop them until after the fact. The majority of them are overseas using VPN, and when one account gets shut down, 100 more will take its place. They target new sellers, hoping to cash in on their inexperience and lack of knowledge of the scam.
This is what you do:
Report the buyer https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/resolving-buyer-issues/reporting-issue-buyer?id=4084 Use the reason "asking to complete a sale off eBay". This only works if they have made a purchase. If they have not yet purchased, scroll to the bottom of that page and use the "contact us" button on the left to contact eBay support. When the chat box pops up, click 'See more' the "request an agent". This bypasses the chat bot and gets you a real person. You also have the option of requesting a call back.
Add the buyer to your blocked bidder list: https://www.ebay.com/bmgt/BuyerBlock Ignore any further messages from them.
If they actually purchased, cancel the sale immediately using "problem with buyer's address". You don't have to let the unpaid item process play out. They're scammers - they don't care about strikes. When one account gets shut down they hop on to another one. You can cancel: https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/getting-paid/cancelling-transaction?id=4136
As long as you are aware of this, you can simply decline these offers and add the ID to the blocked bidder list using the link I gave above. Also report the buyers using the report link. Bookmark them for future use. Trust your gut - if it feels wrong, it usually is. If you ever have any questions you can always come here and ask.
The easier you are to offend the easier you are to control.
We seem to be getting closer and closer to a situation where nobody is responsible for what they did but we are all responsible for what somebody else did. - Thomas Sowell
