eBay

casl-patr · ‎12-20-2022

I get buyers all the time who want to buy off of the Ebay platform. Obviously, this is against Ebay policies and if you follow along ebay's own information, they give you a link to report a buyer who does this. It doesn't work though, because I was unable to do it.

However, you are unable to do it, because they ask for a sold item number and obviously, if you stayed within the rules, you didn't sell anything (which I did, and there is no sold item number!

I do not sell off site. It's **bleep** that customers are always asking you to break the rules so they can save a few bucks. I just get tired of it, and I don't want to be a snitch, but if ebay would stop these guys from doing it, perhaps people would quit asking! I'm losing sales to CHEATERS!

ms.rodriguez* · ‎12-20-2022

The problem is that too many sellers accept these conditions so many continue to ask. I have discovered to completely ignore them and add them to the block list. Don't even answer their questions or send a best offer. To tell them that you follow Ebay rules falls on deaf ears and you waste your time too. So just ignore them and block them. I don't want to deal with someone that doesn't follow rules to save a few bucks please those are the ones that might claim that you sent them a rock. Reporting them to ebay is an even bigger waste of time. Ebay will do NOTHING.

ittybitnot · ‎12-21-2022

if ebay would stop these guys from doing it, perhaps people would quit asking!

@casl-patr

You are correct that you cannot report a user unless you accepted an offer, or they are the winner of an auction (so you have a listing number). If you wish to report those 'text me' scammers who simply contact initially through the message system and ask you to "text" or email them, you have to contact customer service through call back or chat. There used to be a 'report this message' button on all eBay messages, but eBay removed it.

Many consider using the call back or chat feature on eBay to be a waste of time and energy. The phony buyer can get another ID in minutes to continue their scamming ways. Ignore, block, and move on.

luckythewinner · ‎12-21-2022

if ebay would stop these guys from doing it, perhaps people would quit asking!

All it takes is an email address to make an offer or message a seller on eBay, so these buyers are essentially anonymous. Reporting them will not accomplish anything because they can simply create a new account.

there is no sold item number! I'm losing sales to CHEATERS!

How are you "losing sales" if your item did not sell and is still available? That does not make sense to me.

onefootflipper · ‎12-21-2022

Seems strange that you get that a lot. You are not a new seller. Are they trying to buy it cheaper off-platform? Are they local pickup items or something?

I almost never ever get that and I sell 30 items a day. There is just no benefit to the customer to buying off platform so usually you only ever see scammers trying to do it.

stainlessenginecovers · ‎12-21-2022

Those are NOT buyers and they are NOT members.

They are THIEVES and they are NOT trying to take it off ebay for the fun of it, they are doing it to try to steel from you in one manner or another.

So obviously "reporting" them would do nothing.

casl-patr · ‎12-22-2022

We lose sales because there are those that do accept off site deals with these people. Every time that happens, a potential customer is lost. It's death by a thousand cuts. They are also not paying sales tax which is illegal.

As long as that continues, that means we are all losing sales to these people because they are selling the stuff at a lower price by circumventing paying any fees. Nobody likes paying fees, but we do get exposure of our products for what we pay for fees, so we do get something for our money.

There's probably nothing we can do, but ebay could slow it down a bit. The last guy that wanted to buy that way had a good feedback profile and had purchased many items. I lowered the price, but alas, he never bought the parts. He wasn't a scammer, necessarily but he didn't have any scruples.

I feel that people that want to do this would definitely be more apt to claim they didn't receive merchandise. They are defrauding ebay, so why wouldn't they defraud us?

ittybitnot · ‎12-22-2022

We lose sales because there are those that do accept off site deals with these people.

@casl-patr

On eBay, the closest any seller gets to being paid when engaging with the usual "text me" scammer that makes an offer and then wants to make a deal offsite, is a fake notification that they are paid. Nobody is stealing sales from you. There is no money. There are not "sales", per se, just scams intended to get your product for free as well as any pre-paid gift cards they can convince you to include in the order.

I lowered the price, but alas, he never bought the parts.

That is because they don't pay and never intended to do so. They like to "make offers" because then they don't have to pay right away and have time to work their scam. All buyer IDs have 100% feedback regardless of their behavior on the platform.