SCAM, SELLERS PLEASE BE AWARE!

[shop_happy_shop]

Sellers! Do NOT ship your items to: 

This is not a physical address of the customer, this is a Freight forwarding warehouse that scammers use often for scam. We are only warning regarding this particular location!

As soon as you sold the item mark it shipped,  but wait to ship the item for 2-3 days. Most likely,  buyer will ask or open a dispute outside of ebay as soon as he/she see the item was shipped.  Also, do not change the address of shipped item if the buyer will ask to change it. Next, do not accept a return or refund request associated with this location.  Call ebay immediately and say the buyer used Freight forwarding services from this address, thus no refund or return is allowed as it was not a customer physical address.

It has come to our attention that a particular freight forwarding service has been involved in at least 780 cases since 2017, primarily affecting eBay sellers, Amazon, and other platforms. While our shop has not suffered any losses, we believe it is crucial to alert the seller community about this alarming address.

Here’s how the scam typically unfolds:

1. Dispute Initiation: Once the seller ships the item, scammers open a dispute with their financial institution, bypassing eBay’s resolution process. This action puts the seller’s funds on hold for 2 to 8 weeks.
2. Package in Transit: During this period, the package is in transit to the freight forwarding location.
3. Return Attempt: Upon arrival, scammers attempt to return the item, citing various reasons. They manipulate shipping information to falsely indicate that the item was returned to the seller.
4. Investigation Delay: The seller, noticing discrepancies, initiates an investigation with the postal service, which takes additional time.
5. Refund Issued: Meanwhile, eBay often sides with the buyer and issues a refund, leaving the seller without the item or the payment.

Additionally, scammers frequently use stolen credit cards to make these purchases, further complicating the situation. We strongly advise eBay sellers to be cautious when dealing with this specific shipping address, especially for items valued over $200, aso we practice mark it as shipped for a day or two, but not releasing the item right away. Most times, scammers will initiate the dispute and try different approaches to confuse the seller as soon as the item will be out hands for shipping. 

According to data from the Better Business Bureau (BBB), most complaints against this freight forwarding service remain “unanswered,” indicating that the company does not respond to or address these issues, nor does it protect its business reputation, thus cases are piling up or simply closed without resolution. Cybercrime units SC3 and SC1 report approximately 200-300 cases linked to this location. Additionally, data from the Miami and New York local police departments show hundreds of fraud and theft reports associated with this address (including Amazon and Sporting Goods data). When combined, these sources suggest close to 780-1000 cases all together (that we stumbled  upon our investigation), highlighting a significant concern.

The primary reason scammers frequently use this location is the company’s lack of response to claims and poor communication with claimants and customers. Overall customer ratings for this service are extremely low. We have also identified a common scam linked to this location, where scammers manipulate shipping information to falsely show that items were returned to sellers, leading to financial losses. We hope some sellers will find this information helpful and be extra careful. We urge eBay sellers, especially those dealing with items over $200, to be cautious when shipping to this address. Numerous stories from affected sellers can be found with a simple Google search upon location, providing further evidence of the issues associated with this freight forwarding service.

[kensgiftshop]

If that's the address the buyer provided when checking out, it is a good address.

Don't know if I've shipped to that address, but shipped to many freight forwarders and haven't had any problems.

[stainlessenginecovers]

Attn: Sellers! 

Those addresses are MORE than fine to sell things. MANY sellers have had MUCH success with FF's. 

Of course, as always, don't sell what you can't afford to lose because there are thieves on EVERY venue. 

[reallynicestamps]

This is not a physical address.

It is a physical address. You can look it up on Google maps.

Perhaps you could explain what happened.

EBay allows freight forwarding, but the buyer loses most of their protection under the Money Back Guarantee by using one.

Whether the forwarder is a commercial service, Aunt Sonia in Brighton Beach, or eBay's own eBay International Shipping.

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy...

Also, do not change the address of shipped item if the buyer will ask to change it.

Agreed.

If you share your story - although I think we can guess where you were bamboozled- we can correct your errors so you won't repeat them.

Basically once the item is delivered to the (US) address on the invoice, the seller is no longer responsible for delivery or for damage in transit.

The seller is never responsible for the buyer's import fees.

Even if the seller has a No Returns policy, they have the right to demand the return of a Not As Described item before refunding. It is up to the customer to get the item back to the forwarder, which is the only address the seller needs to use on their return shipping label.

BP-063644.

This is likely the customer number. The customer may be a scammer, but the company probably is not.

You could contact the company and explain your problem. Politely. They don't want crooked customers either.

[12345jamesstamps]

I have had no problems using 'freight forward' in Florida or Delaware or wherever.

You item with tracking only needs to go to Florida.

I usually take a photo of package with postage on it and send it in a friendly email to buyer and mention I understand the package is going freight forward...so allow more time for it to get to your 'country'...listing the name of the country.

[mam98031 · Accepted solution]

@shop_happy_shop 

I feel your frustration and I understand it.  Not all buyers are honest, forthcoming people.  But lets see if we can give you some information that will help you sort out issues you may have while selling.

I'll start with the last issue you brought up as it is the easiest.  If a seller wants to qualify for Ebay Seller Protection for INRs, the seller must do three things.  Ship to the address the buyer gives on their payment notification.  Ship with tracking within their stated handling time.  If the total price of the item is $750+, you need signature requirement.  

If you do not follow those requirements you will not qualify for the Seller Protection on INRs.

Now your concerns about Freight Forwarders.  These are real companies that exist all over the USA.  They are real businesses with real addresses.  International buyers use hire these types of companies to receive items they order from around the USA and at an agreed upon time the FF repackages the items they have received for a specific buyer and ships it to their international address.

For Ebay sellers, our responsibility for the item we ship to the FF ends when they repackage and ship it off to the customers international address.

This is covered in the MBG, see the link below.  However most transactions shipped to a FF usually don't have any issues.  But there will always be some buyers that are going to try and take advantage of sellers.  With that said, good think we have the Seller Protections we have here on Ebay.

This is a partial quote of the policy:

Exclusions and special coverage when the buyer doesn't receive an item

Items collected by a third party on behalf of the buyer	Not covered
The buyer arranged their own shipping method, such as a courier pickup	Not covered
The buyer provided an invalid or incorrect address at checkout	Not covered
The item was sent to another address after original delivery	Covered: The item was forwarded as part of an eBay program such as: Global Shipping Program eBay International Shipping eBay Authenticity Guarantee Not covered: The buyer used third-party freight forwarding or mail redirection

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy...

[shop_happy_shop]

It has come to our attention that a particular freight forwarding service has been involved in at least 780 cases since 2017, primarily affecting eBay sellers, Amazon, and other platforms. While our shop has not suffered any losses, we believe it is crucial to alert the seller community about this alarming address.

Here’s how the scam typically unfolds:

1. Dispute Initiation: Once the seller ships the item, scammers open a dispute with their financial institution, bypassing eBay’s resolution process. This action puts the seller’s funds on hold for 2 to 8 weeks.
2. Package in Transit: During this period, the package is in transit to the freight forwarding location.
3. Return Attempt: Upon arrival, scammers attempt to return the item, citing various reasons. They manipulate shipping information to falsely indicate that the item was returned to the seller.
4. Investigation Delay: The seller, noticing discrepancies, initiates an investigation with the postal service, which takes additional time.
5. Refund Issued: Meanwhile, eBay often sides with the buyer and issues a refund, leaving the seller without the item or the payment.

Additionally, scammers frequently use stolen credit cards to make these purchases, further complicating the situation. We strongly advise eBay sellers to be cautious when dealing with this specific shipping address, especially for items valued over $200, aso we practice mark it as shipped for a day or two, but not releasing the item right away. Most times, scammers will initiate the dispute and try different approaches to confuse the seller as soon as the item will be out hands for shipping. Hope it helps sellers.

[shop_happy_shop]

You are correct, many FF are fine to deal with. Yet, this particular address has close to 1000 open cases from victimized sellers since  2017.  We described the scheme in reply to other post under this discussion, hope it helps.  Of course,  the company itself is legitimate and has a valid USDOT license. ***** is closing eyes regarding complaints from BBB, cyber crimes, and other entities involved in investigation, that leaves ebay sellers almost always at loss. 

[mam98031]

@shop_happy_shop 

780 cases out of how many transactions?  That isn't necessarily the FF business acting badly, they don't control the buyers anymore than we do.

With that said, you still have the Seller Protections I described in my previous post.

People that live to steal from others get very creative in how to accomplish that.  The scams typically grow during the last quarter of the year too.

The positive thing about this is that Ebay sellers are protected as long as the sellers follow the simple rules to qualify for the protection.  

Being scammed is a horrible feeling.  I too unfortunately have felt that burn before.  Thank you for coming and sharing your story.

[shop_happy_shop]

Thank you for the information,  our shop did not suffer a financial loss as we acted quick and investigated the address. Upon our investigation, we discovered this address has been used by scammers since 2017 and there is almost 1000 open cases linking to this address by victimized sellers. We described a scheme under this discussion in reply to other seller. - not a physical address-  meaning NW 66TH STREET is not a physical location of a customer, in other words not a final destination of a package (as you can tell by looking by Google). 

[mam98031]

---

@shop_happy_shop wrote:

You are correct, many FF are fine to deal with. Yet, this particular address has close to 1000 open cases from victimized sellers since  2017.  We described the scheme in reply to other post under this discussion, hope it helps.  Of course,  the company itself is legitimate and has a valid USDOT license. Boxpaq (freight service under this address) is closing eyes regarding complaints from BBB, cyber crimes, and other entities involved in investigation, that leaves ebay sellers almost always at loss. 

---

That number just jumped by almost 30% from your other post.  Your previous post said 780 cases since 2017.  It is highly unlikely that all those cases would still be "open" after all these years.  And we don't know how many total transactions were handled through this FF, assuming your number is correct.

The FF is not likely playing any part in the deception.  It is all about the buyer.

Scams are a very important thing to stay informed about the best we can.  It is an issue that affects far to many of us negatively.  Thank you again for the info.

[inhawaii]

Thanks for the heads up.

I will not ship to that address.

But what do I do if someone buys from me and wants it shipped to that address?

Shall I cancel the order?

What reason should I use for canceling the order?

[shop_happy_shop]

According to data from the Better Business Bureau (BBB), most complaints against this freight forwarding service remain “unanswered,” indicating that the company does not respond to or address these issues, nor does it protect its business reputation, thus cases are piling up or simply closed without resolution. Cybercrime units SC3 and SC1 report approximately 200-300 cases linked to this location. Additionally, data from the Miami and New York local police departments show hundreds of fraud and theft reports associated with this address (including Amazon and Sporting Goods data). When combined, these sources suggest close to 780-1000 cases all together (that we stumbled  upon our investigation), highlighting a significant concern.

The primary reason scammers frequently use this location is the company’s lack of response to claims and poor communication with claimants and customers. Overall customer ratings for this service are extremely low. We have also identified a common scam linked to this location, where scammers manipulate shipping information to falsely show that items were returned to sellers, leading to financial losses. We hope some sellers will find this information helpful and be extra careful. We urge eBay sellers, especially those dealing with items over $200, to be cautious when shipping to this address. Numerous stories from affected sellers can be found with a simple Google search upon location, providing further evidence of the issues associated with this freight forwarding service. Thank you for responding, it really helps to hear from the experienced member, we appreciate your knowledge🏅

[shop_happy_shop]

Hello, we are warning sellers only about this location as it linked to multiple fraud cases, we tried to explain under discussion with other members below. Thank you for your information 🙏 

[shop_happy_shop]

We are only warning customers regarding this location, not any FF in general. Thank you.