eBay

thriftymcmerch · ‎07-19-2021

Hi all,

I just leaped into the world of Ebay selling and am trying to navigate my way around a persistent issue. I get an offer from someone, accept the offer, and get a message like

"Kindly text me (***) ***-*** for more information to make the payment and also have more pictures of the item Cheers."

Obviously, this is **bleep** and I will not be texting. This is the second time it's happened with two separate buyers, both with older 5 star accounts and years of activity. The first time eBay unlisted the item and messaged me to say the buyer's account was accessed by a 3rd party. There's no 'scam' option on the 'cancel order' drop-down list, only 'wrong address', 'buyer canceled', or 'out of stock' options.

I forwarded spoof@ebay.com the message and am waiting for them to unlist or cancel the order. Is there any other recourse I can take?

Since both of these accounts had great buyer ratings and a long history, are there any other signs I should be wary of in an account? How do I avoid this going forward?

Also, is it common for new sellers to be targeted in this way?

Thanks for your insight and wisdom in advance, community friends.

tdumonde2014 · ‎07-19-2021

Scammers have been targeting new sellers like this for years. Don't respond and cancel transaction on day 5 for non payment.

"Those who enter the arena unarmed or unprepared are quickly dispatched."

alcoforever · ‎07-19-2021

It is very common for new sellers to be scam targets, especially if selling high value electronic items.

Any offer you get that is at or above your BIN price is a scammer. Just ignore the offer.

Any buyer wanting you to text them is a scammer.

Any buyer wanting to change the shipping address after payment is a scammer.

There are other ways you can be scammed but it is difficult to proactively stop them.

chapeau-noir · ‎07-19-2021

@thriftymcmerch It's a phase new sellers seem to have to go through these days, particularly electronics (as mentioned). I went through it when I first started selling on Poshmark, for instance, a couple of years ago and I only sell clothing on there 🙄.

My advice is to get rid of the 'best offer' and apply 'immediate payment required' (this can be done in a listing revision). That will simplify matters for a new seller. The scammers you'll just have to ignore - I think some may be hijacked accounts.

“The illegal we do immediately, the unconstitutional takes a little longer.” - Henry Kissinger

"Wherever law ends, tyranny begins" -John Locke

ted_holland4pn4 · ‎07-19-2021

Sounds "scammy" to me. You should never conduct any part of the transaction outside of Ebay's official channels. Besides being against the rules, you have no seller protections at all if you do so. I would respond that, you are both required to finish the transaction exclusively on Ebay, all messages are to come through Ebay and that, at this point, the sale is binding and final, and payment must be made exclusively through Ebay. Add that, if they are not happy with those conditions, and wish to cancel the sale, you will be glad to do so. If they agree to cancel, be sure to select "Buyer canceled," or else you get a defect on your seller record for "out of stock." If they do not respond, then do as @tdumonde2014 suggested, and cancel the transaction due to non-payment if they have not paid within 5 days.

Not to be rude or assumptive, but I notice you have a feedback score of zero. Sometimes scammers look for new sellers with little to no buying or selling history to hit. It isn't an absolute requirement, of course, but before starting to sell, new Ebay users typically start by buying some items and establishing a feedback score first. Along that path of purchases, it also teaches one how the service works to a certain extent and gives one some experience before trying to sell. Also too, just note that, the items you are selling, like game consoles, are items that are frequent targets in this kind of scam.

thriftymcmerch · ‎07-19-2021

Thanks, guys! Much appreciated info.

What about sending a verification request in response to their offer?

Something akin to "Thanks for your offer! To authenticate your purchase, please answer this question. What is the capital of Norway?"

Is there another identifier I could use to verify their identity if I'm suspicious?

nkmipgolf · ‎07-19-2021

scammers always use the word "kindly" . They also use compromised accounts. The "text me" part is to get you off eBay, the real user never sees the email and scammer sends a fake PayPal email. Some newbies have given $1800 laptop plus paid for overnight shipping to scammers. Glad you were not fooled.

chapeau-noir · ‎07-19-2021

Again, I would get rid of the 'best offer' - I think that's going to cause too many problems in this particular case. Scammers will zero in on that "0" you have and the 'best offer' and go to town.

“The illegal we do immediately, the unconstitutional takes a little longer.” - Henry Kissinger

"Wherever law ends, tyranny begins" -John Locke

silverstatetreasureboxes · ‎07-19-2021

@thriftymcmerch wrote:
Thanks, guys! Much appreciated info.

What about sending a verification request in response to their offer?
Something akin to "Thanks for your offer! To authenticate your purchase, please answer this question. What is the capital of Norway?"

Is there another identifier I could use to verify their identity if I'm suspicious?

Capital of Norway? Gosh top of my head Oslo? No don't do that hun, sounds kinda " dumb". You appear very knowledgeable about selling and the kindly text scams. Please don't start off by listing "pricey" & "dicey" items and keep viewing the boards for informative ideas and advice. Best to you!

eburtonlab · ‎07-19-2021

What about sending a verification request in response to their offer?

Something akin to "Thanks for your offer! To authenticate your purchase, please answer this question. What is the capital of Norway?"

Scammers are no less likely to be able to answer such a question than honest buyers. Scammers are experts at telling prospective victims what they want to hear. "Are you a scammer?" is a good question, but only if scammers can be relied upon to tell the truth, which -- no surprise -- they cannot.

In order for such verification to work, you would have to find a question that scammers would always answer differently than honest buyers. Off the top of my head, I cannot think of such a question.

Even if you could come up with such a question, I wonder how long it would take for scammers to figure out the right answer and incorporate it into their routine. A day? Certainly not much longer than that.

buyologist-3 · ‎07-19-2021

My selling ID has over 700 feed backs and I was hit, too! Stay on your toes and be alert, and follow the advice of everyone here. They're spot-on!

buyologist-3 · ‎07-19-2021

Smiles! And the thief looks that up on the computer, answers you correctly and....you're TRAPPED! Better to ignore. Or, as I did, I messaged: "No, thanks." They'll move on.

buyologist-3 · ‎07-19-2021

They like Gift Cards, too.

lamber9347 · ‎07-19-2021

@thriftymcmerch wrote:
Thanks, guys! Much appreciated info.
What about sending a verification request in response to their offer?
Something akin to "Thanks for your offer! To authenticate your purchase, please answer this question. What is the capital of Norway?"
Is there another identifier I could use to verify their identity if I'm suspicious?

No, this is engaging in tricks and could inadvertently turn out to make you look like the scammer yourself. When you accept an offer the buyer will simply pay you through the platform and then all is good. Anything other than that would be your clue that something is amiss. Best of luck to you....