Scams?

[ol314718]

I'm really new to this eBay seller procedure.  I've had three offers on goods, and two of the three so far have insisted I contact them directly and then want to pay me directly.  One even asked if I'd include a gift card.  It was all shaky.  

So:  

1) the buyers must use the eBay system for payment, right?

2) has anyone else seen this sort of activity? 

3) am I just too new to know some unwritten rule? 

[stainlessenginecovers]

Those are all Scammers. Never give any info; buyers will buy your item as typical, through the ebay purchasing process and never 'contact' you for payment.

Adding 'gift cards' is just another way these scammers can steal from you. 

You have 3 listings, 2 on an 'auction' and one on a 'buy it now'. Change (edit) the 2 auctions to be 'Buy It Now' and click the box that says 'immediate payment required' and get rid of the best offer (uncheck that box)

[inhawaii]

Do not contact any buyer outside of the ebay messaging system.

Buyers do not need your email address for any reason.

Any mention of a gift card is a scam.  Stay away.

[soh.maryl]

This happens a lot to the new kids on the block.  You can ignore and block.

[lakefor94]

Certainly a scam.  Good eye. Smart to come here and check.

[albertabrightalberta]

Scammers look for newbies to take advantage of and to rip off. 

[chapeau-noir]

Fixed price and immediate payment required until you get some experience under your belt and these scammers quit pestering you.

This isn't the only place this happens, either - I had problems when I first started on Poshmark and they went away after a few sales.

Any other questions or concerns, be sure to check in here so we can help!

[m60driver]

As a new small seller may I suggest using the "send offer" option rather than the "best offer" option.  Just price your items towards the higher end of what you hope to net out of the sale and check often at watchers and then when you have one, send them a decent offer sooner rather than later.  This should be able to eliminate most scammers while, at the same time, increasing sales a bit.

[femmefan1946]

SCAM!!

It's a Good Thing that we see this problem brought up on the Boards almost every day.

It shows that new sellers are smart and can see through these feeble ploys.

Best wishes for your future sales.

[soh.maryl]

To the best of my knowledge, there are no "unwritten" rule on eBay.  Everything is carefully spelled out for both buyers and sellers, quite often in more than one location.  You owe it to yourself to be sure you are familiar with all the regulations.