Seller is using my address

[mec19808]

For the past 6 months or so, every week or two my USPS Informed Delivery email shows outbound packages from my address, and the date they are expected to be delivered. These are labelled "eBay Powered by Pitney Bowes." When I check the tracking numbers on the USPS site it shows the labels originated from my ZIP code, but they were physically shipped either from Maryland or from a post office in my city, but not near where I live.

I don't have an eBay shipping account and have not sold anything on eBay in at least 15 years (when I did sell a few things it was when I lived elsewhere).  I'm not the one shipping these packages. Whoever is selling these items, whatever they are, has set up their seller's account using my address. 

It is possible this is the previous owners of my home, and they have just never updated the address on their account. But I don't know that for sure and eBay refuses to give me any sort of help. I have made several attempts. They won't tell me the eBay store name that is using my address (so that I can message them through their store) and they won't notify the eBay seller that they must update their address. (It seems like they could just apply a pop-up to the account that tells them they must do so.)

I was told that if something they sell gets returned and shows up at my home, then I should just mark it "return to sender" and drop it back at the post office. Then when it bounces back to the person who bought it and was trying to return it, that will probably lead to the seller realizing the problem with the address. And if there is ever any issue with something being sold on eBay illegally or fraudulently, by an account using my address, then my contacts with eBay Help will serve as evidence that I was not the one doing the selling and I had reported the misuse of my address. So it will get sorted out without repercussions to me. Seriously? I mean, what the heck?

So in theory an eBay seller can just set up a shipping account with whatever address they want and there is nothing proactive the actual occupant at that address can do? Is there really nothing that can be done via eBay? 

I have never met the person I bought my house from, he sent his agent to the closing, but I suppose I could track him down, maybe find him on social media or ask for help from the listing realtor, who probably has, or can get, his current address. But I don't even know for sure if he, or one of his adult kids, is the one using my address, so it just seems weird to do that.

Is this a common issue? Any suggestions?

[pburn]

Check your county assessor's website for your current address. It may show the previous owner's name (it does in my county), and then search for that name on the website to find their new address--if they purchased property in the same county, anyway.

[supercharger-parts]

I would contact your post office and see what help they may be able to offer or the postal inspection service would be my next thought.

Generally you might think it's not that big of a deal if someone is using your return address, just an annoyance, but what if they have postage due?  What if they are committing mail fraud?  What if they are shipping hazardous items?  Lots of different reasons why you would not want them to use your return address. 

Best wishes getting it sorted out.

[coolections]

How do you know someone is using your address to ship items?

[nobody*s_perfect]

If you've been at your current address for less than 12 months, there's a good chance that the previous owner has a forwarding address on file at your Post Office.  There's probably no way to persuade them to just tell you what it is. But if you send him a letter about this issue, addressed to your current address, it might get forwarded to him.

[titipeo]

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@nobody*s_perfect wrote:

If you've been at your current address for less than 12 months, there's a good chance that the previous owner has a forwarding address on file at your Post Office.  There's probably no way to persuade them to just tell you what it is. But if you send him a letter about this issue, addressed to your current address, it might get forwarded to him.

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That's the same thing I thought of. Typically, that is one of the first thing one does once you move. I just went through that when I sold my parents house and filled out all the pertinent notification. However, I semmed to recall that there was a minimum fee of less than $2 to set this up, and it was valid for about 3 months or so. The odd part is that I never received anything forwarded to me, and that's the home address as well as my parent's PO Box, which is where they received most of their mail. 

[nobody*s_perfect]

Mail forwarding for most classes of mail is free and is in effect for 12 months.  Filing the forwarding order  is free if you do it at the Post Office, but costs $1.10 (!) if you do it online.

https://www.usps.com/manage/forward.htm

[dirk12955]

OP is getting notifications of "Informed delivery"  from USPS about outbound packages

with his (TheOPs)  return address.

USPS "Informed delivery"  messages are going to the OPs CURRENT email address.    

Whoever is sending the packages is using the OPs email or he wouldn't get those

notifications.

[redmodelt]

You might change your password(s), your account may have been hacked. When was the last time you scanned your computer for any kind of malware? 

If your account is updated to your current address, you would by default have a shipping account. Buying and selling are not separate accounts. 

[dirk12955]

I'm wondering why the OP is getting emails from the USPS and not from ebay.

This is truly bizarre.   

[mec19808]

Thanks. I know his name, I'm just reluctant to track him down and contact him if he is not the one who owns this eBay shipping account. I know he has adult sons; maybe one of them set up the eBay shipping account years ago when they still lived here. Or maybe this has no connection to that family at all. But I guess that is the next step.

[mec19808]

Exactly. I don't know what is being shipped using my address as the shipper. Maybe it is stolen goods put up for sale on eBay. Whatever it is, it's just wrong that someone else is allowed by eBay to use my address falsely and fraudulently, and I am told there is not a thing they can do about it.

[dirk12955]

You're focused on the address which I understand.

USPS is sending notifications to YOUR EMAIL!

[mec19808]

Because the USPS tells me nearly every week that they are. This person has an eBay shipping account under my address ("eBay powered by Pitney Bowes"). My Informed Delivery emails, (which normally just show me photographs of mail to expect in my mailbox) every week or two show me that my address shipped packages, with tracking numbers and the date when I can expect those packages to be delivered to the recipient.  Tracking shows the shipping label created from my city and zip code, and then it shows the physical post office where it was mailed.

[redmodelt]

Told by who? Have you gone to the Post Office and talked in person to the Post Master there? Someone is committing fraud by using your address. They will be able to look deeper into what is going on than anyone at eBay or just going online to USPS.com. Make a list of all the tracking numbers you can and take with you.