User bought my item but name on shipping address was John Smith. Address looked like just built home

[multimediaxchange]

Am I being too cautious? I listed an item and it sold almost immediately to a person who used buy it now. They created an account yesterday and had zero feedback. The name on the shipping address was "John Smith" and the address doesn't look like anyone lives there (no record of a home sale or house on the poperty). 

The item I sold has been ripe for fraud apparently so I canceled the order because of the bogus name but the buyer reached out to me and asked why I canceled and he said he'd update the name if I wanted to relist it. 

Not sure what to do. Am I being ridiculous? It's $160+Shipping so it's not something I want to have a charge back on in a couple weeks saying I never delivered it. Btw, what happened to PayPal? It's been a while since I've sold here but now it's all in house?

Are we allowed to specify "no zero feedback buyers" in a listing?

Thanks!

[kensgiftshop]

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@multimediaxchange wrote:

The name on the shipping address was "John Smith"

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I've known a few John Smith's and a few John Doe's, so I wouldn't think anything about the name.

As far as the address, I never look them up, if USPS says it's a good address, I ship.

No, you can't put that in your listing.

Zero feedback buyers money spends just as good as a buyer with thousands of feedback and you have the same chance of getting scammed.

[wahlstreetmkt · Accepted solution]

John Smith is a super common name in the US. And as said, John Doe is a real name too.

Won't fully protect you. But if you're concerned, maybe pay a little extra and require a signature confirmation. For that amount, you probably are anyhow though.

And yes. All in house now.

[katzrul15]

@multimediaxchange 

Any reason you didn't make the item "private" for the buyer?  Am guessing based on the item, perhaps that is why the name is what it is?  (John Smith, John Doe, etc??)

If you put into Google earth our home address, it does not even show our house in the Cul-de-Sac and we have lived here over 18 years.  We built this house and google earth still shows an empty lot for us, no house next door and the 3rd house down that burned to the ground 5 years ago, standing.  I give minimal merit to google earth.

Are you saying you already cancelled this order?  How was this "ripe" for fraud, exactly?

[multimediaxchange]

Not sure what you mean by "private for the buyer". It'd ripe for fraud because apparently there is someone/some people going around and ripping sellers off. 

It's not just the address and no feedback (though no feedback is a big negative to me) but also that it's a very new ebay account. 

I checked the address via property records more than just Google earth and unless it was sold like within the month there is no record of it being developed or sold. 

Yes I already canceled because, the buyer seemed to confirm it was a fake name used (perhaps because of the nature of the item if not for fraud, idk).

[wastingtime101]

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@multimediaxchange wrote:

The item I sold has been ripe for fraud apparently so I canceled the order because of the bogus name but the buyer reached out to me and asked why I canceled and he said he'd update the name if I wanted to relist it. 

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That's weird.

[shirkie_42]

You do realize there a millions of people named John Smith in the world?

[ittybitnot]

so I canceled the order because of the bogus name

@multimediaxchange 

Please be cautious cancelling orders.  There are only a couple of reasons for "cancelling" that do not give you a serious defect against your account.  They don't allow but a couple before your selling days here would be over for good. 

You will not get a claim filed against you for non-delivery so long as you ship to the address provided with the order and tracking shows "delivered".  There is always the possibility of a 'not as described claim' or and 'empty box' issue later on.  That is true of ANYTHING on ebay. 

I am unfamiliar with any reports on fraudulent dealings with items of the genre.  Just my personal opinion is so long as that "empty lot" is not in Delaware you probably should be good to go.    

I just have to ask, however, does eBay actually require that you take returns on this sort of thing?  

[katzrul15]

When you list an adult item (or any item for that matter) you can check a box in the listing template so that it is "private" to the buyer.  Just thought perhaps based on the item sold that is why the Buyer used the name "John Smith" to ship to.  When we shop on Amazon, the default name is my Siamese Cat, Lucy that they ship to.  When I see a shipping label that says "lucy", I know it is an Amazon order (my point being, I can enter any name for a shipment on here or any site - sometimes I get things that get shipped to Grandma Lois or Trucker Bill (both real labels).  If e-Bay says to ship, I ship as a rule.

We get quite a few brand new buyers - Not certain on the other issues you were concerned with.  Good luck with your item(s).  I probably would have insured, used adult signature confirmation and shipped it off.  

p.s.  You asked about Paypal in your OP - you have signed up for Managed Payments, correct, so that when you re-list this and it sells, you can get paid?

[multimediaxchange]

Probably not, but maybe.

Regardless the name didn't match the property records and the buy said they'd update the name to the correct name if I wanted to relist it... 

Any one of these things wouldn't be an issue. If the account wasn't made yesterday or if they had some feedback I wouldn't have even checked but... 

[downunder-61]

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@wastingtime101 wrote:

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@multimediaxchange wrote:

The item I sold has been ripe for fraud apparently so I canceled the order because of the bogus name but the buyer reached out to me and asked why I canceled and he said he'd update the name if I wanted to relist it. 

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That's weird.

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Yeah, the actual name on the original order I can understand, but willing to change it? that was the flag for me.

I would add the buyer to your BBL just in case, he may be as honest as the day is long, but I wouldn't risk it

[kensgiftshop]

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@multimediaxchange wrote:

Yes I already canceled because, the buyer seemed to confirm it was a fake name used (perhaps because of the nature of the item if not for fraud, idk).

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Don't think it had anything to do with fraud.

[multimediaxchange]

Not that I know. It says returns not allowed but literally everything I sell I sell that way (haven't sold in a couple years though). 

Maybe I just need to do it requiring a signature. I don't see that an option for the listing, is it after the fact. I'm using the phone app which seems super basic. I don't see anywhere to mark it as private for seller as another poster mentioned. 

[lightlily_arts]

Sometimes you get strange buyers.  A few months back I had a buyer using the name of Harriet Beecher Stowe and the shipping address was a freight forwarding company.  I actually shipped the package with signature required and was delivered without a problem.  However,  two weeks afterwards I received an email from eBay advising me not to ship as the buyer was NARU.  Fortunately, I never heard anything else and didn't have any problems.

[luckythewinner]

There are about 19,500 town in the United States, and about 25,000 people named John Smith in the United States. So on average, there is one per town and about 500 in every state. 

All that aside ... 

They pay, I ship. I have never made a decision based on "researching" a buyer's address.