What's up with all these buyers with ZERO feedback ratings?

[mmccool719]

So far, I have been ok with my sales but this seems fishy all of a sudden.  I am reading these posts about big scams and it is concerning.  What are some "red flags" to look for?  I always wait for payment and ship my item right through Ebay label.  Seems foolproof but I am skeptical!!!  

[rixstuff]

People buy stuff during the holidays.  People buy stuff on Ebay.  People sign up so they can buy stuff on Ebay during the holidays.  I have had many buyers join Ebay specifically to buy what i was selling and many went on to become long time repeat buyers.  I even helped walk them through the payment process or showed them where to sign up for Paypal.  Just dont do anything you wouldnt ordinarily do - like take checks, or get money orders for outrageous amounts of money way over what the item costs, or ship anywhere other than the address they use in Ebay/Paypal, etc.  Just common sense stuff.

[slippinjimmy]

It's Christmas, people are shopping like maniacs and eBay is doing quite a bit of advertising.

eBay is the only place where new customers are treated with suspicion, you should be thrilled that therre are new buyers coming to eBay and buying your stuff.

To fall prey to a "big scam" you need to sell a "big" item, the only things you've sold in the last week are cheap items.

[chrysylys]

T'is the season to shop and new people come here too.

Also, a new ID doesn't mean a new member.  Some long timers open new IDs to gift shop.

[sodelight]

Those with unusual Ids are often guest buyers. Ebay creates Ids for them, since everyone has to have one. I've sold several items lately to brand new buyers. Had no problem, in fact some were So Delightful!

[idyllictiempo]

Yes, we all have to start from 0.  It would be safe and natural to start with low cost items like anything below $20 or $50.  But to use a zero feedback to buy OR sell an expensive item, it is definitely risky and justifiably suspicious.   Holidays are great time for trouble.

[castlemagicmemories]

It's that time of year!  Many are buying holiday gifts, and they come here to do it!

Everybody has a first time, and likely there will be many more new buyers, either as guests or as new members.

Hopefully they will have good experiences and continue to buy here.

[arisdisc]

Interesting how forgiving all of you are. I find it just the opposite. The ones who end up NOT paying after an auction ends, are the ones with odd generated character string usernames and yes, no feedback.
(and 'I' believe these are users that can't bid on my stuff because of my requirements, thus signing up with a new name so they can).

[fashunu4eeuh]

My experience with zero and low Feedback buyers has all been good. My thought is one cannot tell if a buyer will be good or bad simply based on a feedback score. And nothing is gonna go wrong with my transactions. As long as i keep on my toes, check my PP for payment, ship on time, package securely and try to be otherwise responsive to my buyer’s needs, there’s no need to worry.  There’s enough worry to go around without driving myself crazy over new or guest members.

Ebay is running heavier advertising this season than they have in a long time. (Radio, TV, print) New members can be the result of all that. Let’s hope.

[femmefan1946]

The ones who end up NOT paying after an auction ends, are the ones with odd generated character string usernames and yes, no feedback.

That's because, in many cases, they did not realize they were bidding in an auction.

So when they didn't win immediately, they went on and bought a Fixed Price item instead.

Seven days later, they are told they owe money and ignore it.

Holiday periods are a bad time to have auctions.

Fixed Price with Immediate Payment Required, Flat Rate (and preferbably Free *) Shipping.

Look Martha, a purple tweeslebopper, just what little Jimmy wanted for Christmas!

How much is it?

I can't tell, it seems to be 99 cents, but the shipping fee is on another page and is $35.

That sounds funny George.

It's okay Martha here's another one at $39 with Free Delivery

Buy that one,  George.

* Free Shipping just means putting the cost of shipping into the asking price.

Which is cheaper :  a $10 item with $5 shipping or a $15 item with Free Shipping?

[jmollay]

Just had someone with zero feedback offer $5 lower than my buy it now price. Should I accept the offer? I've read through several ebay topics on zero feedback buyers. It seems a 50/50 split on accepting the offer or canceling the item...thoughts?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/192402961342?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1558.l2649

[partial*eclipse]

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@jmollay wrote:
Just had someone with zero feedback offer $5 lower than my buy it now price. ... split on accepting the offer or canceling the item...

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You're a new seller who is selling an iPhone, so you are a scam magnet.  

For an iPhone, I wouldn't even set up the listing with "Best offer," much less consider an offer from a zero-feedback buyer.  And an offer that's $5 below your asking price on a $700 item is clearly just trying to avoid your "Immediate payment required."

But there's no reason to end the listing.  Just ignore or decline offers that make you uncomfortable.

[luckythewinner]

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@mmccool719 wrote:

So far, I have been ok with my sales but this seems fishy all of a sudden.  I am reading these posts about big scams and it is concerning.  What are some "red flags" to look for?  I always wait for payment and ship my item right through Ebay label.  Seems foolproof but I am skeptical!!!  

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A buyer with feedback can scam you just as easily as a buyer with zero feedback.

You appear to already be handling the three most important red flags - waiting for payment, shipping to the address on the payment, and uploading your tracking promptly. 

But there is no way to make selling on ebay "foolproof" - it is an unfortunate fact of life on eBay that any buyer can steal any item from any seller at any time, as long as he does not make a mistake while stealing it. 

But the fact that fraud can happen does not mean that it will happen - so as long as they not selling items that they cannot afford to lose, most sellers are willing to take the risk. 

[lintbrush*]

@jmollay

partial*eclipse is right.   Lose the Best Offer on the listing.  If you accept a best offer, your Immediate Payment Required is no longer enforceable.  That's what this new buyer (likely not legit) is trying to get around.

Only ship when you actually log into PayPal and see the OK to Ship notification.  You will never need to provide your PayPal email addy (or a PP invoice) to the "buyer" in order for them to pay.  It's all done through eBay.  

Can you add another shipping option? - like Priority Mail? Or UPS 3 day?  $100 to ship the phone is crazy.  That's what it's showing for coast-to-coast.   If you edit, put the cheaper option as the first choice so it shows in the search results.

Also, for shipments that total over $750 (item + shipping), you need Signature Confirmation to prove delivery.  Simple Delivery Confirmation won't do.

[asnlc]

Have some concern over a recent sale - buyer's account is new, zero feedback.  I think the more concerning part is the user ID looks like gibberish (numbers and letters).  Could this be an autogenerated fake account?  They paid immediately, but it's a low $ item (less than $20).