Buyer is sending up some red flags. Not sure if buyer just doesn't understand or is trying to scam.

[fudder1]

Hello. So I've sold an expensive item (over $750) and I'm debating whether or not whether I should refund this sale and give up the 2.9% paypal fee or not. The reason for this is because the buyer is tossing up some red flags. The item was bought about a week ago with 10 days handling which the buyer was okay with. When I finally had the item ready to be shipped out I sent the buyer pictures making sure to confirm that that was the item they had wanted it. He explicitly said everything looks good. I message him again to make sure that he was the owner of the paypal account that authorized the purchase. He explicitly said that it was. I message him saying that the item will be shipped out the next day as it is late and then he says that he won't be home at the time so I will have to put a family member's name. I tell him I have to send it to the address given in the sale. He messages me again asking if I can send it to his family member's house then. I say again that I have to send it to the address given in the sale and tell him some options where he can pick it up from the post office or have whoever is home at the time sign off on it. He okays thisnd tells me to ship it out. I haven't shipped it out yet because I can't tell if he's going to scam me because he told me to ship to another address or if he just doesn't know the rules as a seller/buyer on ebay. He's been a member since 2017 and has a handful of reviews over 60 days old. I could use some advice from someone who has more experience. 

[fudder1]

I forgot to mention it would be shipped out with a signature required upon delivery

[divwido]

Why are you asking them so many questions?  Now I'm suspicious of you.

[myangelandmyprincess]

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@divwido wrote:

Why are you asking them so many questions?  Now I'm suspicious of you.

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That was my thought.  A seller asking me all that would make me worry as a buyer 

[bonjourami]

Its not unusual for a buyer to ask to change the delivery address.Who can predict if hes a scammer or not? Insure the item, ship to the confirmed address,get sig conf, and keep your fingers crossed.

[no_zero369]

@fudder1 

Ditto on the "ship it" comments.

Why are you getting upset about the 2.9% PP fee?  If you haven't done so already that should be considered a 'sunk cost' on all transactions going forward.  Figure that into your pricing and profit calculations and move on.  Doing something to avoid a normal selling cost seems like penny wise and pound foolishness.  Make a business decision.

Buyer sounds responsive, so I would not worry.

Alternatively you could help the buyer find how to redirect a package using the USPS Package Intercept Service.

https://www.usps.com/manage/package-intercept.htm

Just don't to forget to tell him that in redirecting the package, the buyer will lose protections under the MBG!

[lex-talon]

When I finally had the item ready to be shipped out I sent the buyer pictures making sure to confirm that that was the item they had wanted it. He explicitly said everything looks good. 

You should have ended the conversation right then and there.

No need for further correspondence.

[bonjourami]

If your buyer decides to use package intercept to change the delivery address, make sure he is aware of the fee.

[fudder1]

The thought process I have is that if they confirm the item is what they want they can't say its not as described and if they confirm the payment was authorized I have proof it is in case its authorized. This is my first time selling something that expensive and I want to cover my butt in case of any issues. 

[fudder1]

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@lex-talon wrote:

When I finally had the item ready to be shipped out I sent the buyer pictures making sure to confirm that that was the item they had wanted it. He explicitly said everything looks good. 

You should have ended the conversation right then and there.

No need for further correspondence.

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except that the buyer wanted me to ship the package first under a different name and then an entirely different address. Which I had to tell them thats not possible

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@fudder1 wrote: ...  if they confirm the item is what they want they can't say its not as described .... 

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Of course they still can.

The only thing covering your butt is Signature Confirmation.

[fudder1]

Not upset about having to pay the fee. Just that now if there is sketchy buyer I can't just cancel the order  and issue a refund if I feel its not right. If payment is sent immediately after purchase it takes money out of my pocket to refund the buyer. 

[myangelandmyprincess]

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@fudder1 wrote:

The thought process I have is that if they confirm the item is what they want they can't say its not as described and if they confirm the payment was authorized I have proof it is in case its authorized. This is my first time selling something that expensive and I want to cover my butt in case of any issues. 

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This thought process is flawed.  The buyer can still claim not as described easily in fact and you’ll be on the hook for that.  With unauthorized there is no need to confirm the address. You ship to the address in PayPal with the signature confirmation and PayPal seller protection protects you.  For unauthorized you ONLY have to show you shipped to that address 

[mvls1]

If your item is the kaws, I don't know what a kaws is or why it is worth that much to begin with. Anyway, from looking at it I am guessing it is a fad type of collectible and I would be concerned that the buyer would want to return it after a while, especially having paid $750 for it, but then I would never buy it in the first place. Hope it works out for you.

[lamber9347]

Oh dear but there are so many things wrong with what you've written here. I'm not sure where to start....

Since you are a new seller you simply have to accept certain things. Selling online comes with a variety of risks, that is a given. When you choose to sell using this platform you must abide by the TOS from eBay. You really need to familiarize yourself with all the rules and keep in mind they change frequently throughout the year- every year. There is a MBG on every item sold through eBay so every item you sell runs the risk of being returned or the buyer saying it is not as described. 

You are writing your buyers much too often. Having a 10 day shipping is incredibly long and I'm shocked anyone agreed to purchase your item with those stats. It matters not one iota if your buyer tells you in advance that they really want your item, once they actually receive it they are allowed to change their mind. Your item can be damaged in shipping, happens every single day. There are just so many variables as to why your sale can go south. 

I highly suggest you spend more time on this board reading other posts from sellers with years of on hand experience in this medium. Search through the topics and learn from mistakes others have made. Ask questions and create new posts so you can receive good ideas. 

Selling on here can be fun and the majority of your sales will be good positive experiences. However you must prepare yourself for the bad ones too. It will happen to you, it's only a matter of time. Learn from your experiences and make changes as you need to. Really you need to stop sending so many messages before you've even shipped your item out. You also need to ship this out as the sale is completed. 

Best of luck to you....