Help First Time Seller

[deemanzburgz]

Hello, I'm a first time seller so it's a bit confusing to me. I just recently sold a Nintendo Switch and it sold, and the buyer sent the payment to my PayPal. The money says it is on hold, and the buyer wanted to change their address from their paypal because it was wrong and they couldnt change it. Do I have the go-ahead to ship their item to this new address?

[kensgiftshop]

No, never change the address.

If it was the real buyer asking to change the address, you'll need to cancel the order as a problem with buyers address, then they can buy using the correct address.

Before you cancel, check the ID of your buyer and the ID of the person that sent the message and see if they match.

New sellers can have their funds held for 21 days, but they usually release them a day or so after tracking shows the item was delivered.

Before shipping, always log in to your Pay Pal account and make sure the payment is there and Pay Pal says it's ok to ship.

[orangehound]

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@deemanzburgz wrote:

The money says it is on hold, and the buyer wanted to change their address from their paypal because it was wrong and they couldnt change it. Do I have the go-ahead to ship their item to this new address?

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@deemanzburgz 

You are a new seller, attempting to sell expensive items ... you are a big target for thieves.

First, that message you got may not be from your buyer.  Thieves masquerade as the real buyer in an attempt to get you to ship to a different address.

Second, even if the message is from the real buyer, an address change should set off very loud alarm bells, because you lose the ONLY seller protection available to you if you ship to a different address ... I would guess there is about a 98% chance it is a thief.

Finally, kudos to you for reaching out!!!   Keep doing it, because we don't want you to be a victim.  It is best for new sellers to sell cheaper items first to learn how eBay works - there are a lot of ways that you can be tricked by scam artists and thieves, and eBay typically WILL NOT protect you.

[deemanzburgz]

Thanks, any suggestions in what to do next? Should I cancel the order and if so how?

[orangehound]

1. Be courteous and send a note to the buyer saying that you cannot change the address, but that you will cancel the order since the address is incorrect.
2. Go into your Orders Page, find the item, and you'll see a drop-down menu on the left side.  Click on that, and select "cancel order".
3. On the next page, you will need to select the cancellation reason - you will select, "Problem with Buyer Address"
4. Go to your "Blocked Buyers List" and add the seller to your list.  You don't want them purchasing again.

The cancellation might take a day or so to complete.  You will not be refunded PayPal fees, but you should receive back eBay fees.

[deemanzburgz]

Hey again,
Sorry if it feels like I'm bothering you, it's just you seem to be my only reliant source at the time. I just sold my other item and the buyer paid. Do I do any research on them before I send it? Because this time they haven't said anything about an address change or anything as a matter of fact.

[orangehound]

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@deemanzburgz wrote:
Hey again,
Sorry if it feels like I'm bothering you, it's just you seem to be my only reliant source at the time. I just sold my other item and the buyer paid. Do I do any research on them before I send it? Because this time they haven't said anything about an address change or anything as a matter of fact.

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(You aren't bothering me)  The vast majority of buyers on eBay are honest.  What I tell people on these boards, and those I coach, is that your best strategy for high-theft items is to list in such a way so as to not attract the thieves, such as:

• Use fixed price listings with immediate payment required.  And list with a price that will sell quickly. 
• Do not sell internationally.
• Do not change addresses.
• Always check your PayPal account to make sure that the money is in there before shipping ... do not depend on emails.
• Check addresses with USPS.com to ensure it is correct, particularly for new eBay buyers.

[lex-talon]

 Do I do any research on them before I send it? Because this time they haven't said anything about an address change or anything as a matter of fact. 

You can read up on their feedback left and received, but that's  an optional thing. As long as the money is in your Paypal, it's ok to ship the item.