I think I may be getting scammed, what can I do to protect myself?

[ryan-and-danny]

I sold an antique radio for around $2,000. The buyer had zero feedback (buyer or selling) and reached out to me asking "Hello, if I pay full price would you agree to a return if it is damaged during shipping?". I though that was a fair question, a little weird, but fair.

I responded that I wouldn't accept a return but would file a claim with the carrier (it's a large, heavy radio), and they then sent me an offer for the full amount of the item. I haven't had that happen before, so I Google it, and there were some posts here about full offers being a red flag for a scam. I declined the offer, and told them to "Buy it now", which they did.

So after putting the weird question and the full offer together, I'm feeling a little on edge about it. I contacted the buyer after they purchased and asked them to confirm they read the description, pictures, etc. They haven't responded yet, and I'm thinking I may not ship it until they do. I'll take a hit on my account for late shipment, but I'd rather have that then a scammer.

Any thoughts/ideas on what I can do to protect myself here? I'm probably overreacting, but it's my first $1,000+ sale, so I'm nervous.

EDIT: I also just noticed the buyer name and the ship to address name are different people, weird.

[tobaccocardyahoo]

Maybe it is a scam and maybe not.

I would worry about safe arrival with that radio or any other tube radio, especially from a seller who offers free shipping on it.

I would not worry about the return policy since if it is damaged in shipping, you the seller will be forced to refund or pay for a return and refund by Ebay.

As I see it, this does not meet the criteria for most common scams, an item which is easily resold by the buyer.

But by selling an item so much more expensive than other items you offer, you are more of a target than most sellers are.

[fern*wood]

I'm not good at predicting who might be a dishonest buyer, but I know a nightmare ship when I see one.  There is no way in Hades I'd ship that radio---local pickup only. 

[mtgraves7984]

@ryan-and-danny 

I don't think the '0' feedback will matter... my guess is that the buyer might have signed on just to buy your radio.

I do have a warning for you, though. The disclaimer in your description... "Since I cannot fully test this item, I will not accept returns on it for any reason. Returning an item this large and heavy would be incredibly difficult. Consider this an "as-is" sale, review the description and photos carefully before purchasing."... won't hold water in light of a Not as Described claim.

I'd just make sure I packed it properly, since the buyer has already made known to you the importance of it. Good luck.

[lux.ra_14]

Yikes. I'm good at packaging, but I would hate to ship that radio. The buyer was right to ask about potential shipping damage.

If he's anywhere close, even a few hundred miles away, I would think about arranging to deliver it in person. Driving would definitely be safer than shipping it, and probably with not much difference in price. 

[ryan-and-danny]

I was thinking about local pickup. I contacted another seller who had the same radio for local pickup and he said it had been listed for over a year. I can't do year long sell through rates, so I decided to ship.

[ryan-and-danny]

Yeah the disclaimer is mostly to get people to really think about there purchase beforehand, rather then after. It doesn't do much for returns.

[ryan-and-danny]

I considered local pickup, but was worried about the sell through rate. I don't have the space to store this radio for a long time.

[grand-and-glorious-purpose]

Any buyer asking me about returning an item before they buy it is not one I would want to deal with. 

[janet9988]

You listed the item as USED...that means fully functional.

 You should cancel the sale.

The red flag for me is that no legit buyer would send an OFFER for the full amount.

 They would just use the Buy it NOW icon.

[aproudparent2010]

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@ryan-and-danny wrote:

I was thinking about local pickup. I contacted another seller who had the same radio for local pickup and he said it had been listed for over a year. I can't do year long sell through rates, so I decided to ship.

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I'm almost 100% sure this sale will end up with you losing your money, maybe the radio and negative feedback,