eBay

summitr62 · ‎07-01-2020

Recently a buyer purchased an item and I packaged it up and took it to USPS the next day. While at the counter the clerk could not locate the address in their database, so I did not send the package. I have contacted the buyer to verify the address (Puerto Rico) but they have not replied. I'd like to get this package out to complete my part as a seller, but what do I do if they do not respond? Could this be a scam? I've checked out the profile of the buyer and nothing stands out to me as suspect and I'm not sure how this could be a scam. Just started selling and don't want any negativity associated with my account. Does anyone have any suggestions?

orangehound · ‎07-01-2020

The address could be correct, but it might have a slight misspelling. Or, the way it is ordered on the label could be confusing. In my experience, Puerto Rico addresses are long and often abbreviated to fit shipping labels. A buyer who has a lot of purchases would probably have their address entered in such a way that it would get to them.

If you want, you can check on the USPS website or Google maps. If it is a slight misspelling, you can change it to be more in line with what the USPS expects. If anything, it is likely an honest mistake ... you haven't sold anything that makes me concerned with you being scammed. (The eBay Seller Protection will not cover you if you ship to an address different than what is originally given to you, but I don't believe it is voided if you make a minor correction of the same address).

But, if you still can't find the address and the buyer is not responding, then you can cancel the purchase with the reason being "Problem with the buyer's address" (or something like that).

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orangehound · ‎07-01-2020

The address could be correct, but it might have a slight misspelling. Or, the way it is ordered on the label could be confusing. In my experience, Puerto Rico addresses are long and often abbreviated to fit shipping labels. A buyer who has a lot of purchases would probably have their address entered in such a way that it would get to them.

If you want, you can check on the USPS website or Google maps. If it is a slight misspelling, you can change it to be more in line with what the USPS expects. If anything, it is likely an honest mistake ... you haven't sold anything that makes me concerned with you being scammed. (The eBay Seller Protection will not cover you if you ship to an address different than what is originally given to you, but I don't believe it is voided if you make a minor correction of the same address).

But, if you still can't find the address and the buyer is not responding, then you can cancel the purchase with the reason being "Problem with the buyer's address" (or something like that).

summitr62 · ‎07-01-2020

Thanks for the reply and great info! I will look into and get to you.

summitr62 · ‎07-01-2020

Took it to another USPS and they pulled it right up.

a_c_green · ‎07-01-2020

@summitr62 wrote:
Recently a buyer purchased an item and I packaged it up and took it to USPS the next day. While at the counter the clerk could not locate the address in their database, so I did not send the package. I have contacted the buyer to verify the address (Puerto Rico) but they have not replied. I'd like to get this package out to complete my part as a seller, but what do I do if they do not respond? Could this be a scam?

Not a scam, no. Consider that even a scammer wants to give you a deliverable address, because otherwise they wouldn't be able to receive their item.

It sounds like the buyer's rendering of his mailing address is not what the USPS system expects to see, and it can't recognize the wording clearly enough to figure out how to correct it automatically. Puerto Rico addresses in particular can have this problem, so much so that the USPS has an information page about it here:

https://pe.usps.com/text/pub28/28c2_041.htm

Compare your buyer's address to the examples shown there, and see if that helps to shed some light on it. You're okay to correct the address as long as you're not changing it to a different location.