AM I BEING SCAMMED HERE?

[sinjans]

So here's the deal. I just sold an item on ebay. CANON EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III USM Lens +HOOD+FILTER+BAG - eBay (item 320468863458 end time Jan-06-10 08:02:58 PST)

I send the invoice to the buyer who is Italy. This is my first sale on ebay/paypal. I then get an email from paypal telling me that this payment has been received and will be held for up to 21 days until the buyer receives the product. This sounds awfully fishy. I need some wisdom here so fire away. I will post the original email later.

 

[Josh66]

Well, for one - I never use paypal. It's just too easy to get ripped off with it, and their ToS is not exactly good.

Sounds fishy to me. Sounds like he isn't going to pay you until the product is in his hands. Will he pay you then? Who knows...? Will you be able to do anything about it if he doesn't pay you? No.

edit

I would pass on that deal.

 

[Josh66]

Even if he did pay you, and then you shipped the item... All he has to do is say that he never got it, and PayPal will refund his money, taking it from your account, and seizing your personal bank account if necessary.

Read the ToS.

 

[TokZik]

never sell to italy .. i have had scammers from italy try it on me twice.

 

[sinjans]

So how do i get out of it?

 

[Josh66]

So how do i get out of it?

Don't send it.

I don't know what kind of obligations you may heve agreed to by putting the item up for sale on eBay, but there has to be a way out... Worst case, just don't send it and you might get some bad "rep points" or whatever they call it...

You may have entered into a legal agreement though, and if you have, read it - I know there is a way out buried in there somewhere.

 

[TokZik]

use the cancelation form and just say you damaged whatever it was you were going to sell.

to find the cancel sale form just search it in the help section..

you will notice a lot of power sellers will not ship to italy because of the scammers...

 

[sinjans]

Thanks guys. Now this guys emailing me asking me to avoid customs by labling it as a gift. If anyone has gotten rid of a buyer like this in th epast i would like to know how you did it. i know that i will never sell outside canada and the us again.

 

[themedicine]

all i can say is good luck! there is definitely a way out though. contact ebay if it gets too weird, and id say, its gotten there with the "avoid customs" BS

 

[sinjans]

My work email is down right now but i will post them as soon as i can. I just put in a cancel request but the buy has to agree to cancel

 

[mrdemin]

The Powerbook Prank: He wanted a Powerbook. We gave him a P-P-P-Powerbook!

 

[BAmereihn]

do a second chance offer to the next highest bidder also

 

[Josh66]

My work email is down right now but i will post them as soon as i can. I just put in a cancel request but the buy has to agree to cancel

If he doesn't agree, just say "it fell off of my 3rd floor balcony...sure you still want it?"

 

[jennyjen]

Dont send it! youll never get your money, and the person will have a free whateve it is that you sold. Send an empty box to the $hit head!

 

[PatrickHMS]

There is nothing that I know of saying that you have to ship before you receive payment, and this is a scam I have either seen or heard of many times.

I haven't been scammed yet, but I am very careful, and use several paragraphs of little stuff explained at the bottom of every one of my eBay listings about what I will and will not do.

Once your buyer complains to eBay or PayPal, you are screwed. Although YOU pay the fees, and you SHOULD be the customer to eBay/PayPal (same pirate ship) they will take buyers side every time I have ever heard of something like this happening.

Problem with overseas shipping is there is no credible tracking/confirmation, and when buyer claims to not have received item, they charge back against your account, almost no matter what you say, or what proof you have.

But there is nothing I know of that says you have to ship before full payment has been received by you, and their suggesting to you that you avoid customs could be construed as potentially illegal activity.

You could also state within your eBay listing information that you will NEVER ship until YOU have received full payment for the item listed. No exceptions.

And I state that I will not ship outside of USA without my prior written approval, then if you do, get it in black and white that they accept all responsibility for missing shipment, get them to agree in writing that they will not come back against you or give you negative feedback.

I still do ebay, some, but it is getting worse and worse for me as their rules get worse and worse. They just don't see ME, the guy who pays all the fees to them, as their customer. First, they stopped allowing seller to give buyer negative feedback, now they are requiring PayPal as payment. What if we prefer to use a USPS Money Order? eBay doesn't seem to give a damn about the people who list with them.

I use eBay less and less, and Craigslist more and more...

eBay used to be fun, until they got too big for themselves.