Dodgy or Genuine eBay Buyer. Let The Forum Decide!

seraphim2017 on 28/04/2020 - 07:53

So. I put a couple of console accessories on eBay, happy to combine postage, blah blah blah. Stated zero bidders to contact me first etc.

Brand new rBayer bought them (set as buy it now), paid via PayPal (credit card).

PayPal says I have seller protection, does this mean ANYTHING? ( I dislike PayPal at the best of times).

Sent message and eBayer got back to me about half an hour later confirming address (real house in Bundaberg area), and s mobile, which I'll call later to verify, confirmed they wanted item and all seems legit, good English, etc.

Question, as I don't eBay much. Any way this could backfire on me?

I record condition of items/,serial no's. Packing etc and always get tracking, and the items are working and in good condition, but will need a big ($) package to get there safely.

Opinions, safe to send or a common scam?

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Comments

  • Hithere on 28/04/2020 - 08:05
    +3

    Any way this could backfire on me?

    The most common scam around.

    Buyer receives item then puts in an INAD or broken when received claim.

    Paypal refunds buyer, ignores seller's evidence, as per usual, and buyer keeps item.

    Seller now out of pocket for postage etc., and also loses item.

    I've stopped selling on eBay for this reason.

  • bobbified on 28/04/2020 - 08:55

    The closest thing to a risk-free transaction is a person-to-person cash transaction.

    What you've described in your OP is one of the most common methods used for these transactions. It tries to balance the risks/outcomes between the buyer and seller. The majority will go through just fine, but there's always people that who abuse it. No-one is going to be able to tell you whether the buyer is a scammer or not. The decision on whether to go ahead is yours.

  • FireRunner on 28/04/2020 - 10:13

    I've sold to brand new eBay sellers before, no issues from them, not to say I've never had issues as a seller.
    It sounds like your buyer checked out as a guest. There's no 100% certainty they are a legitimate buyer but nothing sounds suspicious to me so probably ok.
    How valuable is your item? I find scammers like to go for popular, high-value items (e.g. mobile phones) as they're easy to resell for a quick profit

    • seraphim2017 on 28/04/2020 - 10:17

      items are $100 plus post, so not massively expensive (console accessories I YouTube'd a demo of them working and being boxed up etc). Ebay 'help' chat has said account isn't linked to other accounts at that address that have had strikes etc, so looks clean. He's sent me a phone number and address (that matches the paypal checkout), he says he used a CC as he doesn't have paypal, I didn't even know you could do that. Still of two minds, I guess even 'seasoned' looking eBay accounts can still try to scam people. Maybe more so as they know how! Hmm.

      • FireRunner on 28/04/2020 - 10:30
        +1

        Seasoned accounts are usually safe except when they're hacked. I don't think they could get away with scamming more than a few times with a single account. Honestly, I think it sounds fine. You've also got a substantial level of proof so in the very worse case you can contact AFCA if PayPal sides against you.
        The worse case I've had to deal with was a buyer filing a charge back 3 months after purchasing but I was able to get my money back after contacting AFCA. You can see my posts here and here

  • rambao9 on 28/04/2020 - 10:15

    If you have videos of you packing and sending item with tracking number, can't see much going wrong.

    • Quantumcat on 28/04/2020 - 12:07

      PayPal won't look at videos but could help with AFCA if they sided against OP

      • rambao9 on 28/04/2020 - 13:07

        AFAIK, the disputes for eBay must go through the eBay resolution Centre instead now? It shouldn't go through PayPal anymore.

        But given, I haven't sold anything on eBay for centuries…

  • seraphim2017 on 28/04/2020 - 10:19

    Yeah the first time I did it the parcel desk was like "?" but then they realised that it might cover me and thought it was actually far more sensible than me having to ask them for their cctv and mine shows box contents prior to being sealed up, so no old 'switcheroo' allegations, I'd never do it but you hear stories.

    • Hithere on 28/04/2020 - 11:29

      While that may help to prove that an item was posted it still doesn't cover the unscrupulous buyer saying that the item didn't work or was broken when they received it, which may be their original scam.

      • seraphim2017 on 28/04/2020 - 11:34

        I also record me using the items before putting them into the box along with serial numbers recorded, so hopefully that would help?

        • Hithere on 28/04/2020 - 11:38

          It's definitely a good idea however getting the Paypal drones to accept your evidence without escalating your case to AFCA can sometimes be more hassles than its worth for smaller items.

          IMO Whenever possible a selling platform such as Gumtree with face to face cash only is a (financially) better option.

          • seraphim2017 on 28/04/2020 - 12:30

            @Hithere: Agreed, try to sell most of my stuff on there as despite the best attempts of the party cash is (mostly) king. Plus no fees, which stings! Just so happened that this one was worth a lot more selling Aus wide than locally ($15 vs $100).

  • seraphim2017 on 28/04/2020 - 10:37

    Thanks for the responses all (and keep them coming please!)

    I am sure when I first used ebay, you could block people with new accounts, zero feedbacks etc, now it's 3 strikes only! I've never sold much stuff, prefer gumtree face to face so I can be sure buyer is happy with the items, but decided to list (also had some 'rare' ish games I sold, the joys of coronavirus means people are rediscovering retro gaming!

    It's only when I had a clear out i realised how much really good condition stuff I have (had!) Consoles etc. are just too big and fragile so those I insisted on face to face to demonstrate etc. Games I showed them working as I played them but showed the 'test' play as well to show working, as occasionally scuff marks just won't show on camera no matter what angle you take the image at!

  • Ughhh on 28/04/2020 - 11:10

    PayPal says I have seller protection, does this mean ANYTHING?

    Best way to win the game is to actually understand how the game works, and what you need to do. So best read up what PayPal states in seller and buyer protection.

    • seraphim2017 on 28/04/2020 - 12:35

      Thanks, seems the only thing would be if item 'damaged in transit' that could ever be alleged, and that's out of my control although in theory delivery company confirm parcel not damaged at point of delivery via signing (hah!) and I pack things like they're going to be dropped from a plane!

  • seraphim2017 on 29/04/2020 - 13:04

    May have been genuine, maybe not, decided to cancel and relist selling locally (collection) only, they're not taking up much room/don't need the money urgently, rather wait for a lesser, guaranteed cash in hand than a ballache on eBay.

    Although just tried to pay in cash at JB Hifi for a small item, to clear some change from the pocket, they didn't want it! oh well!

    On another note for the brains trust, I just realised that with my Xbox one came an entire game I never knew, Minecraft story mode complete, on a cardboard 'scratch' card, but it's (obviously) unscratched. Now, I have no interest in playing it, can it be sold, as it's not been redeemed so is still technically a 'full' game? I assume redeemed codes themselves can never be unredeemed from an account to be resold, but how about unscratched ones?

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