Are fruitcakes running rampant on eBay lately? Selling, buying, listing, feedback, etc...

[legoray01]

1 hour ago, MusiKyle said:

I paid for shipping had tracking but hadn't yet shipped before the buyer notified me of fraud.  So I still have the item.  I'll just have to contact PayPal.  It sounds like an easy $20 for them but there's no reason for it.

Okay - mine were shipped and tracking showed delivery but IF you paid for shipping and tracking but had not shipped you should not eat the $20,  that just seems stoopid.

 

[MusiKyle]

21 minutes ago, legoray01 said:

Okay - mine were shipped and tracking showed delivery but IF you paid for shipping and tracking but had not shipped you should not eat the $20,  that just seems stoopid.

 

I'm still looking into details but I think there's a process to get the $20 fee waived or returned.  I read somewhere that in some cases it automatically gets waived or voided.  Between eBay and PayPal I've had delays in processes or had systems say I need to take action but customer service says I don't.  Ultimately it's just $20 but this whole fraud thing has been a hassle to deal with. 

At least I'm not dealing with something like that guy several years ago that sold a $40 printer and got sued for $30K. (Reference: https://www.indystar.com/story/news/2016/06/06/he-sold-40-printer-then-he-sued-indiana-30000/85219140/)

Edited October 10, 2020 by MusiKyle

[gtlego]

I am currently having an issue with an ebay buyer that I could use some advice on. I don't do a lot of selling, and have never had any issues when I have made sales through ebay. Earlier this week, I sold a $60 set, and mailed it out the next day (USPS with tracking). The buyer had zero feedback, but they paid right away so I did not see any red flags. I received a request to cancel the order today with the following message: 

I received an email saying this item was not available from you. So I ordered from another vendor. Now I received an email from you saying this was shipped. I no longer need this. I would like to return it.

Let me know how to proceed. This was not my fault.

I have no idea what email she would be referring to, and I am not sure if this is some sort of scam or just an incompetent newbie. I say I don't take returns, although I would be fine doing so if the buyer paid the shipping. I have never gone through ebay's dispute resolution. I've tried to read through information on ebay and on this site, but I'm not exactly sure what my next steps should be. I was thinking I could just say sorry, but it's not my fault she bought and paid for an item and then bought another one without communicating with me or getting a refund (which probably would not resolve the situation). Or I could tell the buyer she can return it, but she has to pay for shipping (might work, but not sure she would do it since it was "not her fault." I am not sure at what point I involve ebay, but I want to make sure I handle this the right way to protect myself. 

I would appreciate any advice or insight from those much more experienced at this than myself - thanks in advance! 

 

Edited October 14, 2020 by gtlego

[Pseudoty]

13 minutes ago, gtlego said:

I am currently having an issue with an ebay buyer that I could use some advice on. I don't do a lot of selling, and have never had any issues when I have made sales through ebay. Earlier this week, I sold a $60 set, and mailed it out the next day (USPS with tracking). The buyer had zero feedback, but they paid right away so I did not see any red flags. I received a request to cancel the order today with the following message: 

I received an email saying this item was not available from you. So I ordered from another vendor. Now I received an email from you saying this was shipped. I no longer need this. I would like to return it.

Let me know how to proceed. This was not my fault.

I have no idea what email she would be referring to, and I am not sure if this is some sort of scam or just an incompetent newbie. I say I don't take returns, although I would be fine doing so if the buyer paid the shipping. I have never gone through ebay's dispute resolution. I've tried to read through information on ebay and on this site, but I'm not exactly sure what my next steps should be. I was thinking I could just say sorry, but it's not my fault she bought and paid for an item and then bought another one without communicating with me or getting a refund (which probably would not resolve the situation). Or I could tell the buyer she can return it, but she has to pay for shipping (might work, but not sure she would do it since it was "not her fault." I am not sure at what point I involve ebay, but I want to make sure I handle this the right way to protect myself. 

I would appreciate any advice or insight from those much more experienced at this than myself - thanks in advance! 

 

If you sent it Priorty you can see if you can redirect it back to you or have it held at the destination post office. I would message them back and say something like sorry for the confusion could you please provide me with a print screen of the email stating the item was not in stock so you can contact eBay for an explanation. 

[fuzzy_bricks]

3 minutes ago, gtlego said:

I am currently having an issue with an ebay buyer that I could use some advice on. I don't do a lot of selling, and have never had any issues when I have made sales through ebay. Earlier this week, I sold a $60 set, and mailed it out the next day (USPS with tracking). The buyer had zero feedback, but they paid right away so I did not see any red flags. I received a request to cancel the order today with the following message: 

I received an email saying this item was not available from you. So I ordered from another vendor. Now I received an email from you saying this was shipped. I no longer need this. I would like to return it.

Let me know how to proceed. This was not my fault.

I have no idea what email she would be referring to, and I am not sure if this is some sort of scam or just an incompetent newbie. I say I don't take returns, although I would be fine doing so if the buyer paid the shipping. I have never gone through ebay's dispute resolution. I've tried to read through information on ebay and on this site, but I'm not exactly sure what my next steps should be. I was thinking I could just say sorry, but it's not my fault she bought and paid for an item and then bought another one without communicating with me or getting a refund (which probably would not resolve the situation). Or I could tell the buyer she can return it, but she has to pay for shipping (might work, but not sure she would do it since it was "not her fault." I am not sure at what point I involve ebay, but I want to make sure I handle this the right way to protect myself. 

I would appreciate any advice or insight from those much more experienced at this than myself - thanks in advance!

She may have ordered this item and then eBay sent an email saying it was no longer available if she had it in a watch list.  I've had this happen when I've bought some things before, and I just think to myself "no kidding it's no longer available, I bought it."

I would ask if she could request to cancel the order if it hasn't shipped yet.  If not, I would ask her to be patient until the item reaches her and then you can proceed with other options.  You may want her to send you this email she got or to at least hold onto it.  Ideally I would try to get her to call eBay and say she was confused and see if they don't comp her since she is a new buyer.

[Bricklectic]

Listed a Tower Bridge at a penny. 3 day auction. Check to see its up to $901 with a day left. 2 bidders with 0 or 3 feedback are the top bidders. Surely it's a scam of some sort but dont know what it is. 

Do I have any options? Can I cancel the auction now or when it's over or will that ding my metrics?

[Bricklectic]

2 hours ago, Bricklectic said:

Listed a Tower Bridge at a penny. 3 day auction. Check to see its up to $901 with a day left. 2 bidders with 0 or 3 feedback are the top bidders. Surely it's a scam of some sort but dont know what it is. 

Do I have any options? Can I cancel the auction now or when it's over or will that ding my metrics?

Called ebay. They let me cancel bids and end auction. Weird though. Never happened before. 

[$20 on joe vs dan]

Is there a way to see whom Ebay sent offers to when you select "Send Offers" in the drop down menu when an item you're selling has multiple "watchings"?

 

asking becuz shortly afterwards I get an offer on that ~$400 set...been weary of high priced LEGo sales lately...obviously I think if it's from someone I sent offers to then likely legit...but could also be coincidence.

no other scam boxes checked either...great and recent feedback history; name does not get any hits on this site; ship location is a residential house in Saint Claire PA.

I know I'm being overly paranoid...but it's a $400 set 😬 (ie top 3 prices set I ever sold)

[KShine]

17 minutes ago, $20 on joe vs dan said:

Is there a way to see whom Ebay sent offers to when you select "Send Offers" in the drop down menu when an item you're selling has multiple "watchings"?

 

asking becuz shortly afterwards I get an offer on that ~$400 set...been weary of high priced LEGo sales lately...obviously I think if it's from someone I sent offers to then likely legit...but could also be coincidence.

no other scam boxes checked either...great and recent feedback history; name does not get any hits on this site; ship location is a residential house in Saint Claire PA.

I know I'm being overly paranoid...but it's a $400 set 😬 (ie top 3 prices set I ever sold)

Not precisely, but If you review offers on the item, you will see the offers you sent (id's hidden), but you will see how many feedbacks those users have. If the new offer you received feedback number matches the same number of feedbacks on the offer sent user - than it is likely the same user.

Edited October 19, 2020 by KShine

[lodibricks]

On 10/14/2020 at 1:30 PM, Pseudoty said:

If you sent it Priorty you can see if you can redirect it back to you or have it held at the destination post office. I would message them back and say something like sorry for the confusion could you please provide me with a print screen of the email stating the item was not in stock so you can contact eBay for an explanation. 

Just to add to this...

I recently had a sale, and I received a message just after being picked up that the address was incorrect.
USPS has a "package intercept" option, and I tried it for the first time. I was given the options of returning to sender or hold at local post office for pickup.

I paid ~$15 for original shipping, package intercept is $14.65 + additional ~$9 postage to send to the closest post office for pickup (30 mins away from incorrect address).
So total shipping costs to have this corrected was near $39.  Quite a rip, in my opinion.

It does indeed sound like the buyer's fault for misunderstanding the "no longer available" email.

[iahawks550]

13 hours ago, $20 on joe vs dan said:

Is there a way to see whom Ebay sent offers to when you select "Send Offers" in the drop down menu when an item you're selling has multiple "watchings"?

 

asking becuz shortly afterwards I get an offer on that ~$400 set...been weary of high priced LEGo sales lately...obviously I think if it's from someone I sent offers to then likely legit...but could also be coincidence.

no other scam boxes checked either...great and recent feedback history; name does not get any hits on this site; ship location is a residential house in Saint Claire PA.

I know I'm being overly paranoid...but it's a $400 set 😬 (ie top 3 prices set I ever sold)

Ask them if you can call before shipping. Most people are fine with that if they just spent $400

[Alpinemaps]

Ask them if you can call before shipping. Most people are fine with that if they just spent $400

Seconded. I’ve done that before with sets north of $500. Never met with resistance. Every one I’ve spoken to is happy to know there’s a human on the other end that isn’t ripping them off. And gives you peace of mind that you aren’t getting scammed.

[Gonkalin]

On 10/14/2020 at 3:14 PM, gtlego said:

I am currently having an issue with an ebay buyer that I could use some advice on. I don't do a lot of selling, and have never had any issues when I have made sales through ebay. Earlier this week, I sold a $60 set, and mailed it out the next day (USPS with tracking). The buyer had zero feedback, but they paid right away so I did not see any red flags. I received a request to cancel the order today with the following message: 

I received an email saying this item was not available from you. So I ordered from another vendor. Now I received an email from you saying this was shipped. I no longer need this. I would like to return it.

Let me know how to proceed. This was not my fault.

I have no idea what email she would be referring to, and I am not sure if this is some sort of scam or just an incompetent newbie. I say I don't take returns, although I would be fine doing so if the buyer paid the shipping. I have never gone through ebay's dispute resolution. I've tried to read through information on ebay and on this site, but I'm not exactly sure what my next steps should be. I was thinking I could just say sorry, but it's not my fault she bought and paid for an item and then bought another one without communicating with me or getting a refund (which probably would not resolve the situation). Or I could tell the buyer she can return it, but she has to pay for shipping (might work, but not sure she would do it since it was "not her fault." I am not sure at what point I involve ebay, but I want to make sure I handle this the right way to protect myself. 

I would appreciate any advice or insight from those much more experienced at this than myself - thanks in advance! 

 

Not sure how much stuff you sell on ebay. But this type of thing happens from time to time. And I find it not worth the hassle and also not worth getting bad reviews. I usually just make the customer happy. So if it ends up costing me an additional $40 per year in crap like this then I just consider that part of the cost of doing business. Just like retailers factor in a certain amount of theft into their business projections. It sucks but I sell enough stuff that in the big scheme of things it's not worth the hassle or bad press if the buyer was to leave bad feedback.   Just my 2 cents for what it's worth (2 cents). 

[stackables]

So does anyone know how sellers can send offers to interested buyers?  I originally thought it was just if the potential buyer was "watching" the item.  I just got an offer from a seller on a comic book that I was not watching but looked at.  So if someone views your listing, they can receive an offer?

[outatime]

Hi All.

I have a SDCC Sheriff Deadpool that I have had an ebay offer of $800 for but the buyer is in Oman been a member since 2015 with good feedback.    Not sure if selling to this buyer is safe, anyone ever sent this far?  Don't want to loose my money on it.  Help

 

Thx

Stu

 

[iahawks550]

2 minutes ago, outatime said:

Hi All.

I have a SDCC Sheriff Deadpool that I have had an ebay offer of $800 for but the buyer is in Oman been a member since 2015 with good feedback.    Not sure if selling to this buyer is safe, anyone ever sent this far?  Don't want to loose my money on it.  Help

 

Thx

Stu

 

I would never ship something like that overseas unless you want ripped off. But, that's just me. It could be legit, or it could be a hijacked account.

[Mark Twain]

Hi All.
I have a SDCC Sheriff Deadpool that I have had an ebay offer of $800 for but the buyer is in Oman been a member since 2015 with good feedback.    Not sure if selling to this buyer is safe, anyone ever sent this far?  Don't want to loose my money on it.  Help
 
Thx
Stu
 

Only ship internationally on eBay using their Global Shipping Program. Oman is a nation that’s included under GSP.

[minicoopers11]

2 hours ago, outatime said:

Hi All.

I have a SDCC Sheriff Deadpool that I have had an ebay offer of $800 for but the buyer is in Oman been a member since 2015 with good feedback.    Not sure if selling to this buyer is safe, anyone ever sent this far?  Don't want to loose my money on it.  Help

 

Thx

Stu

 

I have sold to Oman before with no problems. As a rule, I would recommend offering eBay international standard delivery in addition to GSP on your listings. Yes, GSP is a thing, but for comparison: GSP ships to dozens of countries, eBay international ships to 99% of countries. I've had one GSP order over the entire life of that program. Since eBay international standard started (a couple months ago, I think? that's at least when I adjusted my listings), I've had about 20 orders.

[fuzzy_bricks]

1 hour ago, minicoopers11 said:

I have sold to Oman before with no problems. As a rule, I would recommend offering eBay international standard delivery in addition to GSP on your listings. Yes, GSP is a thing, but for comparison: GSP ships to dozens of countries, eBay international ships to 99% of countries. I've had one GSP order over the entire life of that program. Since eBay international standard started (a couple months ago, I think? that's at least when I adjusted my listings), I've had about 20 orders.

I was unaware of this program, but I assume this is what you're referring to? 

https://pages.ebay.com/seller-center/shipping/ebay-international-standard-delivery.html

So when you set this up, do you get paid for the shipping and then have to purchase the label or does the international shipping charge go directly to eBay?  With GSP, I never see those funds and it gets handled by eBay.

[minicoopers11]

12 minutes ago, fuzzy_bricks said:

I was unaware of this program, but I assume this is what you're referring to? 

https://pages.ebay.com/seller-center/shipping/ebay-international-standard-delivery.html

So when you set this up, do you get paid for the shipping and then have to purchase the label or does the international shipping charge go directly to eBay?  With GSP, I never see those funds and it gets handled by eBay.

You get paid for the shipping, but don't purchase the label directly. You get a label to ship to the eBay shipping center (similar to GSP), they do whatever they do there, then they (eBay) charge you for the label you got paid for.

Edit: And yes, this all sounds like an unnecessary, costly step, but it's driving sales, so I'm happy with it.

Edited October 21, 2020 by minicoopers11

[fuzzy_bricks]

47 minutes ago, minicoopers11 said:

You get paid for the shipping, but don't purchase the label directly. You get a label to ship to the eBay shipping center (similar to GSP), they do whatever they do there, then they (eBay) charge you for the label you got paid for.

Edit: And yes, this all sounds like an unnecessary, costly step, but it's driving sales, so I'm happy with it.

I assume since they give you the money for the shipping ebay takes a fee out?

[Mark Twain]

I have sold to Oman before with no problems. As a rule, I would recommend offering eBay international standard delivery in addition to GSP on your listings. Yes, GSP is a thing, but for comparison: GSP ships to dozens of countries, eBay international ships to 99% of countries. I've had one GSP order over the entire life of that program. Since eBay international standard started (a couple months ago, I think? that's at least when I adjusted my listings), I've had about 20 orders.

I’ve sold around a dozen orders through GSP this year without issue. This new International Standard Delivery service is a delivery duties unpaid service, meaning customs and other fees and taxes are handled by the customer on their end. It makes it cheaper for the customer, but I don’t think you as the seller have the same level of protection if the item is damaged in transit or lost where GSP covers all of that. I think the standard coverage is only $100 then you as the seller have to pay more for additional coverage. So you do get access to more customers, but less protection.

[minicoopers11]

1 hour ago, fuzzy_bricks said:

I assume since they give you the money for the shipping ebay takes a fee out?

Probably. Good question.

30 minutes ago, Mark Twain said:

I’ve sold around a dozen orders through GSP this year without issue. This new International Standard Delivery service is a delivery duties unpaid service, meaning customs and other fees and taxes are handled by the customer on their end. It makes it cheaper for the customer, but I don’t think you as the seller have the same level of protection if the item is damaged in transit or lost where GSP covers all of that. I think the standard coverage is only $100 then you as the seller have to pay more for additional coverage. So you do get access to more customers, but less protection.

Good point. Certainly offers more protection than direct shipment, though.

[Jessekidd13]

Someone posted this listing on the deals thread: 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/LEGO-Technic-Porsche-911-RSR-42096-Race-Car-Building-Set-STEM/402517324927?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

Sure, it's probably sketchy, but ultimately, what is the risk as a buyer here (other than time/opportunity cost)?  I'm mostly a seller on Ebay, and it seems like most of the Ebay/Paypal protections are HEAVILY skewed in the buyer's favor?  Wouldn't it be somewhat trivial to get your money back if this is a scam?  Or am I missing something?

Jesse

 

[iahawks550]

I get people jumping on these Ebay deals that look incredible. But at a minimum, it ultimately increases costs, at some level or some venue, for others.

At worst, you are funding some $hitbag that is taking advantage of others or an organized crime ring.