Buyer Scare

[thakid212]

I just sold an item for $390 but the buyer is international from france...I looked at his feedback score it says (1) but I see two feedbacks but from the same seller for a item worth $290...it says he has been a member since aug-14-06...

IM not if should send the item because I don't want to get scammed...should I send the item or give him a refund?

[mmac900]

Why not send it with a confirmation number? It costs a bit more, like priority with USPS, but it may be worth it.

[EBAYPLAYA]

What is the weight of the item ?

[thakid212]

alright thats a good idea.....its a Playstation 3..which is about 13+ pounds

[foster]

You need to choose a shipping method where there's proof of delivery (i.e. the guy signs for it). Anything less and PayPal will side with the buyer in a dispute.

Also know that the guy will bitch if you insure the item, since he will be forced to pay taxes on the full amount.

As an example when I ship $10-$50 items to Europe I put down on the customs form that it's a gift with a value of $5. The buyer don't pay taxes and they're a lot friendlier with their feedback.

If I was selling a PS3 from the States I would have only sold to U.S. buyers. PS3's are region coded, not to mention the U.S. version is NTSC, not PAL (video output). You could refund his money if the shipping address is unconfirmed and use that as the excuse. Then when you re-list make it a U.S. only auction.

Either way, good luck.

[jesseinkaron]

Absolutely not ! I would not send a play station to anyone with 1 feedback , especially if they are in France! There are loads of French ebay scammers that prey on new sellers! They buy up a lot of merchandise , then they charge back all their payments within a week. The postal service in France is such a joke , they can hardly ever account for any of these packages. These scam artists know that they have a better than 80% chance of getting their money back for anything they buy! Now with the new rules that sellers are not allowed to give honest feedback , the problem is certainly worse.

DON'T SEND IT TO FRANCE !

[jesseinkaron]

There are too many things that can go wrong.

1: problem with customs and the buyer refuses to pay duty therefore the item is lost or returned to you and you are out the shipping fees.

2: the buyer might dispute the payment for " item significantly not as described "
Or he might claim " item not received " if this is his intention , he will likely have done this before and will know a lot more about the ins and outs of the process, putting you at a disadvantage. Regardless , the money would be tied up for weeks!

3: The buyer may attempt to return you a package that contains a broken play station , or just some other junk. He may have all the evidence ready to show paypal that you sent him a defective machine , and the machine did not work.


Its most likely a scam .. and paypal does not offer much protection to sellers !

[sycore]

You deserved to get ripped off. All the warning signs are there.

High fraud item. Check
Overseas buyer. Check
Payapal. Check
Member since 06 and little or no feedback. Check

Unless you can withdraw the money from the paypal account before you ship, and walk away from it when it goes bad, I would not chance it. If you are desperate, tell him to WU the money.

[Lyda]

Originally Posted by jesseinkaron

Absolutely not ! I would not send a play station to anyone with 1 feedback , especially if they are in France! There are loads of French ebay scammers that prey on new sellers! They buy up a lot of merchandise , then they charge back all their payments within a week. The postal service in France is such a joke , they can hardly ever account for any of these packages. These scam artists know that they have a better than 80% chance of getting their money back for anything they buy! Now with the new rules that sellers are not allowed to give honest feedback , the problem is certainly worse.

DON'T SEND IT TO FRANCE !

Wow! Good to know..Thanks!

[thakid212]

Alright Thanks Alot For The Advice....I am going to refund his money

[sureideas]

I would advise you to sell the item along with confirmation .. Play safe..

[JamesYaBaoy]

I would recommend you tell them to WU the money to you due to high fraud risk..Be proffesional..I just had a customer from Italy pay with paypal, after I seen ITALY I immediatly refunded and sent out the email..She wU me the money shipped it out and she left positive feedback..Of course this isnt the norm, BUT if anything goes wrong you can simply walk away from the situation