Selling on eBay (to Zero feedback buyer)

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Kernow_T

Über Member
Location
Cornwall
Hi all -
I'll try and keep it short....
Sold wheels on eBay to buyer who offered not far off asking price and has Zero feedback. He did ask a cpl of Q's relating to wheels which suggests basic knowledge. His address is work address (he's away for a week) and name and (quick google) address match up to a legit company in London and him being the MD? Have done the usual and kept screenshots of msgs etc and pics of item being (and) packed and will ensure tracked courier (parcelforce) and weight on PO receipt.

Whilst I would naturally lean towards being an optimist and recognising everyone on eBay one day buys something for the first time, is there any advice to further safeguard myself (if needed) and anything the buyer could potentially do (scam wise) to f*** me over, at least anything more than just costing me time and PITA? I've heard of people saying box was empty or weighed down with paper etc. Will Paypal protect me if I do everything 'by the book'? Would my status of long time member with 100% feedback vs zero feedback user make a difference?

Cheers
 

cosmicbike

Perhaps This One.....
Moderator
Location
Egham
Apparently (and I have no personal experience of this), Paypal will always side with the buyer. I sell through eBay often, and zero feedback rings alarm bells for me...
 

Levo-Lon

Guru
You dont have much in the way of protection with ebay paypal.
If you have any doubts phone the company and ask if the MD is there ?

As Cosmic says, its a buyers mkt which is very wrong and why lots have stopped using them for selling.
 

Heltor Chasca

Out-riding the Black Dog
Never had an issue with this. I sell quite a lot of more expensive items on eBay.

I think with eBay you need to change your mindset to taking a bit more of a risk and you might feel a little more sanguine about it.

Buyers or sellers won’t treat you as well as a good retailer, but as a selling and buying platform, it is light years ahead of what it was 10 years ago.
 
You only have seller protection if you use a tracked service, and only if you post to their PayPal verified address.

So if they have their PayPal address as their home, and wanting it posting to the office you have no protection.
 
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Kernow_T

Kernow_T

Über Member
Location
Cornwall
You only have seller protection if you use a tracked service, and only if you post to their PayPal verified address.

So if they have their PayPal address as their home, and wanting it posting to the office you have no protection.
Will only send tracked and to the Paypal registered address. My only fear is that they say the box was empty or had 4kg of paper in it and they get their wheels plus their money back and I lose my money
 

Lozz360

Veteran
Location
Oxfordshire
Everyone has to start with zero feedback, so it wouldn't necessarily ring alarm bells with me. As @cosmicbike says, Paypal (and ebay who are the same co.) will side with the buyer in any dispute.

Precautions you can take are, 1) don't dispatch the goods until you have been paid. Beware of payment by cheque. There have been scammers that take advantage of the fact that the money will show as a credit in your account before it has cleared. They send you a cheque. You see the credit in your bank. You dispatch the goods. The buyer then cancels the cheque leaving you out of pocket. 2) Always send items of any value by track-able carrier. Rogue buyers have been known to claim non-receipt of goods they have paid for and, without proof, you lose out.
 

tom73

Guru
Location
Yorkshire
Well up and till few month's ago I had zero feedback only cycling has got me back on eBay. (now i'm never off it) I've a mate who was done over (not in the way you have said )and eBay basically won't want to know and won't help. If the address checks out and is not just some front and given he's asked questions I say he is more then likely ok. After all much more simpler way's to do folk over then go though motions of making out to be a buyer then going though the whole process. If you follow what you have said you have done all you can really.
 

Lozz360

Veteran
Location
Oxfordshire
Will only send tracked and to the Paypal registered address.
I won't be able to buy from you then. My PayPal address is my home address and all the goods I buy using PayPal get delivered to my work address. I believe this is a very common arrangement.
 
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Kernow_T

Kernow_T

Über Member
Location
Cornwall
I won't be able to buy from you then. My PayPal address is my home address and all the goods I buy using PayPal get delivered to my work address. I believe this is a very common arrangement.
This does mean then Loz that as a seller, if you send a parcel to a different address than that which is registered with PayPal (ie work address, brothers house, new house etc), regardless of correspondence/proof requesting this and tracked postage, the seller won't have a leg to stand on if the buyer says they haven't received their item to their authorised Paypal address (which you can change freely to work address for a particular item). Not to say for a moment you'd do that but you know what I mean
 
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Kernow_T

Kernow_T

Über Member
Location
Cornwall
Everyone has to start with zero feedback, so it wouldn't necessarily ring alarm bells with me. As @cosmicbike says, Paypal (and ebay who are the same co.) will side with the buyer in any dispute.

Precautions you can take are, 1) don't dispatch the goods until you have been paid. Beware of payment by cheque. There have been scammers that take advantage of the fact that the money will show as a credit in your account before it has cleared. They send you a cheque. You see the credit in your bank. You dispatch the goods. The buyer then cancels the cheque leaving you out of pocket. 2) Always send items of any value by track-able carrier. Rogue buyers have been known to claim non-receipt of goods they have paid for and, without proof, you lose out.
Tick to both those precautions.
Cheers - like I said, its only the number of people scammed and the seeming significant bias towards buyer (even over seller with hundred of feedback and 100%) that brings on a little caution
 
D

Deleted member 26715

Guest
Also one for the novices, don't allow collection & Paypal payment, you get the money, they turn up get the goods then claim they never got them & claim the money back. Paypal will only accept tracking in electronic form as proof.
 
I've been selling stuff for the past few of years on ebay, mainly computer hardware and software. I've never felt the need to vet a buyer or had any negative experience with one.
All payments are Paypal prior to posting. I always buy the postage through ebay and get proof of postage at the post office.
Quite frankly after all this time if someone suddenly claims I sent them a housebrick I'd be asking Paypal/Ebay to take a look at my 100% feedback.

Perhaps I'm naive, or because I'm selling to a market that's too niche and geeky to attract the lowlifes.
By the way I've got some scifi poster jigsaws on at the moment if anyone is interested :okay:
 
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Kernow_T

Kernow_T

Über Member
Location
Cornwall
I've been selling stuff for the past few of years on ebay, mainly computer hardware and software. I've never felt the need to vet a buyer or had any negative experience with one.
All payments are Paypal prior to posting. I always buy the postage through ebay and get proof of postage at the post office.
Quite frankly after all this time if someone suddenly claims I sent them a housebrick I'd be asking Paypal/Ebay to take a look at my 100% feedback.

Perhaps I'm naive, or because I'm selling to a market that's too niche and geeky to attract the lowlifes.
By the way I've got some scifi poster jigsaws on at the moment if anyone is interested :okay:
I'm completely with you just had a sudden cautionary moment due to (according to lots of online posts) the number of people (like us with 100% feebdack over many years) being 'done in this way and Paypal siding with the buyer (even with zero feedback).

Anyway after a bit of due diligence (a 5 minute Google to check person, company and their correlation) which checks out and I'll post today so fingers crossed.
 
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