Selling on eBay - how to protect yourself from possible scams by malicious buyers
Summary: The discussion is about selling on eBay and how to protect yourself from potential scams by bad-faith buyers. It notes that there are several different responses from various participants, suggesting an analysis of experiences and solutions to avoid common problems during online transactions.
Hi everyone,
I’m not a professional seller, just a board game enthusiast, a boardgamer as they say, who sometimes sells used games or even new ones, and I wanted some advice on how to protect myself from potential bad-faith buyers.
Specifically, nothing has happened, I just have a strange feeling, because of a sale that happened just this morning. Specifically, I had listed a rare board game on eBay several months ago at a fairly high price in line with how impossible it is to find and with its like-new condition, since it had never been played, only opened to check the contents, a detail I obviously put in bold in the listing along with photos of the game.
So, this morning, around 9:00 on December 8, I get an email from eBay saying the game had been bought. Happy with the news, I went to see who had purchased the item and noticed that the user, who lives in Italy, had registered this same morning (so they have no feedback), which of course isn’t a red flag since it can happen that, while searching for a product you’re interested in, that exact item pops out of the vast sea of the internet and you sign up to the site on the spot to buy it immediately... What did seem unusual to me, though, was that I had included the option in the listing "send a purchase offer", to give potential buyers some room to negotiate on the price, but apparently the guy didn’t hesitate and paid the full amount as listed. Then I figured that since he’s not an experienced user and has never used eBay, he might not have noticed the button to send an offer, so maybe let that slide too...
At this point here I am writing on this forum because I have until Tuesday, December 14 to ship the package and I wanted your opinion on it, and above all some advice/precautions to take before shipping the game.
Personally, I photograph everything while I’m packing the box and once I’ve shipped the game, I send the buyer a message via eBay saying the item has been shipped, attaching photos of the packaging as well as the tracking number so they can follow the shipment.
Someone told me the buyer could file a complaint claiming that the goods received don’t match what was described in the listing or maybe saying that parts of the game are missing or something else, asking me for my money back and possibly sending me a "brick" in return, with the result that they keep the game and the money.
I’m asking you, is a scenario like that really possible? How does eBay handle situations like this?
Lastly, since the shipment will be with Poste and in the listing I had indicated shipping with Poste Delivery Standard, do you think it would be better to go with Poste Delivery Express? The latter, besides insuring the shipment, also provides return to sender in case of non-delivery (naturally I’d cover the difference in shipping price myself).
Thanks in advance to everyone who will chime in.
amerigo-collections
·4 months agoJust tonight on another one of my accounts, a newly registered user, probably just to make the purchase, spent 315 euros on a stereo system; there was the offer. I wrote to him to call me, or I’ll call him, but anyway I’m not at all at ease, so I’m inclined to refund, and as long as eBay is this much against the buyer, I’ll sell on other platforms or with in-person pickup, of course, for valuable items. In the end we’re private individuals and the law is clear: if eBay doesn’t want to follow the law and wants to refund a buyer, let it do it out of its own pocket.
heavenwelkin
·4 months agoShipping a hi-fi system or parts of it involves risks even if it's packed with all due care, since packages can suffer significant impacts.
In these cases, if you don't want to take the risk, you need to remove the "shipping" option, since it's unlikely that any shipping broker would cover the damage if the package appears intact on the outside and the item also appears intact.
Besides, eBay shipping also has a restriction on vintage items, so.....
You can find the buyer's phone number in the order summary; next to the sold item, go to "view order details," which is found next to a number in the format 1x-xxxxx-xxxxx
Of course, speaking on the phone is a good strategy to understand a bit more about the buyer and assess whether it's the case to ship or not.
Best regards.
epoca
·1 year agoI invite you to read my experience; it’s the post you’ll find right after yours.
If you’re selling a rare item and, I assume, a valuable one, LEAVE IT ALONE!!! Cancel the order and refund the buyer. The risk of ending up without the item and having your money taken is too high.
All it takes is for the buyer to claim they never received the item, even if tracking shows it was delivered, or to claim that the item purchased wasn’t in the package, and that’s it. eBay will issue a refund by taking the money from you.
In light of this and my recent experience, decide what to do...
junisabel07
·1 year agoCiao, vedo che il tuo annuncio è abbastanza datato ma spero che la mia risposta possa essere utile a qualcuno...
i tuoi timori sono assolutamente fondati, in quanto Ebay protegge molto più gli acquirenti di quanto non faccia coi venditori (a meno che questi non siano venditori professionali, ovviamente).
A me è successo di vendere un orologio a 170€, le cui specifiche erano correttamente descritte sull'annuncio, oltre alla specifica di non accettare resi, ad un acquirente che pretestuosamente ne ha chiesto la restituzione adducendo una presunta scarsa qualità del cinturino; nonostanto gli abbia offerto uno sconto equivalente all'acquisto di un cinturino nuovo , colui ha rifiutato reiterando la richiesta di rimborso.
A questo punto mi sono rivolto al servizio clienti che mi ha "consigliato" con frasi tipo "lei sta dando del bugiardo all'acquirente, le conviene accettare il reso perché se apre una controversia restituiremo i soldi (che nel frattempo erano stati trattenuti) e l'acquirente potrà tenersi anche l'orologio".
Ho proceduto all'accettazione del reso assecondando il "consiglio" del servizio clienti e comprando un'etichetta di spedizione tramite il sito Ebay, ma non ho mai ricevuto l'orologio che l'acquirente ha segnalato come spedito.
A nuova richiesta di informazioni presso il servizio clienti, mi veniva risposto "faccia indagini presso Poste Italiane, Ebay non si assume la responsabilità delle spedizioni".
Morale della favola, non ho ricevuto né i soldi, né l'orologio
heavenwelkin
·1 year agoSelling online at a distance involves risks that no link in the chain usually takes on, so everything inevitably falls on the seller.
The parties involved are, in order, seller -> ebay -> shipping broker -> shipper -> fermopoint -> buyer
If something goes wrong, the seller pays for everyone.
In conclusion, online distance sales are not suitable for anyone who wants to sell something, even if online they advertise the opposite.
There are a whole series of downsides that should be carefully considered.
Best regards.
passione_giochi
OP4 years agoThanks again for the clarification, a whole world is opening up!
Fortunately I have the verified proof of purchase for the game in my name, since I bought it online at the time through a crowdfunding platform, so I wouldn’t have any problem proving the original purchase price. Of course, we’re talking about the original price and not when it was later resold through eBay, but all in all it would still be compensation rather than nothing. Ah, clearly we’re talking exclusively about the case where the parcel were to be lost or damaged and not other circumstances that fall outside the insurance, so more than anything it would be to protect me, since the game, once lost, would no longer be available anywhere since it’s out of print.
Kind regards
morgana10
·4 years agoYes, exactly, it’s to protect you and, having to refund the buyer who didn’t receive it, it’s equivalent to not having sold it, but at least you recover the cost. It’s a rather remote possibility in the case of trackable parcels; however, it is very important that you also keep an eye on the package so you can intervene promptly by contacting the Post Office as soon as you realize something isn’t right. If you act immediately, the Post Office can also reconstruct the route. It happened to me a couple of times; I filed a complaint through the Post Office website form, and after a week of searching the parcel turned up and was delivered. Fortunately the buyer, kept constantly updated by me (even with the various screenshots), was understanding and was in no rush to receive it. Anyway, it happened 2 times in 14 years! And during the period of greatest chaos, namely the Christmas period! Therefore, at this time of year it’s good to keep an eye on your shipments and maybe, if possible, let the buyer know when it’s out for delivery. Obviously, since you are also a private individual (like me), it is assumed that sales are not daily (to our regret), so one can afford to follow up with the buyer even after the sale without necessarily waiting for any complaints.
Best regards and have a lovely evening
fedenippo
·4 years agoI'm chiming in now since I hadn't been back in the community lately and I hadn't seen this.
From personal experience, and don't ask me why, I don't know either and I don't fully understand it, it has happened to me several times to send purchase offers to potential buyers (for an item with buy now and purchase offer) that came to nothing, only to sell the item shortly after at full price. A new user may also, so as not to lose an item they want to buy at all costs, not want to wait and prefer to buy it right away before someone else takes it. It has happened to me several times to sell to users with zero feedback, recently registered or even registered for a long time with zero feedback, and luckily I have never had any problems. Users with lots of feedback can also be acting in bad faith, it always depends on the person. All in all, though, they will still be a minority, and I hope you never have to deal with them. Fairness, in any case, usually always pays off.. Try not to sell maybe items that are too, too expensive, where the risk is high; if you can, for those try to arrange an in-person exchange. Best wishes 🙂
passione_giochi
OP4 years agothanks to you too for the contribution, let’s say I simply “spun” my brain with conspiracy theories 😅 ...it’s just that, not having much sales experience, the buying method of this user seemed a bit strange to me; on this product in particular I then got several messages from board game enthusiasts who clearly wanted to bargain and get me to lower the price, while this user’s behavior threw me off, that’s all.
Anyway I’ll keep you posted, for the record, on how the sale goes, which I hope ends in the best possible way without any nasty surprises!
Have a good evening
P.S. tomorrow I’ll send him a message to let him know I’m preparing the shipment, just to give him some feedback
morgana10
·4 years agoGreat! Then we’ll wait for updates!
You’re absolutely right to establish a dialogue with the buyer right away; he’ll definitely feel more at ease, and it will also give you a chance to understand who you’re dealing with.
Kind regards and have a great weekend.
passione_giochi
OP4 years ago...if he answered me I’d be even happier! 😂
I wrote to him this morning, but he didn’t give me the time of day at all, oh well, tomorrow I’ll ship the package too and contact him again. I usually send an email with a photo of the packaging and the tracking number, always with the aim of letting the buyer know “I’m here”... well, we’ll see, it could also be that since he’s new to eBay he isn’t familiar with the platform, which I have to say isn’t the best for “user experience/interface”...
I’ll keep you posted, have a nice evening everyone.
morgana10
·4 years agoYou’re doing your part (I’ve always sent packaging photos too especially to have a record on eBay that the address was written correctly), unregistered users don’t receive notifications and those who just signed up often don’t know they have to reply on eBay for the response to reach you. Sometimes they replied to me, and with extreme delay (I assume for the reason mentioned above). The important thing is that you’re in the clear and the messaging serves as documentation.
Best regards