Sending a mobile to Malta - is it scam??

Christal_2

I have been a ebay seller for some time but this is first time come across a buyer from Malta, was thinking about anything but after reading the scams about the Nigerian, my alarm went off and start wondering if this Malta buyer can be a scam as well.

Item sold was a used mobile of my OH, total payment was about 60pounds including P&P, the bidding went well and last minute a bider from Malta rushed in and won the bid, was worrying whether he gonna pay or not cause his feedback was 0. But the payment was received almost immediately in my PAYPAL account so didn't suspect a thing. I need to post the item tomorrow now but after reading all the scams story about the Nigerian buyer I'm really worried, wonder if anyone can offer some advice or experience, has anyone had any scam from Malta before? Or if anyone can tell me which is the best way for me to post the item...I usually do AIRMAIL, but after a dispute with one very rude Canadian buyer I now realize with AIRMAIL I don't have a tracking/reference package of the parcel which will be impossible for PAYPAL to judge the case in my favour, thanks a lot.

deanos

I wouldnt bother myself could quite easily end in a chargeback

kevinyork

This could be risky. Airmail would not cover you for loss over £32.00, even if you sent it International Signed for with insurance. RM do not have any product to cover mobile phones sent overseas for more than £32 and the signature is not always guarenteed on this service either for Paypal disputes.

Whats the feedback like? Do the details on the paypal transaction match the eBay account? Is the Paypal account address verified? If not proving receipt is irrelevant for a Paypal claim anyway as you would not have seller protection.

Having said that Malta is my most frequent shipping destination and to date I have not had one bad customer so it could be that the main risk would be postal loss.

Christal_2

Thanks Kevin, well I guess it's too late for me to call off the sale now so the best can do is to ship it by international signed for....the guy's feedback is 0 so there is nothing to check really, the details on the paypal transaction does match the ebay account though

frivolous_fay

Christal wrote:

Thanks Kevin, well I guess it's too late for me to call off the sale now so the best can do is to ship it by international signed for....the guy's feedback is 0 so there is nothing to check really, the details on the paypal transaction does match the ebay account though

Personally I'd prefer to risk a neg than risk £60. Have you checked whether your buyer has bid on a lot of similar items recently?

payless

If selling internationally , I would have thought Malta was one of the less risky countries ( - if you don't want to sell internationally , then change your settings to exclude)

If the bidder listed in UK, then refuse to send elsewhere

If still concerned ( edit - just read about zero rated ! ) Why not explain your concerns and suggest you do a refund of paypal, as they can get UK postal orders in Malta

soolin

I still think the underlying problems here is the fact that the phone will be going totally uninsured. Like KevinYork says the RM do not cover mobiles worth over £32, regardless of how they are sent.

However since the OP allowed overseas bidders I suppose it should be assumed they were aware of the risk?

Soo

Christal_2

Thanks again for all the reply. Yes I have never limited to post to UK only before cause I was really just an occasional seller and havn't had much bad experience with overseas bidder apart from the check cann't be cleared from one US buyer! (fingers cross hope that's the only one).

But last week sold one thing to a Canadian buyer using BIN, and he was very rude and started process to claim his money from PAYPAL while the parcel was still on the way (and it was sent perfectly within time as instructed in the listing itself!) It just occurs to me how easy it can be for overseas buyer/bidders to claim since I don't have any reference no to track the package! Also had sone some reading about the Nigerian scam last night , and that certainly helped my worry....thus the question..

Postal insurance is a great idea, so if I have anything else valued more than 32pounds to sell I will NEVER EVER sell to overseas bidder...it's just too much risk and you never know whether your next customer is a star or scam.

user051105

Use Royal Mail Airsure the only service Paypal accept,

martindow

For mobiles though even Airsure will not cover more than £32 will it?

kevinyork

martindow wrote:

For mobiles though even Airsure will not cover more than £32 will it?

Thats right, Royal Mail will not cover mobiles for more than £32 on any of its services-even if you upgraded the insurance.