Advice - selling a iphone 5 on eBay

Flyonthewall

karenw wrote: »

What's shill bidding? never heard of this

Shill bidding is getting someone else or creating a second account to bid on your own items to drive up the price.

steveE2

Shill bidding is where the seller or a friend bids on their own items increasing the price against legitimate bidders.
On a private auction all identities are hidden so there is no way of knowing if shill bidding is happening, thus many bidders will avoid private auctions which are meant for sensitive/personal items.

karenw

Right guys I need your help asap i think I'm about to be scammed!


I relisted my iphone 5 on ebay with a buy it now price of £340 only today and tonight a person has bought it and sent me this message.

I just won and paid for the iPhone by PayPal, if possible id like to collect the phone in person please as im currently in West Yorkshire on business so collection is possible for me, may i get a contact number for yourself so i can give u a quick txt/call and arrange a suitable time for collection

If collection isnt possible or if you'd simply prefer to post thats perfect too, ive put my work address below, i paid for postage and packaging anyway just incase u prefer to post

Regards
Dee xx

Now this person has also given me her address in the message but when i go to paypal it's a totally different address also she only joined ebay on the 2nd of august and has no feedback. The money is in my paypal account so i'm not sure what to do.

catmiaow

karenw wrote: »

Right guys I need your help asap i think I'm about to be scammed!


I relisted my iphone 5 on ebay with a buy it now price of £340 only today and tonight a person has bought it and sent me this message.

I just won and paid for the iPhone by PayPal, if possible id like to collect the phone in person please as im currently in West Yorkshire on business so collection is possible for me, may i get a contact number for yourself so i can give u a quick txt/call and arrange a suitable time for collection

If collection isnt possible or if you'd simply prefer to post thats perfect too, ive put my work address below, i paid for postage and packaging anyway just incase u prefer to post

Regards
Dee xx

Now this person has also given me her address in the message but when i go to paypal it's a totally different address also she only joined ebay on the 2nd of august and has no feedback. The money is in my paypal account so i'm not sure what to do.

It's a common scam, collect the item then do an item not received claim. Buyer gets a refund. If you let them collect, you must refund the pp payment and say cash only. You are not covered by PayPal for collections.

catmiaow

P.s only post to the confirmed address on pp as you won't be covered by seller protection if you send elsewhere.

karenw

catmiaow wrote: »

It's a common scam, collect the item then do an item not received claim. Buyer gets a refund. If you let them collect, you must refund the pp payment and say cash only. You are not covered by PayPal for collections.

I'm very wary about posting it as the buyer only joined last week and has no feedback tho.

It does say on paypal that i am eligible for seller protection but i'm so scared i'm gonna lose this money

karenw

What happens if this is a scam to swap the phone and return it saying not as described?

Also I'm confused as to how this person has bought my item cos i changed my settings to block buyers who have a feedback score of -3 or lower and who have a feedback score of 5 or lower and no credit card on file

soolin

karenw wrote: »

What happens if this is a scam to swap the phone and return it saying not as described?

Also I'm confused as to how this person has bought my item cos i changed my settings to block buyers who have a feedback score of -3 or lower and who have a feedback score of 5 or lower and no credit card on file

Have you read the postage sticky? If you had you would know that seller protection only covers you if you send the item as per the instructions paypal gave you.

There is nothing that can be done against the switch scam, but it is very very rare and unlikely to happen- this buyer is obviously going to to try the paypal on collection scam which is easier.

If they have paid including a postal address email, or even better call them, and tell them phone will be posted fully tracked and insured to the paypal address. If they say no, just refund and move on. You can report the buyer to ebay, but if your blocks are set properly they do appear to have a card on file.

Flyonthewall

karenw wrote: »

What happens if this is a scam to swap the phone and return it saying not as described?

Also I'm confused as to how this person has bought my item cos i changed my settings to block buyers who have a feedback score of -3 or lower and who have a feedback score of 5 or lower and no credit card on file

Take note of all numbers on the phone - you could take photos of the numbers as well. If they swap it you will know as the numbers will be different. Probably won't be anything you can do

I thought their feedback was 0? In which case, that is higher than -3. Perhaps they have a credit card on file.

I have mine set to -1 or lower, but even then someone with 0 would be able to bid.

If you're that worried politely tell the person that you do not wish to send to someone with 0 feedback and refund their payment, but be aware that they may leave you negative feedback.

Otherwise tell them cash on collection and refund the Paypal payment or tell them you will only post to the confirmed address on Paypal. If they don't want this refund the Payment.

karenw

soolin wrote: »

Have you read the postage sticky? If you had you would know that seller protection only covers you if you send the item as per the instructions paypal gave you.

There is nothing that can be done against the switch scam, but it is very very rare and unlikely to happen- this buyer is obviously going to to try the paypal on collection scam which is easier.

If they have paid including a postal address email, or even better call them, and tell them phone will be posted fully tracked and insured to the paypal address. If they say no, just refund and move on. You can report the buyer to ebay, but if your blocks are set properly they do appear to have a card on file.

Yeah I read the postage sticky the other day. Doesn't stop me worrying tho as this is the first time i have sold anything so expensive on ebay and i can't afford to lose this money. I will contact the buyer now and tell her i only ship to the paypal address and see what she says.