International buyer, unconfirmed address, hacks up her feedback score from -1 to 8

R

rachabee

#1
...in a matter of 2 days.

OK, here is my issue. I am selling one of my bags on eBay. This was my first time. It ended at $550. The buyer is international and living in Germany. in my ad i stated i will ship internationally but not to an unconfirmed pay-pal address. I didn't know that international pay-pal accounts couldn't have addresses confirmed. Well, her shipping name doesn't match the name on the pay-pal verified account (could be her husbands I know). However, she had a feedback of -1 and had emailed me after bidding 1x. She said, is it ok if she bids, I said as long as she agrees to pay the amount in full by day 3 and as long as her pay-pal account is verified with a confirmed address. Well, she did not pay in full within 3 days, gave me an excuse, and then I find out her pay=pal account is verified but does not have a confirmed address. Also, she has hiked up her feedback score from -1 to 8 in a matter of TWO DAYS. 2 of the feedback scores is from HERSELF! Also, she keeps asking me to ship the bag without a receipt and as a gift, because of customs. WHY????

Its been a nightmare dealing with her. I told her i will NOT ship to her using paypal because I am not protected through their policy due to her not having a confirmed address. Also, the name doesn't match the address I am shipping to, she told me her account was verified and address and confirmed which it was not, AND she keeps wanting me to send the bag as a gift without eBay receipts, etc???

Can someone please tell me what is going on here? I told her, that in this case, I will ONLY ship the bag to her if she pays me via bank-wire, western union, or money order. I don't trust her but want to protect myself in case she tried to do a charge-back or something. That way, in case she pulls something, I am safe.

What do you guys think? I really don't want to do a re-list and have to deal with bidders all over again. If I have to, then I will. Do you think its a good idea to sell my bag to her and have her pay via bank wire, western union or money order?

Help!!!
 
#2
If you're worried, take bank wire / WU / money order (remember it has to be cash-able where you are), then you're safe.

as for marking it as a gift and sending without receipts, it's a understandable requests from international buyers who want to avoid paying hefty customs duties. Some PFers do it (sometimes even without being asked by the buyer) but some PFers don't (info that I gathered from other threads). It's up to you whether you want to do that.

how can she leave feedback for herself? Are you sure?
 
#3
I NEVER ship and lie on customs forms. It's against the law. Why would anyone want to? A seller is 1000% responsible for refunding that money to the buyer if the package gets lost. If you ship a $1000 bag and insure/disclose its value for say $250, thats what you will get back from the post office minus shipping fees. YOU would have to make up the difference!

I always disclosed in my auctions that customs fees are the responsibility of the buyer and that I dont lie on customs forms, so dont ask. However I stopped shipping overseas about 6 months ago.

I also say in my auctions that buyers/bidders with negative or zero feedback are not allowed to bid. Its all about protecting ME.

I personally wouldnt proceed with that auction.
 
#4
Aside from the fact that the feedback thing is REALLY fishy, I will say that I really did have a good experience from a buyer in Germany.

I would tell her that since her Paypal account is unable to be verified, (and this was a condition in your TOS) that you would be able to accept a bank wire transfer, MO or a payment through BidPay (you can't do a chargeback through Bidpay, so you would be covered if she "didn't receive it").

If she doesn't want to pay through this way, then I would tell her that you are sorry, but you cannot ship to her. If she is willing to take the risk, then you can tell that she is serious about the item and not trying to scam.

And about lying on customs, it's illegal. Not to mention, you can't insure it to the full amount, and if it gets lost, well, that falls on your shoulders. Just some thoughts from me!
 
#6
I wouldn't go further with that auction. she didn't pay within 3 days as you clearly asked, the name doesn't match the address, so many fishy signals
 
#7
Oh Donna! said:
I NEVER ship and lie on customs forms. It's against the law. Why would anyone want to? A seller is 1000% responsible for refunding that money to the buyer if the package gets lost. If you ship a $1000 bag and insure/disclose its value for say $250, thats what you will get back from the post office minus shipping fees. YOU would have to make up the difference!

I always disclosed in my auctions that customs fees are the responsibility of the buyer and that I dont lie on customs forms, so dont ask. However I stopped shipping overseas about 6 months ago.

I also say in my auctions that buyers/bidders with negative or zero feedback are not allowed to bid. Its all about protecting ME.

I personally wouldnt proceed with that auction.
Click to expand...

This is sound advice. You have to protect yourself and not cave into anything that sounds off to you.

Oh Donna, you should post this in the ebay safty tips thread, it is excellent.
 
#11
If you decided to post item out then you should post to the address on paypal not to one given by her.

International paypal accounts do have to be verified, they are done by paypal depositing 2 sums in bank account which you have to confirm, its just different than here as we dont have SSN.
 
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