Buyer has Private Feedback and uses Freight-Forward Service for a US-only sale

JetSetGo!

JetSetGo!

Suiting up and showing up
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Feb 6, 2008
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#1
Hey eBay Experts!

I have been on eBay since 1999 with overall very positive experiences as both a buyer and seller.

Today, someone bought an item of mine, a pair of sunglasses.

I have set my setting so that I only sell to US buyers.
Unfortunately, it's clear my buyer in this case is having the item shipped to a freight forwarding service in San Jose.
Additionally, she has set her eBay feedback to private.
I can see she has only been a eBay member since Dec 2015.
She has 145 positive feedbacks (25 within the past month), but no details are available to me.

This all could be just fine, but of course, it makes me uneasy and a little pissed that I now have to go into investigation mode.

I called eBay and of course they are useless.

Is there anything I should know or do given these circumstances?

Thank you so much for and guidance you can offer. :flowers:
 
#2
Presumably you're protected (seller protection) once tracking shows delivery however I did have an experience where a buyer (in Singapore) but shown as being in the US filed a dispute and I felt forced to accept the return. I'd shipped the item to Tucson, AZ but the return came by Singpost.

(I just checked and that buyer is naru. I wonder if it's because she misrepresented her location.)

In my case, I wasn't aware that the buyer was using an address that wasn't her own and her feedback was okay although there are now 2 removed seller comments. I don't think they were there at the time or I might have questioned them. My buyer's shipment went to a person (not forwarding company.)
http://toolhaus.org/cgi-bin/negs?User=real_vibes19&Dirn=Received+by

In your case, you can request that the buyer open the feedback temporarily so you can check it out. I'm guessing that the buyer is a reseller in her own country and doesn't want her purchases and prices paid found.

There have been cases where google searches of buyer IDs have been successful in finding some of her purchases, sellers and feedback.

I'm willing to check it out if you'd like to PM the buyer's ID.
 
#3
BeenBurned said:
Presumably you're protected (seller protection) once tracking shows delivery however I did have an experience where a buyer (in Singapore) but shown as being in the US filed a dispute and I felt forced to accept the return. I'd shipped the item to Tucson, AZ but the return came by Singpost.

(I just checked and that buyer is naru. I wonder if it's because she misrepresented her location.)

In my case, I wasn't aware that the buyer was using an address that wasn't her own and her feedback was okay although there are now 2 removed seller comments. I don't think they were there at the time or I might have questioned them. My buyer's shipment went to a person (not forwarding company.)
http://toolhaus.org/cgi-bin/negs?User=real_vibes19&Dirn=Received+by

In your case, you can request that the buyer open the feedback temporarily so you can check it out. I'm guessing that the buyer is a reseller in her own country and doesn't want her purchases and prices paid found.

There have been cases where google searches of buyer IDs have been successful in finding some of her purchases, sellers and feedback.

I'm willing to check it out if you'd like to PM the buyer's ID.
Click to expand...

Great info. Thanks, BB. I actually feel a little bit better about the situation given your insight.
I did run her ID through Google to no avail. I'll PM you her info just in case though. :flowers:
 
#4
There have been several cases reported on the boards on Ebay recently where Ebay made the seller pay for return shipping for items sent to a buyer via a freight forwarder! Ebay has been very inconsistent in following their own policies.

So if there is a problem later you might want to come back here and get help in how to deal with Ebay. Their policy is very clear - one the item is forwarded to another location the buyer loses all buyer protection.
 
#5
JetSetGo! said:
Great info. Thanks, BB. I actually feel a little bit better about the situation given your insight.
I did run her ID through Google to no avail. I'll PM you her info just in case though. :flowers:
Click to expand...
Thanks, JetSet. As I told you I suspect she's a reseller in her own country and I didn't see anything that shows any issues with her.

It's just that we're so used to reading about the problem transactions here that we're skeptical of anyone that doesn't fall into the pigeonhole we expect. 99.9% of transactions go just as we hope but we don't hear about those!
 
#6
I've never had any problem shipping to a freight forwarder. Once it reaches the freight forwarder, if it is shipped anywhere else the buyer loses her buyer protection, but apparently you might have to remind ebay of that. Remember the thread on here awhile ago where someone had some linens shipped directly to her cleaners? The cleaners found some flaws or holes but she couldn't win a claim since the item was shipped to a third party.

I've sold to buyers with private feedback. One I know was a reseller who was also a member of tpf.
 
#7
Thank you so much for your help everyone! :hugs:

I've gone ahead and shipped. I will let you know if any problems arise.
 
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