Please help - shipping to unconfirmed "friend's" address

cutieupdate18

cutieupdate18

O.G.
Aug 16, 2006
1,115
25
#1
I recently sold a portable digital radio on eBay. The buyer paid immediately, but I noticed that: 1. the PayPal name does not match the eBay name, and also 2. this address is unconfirmed.

I sent a message to the eBay member through the eBay messaging system, and she says that this is for her friend and that she'd like it shipped directly to him.

Should I back away from this transaction? The eBay live reps were absolutely useless - they said that as long as I send it signature confirmed and insured then I would be covered by eBay and the shipping company.

How would I be protected by the shippers? If this turns out to be a scam, well, to their eyes, it was delivered to the name addressed on the parcel. I have saved the Live Session ID and a copy of the conversation with him saying that I'm covered by both, but what should I do? Tell the buyer I can only ship to confirmed addresses and that she should give it to her friend herself? Just send it to the address and hope for the best? Try to telephone her? It didn't sell for very much (< $100) but it's the hassle I'm concerned about.

Thanks so much!
 
#5
Thanks for your opinions - I knew my gut instinct was probably right. What would you do though? Would you just refund the buyer? Or tell them that I'll only ship if the address is confirmed?
 
#6
cutieupdate18 said:
Thanks for your opinions - I knew my gut instinct was probably right. What would you do though? Would you just refund the buyer? Or tell them that I'll only ship if the address is confirmed?
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I would email her and tell her that you will only ship to a confirmed address. If she cannot provide one, tell her you must cancel the transaction and then refund her. I'd much rather be safe than sorry. So many people have been scammed with this trick and I am very wary of any buyer who requests that an expensive item be shipped elsewhere.
 
#8
If you had a statement in your listing that you do not ship to unconfirmed addresses, eBay would consider this malicious buying, I believe. In order to get your fees back, you will have to file a claim AFTER you refund her and check off "Mutually Agreed Not to Complete the Transaction." When I have to do this, I email the buyer to let them know eBay will be sending them an email to cancel the transaction. And yes, unfortunately, she can still leave a neg, but she may not realize this. I understand completely how you feel; I have 100% too and would hate to lose it. But I am also a buyer and I certainly feel very different about a seller's negatives than I used to feel. They don't have the significance they once had. Let's hope she thinks that if the transaction is cancelled, she cannot leave fb. You might want to call eBay about this one. I've had the same situation and they were actually helpful.
 
#9
I had the same problem with a buyer buying my LV Croissant purse. I refunded her immediately. Her name and shipping address was different from ebay as well. She then re-sent payment with a confirmed address and told me that it was her boyfriend paying for the purse and the address was his also. I was still very hesitant because she only had 2 feedbacks. At the end this transaction turned out well.

In any case, you can't be too careful these days. Too many scams out there.
 
#10
I have often paid for things for my lil sis as she doesnt have a Paypal account - so i wouldnt worry about the names not matching. But i wouldnt send to an unconfirmed address, just in case. Explain that to your buyer.
 
#11
This happened to me. I sold an item, the buyer paid, names were also different, the buyer was international, the address was unconfirmed, and they asked to be shippped out to a different address. I said NO! So I filed an unpaid item strike, with buyer and seller mutually agreeing to end transaction.
 
#12
I know there are lots of scams out there, I would be very hesitant..that being said, I have completed a couple of transactions like that, and they worked out fine...just do only what you are comfortable doing..
 
#13
The only time I ship to unconfirmed addresses are with my Pop Art auctions. They're replaceable and only $13, so I'm not really losing anything if it gets lost or if something happens.

In fact, I had a buyer purchase one of my prints but as a gift, wanted me to send it to their friend. She even had me enclose a little note, as well. I had no problem with this since it was replaceable and inexpensive.

But you're right to be concerned, because something like that may not be easily replaceable and since it is under $100, that's still a lot of money (I'm assuming it's closer to the $100 than not). I would just let the buyer know that you will ONLY ship to their confirmed address. End of story.
 
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