F***ing eBay again

Author
Discussion

Sargeant Orange

Original Poster:

2,687 posts

146 months

Saturday 7th June 2014
quotequote all
I think I know the answer to this already but here goes:

Sold a high end mobile on eBay and the person who won the auction has 0 feedback and joined eBay yesterday. Didn't have time to delete their bid at the end.

Their paypal address is verified but without a house number or even a road, for example Aston, Birmingham, BH1 etc. They've paid straight away and sent an email saying they've made a mistake on their address and its number 1 High Street.

Just refund them and relist? Its been a while since I've sold anything over £10 on there so not sure what the score is.

Cheers



TheRealFingers99

1,996 posts

127 months

Saturday 7th June 2014
quotequote all
If in doubt, I'd contact eBay. But once the money is in your account and you've proof of posting, I'd guess you're OK.

Funk

26,254 posts

208 months

Saturday 7th June 2014
quotequote all
Not sure on this one - it pays to restrict who can bid!

It smells like a scam; I would do everything possible to get out of this one or I think you'll lose the phone. Then relist it as collection-only, take cash for it (if you do collection only and take PayPal and the buyer reverses the payment you're screwed - you have no 'proof of postage' to show that they actually received the item).

Even better, list it on Gumtree, Friday-Ad, Preloved or similar and sell face-to-face an in cash. I wouldn't sell a phone on eBay if you paid me. My trusty mint HTC One X was sold through Preloved - the guy turned up, paid full asking and was really nice. Not phone literate so I helped him to get his contacts and content off his old phone and onto the new one as a favour. Turns out he works locally at a club and I now have free entry whenever I want!

TheRealFingers99 said:
If in doubt, I'd contact eBay. But once the money is in your account and you've proof of posting, I'd guess you're OK.
Hahahahahahahah.. you've never done this before then?

If he's posted to an address that's not verified, he has no seller protection. I suspect that the OP will find that the phone arrived 'damaged' and will be returned by the buyer - except it'll be a different phone. The buyer will get his money back through PayPal along with a new phone. OP will be left without the money and holding a fked phone. Or the phone will arrive and the payment will be reversed and the buyer disappears.

OP, get out of this one - the fact that the buyer has asked you to post to a different non-verified address should be enough.

Edited by Funk on Saturday 7th June 00:38

MissChief

7,095 posts

167 months

Saturday 7th June 2014
quotequote all
As advised check with eBay.

Sargeant Orange

Original Poster:

2,687 posts

146 months

Saturday 7th June 2014
quotequote all
Thanks guys, advice much appreciated.

Looks like it was scammier than a pack of scampi fries in the end. Ebay advised contacting the buyer to get them to change their verified address. Buyer came back and said (direct quote): "sytem do not let me change adress. Please send to 1 High St. I have paid funds"

Refunded them.

May as well take it down CEX to be honest and save myself the hassle rolleyes

xuy

1,116 posts

153 months

Saturday 7th June 2014
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what phone is it?

May offer you CEX plus postage for it.

No scam!

Pet Troll

1,362 posts

177 months

Saturday 7th June 2014
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Funk said:
sell on gumtree etc
The trouble with that is it's hard to get a good price IMO. I'm trying to sell a brand new unlocked S5 at the moment and on gumtree there have been no bites at £380, where as on ebay they sell at auction for around £425-450.

BrettMRC

4,037 posts

159 months

Saturday 7th June 2014
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Well spotted.

Word of advice regarding CEX and selling mobiles, they have a tendency to test the handset and then reject it because it's 'damaged', this happened to me about 8 months ago when getting rid of an end of contract HTC, the phone was immaculate - after the CEX testing it had developed a damaged screen.

You have no rights, and no leg to stand on if CEX damage the phone during testing - if you need to get rid of it you are better off going to an independent reseller.

dave_s13

13,813 posts

268 months

Saturday 7th June 2014
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Local Facebook selling groups are also worth a look.

You won't get quite as much as eBay but it's offset by not having to take the eBay gamble.

V8covin

7,213 posts

192 months

Saturday 7th June 2014
quotequote all
Offer it to the next highest bidder

Sargeant Orange

Original Poster:

2,687 posts

146 months

Saturday 7th June 2014
quotequote all
V8covin said:
Offer it to the next highest bidder
beer Just responded to say they'll have it & they have long established 100% feedback

Spare tyre

9,458 posts

129 months

Saturday 7th June 2014
quotequote all
eBay and phones is too scammy

Gumtree is far less risky

xuy

1,116 posts

153 months

Saturday 7th June 2014
quotequote all
Spare tyre said:
eBay and phones is too scammy

Gumtree is far less risky
Really????

Funk

26,254 posts

208 months

Saturday 7th June 2014
quotequote all
xuy said:
Spare tyre said:
eBay and phones is too scammy

Gumtree is far less risky
Really????
I'd rather give someone the phone and receive cash in my hand.

I still sell some stuff on eBay but there's no way I'd sell a phone.

Riknos

4,700 posts

203 months

Saturday 7th June 2014
quotequote all
Funk said:
xuy said:
Spare tyre said:
eBay and phones is too scammy

Gumtree is far less risky
Really????
I'd rather give someone the phone and receive cash in my hand.

I still sell some stuff on eBay but there's no way I'd sell a phone.
I'd rather sell than buy on gumtree due to how dodgy it can be not knowing what you're buying!

GTIAlex

1,935 posts

165 months

Saturday 7th June 2014
quotequote all
Just sold a set of alloy wheels and tyres over ebay.

Had them as cash on collection however I was contacted before the end of the auction by a buyer with good feedback, who wanted end the auction early to pay over paypal and send a courier to collect them.

Told him to bid and if he won he could pay paypal and send a courier.

He won the auction (much more than he offered) so fingers crossed it will all work out.



northwest monkey

6,370 posts

188 months

Sunday 8th June 2014
quotequote all
GTIAlex said:
Just sold a set of alloy wheels and tyres over ebay.

Had them as cash on collection however I was contacted before the end of the auction by a buyer with good feedback, who wanted end the auction early to pay over paypal and send a courier to collect them.

Told him to bid and if he won he could pay paypal and send a courier.

He won the auction (much more than he offered) so fingers crossed it will all work out.
Whatever you do, don't let your buyer arrange a courier. Arrange one yourself, but you run the risk of if the courier "loses" the wheels then you haven't got a leg to stand on. Chances are you'll be sound, but for a good sum of money I'd want to be in control.

Personally, I'd always stick to the "collection only" and ask for cash once they have inspected the wheels etc. If the buyer opens a "not as described" case when the wheels turn up then you're going to get stung for the return costs as well.

Funk

26,254 posts

208 months

Sunday 8th June 2014
quotequote all
northwest monkey said:
GTIAlex said:
Just sold a set of alloy wheels and tyres over ebay.

Had them as cash on collection however I was contacted before the end of the auction by a buyer with good feedback, who wanted end the auction early to pay over paypal and send a courier to collect them.

Told him to bid and if he won he could pay paypal and send a courier.

He won the auction (much more than he offered) so fingers crossed it will all work out.
Whatever you do, don't let your buyer arrange a courier. Arrange one yourself, but you run the risk of if the courier "loses" the wheels then you haven't got a leg to stand on. Chances are you'll be sound, but for a good sum of money I'd want to be in control.

Personally, I'd always stick to the "collection only" and ask for cash once they have inspected the wheels etc. If the buyer opens a "not as described" case when the wheels turn up then you're going to get stung for the return costs as well.
Always, ALWAYS use your own courier and ALWAYS to the PayPal-verified address. If you don't, you'll have no proof of delivery and therefore no PayPal protection as a seller.

Sadly I've learned I have to be suspicious of everyone. I will not trust ANYONE online. I'm now pleasantly surprised when things go smoothly - a somewhat sad way to be, I'd rather believe the best of people but unfortunately that's a luxury we can no longer afford in the modern world.

Martin_M

2,071 posts

226 months

Sunday 8th June 2014
quotequote all
I had the same problem with a bidder recently. Complained to ebay again last night as this was the second time the same user bid on one of my items - he was subsequently banned.

Use the live help for quick advice.

gpo746

3,397 posts

129 months

Sunday 8th June 2014
quotequote all
Contact e nay about getting your fees back (seriously)
I sold something to a guy a while back, all went well he got the item and gave feedback.
VERY surprised to get message off e bay telling me not to ship to him - thus being some 5 weeks later. My fees had been auto returned. I rang them and said that I would not accept some chargebacks on this as e bay had notified me way too late about this issue.

They couldn't really account for it being so late either. Point is they refunded the fees. Contact them and say that as per their advice you contacted buyer who said he couldn't etc and that you were following their help and advice and that you are effectively making e bay safer.