I’m a Relatively New eBay Seller and I believe A buyer may be attempting to Scam me. Advice? 1 1

[kav]

3 minutes ago, wombat said:

Do not come back here with a roundhouse story. 

dang

[shadroch]

1 hour ago, kav said:

huge red flag.  he has the book.  It's like when a parent says in an angry voice "Jimmy get in here!" and Jimmy comes in and blurts out "I didnt eat the cookies!".

Not really. IF I was home waiting for a package and I got a text saying it had been delivered, I'd notify the seller. Wouldn't you? I'm not saying this isn't a scam but the message doesn't show me anything.

[kav]

3 minutes ago, shadroch said:

Not really. IF I was home waiting for a package and I got a text saying it had been delivered, I'd notify the seller. Wouldn't you? I'm not saying this isn't a scam but the message doesn't show me anything.

yeah i can see that.  I'd call the post office first tho.  As a seller if post office told me it was delivered and signed for by someone at the door of that address then I would be suspicious.

[WolverineX]

If you got delivery confirmation, you can request the signature. 

[ramithard]

As a seller on Feebay...this is my worst nightmare...good luck and please let us know the outcome

[1koko]

1 hour ago, shadroch said:

Not really. IF I was home waiting for a package and I got a text saying it had been delivered, I'd notify the seller. Wouldn't you? I'm not saying this isn't a scam but the message doesn't show me anything.

Happened to me once.

Had won a book at Heritage was home waiting for delivery when the Mail came confirming it had been delivered.  
I was panicking as it was the most I had ever spent on a book and didn’t have the book.  
Phoned FedEx, phoned Heritage with little help.

Half an hour later the neighbour knocked on the door holding the package.  It seems that I hadn’t heard the knocking so they had left it with the neighbour.

[Bob Troub]

First of all, you can't walk into the usps and do anything....so, call usps and talk to a rep to confirm delivery...second, call ebay...you have to call them early, and most times you will get a call back response.....I have had better luck to call them # 8:01 eastern time.....don't call at 4 pm.... you'll never get thru, and they won't call you back......has the buyer opened a case? If not, there is zero you can do until they do...but speaking with eBay is a good start....also ask usps for advice/what to do the a claim.....and after this is resolved, block the buyer on EBay ....

 

 

 

[Bob Troub]

11 hours ago, Dimez said:

Thanks for reading and for any advice, I’ll try to keep this as brief as possible. 
 

started selling on eBay this year during pandemic I have ~200 completed sales and 100% feedback and my experiences have been overwhelming positive. I know many here complete thousands of sales annually on eBay and I’d appreciate any input. I’ve read some of the eBay horror stories with regards to these types, so anything you advise me on would be great. 
 

on to the possible scam.  Here are the details of the sale. 7 day auction for a CGC slab, sold for $875 dollars on Thursday. Winner paid the following morning, Friday, and I shipped later that afternoon. Used USPS priority with insurance and signature requirement and informed buyer that a sig would be needed. Package was delivered today - Tracking info states “Delivered - Left with Individual” (This may be relevant later, as USPS, FedEx and UPS drivers in my experiences will not always get the sig but rather hand off the package and ask their name)  skip to 11:30pm pacific time I receive the following message from the buyer “Did not receive item did not sign for been home all day waiting for package”   I immediate reply to him and ask him to check with anyone he may live with and if no one says they accepted package that I would go to post office and request an inquiry. No response as of yet.

Red Flags and Why I think this may a scam attempt. 
 

- The first and most mild red flag is that his account was created in 2019 and his user name is an unintelligible string of letters with a few numbers in between and has a feedback in the 70’s (I’m not going to name him because as of now this is only a suspicion.)

- next and slightly more suspicious is that during the auction he sent me numerous messages asking me to end the auction and sell to him directly .  I need to note that he never suggested that I sell to him outside of eBay which would have been a major red flag, however I don’t know if he would have as I politely declined each time he asked. To be fair I should also note that this book is an brand new variant that I was first to market with so he may have really wanted it as there were no other CGC 9.8s available or even on the census at the time  

- biggest red flags. Obviously it’s a red flag that the USPS claims they handed this to someone at his address and he claims he didn’t receive it. USPS obviously makes mistakes so this isn’t damning evidence  but what struck me immediately was his message  “didn’t receive item didn’t sign”  maybe it’s just me but I found it incredibly odd that he mentioned that he didn’t sign for the book. If I was waiting on something to be delivered to me and the tracking number showed that it had been delivered, I’d message immediately and say that USPS Tracking shows it delivered the package but they did not, it goes without saying that one didn’t sign for a package that wasn’t delivered. This made me suspect that it were possible that the postman handed him the package and failed to make him physically sign for it (which they often do in my experience) and this guy had an idiotic thought that since he didn’t sign for it he could claim that he never received it  furthermore the guy says he had been waiting all day at his house for the package, when his other mail was delivered and the book didn’t arrive you might think he’d check the tracking and see that it said it had in fact been delivered and message then, however he waited until 1130, however I realize that there could be numerous reasons why he waited until this hour  

anyway that’s all I have. Am I jumping the gun? I don’t think this a slam dunk he is for sure trying to scam me evidence but it seems really sketchy to me

 

should I contact eBay immediately and get in front of this to let them know something scammy might be in the works? I do intend on going to post office in the morning to let them know what he is claiming. Should I alert them that I believe this might be a possible eBay scam? Also do I need to be worried about being implicated in some form if they come to believe that this is insurance claim fraud?

 

i’d really appreciate any honest feedback and/or advice.

either way at this point I think I’m going to take a break from eBay selling  on top of the fees, I feel like scammers get to lurk in the shadows as sellers cannot leave feedback and publically out these types. Additionally I have some major books at CGC that if I receive the grades I believe they should get would be worth many thousands. Some of which I intended to sell on eBay now I’m just not sure I feel comfortable with this.   

 

thanks again guys 

 

 

 

Did the buyer open a case?

[lotofsilver]

In these crazy postal times I frequently get deliveries from USPS that tracking shows were delivered the day before. Pretty much happens every time there is a sub on my route. More trying to find a potential silver lining, but could possibly show up tomorrow. 

In either case, as a seller, you followed the protocols with tracking and delivery so ebay should cover. I worry more about CC charge backs six months later when tracking is purged and you can't prove delivery (fortunately this has only happened twice in tens of thousands of transactions).

[Falcon760]

Delivery confirmation aka signing was a lax process during early COVID.  The guys who had my CGC books for example just left them when a few years ago they asked for my signature.

[AndyFish]

17 hours ago, lotofsilver said:

In these crazy postal times I frequently get deliveries from USPS that tracking shows were delivered the day before. Pretty much happens every time there is a sub on my route. More trying to find a potential silver lining, but could possibly show up tomorrow. 

In either case, as a seller, you followed the protocols with tracking and delivery so ebay should cover. I worry more about CC charge backs six months later when tracking is purged and you can't prove delivery (fortunately this has only happened twice in tens of thousands of transactions).

Yes to this.   I've seen this happen about six times this year, which is extremely high, but always the package was actually delivered within 48 hours-- so if they're still claiming they don't have it by now you should be able to rule this out.

[ThothAmon]

Really doesn’t matter to you whether the buyer is trying to “scam” or not as the tracking info is on your side for eBays purposes. I’d  file the insurance claim through the USPS immediately. 

[wombat]

So in a situation where it says something was signed for, who has the ability to request a copy of that signature? The person sending or receiving? Or both?

[James J Johnson]

On 5/11/2021 at 11:07 AM, kav said:

if a package tracking shows delivered and signed for what can the seller do about it?

Nothing. You have to nip any buyer delivery dishonestly in the bud. Same with theft. You don't allow the opportunity for it to occur. You secure the things you don't want to disappear. You secure the delivery to eliminate the buyer option of dishonesty by splurging and paying the extra money for either restricted delivery, which is the next and best level of protection over signature confirmation, or registered mail which is the best, insured or not.

Unfortunately, signature confirmation does not assure the recipient of reciving the parcel because the carrier has the option to sign for it and simply leave it on a doorstep; sometimes even to a dwelling with multiple units! This was always a carrier's option, and in the past year, it's more the norm now rather than the exception. Without the recipient's signature, delivery confirmation is worthless in proving anything.

Which is where restricted delivery comes in. It's like signature confirmation, except that a carrier cannot sign for it and leave it. For about $9 extra over the basic postage, the parcel's signature is restricted to the addressee. $6.00 more than signature confirmation, but well worth the added expense for multi hundred dollar item deliveries. 

Registered mail costs about $13.00 on average and  if the carrier doesn't know you, and your identity, an ID is required along with the addressee's signature, leaving nothing to chance. Also, a registered domestic parcel may be insured for up to and including $25,000. 

Consider passing these costs on to your buyer when you prepare their invoice or foot the bill yourself for it and your deliveries will become far less of a risk. 

Edited May 12, 2021 by James J Johnson

[James J Johnson]

5 hours ago, wombat said:

So in a situation where it says something was signed for, who has the ability to request a copy of that signature? The person sending or receiving? Or both?

Both. But here's the dilemma. A carrier can sign for the addressee, either way; as the addressee, signing his name, or initials, or the carrier can opt to sign his own name, or his own initials! So signature confirmation alone really does nothing to fight a claim/case opened by the buyer for "item not received". They simply haveto say, "I didn't sign for that", and you know what? Maybe he didn't. Maybe the carrier signed the addressee's initials or his own initials, left it in front of the door and somebody seeing this wlked over nonchalantly and picked it up. 

For $3 you get nothing. It might be an extra level of security as far as tracking goes, but if push comes to shove, a claim filed, the seller is going to lose. 

Restricted delivery or registered is the only way now to safely ship parcels of substantial value. And of course, insurance can be added to that. 

[Tnexus]

Usps should also be able to geotag where it was scanned delivered. So if it is at the correct location, you should have a more concrete case.

[kav]

ps off topic but is anyone else having the boards jerk to the bottom of page constantly or is it just my computer?

[James J Johnson]

3 minutes ago, kav said:

jerk 

That's what she said!  

[Beige]

YOU do not have to do anything.

You have tracking showing it was delivered and accepted at the supplied verified address.

It sounds harsh - but your job is finished.

He can open cases, chargebacks etc etc - and will lose every time.

"Tracking shows delivery at registered address supplied by buyer and confirmed as correct by ebay"

I assume you kept shipping confirmation (we have address slips that are stamped by PO if we want them that confirms the address we sent them to) ?

You have nothing to worry about.

 

Usually, if it's not a scam - and they are much rarer than some would have you believe - then it's next door, or someone else accepted it and forgot.

You are fine.

[NewWorldOrder]

11 hours ago, wombat said:

So in a situation where it says something was signed for, who has the ability to request a copy of that signature? The person sending or receiving? Or both?

It's on file with USPS.

From your earlier posts......If I sent you a $1000 book and the USPS tracking says it was "delivered-left with individual," how is the seller at fault?

What do you want me to do about it?  

Fraud or no fraud seller its done from my end.  

Only scam that is left is the buyer opens up a "item not as "described" and return an empty box then eBay will have to side with someone.   

Edited May 13, 2021 by NewWorldOrder