Strange purchase

[fatdane]

Yesterday I sold a stamp set for all of 55 cents US ( and please don't ask me why Ebay has not ended that store item- I have no idea why they haven't). The buyer sent an Echeck for 55 cents along with the following message "Note: Hey I just found something just like it so you dont have to send the item. Just give me a positive feedback like "great ebayer" as soon as you can and we'll call it a deal." The buyer has 0 feedback but seems to know the ins and outs of Ebay and Paypal. To me it looks like some one "buying" feedback as cheaply as possible. Anyone else get a sale like this? I'm not inclined to rush to give this guy positive feedback. Item number is 230177139888

[jakeeangel]

Interesting. Thanks for the listing number but it doesn't do us any good as we can't see the user ID's anymore. Bummer.

Can't say I've had anyone pay me essentially for the feedback but I did have someone buy a $1 item I had for the feedback. The difference is that they paid for shipping & I mailed it. They bought a bunch of $1 items of all sorts at the time to build up their feedback.

I wondered if stuff like what happened to you was going on. It doesn't surprise me unfortunately.

[fatdane]

I decided to refund the huge 55 cent payment. Something just doesn't seem right about the purchase or the message the customer sent with his payment.

[coxengines]

Why do you care?

If the buyer pays, give him/her FB.

It is not up to the seller to second-guess the intention of the buyer.

By snubbing the buyer, you are leaving yourself open to retaliation (Read: negative FB).

Was the buyer buying FB? Probably.

Had a few last year that bought an item and ask that we not ship but waive the shipping charge.

Wish we had more of those, lots more...:-D

Cheers
Bernie

[jakeeangel]

Why do you care? Because I for one do. I don't care to help facilitate a scammer thanks.

Isn't that called having a social conscience, to care about your fellow man?

[pierrelebel]

Hi fatdane. I had a few similar purchases over the years before the minimum value for store items was raised to $1.

Like you, I simply refunded the payment and requested they send the full amount, including shipping charge, if they wanted to proceed with the purchase. .

[coxengines]

facilitate a scammer

It's not a scam!

I teach a seminar at the local university called "How to be successful on eBay" and it's one of the things I teach my students.

When setting up an account, buy 15-low cost, tangible, items that can be shipped (coins are great but buy something you actually want).

Pay for them right away, leave FB and request FB as soon as possible. It does "establish" one quicker.

Some of you won't like this but I can assure you that every one of our own accounts we have set up on eBay began this way,and we have many accounts.

Yet, we are not scammers (I would hope :-D)

Cheers
Bernie

[jakeeangel]

There's a difference between buying low cost items & saying here's the money for it, keep it & just give me positive feedback don't you think? And we don't know either way if this person is or will be a 'scammer' or not.

Something for you to think about is that many buyers find it suspicious that a seller has a bunch of low value items as a buyer before they start selling, especially if they're selling high dollar items. They're not stupid & can see through someone basically buying feedback to look legit. Some don't care one way or the other but some do & will go elsewhere.

It's the typical MO of Chinese & other scammers. Surely you recognize that don't you?

There's nothing wrong with buying to see how the system works & to learn things from a buyers POV if you don't know & essentially buying feedback to give potential buyers the impression that everything is ok when it may not be.

[fatdane]

I am used to small purchases, especially with the economy the way it is, but when some one doesn't want the item shipped it makes me nervous, and the message the buyer sent also made me a bit nervous. The buyer had zero feedback but seemed familiar with Ebay - maybe I'm a bit uptight but zero feedback and an apparent familiarity with Ebay could be a NARU coming back with a new name.

[fatdane]

I think I just got one of your students as a buyer, Bernie but she paid the full amount including shipping and GST and asked that I give positive feedback. This buyer is from your province - the one that has me nervous came from Montreal

[coxengines]

many buyers find it suspicious that a seller has a bunch of low value items as a buyer before they start selling, especially if they're selling high dollar items

True. But when selling low-cost items it is generally overlooked. That first star at "10" makes such a difference. Try selling something with "0" FB and you'll see what I mean.

could be a NARU coming back with a new name

What difference does it make? If it's retaliation they are after, it's too late. They already bought. Plus if they are really out to bother you, they now have a chance to file for "seller non-performance".

I think I just got one of your students as a buyer

That would be funny!

In any event, I still maintain that one should at least have that little star before selling. Starting a coin collection is a great way to initiate this.

The OP was about not leaving FB because one suspected a buyer would engage in nefarious purposes. I still say if they pay, they get FB. What they do with it is none of my business.

Cheers
Bernie

[pierrelebel]

"I still maintain that one should at least have that little star before selling"

I agree and I would most definitely suggest all newcomers purchase at least fifteen low priced items from different sellers, including at least five from outside Canada, to learn how eBay works and what the mail order industry is all about.

However, there is little learning if the purchases are a sham for the only purpose of building feedback quickly. That will not prove anything. To be worthwhile, the experience must include completing the purchases, which means paying for them in full (including shipping charge), receiving the goods, receiving and giving appropriate feedback. .

[coxengines]

To be worthwhile, the experience must include completing the purchases, which means paying for them in full (including shipping charge), receiving the goods, receiving and giving appropriate feedback.

Agree, and that's what I always advocate.

However, if someone pays us for an item and asks not to ship, that's fine. Donations are always welcome 🙂

Cheers
Bernie

[pierrelebel]

"if someone pays us for an item and asks not to ship, that's fine"

That is where we will need to agree to disagree.

Helping folks build their feedback artificially by not completing their purchase is NOT something I want to be part of. It is called selling feedback. That is not for me. .

[coxengines]

Pierre,

I'm glad we are all different or else we would all be selling stamps or model engines 🙂

Dissent drives innovation and your opinion counts as much as mine - it is what maintains the very fabric of this board.

The "smart" FB builders will merely pay the 2 bucks for postage and no one is the wiser.

Refunding a payment will not deter a FB builder as he/she can choose from the millions of other listings. But then, one can say "I was not part of it", a stance that I fully respect. The debate on morals is as old as humanity itself.

I guess my love for feeBay and their cyber-bank only extends as far as their ability to provide us with profit.

Keep up the good work, Pierre, and I always enjoy your posts.

Cheers
Bernie

[fatdane]

Well the customer has again sent the same 55 cent payment with the same message. I have returned it again bit now have sent an invoice to him that includes shipping and GST. His feedback has gone from 0 to 2 so some one must be giving him feedback. His information indicates that he is an electronics dealer.

[coxengines]

Hey, send him our username]:)

Cheers
Bernie

[fatdane]

Perhaps it's because I'm an old Codger, but any message to me that starts with "hey" has me grumbling before I get any further into the message. If this person wants to "buy" feedback he, she or it should at least try to complete the sale - and he says that he found the same item elsewhere? If that's the case there is an Ebay method for not completing the sale. Maybe its a condition that affects only stamp dealers but if he wants feedback lets complete the transaction. I don't think I'd be buying much from a seller that's is trying to do things on the "ultra cheap".
Pierre is more eloquent on the subject than I but I think we both feel the same about such transactions.

Bernie - The person who I thought was a pupil of your course completed the transaction and got positive feedback. She used the Ebay system( not a perfect system I'll admit) and sent a message that she was new and would appreciate positive feedback. No problem with her from my end as she told me she was new, completed the transaction, didn't complain about the darn taxes I have to collect (GST in this case)paid promptly ( no Paypal Echecck with its long delay)- a delightful customer.

[coxengines]

Re. the "hey".Thankfully it was a short message 🙂

Again, I don't begrudge anyone for the way they do business. All I was trying to say is that we take money from anyone, for whatever reason, anytime of the day or night.

If they decide to donate the merchandise back to us, I would give them the ID of another selling account of ours and encourage them to repeat the procedure.

What better way to sell product than to get paid and not have to deliver it?

Unfortunately, it has not happened to us; we always had to actually the ship the merchandise.

Hence my suggestion to send the customer to us ... tongue in cheek 🙂

Cheers
Bernie

[jakeeangel]

I feel the same way as Pierre & Fatdane. I'm not into selling feedback and it's not for any love of eBay. I have no desire to facilitate a possible scammer. I don't like what they do & won't aide them in doing it. Following through on a low value purchase as normal is not at issue, maybe they really do want that item. It's the ones that pay & tell me to keep it that are.

You can call it a donation if you wish but I call it fishy & trying to buy feedback. When a seller has a few hundred or thousand feedbacks, the first 10 are easily overlooked but when a seller has 20 or 30 or even less, the first 10 are not so easily overlooked. Buyers aren't stupid & can & will check to see what those items are. Even if only being able to separate buying & selling feedbacks.

They get suspicious when a seller has say 15 feedbacks & 14 of which are from buying $1 or 55¢ items for example. No matter how you slice it, it looks suspicious/questionable.