Buyer texted me to ask a question and now if asking for my email

[usedmadness]

Hello,

I’m selling a 200$ item on eBay and my account is new. The buyer asked to text me to ask whether my item was brand new - which was explained in the listing. Now the buyer is asking for my email address to send the payment. Normally, I would have flagged this as scam and moved on, but the buyers account has been around since 2004, and has 1500+ positive reviews. Is this still a scam?

Thank you for your help

[pjcdn2005]

Yes, it’s still a scam.  There is no need for a buyer to need your email address as they can check out through eBay. Chances are that they will use your email to send a fake ‘you’ve been paid’ email from PayPal.  

It’s possible that theIr account has been hacked..

[cumos55]

eBay bots will track your sending of the email address.... through eBay Messages

and that could put you in trouble with trying to sell something on eBay... outside eBay...

Be careful!

[reallynicestamps]

Were most of those 1500 positive Feedback*  "More than a Year Ago"?

Is there a sudden change in his purchases?

For example, someone who has been buying babyclothes and books, is suddenly buying from dealers, especially low FB dealers, who sell high value electronics.

You could be dealing with a hacked account.

A good buyer stops buying but does not close her account.

The abandoned account is later taken over by a scammer.

Do not respond.

Put the account on your Blocked Buyer/Bidder List.

Call Trust and Security at the bottom of this page and Report the hacked account.

And add the automatic Block on Bidders/Buyers with Unpaid Item Strikes to your Seller Preferences/Buyer Requirements.

*Not reviews, that's a different thing on eBay.

[needsmorerobots]

Yeah don't.

Once in my naive early days here on ebay, that was how a seller hacked my computer, by giving him my e-mail address.

This person can contact you through Ebay and go through the normal channels of communication here like everyone else.

In the meantime, if he did contact you by texting on mobile phone or by e-mail, get the necessary anti-virus programs and run diagnostics.

[luvmystuff2]

I normally offer free shipping in Canada. Recently, I had an interested buyer who has a solid U.S.-based E-Bay account ask me to ship the item to an address in Canada. They were unable to get the free shipping on the invoice when Buying, given they were registered in the U.S. The buyer asked me for my e-mail address and home address to send me payment. 

The red flag went up immediately, and I told the buyer I wouldn't send the item to an address not associated with their PayPal account. The buyer assured me the addresses were the same, but still pressed me for my e-mail and home address. I ignored that request for the second time and suggested "they" buy the item and wait for an invoice that I would edit it to remove the shipping charge. Once paid, I would ship the item to the Canadian address associated with the PayPal account. I never heard from "them" again. It never occurred to me that these accounts might be getting hacked. Anyway, if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck....

[reallynicestamps]

If a buyer making a Best Offer also wants Free Shipping on a purchase, it can be done.

Even though eBay does not allow Best Offers to include shipping discounts.

It helps if the buyer is intelligent, flexible and honest. (Honest people are more trusting than dishonest people.)

The trick is to go by total.

The original price is $100 with $10 shipping. Total $110.

The Best Offer is $95 with Free Shipping. The total is $95 and this is acceptable to the seller.

The seller counter-offers at $85 plus $10 shipping. Total $95.

In my experience, a sketchy buyer  can't understand why the seller would counter offer at "less" than his offer and he won't get his "free" shipping. He will decide he is being cheated.

A bright one or an honest one will accept.