0 Feedback buyer in US with PO Box - BIN item - higher risk item - advice requested

[rehautala]

I recently sold a lot with some Electronic (handheld) game systems and games on behalf of my son (who needs the extra money). I don't normally sell these types of items and know that they can be one of those that is susceptible to fraudulant buyers.

It was set up as a BIN item and sold today (no payment yet).

I am concerned because the buyer is in the US, has a PO Box shipping address and 0 feedback.

Questions:

Can I cancel the transaction before payment is received without worrying about negative feedback?

If I cancel, will the buyer be able to give me a negative?

Should I request a mutual cancellation?

I am nervous about this one because even if I send it with tracking and insurance (which I would), and even if the buyer has a valid Paypal account, this is a lot, and there is a lot of potential for an INAD claim, with the buyer then sending back a non-working system, etc. I can take all kinds of precautions, but is it really worth it?

I know that not all 0 feedback buyers are scammers, but I would hate to have my son lose out on this (not to mention the potential hassle and damage to my feedback/DSRs)

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

[recped]

Every buyer on eBay starts with 0 feedback

Probably 10 - 20% of the population of the USA use a P.O. Box as an address

My guess is that there is less chance of grief from a zero feedback buyer than a buyer with a couple fo hundred, certainly that is my personal experience.

You could check their recent buying activity to see if they are on a insane buying binge, beyond that just handle your obligations properly and it should all be just fine.

[rehautala]

Thanks for the advice. I checked their ID history and it is 5 days old.

Are you saying I can see what they have purchased in the last 5 days since the ID was set up? Not sure how to do that.

[pjcdn2005]

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@rehautala wrote:

Thanks for the advice. I checked their ID history and it is 5 days old.

Are you saying I can see what they have purchased in the last 5 days since the ID was set up? Not sure how to do that.

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Click on advanced on the top right of the page (next to search)

On the left side click on by bidder, enter their user id and check off '(nclude completed items)

Search

[rose-dee]

For what my 2 cents is worth, I see no reason not to proceed with the transaction once payment has been made.  You may need to help out a newbie with some information via email (not all of them understand even how to make a payment!).

If you send a cancellation request, the buyer will still be able to leave feedback/DSRs.  There is no such thing as mutual cancellation in this regard -- the seller sends the formal request, but the buyer can choose to reject it, even if he's told you in an email that he'll accept it, and then you must proceed with the transaction anyway.  I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that a cancellation is the best route -- I think cancellations work best if the "ask" is initiated by the buyer anyway (e.g. "I bought the wrong item, can you cancel?").      

If the PO Box is a private one (like UPS), there could possibly be an issue with accepting parcels requiring signature, but if it's a USPS P.O. Box there likely won't be any problem.  I've run into this with a couple of U.S. buyers -- I emailed them in advance just to be sure.  All the buyer needs to do is call his P.O. Box provider to check.  

I think chances are good this will work out. 

[fatdane]

In many smaller towns there may be no letter carrier delivery, and even if there was a street address, all mail would go to a Post Office Box.

[recped]

Since 2001 I have dealt with 608 buyers in the USA who use PO Boxes, That is 8.37% of my US Buyers.

Just for fun I checked my Canadian buyers, a little less at 6.65% who have PO Box addresses.

[rehautala]

Thanks all for the comments/advice.

I did not know I could search "by bidder" - that was a good thing to learn.

I tried it and this user has only purchased my item (no shopping spree).

Perhaps I am just over cautious.

I will wait and see if this person even pays and go from there.

Thanks again.

[femmefan1946]

There is no safer way to ship than to a PO box. Think about it. If the item fits, the owner has to open the box with a key. If it is too large he gets a notice in the (.locked) box and has to claim it at the counter.

And the PO  will not rent the box without some reasonable ID.

The reason some US sellers do not allow PO boxes has nothing to do with security. Many use couriers, like UPS, who pickup at the house, include full tracking and insurance and are about the same cost for shipping as USPS. But couriers cannot deliver to PO boxes, so the sellers who use them do not allow PO Box addresses.

[rehautala]

That makes a lot of sense. It would be a lot of trouble to set up a PO box with fake ID, unless it was an organized scam of some kind. In that case they wouldn't be going after my kind of item.

[rose-dee]

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@femmefan1946 wrote:

The reason some US sellers do not allow PO boxes has nothing to do with security. Many use couriers, like UPS, who pickup at the house, include full tracking and insurance and are about the same cost for shipping as USPS. But couriers cannot deliver to PO boxes, so the sellers who use them do not allow PO Box addresses.

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This was news to me!  Thanks for mentioning it.  The only issue I ever had with a P.O. Box address was a buyer who wasn't sure the item would fit.  It was a UPS outlet, so they weren't too keen on keeping a large box behind the counter for her, but as you say, I'm pretty certain regular USPS PO Boxes do not have that issue.  As it turned out, I asked the buyer to request "pretty please", and the UPS counter staff said they'd hold the box for her when it arrived.  

Sometimes you do need to have some faith that things will work as they should and people will be reasonable.