a ZERO feedback record
Many new sellers have not done any buying -- or any research actually-- before they start selling.
Not unusual. A dumb move though.
BTW he could also be an experienced seller with a new account. I opened a new account last year and have less than 10 FB from buyers although I have had over 30 sales.
over 430 very different items in dozens of very different categories... each with very unusual and contradictory photos, ambiguous descriptions,
Sounds like a dropshipper.
He has taken his stock from a catalogue provided by a supplier and has no idea of what to sell profitably.
Not unusual. A dumb move though.
located (so he says) in Toronto,
Sellers are supposed to give the location of the product, not their own, because that allows the buyer to reckon on delivery time and the possibility of import fees.
Not unusual. A dumb move though.
He may be in Toronto, it's a big city, but his supplier could be shipping from Johannesburg. Or Vancouver. EBay does not allow this, but it is hard to spot with new accounts.
all of it listed "Buy It Now" with free shipping...
That is actually the best way to list in my opinion. Many sellers would add "immediate payment required".
Auctions are terrible for mass produced goods and today's online shopper wants to see what it will cost on his doorstep without messing about with added costs like shipping and import fees.
Most newbies are not smart enough to realize this. A point in his favour.
and the default payment method appears to be from the buyer's bank account through PayPal.
The seller doesn't get to choose this.
The seller never sees the buyer's financial information. That's always been an important selling point for Paypal.
The buyer's account can be backed by a credit card, a PP balance or his bank account. The seller has no say in this.
Sellers cannot demand cash, cheque or money order payments, and have not been able to do so for decades.
Shipping is EXCLUSIVELY to Canada...
That's standard advice to new sellers. Don't ship internationally.
but all of the shipping information provided is boiler-plate lower USA 48 states stuff.
Yeah, he was dumb enough to copy and paste from another seller's Terms of Sale.
Basically what I'm hearing is that you found a newbie who has signed up with a supplier to dropship products which he has never seen and does not actually have in his possession.
He is at the beginning of a steep learning curve.
Nothing illegal (except the location of the goods-- which is a common mistake ) but probably not someone who will last here.
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