Ebay iPhone scam?

[RetiredInFl]

A cleared check does not guarantee payment of the funds if the check was fraudulent (stolen, forged etc). The bank can still reverse the transaction. Money orders are often fradulent as well. The ONLY money order I would POSSIBLY accept is a US Postal Service money order. Bank checks, certified checks, bank money orders ... fugetaboutit.

If you don't want to go the PayPal route, have the seller mail you a check and ship the phone when the check clears.

 

[RetiredInFl]

You don't want BUYER PROTECTION you want SELLER PROTECTION! If it goes to the confirmed address of the buyer of the account with signature required (DO NOT USE USPS only UPS or FEDEX) you will be safe. PayPal will cover you (after a bit of a hassle and a deductible).

I recently placed a iPhone 3G on E-Bay and wanted to know what you guys think.

I did a "Buy it now" price and forced immediate payment on the auction.

Yesterday someone from Taiwan with zero feedback and join date of 3 days ago purchased the iPhone via Buy it Now and payed in full via PayPal.

I know, big red flag right. But here is the kicker. The shipping address is here in the states and the PayPal address is verified. PayPal also told me that it's OK to ship and that buyer protection applies.

What should I do? This smells of scam but there are certain things about the sale that don't add up. The shipping address is valid. It almost sounds like some guy in Taiwan is buying it for a family member here but using their PayPal account. Really weird. (the last name of the buyer in Taiwan is the same last name as the owner of the PayPal account). Also, if I remember correctly, isn't the iPhone real big in Taiwan?

Either way, if I do ship this thing, I'm going to cover all my bases. Signature required, insurance, the whole nine yards.

Scam or not a Scam?

 

[realeric]

It's not unusual someone joins ebay to buy just one or two items . If I were you, I would post the iPhone to buyer's address confirmed by PayPal with insurance and signature confirmation service. It cannot go wrong. Don't forget taking photos and writing down IMEI# or serial# .

 

[thomanjones]

I also recommend setting up a separate bank account for paypal - once the money goes from paypal to your bank, transfer the funds to your normal bank account. You don't want to get hit with a nasty chargeback and have your funds pulled from your bank account. Even if there is a problem with the transaction, at least you'll be holding the funds while you work it out, as opposed to paypal holding them.

 

[realeric]

You cannot do this anymore. Paypal requires that the tracking number have a confirmed delivery before you can withdraw the funds. They are marked in your balance and they will be cleared once the item is delivered. It is a bit annoying.

I found the information when PayPal holds the fund;

•You have been an eBay member for less than 6 months, and you sell an item for more than $100
•You have an eBay feedback score of less than 100, and you sell an item for more than $100
•You have a buyer dissatisfaction percentage* greater than 5%
•You have an average Detailed Seller Rating of less than 4.5 (Buyer can leave detailed seller ratings right after the transaction, or at a later time, up to 60 days after the transaction)
•You have received fewer than 20 Detailed Seller Ratings in the last 12 months
•You are listing your item in a high-risk category such as gift certificates, video games, cell phones , computers, or consumer electronics.

PayPal will not hold the fund if;

•You have been an eBay member for 6-months or more, and
•Your total Feedback score is 100 or greater, and
•Your Buyer dissatisfaction percentage** is less than 5%.
Or
•Your average DSR is 4.5 or greater and
•Your have received 20 or more DSRs in the last 12-months
•Your buyer dissatisfaction percentage is less than 5%

I belong to holding category

 

[AppleFan360]

Thanks for all the great advice! I will keep you posted on what happens.

 

[AppleFan360]

Just as a follow up.

I ended up sending the phone.

The transaction went off without a hitch. No chargebacks or anything. The user had actually purchased a couple of more iPhones after purchasing mine.

Guess I lucked out but I went ahead a fixed my E-Bay account security anyway. No more zero feedback bidders.

 

[fluffyx]

You cannot do this anymore. Paypal requires that the tracking number have a confirmed delivery before you can withdraw the funds. They are marked in your balance and they will be cleared once the item is delivered. It is a bit annoying.

This is true for randomly selected transactions for sellers who have less than 100 feedback. If PayPal is placing a hold on your funds, you'll know it when you log in to PayPal.com—you'll see "Total Balance" and "Available Balance", and they'll both be different.

If you have more than 100 feedback, or PayPal didn't select this transaction for "random screening," there's no hold on the transaction.

To the Original Poster, ship to the confirmed address, require signature upon delivery. I've sold to many zero-feedback buyers without trouble.

 

[Malky]

Can't you just give him his money back and put it on eBay again? If I was in doubt about something like this I would just forget selling it to them.

Edit - You sold it safely, never mind.

 

[acfusion29]

Just as a follow up.

I ended up sending the phone.

The transaction went off without a hitch. No chargebacks or anything. The user had actually purchased a couple of more iPhones after purchasing mine.

Guess I lucked out but I went ahead a fixed my E-Bay account security anyway. No more zero feedback bidders.

Good to hear.

I skimmed through the thread, and it seems like a lot of people are always ALWAYS saying it's a scam if the buyer has 0 feedback.

Like a few mentioned, someone has to start off somewhere.

Also, not everyones a scam. If YOU (the seller, YOU YOU YOU) take the necessary precautions then you won't be scammed. If you are an idiot, then you will be.

I've sold to 0 feedbackers over the years and never had a problem. Never been scammed either. They've tried to, but I'm not stupid enough to fall for fake PayPal emails. When PayPal held my money on one occasion, I immediately called PayPal and asked if it was safe to ship the item... they said it was so I did. Never had any problems.

They say you have to be smart when you're buying something to avoid being scammed, but be smart when you're selling something too.