Warning about buyers with zero feedback: POSSIBLE scam.

[smilingrobot]

I recently received a few sales from buyers with zero feedback. I am usually wary of buyers with zero feedback, but so approach cautiously. One occasions, I believe was trying to scam me. Here is what they did:

1. They bought an item from us under UserID-A (0)
2. After a few days, I am contacted by another UserID-B (0) asking me about the item bought by UserID-A. This person requests a change in the order and wants to change the item to something else.
3. I asked UserID-B what they wanted their order changed, and they then confirmed what they wanted. BUT...
4. Before I changed the order, I told UserID-B to contact me on UserID-A account, otherwise I cannot do anything.
5. They then stopped contacting me.

Note: The buyer made it sound like they are the same person. Likely they are. What I believe can happen is that once you send the item to Buyer B, Buyer A will lodge an Item not received, and then get a full refund. Because the item is shipped to another buyer, you have no protection or proof you actually sent it to Buyer A.

Be careful.

[phorum_junkie*]

As long as you post to the address on the Paypal transaction page by a method that qualifies for seller protection then they cannot claim item not received.

If you agree to send something different then they could open an item not as described dispute but would have to go to the expense of returning it, I can't see what they could possibly gain by doing that as they would be out the cost of the postage.

[nicole-n-daz]

You have to realise that not all buyers with zero feedback opperate like this.

Everybody has to start somewhere.

You will get the good with the bad.

But i find most buyers with zero feedback are ok.

[smilingrobot]

Absolutely. I always get in touch with any buyer with zero feedback first. If they communicate well, I am less wary.

[smilingrobot]

Thanks for the tip.

[acutus1]

I really putting of Ebay because of these and they keep using the same text over and over again so you know the difference and there are recently added so it increases distrust. 

I am done with Ebay now i cant sell anything with it and the final value fee  sucks

[pruetrading]

 I've been wondering about the high number of 0 buyers I've had recently.

I have a feeling that quite a few of them are buyers who have been blocked by strikes, and have created new IDS to buy. These are buyers who registered on ebay the same day that they buy, have Paypal all set up and ready to go, and seem to know their way around the ebay system. I'm not complaining because they have paid straight away, but the value of having strikes seems limited when it can be sidestepped so easily..

[haolove13]

This seems to be part of anew scam system , but not by sellers but instead by buyers.

I think Ebay should allow sellers to leave negative feedback when affected by these types of activity.

BRING BACKNEGATIVE FEEDBACK FOR BUYERS

[*crikey*mate*]

how will issuing 0 feedback buyers with a negative help in this scenario? If they've started up these accounts to circumvent blocks, chances are they'll just start up another one to get around the neg.

besides, if they're BIN's or snipers, our system won't block them for negs, only for strikes.

[haolove13]

When buyers turn up with minus five as their rating it will save a lot of time waiting for them to pay.

and if Ebay are genuine about a safe level playing field they will keep banning these people and eventually they will run out of adresses.

I have had 10% of my sales in the last two months with non paying bidders which is wasting a lot of my time. And it is slowing down my cashflow. And wasting my free listings.

If these people were to start having scores more than minus two you can also stop them from bidding by changing your settings.

Ebay really has changed and for sellers it really has got a lot worse.