Offer way above asking price. Scam?

tyker_3054 — Thu, 01 Aug 2019 13:59:24 GMT

i have recently listed a camera with bids starting at $365, yet have recieved an offer of $900 from an international 'buyer'.

is this a scam

Re: Offer way above asking price. Scam?

padi*0409 — Thu, 01 Aug 2019 14:21:01 GMT

New seller, high end camera, overseas offer..............SCAM in my eyes.

As a new seller eBay will not let you sell internationally anyway.

Re: Offer way above asking price. Scam?

digital*ghost — Thu, 01 Aug 2019 14:38:50 GMT

@tyker_3054 wrote:
i have recently listed a camera with bids starting at $365, yet have recieved an offer of $900 from an international 'buyer'.

is this a scam

More than likely. That's how they suck people in, by trying to convince them there's something in it for the seller rather than the other way around.

They'll offer above what the average selling price is, even if it's a straight buy it now listing, and say something like I'll send you $x extra for some kind of perceived inconvenience (a common one is that they're buying for a relative who's stationed in some rural area and you'll need to use their shipping agent, then you get a fake payment email and need to send money to the shipping agent, only you're sending your own money directly to them).

Go to My eBay > Account > Site Preferences > Buyer requirements, and make sure to implement some blocks to prevent bids or purchase from people like this (if you don't select the one that blocks bids from buyers in countries you don't post to, they can still bid / offer).

Re: Offer way above asking price. Scam?

countessalmirena — Thu, 01 Aug 2019 14:49:28 GMT

@tyker_3054,

Yes, it's a scam.

You have done the right thing in specifying postage to Australia only.

Just be aware that new or inexperienced sellers selling relatively expensive items are targets for scammers. The seller receives a much higher offer from a buyer who is overseas, working on an oil rig, working in a remote area, anything of that sort. The buyer says that he'll arrange for courier to pick up the item, etc. Usually there will be talk of PayPal holding the funds in escrow (although there are several other scenarios). If it's the escrow scam, you'd receive a very convincing email purportedly from PayPal stating that the payment had been made and that the funds are being held in escrow until they receive proof of shipping.

It will, of course, be a lie. The PayPal email will not be from PayPal, but the sender's address will have been spoofed to fool you. There will be a link in the email, supposedly leading you to your PayPal account, but it will only appear to be PayPal. The actual destination is disguised, and you will be redirected to another site, or you may download a keylogger... The bottom line is that clicking onto the link is not something you should do. In fact, you should avoid opening any such email, as there are even some behaviours that can be triggered merely by reading an email.

Were you to click onto the link and be redirected to what you think is PayPal, you would be gifting the scammer with your login details. That's just a nice little "fries with that" bonus for the scammer.

Often the scam also involves the seller making some sort of payment (the buyer having apparently overpaid and asking the seller to "refund" that overpaid amount)... and of course whoever picks up the camera (or whatever item it may be) will deliver it to the scammer as well.

Needless to say, the fake PayPal web page would show that a payment has been made... but in fact no payment will have been made.

The unfortunate seller who falls victim to this sort of scam is conceivably out the expensive item, some cash, their PayPal access (for as long as the hacking of the account remains undetected), and probably their computer integrity... along with saved passwords to other accounts and whatever else the scammer can take.

Best Procedure

Ignore the buyer. Do not reply. Block the buyer's username (see Blocking a buyer) in your Blocked Buyer/Bidder List.

Also, avoid any further messages from "buyers" located in a country to which you don't post (i.e., any eBay users whose primary address is not in Australia) by setting up your Buyer Requirements as follows:

Select requirements

Important: Select buyer requirements carefully - they may reduce your selling success. The requirement(s) you select will be applied to your current and future listings, except as noted. eBay encourages you to learn more by visiting the Buyer Requirements Help page.

Buyers with Unpaid Item strikes

☑ Block bidders and buyers who have received ② Unpaid Item strike(s) within ⑫ month(s)

This requirement can help you avoid bidders and buyers with a history of not paying for the items they have agreed to purchase.

Buyers in locations to which I don't post

☑ Block buyers whose primary postage address is in a location I don't post to.

This requirement can help you avoid buyers who agree to purchase your items without realising you don't post to their location.

Buyers with a negative feedback score

☑ Block buyers who have a feedback score of -1 or lower. (Not really relevant any more, as buyers cannot be given negative feedback, but tick this anyway.)

This requirement can help you avoid buyers who have received more negative than positive feedback from other eBay members bidding on your item.

Buyers who may bid on several of my items and not pay for them

☑ Block buyers who are currently winning or have bought ③ of my items in the last 10 days.

☐ Only apply this block to buyers who have a feedback score of ⑤ or lower.

Consider selecting this requirement if you are selling expensive items and don't want to sell over a certain number to any single buyer. Learn more about how this requirement works.

☑ Apply above settings to active and future listings.

Existing bids will not be affected.

Turbo Lister will pick up these settings after you sync each item with eBay. Third-party listing tools will pick up these settings after you synchronise the tools with eBay.

☑ Don't allow blocked buyers to contact me. (Buyer won't see the "Contact Seller" button on your Q&A page.) Note: Buyers can still contact you about existing transactions, unless you add them to your blocked list.

Re: Offer way above asking price. Scam?

countessalmirena — Thu, 01 Aug 2019 14:50:11 GMT

SNAP!

Re: Offer way above asking price. Scam?

tyker_3054 — Wed, 07 Aug 2019 06:45:48 GMT

thankyou very much

i have taken this adivce on board and will ignore any offers that fit the description

i have also update my settiings as you reccommended

once again, thanks

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Offer way above asking price. Scam?

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