my very first scammer!

[saarzi]

ok, sold a top on the 2 Jan. (aus post closed 1-5 jan).

Today, buyer says it hasnt turned up, asks for tracking number. The item has only been in transit for max 5 days.

It clearly says in the postage description this is standard shipping, not parcel or registered, so theres no tracking.

Happy to give him a refund...... 

But then I notice his name on his Paypal account is the same name as a gamer personality who is a bit of a magnet for 30 yr olds with neckbeards who live in their mothers basements playing games all day long.....  coincidence. Its not a "normal" name.

Then I notice, his Paypal account is a P.O. box - Paypal stopped accepted P.O. boxes a while ago, didnt they? fair enough - he has an old Paypal account.

Then I notice, his Ebay account is brand new, opened the day before the purchase. zero feedback.  Old paypal account with new Ebay Id? AND coincidence gamer name with new Ebay ID?  nope.

Im thinking either -

1. The item he brought is less than $17. But - what a fantastic way to scam sellers. No one pays attention to low priced items... most would just refund to avoid a defect. Scam.

OR

2. Fake name was a dumb idea on his part, and the post office wants photo ID to collect the item and he doesnt have it.

My question is - are we able in some way to request Ebay and Paypal to verify the buyers photo ID, proving it matches whats on the address, prior to providing a refund?   seems reasonable to me.

[saarzi]

btw.. i know you can have po boxes in paypal when its not a primary address...

[harley_babes_hoard]

What do you mean paypal stopped PO boxes? All the seller sees when I buy is my PO box address

[saarzi]

Apparently they don't accept PO boxes as a primary ID. You can add any address as a shipping address though.

[shepherdsrule]

A POBox can be used at check out unless the seller has specifically chosen to restrict PO Boxes, nothing to do with payal.

As to the gamer in the basement,

I have no idea what it is you are asking or assuming, so I will just move on.

[phorum_junkie*]

Absolutely, you need a street address to open the account but can most certainly use a PO box address for delivery so nothing sus there.

You can link up to 8 email addresses so that means 8 different ebay accounts to each Paypal account so nothing sus there.

All parcels now have tracking unless you are using up some of the old red satchels from years ago. Of course if you send as a large letter there is no tracking without registering it but that is up to you and you just have to be prepared to replace or refund if the buyer says it hasn't arrived, not particularly sus as letters do go missing.

What good would photo verification do as a buyer can change the delivery name and address to anythng they want in checkout, they can get the item posted direct to a friend or relative and all  you need is proof of having posted to the address as it was displayed in Paypal.

I have never assumed that because a large letter item without registration has gone astray that the buer is a scammer, I just refund or replace. If an item is more than I am prepared to lose then I register the letter.

[shepherdsrule]

Apparently the buyer is a scammer and a basement gamer pj,

not sure how both of those equate, but I am guessing once the OP come's back down they may realise they need to behave in a more professional manner.

[harley_babes_hoard]

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@gtx305 wrote:
Apparently they don't accept PO boxes as a primary ID. You can add any address as a shipping address though.

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As I said all that anyone sees from my account is my PO Box so how do you know they haven't got a registered address as I do and you just can't see it.

You are pretty quick to label someone a scammer

[digital*ghost · Accepted solution]

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@gtx305 wrote:

Im thinking either -

1. The item he brought is less than $17. But - what a fantastic way to scam sellers. No one pays attention to low priced items... most would just refund to avoid a defect. Scam.

OR

2. Fake name was a dumb idea on his part, and the post office wants photo ID to collect the item and he doesnt have it.

My question is - are we able in some way to request Ebay and Paypal to verify the buyers photo ID, proving it matches whats on the address, prior to providing a refund?   seems reasonable to me.

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I think a lot of sellers would pay attention to $17. 😛

Fake name is ultimately irrelevant, unless you send person to person (which means only the person named as the addressee can sign for it). Even if registered, there is no requirement for the person named as the addressee to sign, only proof that they have the authority to receive or collect (which is why anyone at an address can sign for a package...unless a person to person service has been used).

You won't be able to oblige eBay or PayPal to request a buyer's photo ID, and as others have mentioned, the buyer is not necessarily the recipient of a purchase, so not matching isn't going to prove much. 

To clarify what's been mentioned above re: PO boxes - a buyer does not need to use their registered address as their delivery address, and sellers only get the delivery address.

You could request their contact information (they'll receive yours in return), if you want to, and you'll receive their eBay registered details. 

I know lots of little things can trigger suspicions, so early on I developed a standard response and procedure for dealing with INR situations where the package has no formal tracking so that these niggling things don't creep into my replies and put buyers on the defensive; which involves akcnowledging the issue with the buyer, plus letting them know what I'm able to do about it, and when (this includes lodging a formal investigation with Australia Post, and options for refund / replacement - I make sure to let them know I need to pass on all of the adressee  details to Australia Post so that they can conduct the investigation, after which AP will use their internal records to both try and locate the package and look into any processing issues, and that they may try to contact them during the course of the investigation - let them know you're happy to update them on the progress of the investigation as and when AP update you - and do follow through with lodging one 😉 -  it isn't unusual for packages to arrive not long after I've explained all this to the buyer). 

[saarzi]

huh?  can you copy and paste where I said they dont have a registered address?  I dont remember saying that and cant find it.