Ebay Scam Using e-check? Oh, And (0) Feedback

[pitchfork]

I sold some pipes this week and one of my buyers has (0) feedback, has an account linked to Argentina, but asked that I ship to a business address in Ohio, and he used an e-check rather than ordinary credit-card based PayPal. Plus, he asked that I send the item as soon as I got payment through PayPal. E-checks, by the way, take a few days to clear, even though Paypal shows the payment as having been made.
For those of you who have dealt with this before, how did you proceed? Did you contact ebay directly? Did you tell the seller to piss off?
I don't depend on ebay as a source of income, so if I get crappy feedback it's all the same to me. Should I tell the buyer to sit tight and make sure the funds come through?

 

[dmcmtk]

Given some of the recent stories that have come out about buyer's behavior (Kyle Black), I would wait for the check to clear. It's a pipe, how much difference does a few days make?
Dave

 

[pipestud]

E-checks through Paypal are not uncommon. If you received a notification from PayPal that a buyer is paying by E-check, just hold tight. The funds usually clear in a matter of 2-3 business days.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of instances where someone gets an eBay account, and then goes around bidding on and winning many auctions and then never paying. The individual is usually never heard from again. Many sellers, myself included, need to see at least one successful transaction by the member before allowing that person to bid. I can't count the times over the years that a newbie would win one of my auctions and never pay. So, I had no choice. I had to add that I can't accept bids from new members with no feedback history.
Good luck on your transaction,
Pipestud

 

[ssjones]

i have not seen or heard of that type of payment on Ebay. It sure does smell 'scammy' to me. Ebay is pretty specific in only accepting Paypal payments, does this fit that requirement? It sounds unacceptable by the Ebay standard by not going thru Paypal. keep us posted on this please.

 

[pipestud]

Al, if you read Pitchfork's OP again, he indicated the E-check is coming through PayPal. PayPal always sends the seller a heads up note that an E-check payment is on the way and not to ship until the funds are cleared into the seller's PayPal account.
And Pitchfork, absolutely do not ship to any address other than the buyer's registered eBay address. If you ship to the buyer's third party address then your eBay Seller Protection Plan (guarantees you a refund on lost or damaged items) is void. When a buyer wants shipment sent to a third party address, that address needs to appear on the payment receipt you will receive from PayPal once the funds have cleared.
Pipestud

 

[mp31guitar]

If it's an honest buyer they shouldn't have a problem waiting for the check to clear. There has already been some red flags raised.

 

[pitchfork]

Pipestud and the Forums ride to the rescue...
Thanks, Steve. I'll double-check the payment receipt and go from there. In a little research last night, though, I read about people using e-check through PayPal and then going to the bank to stop payment. When they do that, PayPal can put your PayPal funds in escrow or some kind of limbo until it's sorted out. Trying to avoid any of that.

 

[ssjones]

thanks Steve, that all makes sense, particulary the shipping address. I was completely unaware of this form of payment.

 

[pitchfork]

Steve and Al,
I checked the address on the payment receipt and it's all verified and legit -- same guy, same address. The business address is for one that does a lot of business in S. America and I actually found youtube videos(!) of the buyer demonstrating their products. So as long as the funds clear, I think it's all good.
Why he decided to register with ebay using a S. American address and then ask for Ohio shipping is still a mystery. PAD does strange things to men's minds sometimes.

 

[pitchfork]

And thanks, again, everyone for the good advice. It is much appreciated.

 

[zonomo]

Please fill us in once this happens. Does Kyle Black live in OH?

 

[pitchfork]

Please fill us in once this happens. Does Kyle Black live in OH?

LOL, will do. Based on what I could find out, I'm almost 100% certain this isn't him. But yes, that was my immediate thought -- is this Kyle Black?

 

[onepyrotec]

I sell a lot of film on ebay, sometimes to people I know personally. I still don't ship to them until an e-check clears. A lot can happen in the week that it takes for funds to clear. There never is any hard feelings.
As for the buyer being in Argentina and wants you to ship to the states, that is not unheard of. BUT the instructions need to be clear in an attached note with paypal payment just to cover yourself. If it is a private note, I wouldn't do it.
If he can't give a simple note with payment, then you know something is up...if payment does not clear, you do not need to worry about negative feedback.

 

[pitchfork]

onepyrotec, the PayPal receipt had the same US address he requested for shipping, which also happens to be his US workplace (as far as I could tell). I'll wait for the check to clear, of course, but in that case would I be covered with a PayPal verified address, cleared payment, etc?
Thanks for your input.

 

[ssjones]

I know a few collectors in England who buy and ship the US, then collect the pipes/blends in person on annual trips, etc. Customs/shipping costs add up I guess.

 

[onepyrotec]

With the confirmed address and cleared funds you are good. The only thing you will need to worry about at that point is packing well.
I'll add that you may want to print the postage through ebay as well. It will automatically update the package as being shipped as well as enter the tracking number. If you added anything for insurance, you will have to pick that option when printing your postage label.

 

[drwatson]

E check is okay, I have only had to deal with twice, and if memory serves is says payment pending! Zero feedback sometimes scares me, but we all started sometime with zero. I have had really bad luck there with out of country buyers though. Or third party buyers, meaning they are here but want you to ship there..Best way I took care of that is just to set my account that no out of U.S. bidders can even bid, it blocks them (sorry guys). But I think ebay has taken a really bad rap lately. I buy and sell alot there, most of my transactions have been okay. And if I'm buying and I would like some more info, I ask questions.

 

[ssjones]

I've found the Ebay postage to be a little cheaper as well.

 

[pipestud]

@pipestud - of course you can choose who to block as you see fit, but I think your analysis of newbies is a bit harsh. After all, everybody has to start on eBay sometime. What's the worst that can happen? They don't pay and you relist, no biggie.

- peterpiperuk
I always appreciate advice from experienced eBay pipe sellers who know what they are talking about. So, thanks for the advice, peterpiperuk, and I'll sure take that into consideration. ::
Best,
Pipestud

 

[pitchfork]

UPDATE
Some of you asked to let you know what happened with this buyer. Well, the e-check was supposed to clear today, but it didn't. I got a notice from PayPal saying the check couldn't be cleared by the bank (insufficient funds, perhaps?). I guess Al's nose was right on this one ("smells scammy").
I'll be re-listing a pipe, then.
Thanks, again, for the good advice everyone offered on this.