Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Ebay Help... is this a scam?

grandmachar2002

grandmachar2002

macrumors member
Original poster
May 17, 2008
99
0
I sold a new unibody macbook pro on ebay with the buy it now option. the buyer made an instant payment and the funds are already in my paypal account. he has a verified account and shipping address. before he made the purchase he sent me this email yesterday...

Hi,
My business partner birthday Wednesday. I need a good BDAY present.
Are you available to ship this mac Tuesday? I have FedEx corp so I will provide you with prepaid FedEx label for overnight delivery. Thank you

I explained to him through email that I could ship today but ONLY to a paypal verified address. then after making the purchase I had this email when I woke up this morning...

hi, I just send instant payment. As I mentioned I have FedEx corp shipping. Let me know your name address and the box weight. I will create FedEx prepaid ready-to-print shipping label. I need this mac shipped out today. Thank you

I've asked him to call me so that I can clarify the situation with him. His ebay feedback score is 11 at 100% but his last purchase on sept 11 doesnt show up when you click the item number which I believe means ebay cancelled it. I smell something fishy... Can this be a scam?

Thanks
 
I would tell him that you can only ship it to the address that is verified by PayPal. That's the safest way to go. If he refuses, then cancel the transaction and put it up for sale again.
 
If he already paid into the paypal then I would give him the benefit of the doubt. Probably just wants it fast and can pay for it himself. Just take the label to FedEx and ask if there is anything funny with it, it's not like they'll deliver it if it's fake anyway.

Also if you are concerned about giving him your name and address, he probably would have found out anyway when you shipped it your own way. Ultimately, if your gut tells you something is wrong then just go with that. Better to be safe than sorry :)
 
Paypal will now cover you whether the address is confirmed or not. They just started doing this a month ago or so. Of course that can be a hassle.
 
What am I missing? It sounds to me like his company has a FedEx shipping contract and he prefers to have it shipped via his carrier to his business address. Since he might need it in a hurry, it's cheaper to have it shipped overnight on his FedEx corporate account than it would be using another carrier. Also, there's probably someone there to sign for the package all day at the business location versus either having it left on his doorstep or no one at home to sign. As long as his company and address check-out, I don't see a problem with it.

The only thing that would worry me is his less than stellar command of the English language. This isn't shipping overseas, is it?
 
If the money is already in your account then why are you hesitant?

I just bought an item on ebay and forgot to change my shipping address before i paid the guy. I sent him an email with my work address and he was fine with it.
 
Didn't eBay/Paypal recently change their policy that you're covered if you ship to a non-confirmed address? In the past, I refused to ship to a non-confirmed address. eBay and Paypal with both stand behind you if you decline to complete the sale.
 
old-wiz said:
The grammar is a little shaky. I would be very suspicious of anyone wanting such a quick shipment.
Click to expand...


I was going to same the same, but at times my grammar is shaky. Not that shaky though. And if it feels like a scam then it's a scam. Go with your gut feeling.


Hi,
My business partner birthday Wednesday. I need a good BDAY present.
Are you available to ship this mac Tuesday?
Click to expand...

suspect
 
Sounds legit to me... but I've been scammed before... not for much... for about $50. After I shipped, paypal reversed the charges saying the other account was fraudulent. I never got my money or product back.
 
I got 2 more emails from him, one confirming that he wants it shipped to his confirmed address and the other with the fedex label. I brought it to fedex and waited for them to scan it and everything was ok. I'm not worried because its going to his confirmed address and he was good about communicating. He really did just need it quick for someones birthday.
 
This really sounds like a scam. The issue is now the label is his, he could say you never sold the computer because he'll simply just reroute the package with simple phone call. Then he'll file a dispute and you'll really have nothing to say about it.

But it's all up to you, and since you shipped it already… best of luck! :)
 
alphaod said:
This really sounds like a scam. The issue is now the label is his, he could say you never sold the computer because he'll simply just reroute the package with simple phone call. Then he'll file a dispute and you'll really have nothing to say about it.

But it's all up to you, and since you shipped it already… best of luck! :)
Click to expand...
I wish someone would have posted that before. I guess I'm screwed? It's going to be a very merry Christmas:(
 
I ran over to fedex and got there before they shipped it:cool:

I changed the shipment and payed for the shipping myself. Cost a pretty penny but worth it for peace of mind.
 
This is a better way, since you are the shipper, you can get the info on the package to confirm you payed and shipped it.

With him shipping something to himself, it is a little harder to prove you actually shipped it.
 
Now all you have to do is worry about a chargeback or the old brick-in-a-box scam (or some variant).

It has gotten so bad that I won't sell on eBay anymore. PayPal's protection is worthless, in my opinion. It will almost always come down to your word against theirs and in that case PayPal will side with the buyer.

Buyer: Dear PayPal, I bought a Uni-body MacBook from this guy on eBay and instead of a computer, he sent me a brick in a box.
Seller: I so did not.
Buyer: Yes, you did.
Seller: Did not.
Buyer: Did so.
PayPal: Dear Buyer, please return the brick in a box to the seller for a full refund.
 
Ebay is still great for most things. Selling laptops to international buyers is probably the most common item being scamed. If you didn't arrange before he won the item to have it overnighted, then I would have waited to ship until his paypal cleared. My brother almost got scammed with the same situation you have... I wish you the best, I would call Paypal before he signs for the package.
 
azjosho said:
Ebay is still great for most things. Selling laptops to international buyers is probably the most common item being scamed. If you didn't arrange before he won the item to have it overnighted, then I would have waited to ship until his paypal cleared. My brother almost got scammed with the same situation you have... I wish you the best, I would call Paypal before he signs for the package.
Click to expand...

we did arrange for the overnight shipment beforehand and his paypal payment did clear. the only thing he could do now is flat out lie and say there is no macbook in the box, but anyone can do that. I feel I am protected with having it shipped to a verified address and signature confirmation and insurance.
 
arthursiew said:
The money is already in your account. It should be fine.
Click to expand...

thanks, I agree. I already withdrew it to my bank account and I feel confident everything is fine. I probably could have even saved myself the 105 dollar shipping charge but its better to have peace of mind that at least I insured the package myself.
 
I had a similar situation when I sold my 1st gen iPhone - the buyer paid with a paypal echeque which cleared fine and then asked for the phone to be sent to a different address than his verified one as he had recently moved.

This set a lot of alarm bells ringing, but after doing some research (including looking for the guy on Facebook, myspace, etc and checking the two addresses on Google maps), I decided to take a chance and ship it out.

I'm happy to say that the guy was completely genuine and it all worked out fine. That's not to say it couldn't have gone bad, but not everyone is out to scam you - some people do have genuine reasons for strange requests!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back