Sketchy eBay iPhone 4 buyer.. Help.

F

furam90

macrumors 6502
So I just sold my old iPhone 4 on ebay for around $190. Problem is it seems like the person who bought it is located outside the US, but wants me to ship it to an address in the US.

The guy's ebay account has all positive reviews, but I googled the name of the guys address he wants me to ship to and there is one record of someone claiming he scammed them.

I was planning on shipping it tomorrow morning and the guy is asking for the tracking info. Should I give it to him? Is there any protection I have if he claims he never got the package or anything?

I'm just very confused about what to do.
 
I am far from an eBay expert (I avoided selling an iPhone to avoid the issues you're discussing), but if he is paying for shipping with tracking, I'd ship it as soon as I had the money deposited in my account. If you get your money in advance, I wouldn't worry. No?
 
Make a video of you putting the product in (clearly showing it works and looks fine) and then sealing the box and maybe writing something across it in marker). If you want to go all out take a video of the package withh the distinctive mark being given to the UPS guy or whatever, so you have proof it wasnt temperd with.

Then if he says he never got it or that you sent him an empty box you have some proof for the dispute.
 
I had this recently.....sort of. I sold my iPhone 3GS to a brand new eBay member. No ratings either way, which made me skeptical. But they paid fast and I made sure to ship with delivery confirmation and full insurance (this was through USPS). I then uploaded the tracking number to both eBay and PayPal. The transaction went well.

Like the other posters said, make sure you have proof that it's not an empty box you're sending. You could maybe have one of the post office (or UPS, depending on who you're shipping with) watch you pack it up.

EDIT: How much you get all depends on the area and how you market your auction. I sold my 3GS 32GB White for $232 last week--and that was a 1 day auction but with several pictures and a detailed description of the phone and what I was including. Not everyone is going to be able to get $350+ for a 32GB iPhone 4--it just depends on the area.
 
Ok, well apparently Paypal doesn't give you the funds until you successfully ship? At least that's what its telling me.

Also to add to the sketchiness, I went through this guys sales and he resells the box and cables without the phone? Weird.

Also, I sold it for $190 cause it had a cracked screen and the buttons are barely responsive :).
 
I post on eBay a lot. Seller protection says you MUST send the phone to the person and address listed in their paypal account. I sold my macbook when i was young and naive. ebay account had all positive reviews and even their paypal account was linked to it. However, they asked me to send to a different address then listed on the paypal account because it was for their son overseas. It's bull crap.

As soon as the money was in my account and the computer was on its way. The money was reversed out of my account from paypal because the real owner of the account noticed their card had been charged for it. Tell the person to change the address on their paypal account then send it. At least that way you're protected.
 
Yeah, PayPal is a PITA about that. Also, one thing I learned is just because they say 3 days after delivery is confirmed, it doesn't mean they'll release the funds to you automatically. I had to contact customer service to get them to release my funds after 4 days had passed. It sucks, but that's their policy nowadays.
 
Shouldn't be any confusion if he PAID for it. You always take out insurance on the iPhone for yourself; SIGNATURE confirmation for the person you sold it to AND NO ONE ELSE! If he paid by PayPal, you should get an email from PayPal then CHECK YOUR PAYPAL ACCOUNT to ensure the money is there, don't ship without confirmation ADDRESS from your PayPal account! I ensure that I don't entertain the sale of my iPhones outside of the US only b/c there are situations with customs....:eek:
 
I just attached a picture of what my pay-pal looks like.

Can anybody who knows about this tell if its normal/ if I'm protected?
 

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furam90 said:
I just attached a picture of what my pay-pal looks like.

Can anybody who knows about this tell if its normal/ if I'm protected?
Click to expand...

As long as it says Eligible and you're shipping to the address, and you have delivery confirmation, you're good to go.
 
Caution as PayPal will favor the buyer if anything goes wrong. I'd avoid all outside county sales on big ticket items.
 
He asked for the serial number of the phone earlier, and I gave it. I feel like I've just made a terrible mistake and i'm somehow getting set up for someone claiming it was stolen from the box.
 
Do not, under any circumstances, send to an unconfirmed address. You absolutely will not win a Paypal dispute if you do.
 
NEVER EVER ship to an unconfirmed address, you will lose the money and your product.

it is NOT worth the risk.:mad:
 
Call PayPal to confirm the address and to verify if your sale is covered by PayPal's BUYER PROTECTION. You won't receive the funds until the buyer confirms that it was received! Signature confirmation should be required by YOU and the shipper. I always insure my iPhones for my own safety....

You have the option to cancel the transaction!!!
 
furam90 said:
He asked for the serial number of the phone earlier, and I gave it. I feel like I've just made a terrible mistake and i'm somehow getting set up for someone claiming it was stolen from the box.
Click to expand...

Don't sell it. It does say eligible for Seller Protection, however if you read the terms it says the address has to be verified, which the address is not. Also, as someone else said, eBay will ALWAYS favor the buyer. I would just cancel the transaction unless he can provide a verified address through Paypal.

Also, you mentioned that the funds are held. Do you have less than 10 feedback as a buyer. To my understanding they only hold funds until delivery is confirmed if your feedback as a seller is less than 10. They may have changed this though, haven't sold on eBay in a few months.
 
gdjsnyder said:
Don't sell it. It does say eligible for Seller Protection, however if you read the terms it says the address has to be verified, which the address is not. Also, as someone else said, eBay will ALWAYS favor the buyer. I would just cancel the transaction unless he can provide a verified address through Paypal.
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I just voided the shipping and sent him a message telling him to verify his address. I feel like I've made the right choice, now I'm just worried that I gave him my iphone 4 serial.

Also, you mentioned that the funds are held. Do you have less than 10 feedback as a buyer. To my understanding they only hold funds until delivery is confirmed if your feedback as a seller is less than 10. They may have changed this though, haven't sold on eBay in a few months.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I've only sold 1 thing on ebay like 5 years ago, so my feedback is at (1) lol.

I really would just like to start over, but how the heck do I now cancel the whole transaction without getting negative feedback?
 
furam90 said:
I really would just like to start over, but how the heck do I now cancel the whole transaction without getting negative feedback?
Click to expand...

You can always dispute the negative feedback, but it's even more difficult to dispute the receipt of the iPhone! Even if the ex-buyer gives negative feedback, there's good reason to cancel the transaction if the buyer doesn't have a CONFRIMED ADDRESS. In ALL my eBay sales, I ensure that only bidders with a confirmed address consider seriously bidding...
 
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