Suspected fake buyer - what to do?

[rm_miniatures]

Hi,

I recently listed some vintage toys for sale and was very happy at the final value total, however, something seems amiss.

I was contacted by a potential buyer in china who wanted to know if I would post there, despite my listing saying UK only.

I attempted to edit my post to allow for international bidding but found it wasn't possible, apologising that I couldn't make the adjustment.

They politely thanked me.

The potential buyer's wording seemed a little too local, as though they were an English native.

Fast forward one day and the bidding went from £42 to £127, with the winning bidder being a new account from china.

It's only been a day but I have had no payment or communication from the winning bidder and due to the unexpected final value, I wondered if a 'competitor' had used a shill account with no intention of buying before they listed an identical item, lo and behold, a UK seller created a listing the day after me, with the exact same toys I had sold, with the laying out of the figures almost exactly matching mine.

I have no experience of this sort of thing and wanted to ask if anyone else sees something suspicious in this?, if so, what is the best course of action and does this violate policy?

Thanks for reading.

Ryan

[red_magpie]

It's up to you whether you wish to post abroad, or not.

EBay gives you the option to block bidders from countries - or even regions of the UK - that you don't wish to deliver to. Think carefully before accepting bids from the far East. Remember that if the buyer claims a refund for any reason you would have to refund the whole cost, including postage paid. You might even be told that it's your responsibility to arrange the return delivery from China. This is uncertain, but eBay has told some sellers that it is their responsibility to arrange returns from the US or Europe.

Your winning bidder from China won't be able to pay unless you send them an invoice including the postage. My advice is to wait for four days, then use eBay's new procedure to cancel unpaid items: https://community.ebay.co.uk/t5/Announcements/New-cancel-function-for-unpaid-items/ba-p/6939127