Buyer with zero feedback

[modeldepotuk]

Hi All, so, I know eBayers all have to start off somewhere, but, I’m very apprehensive about a buyer, they have zero feedback on quite a new account, and have bought an item for around £300, I’m worried I’m going to be scammed and lose money or the item.

i have contacted the buyer and haven’t had a reply as yet, any advice? 

[**peaseblossom**]

As long as you send using trackable ebay postage, through ebay (don't buy your own postage) you should be OK.   But of course it's virtually impossible to be 100% safe if someone sets out to scam you. 

If you're worried for your peace of mind you could issue a cancellation via the dropdown menu for the item on your orders page.   Use the reason "Something wrong with buyer's address", that's the nearest reason we have.   If they've paid the refund will be issued in the process.

And put their ID on your blocked bidder list:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/bmgt/BuyerBlock

[modeldepotuk]

Whether I’m over imagining this or not I don’t know, but i can see what’s going to happen, they receive the item, perhaps say it’s broken or something, arrange a return and refund, the box is empty when it’s returned and eBay force the refund to be paid still, my gut feeling is telling me it’s a scammer. 

[**peaseblossom** · Accepted solution]

Then go with your gut and cancel.

[plpmr]

"i have contacted the buyer"

What did you ask them?

You say you are worried and perhaps the buyer should be as they are paying unnecessary BPF.

[modeldepotuk]

I asked the buyer a normal question related to the item, and haven’t gotten a reply, so along with zero feedback, and no reply on an item that has cost £300? If you bought something of that value would you message the seller? I would…….

why should the buyer be worried? I don’t understand that comment? 

[*vyolla*]

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@modeldepotuk wrote:

I asked the buyer a normal question related to the item, and haven’t gotten a reply, so along with zero feedback, and no reply on an item that has cost £300? If you bought something of that value would you message the seller? I would…….

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I wouldn't, what would be the reason for contacting the seller? You buy an item, you pay for it via eBay checkout and wait for it to arrive.

If I'm looking at the correct item, it was only sold yesterday. Your buyer may be busy this sunny holiday weekend and may not be checking their messages.

It's nigh on impossible to tell who is a new eBayer buying their first item and who may be setting out to part you from your item and your money. The one time I was scammed it was by a buyer who also was a seller with over 600 feedback that featured nothing to make me think that they were going to try and pull the old bait and switch scam on me. 

[technthread]

If the buyer bought as a guest, they won’t be able to respond. It is possible they found your listing via an outside link such as a google search.

[department28]

Unfortunately, if the very first item a 'new' buyer purchases is something quite pricey, you can't help but feel uneasy...

There might be a good reason why they haven't replied to your message, but I would think they could contact you via the guest order confirmation email - if they have seen your message.

Your guest order confirmation email

When you buy an item as a guest, we’ll send you a guest order confirmation email, with the subject line “Order Confirmed”. You'll need this email to view your order details, contact the seller, track your order, or start a return if you need to send your item back.

If you can’t find your guest order confirmation email in your inbox, select the button below and we’ll send you a link to your order details.

[modeldepotuk]

Thanks for the sensible reply, I was starting to think I was being unreasonable, in a world full of scammers now, I would think the previous replies from so called experts might have offered a little more helpful  advice to be honest. 

[modeldepotuk]

And as an update, I also messaged the telephone number that was shown along with the buyers name and address, no reply, that was yesterday evening.

[modeldepotuk]

What would be the reason to contact the buyer? Erm, the ZERO feedback perhaps? Are you aware scammers exist in almost all avenues of life at the moment? 

[*vyolla*]

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@modeldepotuk wrote:

What would be the reason to contact the buyer? Erm, the ZERO feedback perhaps? Are you aware scammers exist in almost all avenues of life at the moment? 

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Erm, every new eBayer will start of with zero feedback.

What were you planning on asking them, do you have some kind of questionnaire that identifies scammers? If they're setting out to scam you they're not going to tell you. Most people who've been scammed say 'but they seemed so nice'. 

[modeldepotuk]

I was going to ask them round for tea and toast of course…….i would have asked them questions regarding the purchase, the answers would then have swayed my mind either way, scammer or not scammer, if they had 300 feedback I wouldn’t have done, but as they have zero, like I’ve said, for a £300 item, it seems off to me, hence why I came here to be ridiculed by you for being suspicious, shall I send it and if I get scammed you reimburse me? Or, maybe I’ll can send you a list of technical questions I might ask on an electronic piece of equipment that might make me believe they are a scammer or not? Thanks for reassuring me though, in future I’ll just blindly send things out, get scammed and ask the questions later eh. 

[technthread]

The one thing I am confident about here is this is the type of thing eBay do not like. If they are a genuine good faith buyer, their single experience with eBay is paying £300+ and then having the order cancelled a few days later, presumably with the reason ‘problem with buyers address’. They aren’t going to have a good opinion here and probably won’t come back.

That said I don’t blame you, I’m not saying I would honour this sale either if my gut was telling me to cancel. I just believe that eBay wouldn’t look on it favourably, I’d expect sales might dip for a while afterwards. 

[hummingbird-curios]

The mantra that needs to be listened to is 'Don't list what you can't afford to lose'

Simple delivery has opened up a whole new opportunity for scammers and cheats and if you don't get scammed, Evri will do their best to either lose it. or break it when they lob it at your buyers doorstep.

[modeldepotuk]

Good advice, thanks 

[modeldepotuk]

Surely simple delivery is safer though is it not? I account for items going missing, it’s going to happen and has happened, some really cheap, some a bit more expensive, but nothing in the price range of £300, I actually had someone telling me delivery on this item was too expensive, that’s the cost of it being covered I’m afraid is what I told them, but is it really covered? 

[*vyolla*]

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@modeldepotuk wrote:

 hence why I came here to be ridiculed by you for being suspicious, shall I send it and if I get scammed you reimburse me? 

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You're not being ridiculed, I'm genuinely surprised that you think it appropriate to contact a new buyer, and also surprised that you didn't consider that a buyer with zero feedback might buy your item. 

Totally your call to cancel, of course.

[modeldepotuk]

Does it surprise you there is a contact buyer button? Is there rules as to what I can use it for?