Should I send an expensive item to a new buyer with no feedback

[collectablesmix1]

Hi All,
I have sold an item for over £1,000
and it was already to send and I checked the buyer.
He had registered the day before and has no feedback.
I have messaged him asking to confirm the address but no answer yet.
I can send Special Delivery so signed for and insured.
But unsure what to do?

Thanks

[4_bathrooms]

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@collectablesmix1 wrote:

I can send Special Delivery so signed for and insured.

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You would need to purchase Special Delivery via Royal Mail's website rather than via eBay. The basic compensation limit is £750 for SD; I don't think you can purchase additional insurance if you purchase the label via eBay (you will need the "up to £2,500" option when purchasing directly from RM).

That was a very risky item to list (small and valuable) no matter who was going to end up purchasing it.

[lucy_farmer]

Is it a phone, or a camera or a lap top? (i.e. high price tech items)

[collectablesmix1]

Thanks for repl. It is a figurine.

[collectablesmix1]

Yes I would send Special Delivery with the right insurance.
I have triple packed so very secure.
Does ebay verify Buyers so we know they are bonafide?

[downsizingxs]

You're right to be very careful. I've had similar situations with an expensive item and always waited till I'd had some dialogue with the buyer before sending. So far this has luckily worked out and they were genuine and only joined because they wanted the particular item. A genuine buyer should respond to an address query.

The decision is yours at the end of the day - if you really cannot take the risk, and had no reply, then there's the option to cancel the order due to address anomoly. But you could be risking a negative feedback remember.

[4_bathrooms]

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@collectablesmix1 wrote:

Does ebay verify Buyers so we know they are bonafide?

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No, eBay does not verify buyers at all.

[lucy_farmer]

Ah *not* a phone! (that's good to know- phones are 'scam-magnets!')

Make sure the Special Delivery includes a signature. (anything over £450 sold on ebay needs a signature to be covered case of disaster)

[downsizingxs]

Only just realised it's a figurine. The odds are more in the favour that the buyer joined just to buy this, but not guaranteed of course. If sending it must be Special Delivery.

[collectablesmix1]

Thanks that is my thought. He just has not responded. But he may not be on regularly.

[downsizingxs]

My own advice would be to take to a Post Office and get their receipt and knowledge it's in the system for sure.

[lucy_farmer]

OK, I'm going to say something pretty snobby now (apologies in advance...)

Go on to google maps street view and have a look at the address.......

And go with your gut feeling!

[collectablesmix1]

I have done that already.

I have lots of items over the years but this is the most expensive. I am going to send Special Delivery Signed for, with adequate insurance. 

[andha-21]

@lucy_farmer 

Pfft, apologies not accepted.

Toff!

[4_bathrooms]

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@lucy_farmer wrote:

Make sure the Special Delivery includes a signature. (anything over £450 sold on ebay needs a signature to be covered case of disaster)

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Special Delivery always includes a signature capture. SD is the one service Royal Mail don't muck around with; I've never heard of an SD item going missing nor not receiving a signature on delivery. It is also one of only two services where the postie won't leave it with a neighbour or drop the item in the recycling bin (on recycling bin collection day).

[cobwebcottage]

A couple of security procedures which I do with expensive items.

Message the buyer to say it will be sent by SD and ask them to confirm if they will be in to accept it. make a judgement on their reply.

I also have some red and white 'contents checked and secure' tape.

Neither of these will help with an INAD and returning a different item but they may make the buyer think twice.

They may also be buying on a guest account.

If in doubt, cancel the sale. It's a lot to lose.

[michauk_xsyi8rq]

Not snobby at all-I do the same if I'm suspicious. In the days before the wonderful GSP (not!) when I advertised an item, I often used to get iffy buyers-mainly from overseas. A real cracker was one guy offered me 10 times the asking price plus a £10K bonus as long as I sent the item AND £1000 in cash-apparently, he had a buyer for my item who was absolutely minted BUT in his country, the Customs service was run by corrupt police and the cash was a bribe!!  Ranks along with the call centre and Amazon scams!! So yes, I always check Google maps-costs nothing and you may just save being ripped off.

[johnwash1]

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@michauk_xsyi8rq wrote:

Not snobby at all-I do the same if I'm suspicious. In the days before the wonderful GSP (not!) when I advertised an item, I often used to get iffy buyers-mainly from overseas. A real cracker was one guy offered me 10 times the asking price plus a £10K bonus as long as I sent the item AND £1000 in cash-apparently, he had a buyer for my item who was absolutely minted BUT in his country, the Customs service was run by corrupt police and the cash was a bribe!!  Ranks along with the call centre and Amazon scams!! So yes, I always check Google maps-costs nothing and you may just save being ripped off.

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Hilarious!  Sounds more like money laundering or the payment would be made with a cloned credit card.

I have to say that, without exception, my own overseas buyers have all been delightful.  A great way to be motivated enough to go onto Wikipedia and learn a little about their region.

@lucy_farmer  you can call me snobby as well.  Though more often my curiosity looking at the buyer's home is to see if it looks like they have a decent sized letterbox or are in an area where the front step is temptingly near for passing porch pirates.

We can all moan about the drop in sales lately (I can anyway), but it does give us more time to look carefully at the buyer's profile!

[m25jet]

In addition to the advice that has already been given, make sure that you write on the back of the package "If undelivered please return to..." followed by your name and full postal address.  That way if the item cannot be delivered, or if the courier tries unsuccessfully to deliver the item and nobody comes to collect the item from the Delivery Office when the Post Office leave the recipient one of their "Sorry, You Were Out" cards, then you ought to get it back again at some point, at which point you can refund the buyer's money in full and relist the item for sale again.  However, if you do end up getting the item back again owing to a failed delivery, then I would advise you to add the buyer's User ID to your Blocked Bidders List so that he or she cannot purchase it again and cause you any further aggravation when you relist the item for a second time.

[jrmc137]

It may be overkill but I have recorded myself packaging and applying the postage / address label to items in the past. The idea being that if they claim that the item wasn’t what was advertised, or wasn’t in the package, then at least I’d have some evidence that it was.