Possible Scam?

[rickc_97]

Hi, just sold my laptop for £500 but the buyer's account says they are based in the US, even though their  shipping address says Manchester. I am worried  this may be a scam, any help would be much appreciated. How to avoid the scam, if it is a scam etc.

Cheers!

[m25jet]

So long as you post the item to the address on the PayPal confirmation of payment e-mail you will be covered by Seller Protection.  However, for an item such as a laptop be sure to pack it well, making sure that the box that you put it in is well padded with protective material, such as packing foam so as to absorb the impact if the box were to get knocked whilst in transit.

In addition to ensuring that the item is wrapped sufficiently inside a box that is sturdy enough to protect it from damage during transit, given that you sold the laptop for £500.00 you really ought to be sending it via a postal service such as Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed.  That way the item will be trackable from despatch to delivery and you will get a signature once the item has been delivered, thus protecting you from an unjustified Item Not Received case should you have the misfortune to have sold the laptop to a dishonest buyer.  Another advantage of sending the laptop via Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed is that you would also get compensation should the item end up being lost or damaged in transit.  You wouldn't be eligible for compensation if you posted a laptop via a lesser postage method, such as Royal Mail First (or Second) Class Signed For, so why cut corners when despatching something that expensive?  It's a lot of money to lose if something goes wrong and you end up in a position whereby you have no other option but to refund the buyer's money in full!

[john1297576]

No reason why it should be a scam, all you need is proof of delivery to Manchester.

Do you think that SIGNED FOR which is for items up to £50 is a sensible postage method. If lost or damaged you have to refund in full but you won't be able to get much compensation if any!!

[red_magpie]

Remember that for seller protection you MUST only deliver the item to an address that the buyer has registered with PayPal.

If the address they have given you doesn't appear on the pp confirmation, ask the buyer to add it.

If you send it to an unregistered address, the buyer can claim a full refund from eBay, even though you sent it to the address they requested. (This has happened, quite recently!)

If they don't do so very promptly, or you're worried about proceeding with the sale, you can cancel it through the resolution centre. Be sure to select "problem with buyer's address" as the reason, to avoid getting a defect for not completing the sale. If they leave you negative feedback eBay customer support might be willing to remove it.

By the way, be aware that the risks don't end when the buyer has safely received the item. EBay gives them 30 days in which to claim a refund, they can invent any fault to justify this. You would have to send them a prepaid return label, and refund them in full. If an item is returned damaged, or even switched for another one, many sellers have told us that eBay has still enforced a refund.

And keep your proofs of posting and delivery for at least six months, because that's how long paypal gives buyers to complain that their item didn't arrive. Yes, they could leave it until mid-June 2021, and if you couldn't prove it was delivered it would mean an automatic refund!

EBay is a very risky place to sell anything of value.

[rusticrye]

Buyers can have their orders shipped wherever they like (to a friend or relative at a different address, even in another country, to an international shipping company, to their workplace, or wherever). All you have to do is ship to the address provided at checkout, ie. the address provided by PayPal on the payment confirmation email. 

And make sure you ship it with the correct postal service. Anything valued at more than £50 must go by Special Delivery Next Day Guaranteed.  You won't otherwise be covered for loss or damage in transit.  Check out Royal Mail's price guide for yourself - you can pick one up at any Post Office, or download one at royalmail.com.

@rickc_97