eBay scam? What do you think?

[pryncess527]

I'm in the process of selling junk out of my house. This weeks auctions were a batch of troll dolls from when I was a kid It's amazing to me that any of them sold . . .

One of them sold for $2.80 and after the auction ended, the buyer asked me to send her an invoice for international shipping. Her verified address is in Spain.

My first instinct was just to figure out how much that costs and if she wants to pay a fortune to have a troll doll shipped to Spain, I'm more than happy to send it . . .

But then I wondered if this is some obvious scam that the Dis would know about . . . she only has a feedback of 2, though both are positive (and people have to start somewhere!) I figure as long as she pays the high cost of international shipping and I wait for her payment to clear before mailing, there shouldn't be any problem, right? Am I overlooking something obvious?

 

[Crazy Hakim]

If you require payment Via PayPal, I can see how you can be scammed.
Not, if the Buyer said something like, I am going to send you a check for $1,000USD and you can use what you need for postage and return the rest in the package...... bells and whistles would be BLARING!

 

[pryncess527]

Yeah, payment will be through PayPal. It seems safe enough to me, I just didn't want to be missing something obvious.

 

[Maggie Lizer]

I'd be OK with it, too.

A few years ago, I sold a bunch of stuff on ebay, one thing being a pair of Michael Jackson L.A. Gear shoes (this was before he died, so I was surprised anyone wanted them but you never know). The winning bid was from Japan, and the cost to ship was pretty pricey. But I got the payment through PayPal and got a good review from the buyer (to whom I, in turn, gave a good review). Having a feedback of 2 from a buyer doesn't scare me, but a feedback of 2 for a seller would make me pause.

 

[SGMCO]

Plus you can't go by Feedback on Buyers--Sellers are only able to leave positive feedback for them.

 

[pryncess527]

Excellent! Thanks for setting my mind at ease everyone. I've sent her the invoice, if she wants to pay the relatively obscene price to have a $3 doll shipped to Spain, I'm happy to help!

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

For such a low cost item, I wouldn't be too concerned. You know you can block international bidders if you don't want to ship to them.

 

[Surveyboy]

She probably asked for the invoice to prove the value of the item incase any import duty or tax may be due on it.

 

[4shinystars]

If you decide not to send them, let me know if you relist them-I would love your trolls!!

 

[SandrA9810]

International buyers do spend more on shipping than the actual item. But there's some items that are just hard to find in their country, and so many US sellers block international sales.

For a $3 doll, just send it first class international. You can print the postage online through ebay as well now. So it's a lot easier than it used to be. It's up to you to add the insurance, but that probably costs more than the doll itself. You will have to sign it at the bottom and turn in one copy to the post office because they have to add the stamp to it. The postage will print with the cost of the item and all that fun stuff for customs, so you don't have to worry about it.

Sending an invoice isn't out of the ordinary. It's probably because you don't have a price on the shipping charges international, and she wants to be charged the correct amount.

 

[nunzia]

You no longer have to take international to the post office. Postage through PayPal prints with the form on it, so you sign that and then just drop off the package at a mail shop. I would not pay for insurance for a small item. I never take my packages to the post office. Sometimes they will start weighing them and then...oh..you're an ounce off on this one, etc. Of course when I overpay it's fine.

 

[MinnieLovesMickey12]

I haven't read any of the responses but I can tell you from personal experience you cannot get insurance on an international package unless you ship it priority mail. And that is expensive. If you do not ship it priority then they can claim they never got it and you will have to refund them the purchase price AND SHIPPING that you already paid.

I stopped shipping internationally because it happened to me several times. That left ME eating it on that shipping charge.

And you do not have to drop it anywhere. You can print the international form right off your computer if you have one of those sleeves that you need for INT shipping. And I do. You can schedule a package pick up right at your front door and never have to leave the house.