Ebay shipping question

[wendow]

I have listed some homeschooling stuff. A buyer contacted me and asked if I would be willing to ship to Canada. If not, would I be willing to ship to their friends in the US and they could pick up when visiting. I don't think I want to ship to Canada but what about to their US friends? Is this a wise idea or a potential scam?

Buyer has good feedback in the 50's.

Thanks!

 

[supersnoop]

You just need to be sure that you ship to a PayPal verified/confirmed address. If the US address is on their PayPal account, it shouldn't be a problem.

 

[wendow]

You just need to be sure that you ship to a PayPal verified/confirmed address. If the US address is on their PayPal account, it shouldn't be a problem.

Ok, I am guessing it isn't. Thinking they are wanting to pay and then give me a different address to ship to.

So what is the scam? If I ship with tracking, then can be confirmed it was delivered. And if they send me a different address, then it could be traced through the Ebay system that they wanted me to ship to a different place.

I'm kind of new to selling on Ebay and I've gotten all kinds of weird requests in my couple of months selling. Some make sense, like this current request. And others just leave me scratching my head.

 

[lauti]

Ok, I am guessing it isn't. Thinking they are wanting to pay and then give me a different address to ship to.

So what is the scam? If I ship with tracking, then can be confirmed it was delivered. And if they send me a different address, then it could be traced through the Ebay system that they wanted me to ship to a different place.

I'm kind of new to selling on Ebay and I've gotten all kinds of weird requests in my couple of months selling. Some make sense, like this current request. And others just leave me scratching my head.

If they claim they never got the item you will be SOL if you don't ship to the address in the eBay/PayPal transaction.

 

[jls886]

As long as they enter the US shipping address at the time of purchase, you're fine. I'm a powerseller, and you just need to be sure to ship to the address given at the time of purchase. If you ship to an address other than the one used as the shipping address at the time of purchase, you are no longer covered by seller protection. Just ask them to be sure to use that shipping address when they make the purchase (and not their Canada address) and you will be covered. In the event of a shipping issue (item not delivered, etc.) eBay compares the city/zip code on the shipping address to the city/zip code on the tracking information, so those need to match in order for you to be covered.

Make sure you also use signature confirmation if the item is over $250.

Here is the link to seller protection through Paypal. It is no longer required that the address be "verified" for you to be covered, but you must ship to the address listed on the transaction details page, which is the address they choose for shipping at the time of purchase.
https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/security/seller-protection-learn-more

 

[Lewisc]

Ok, I am guessing it isn't. Thinking they are wanting to pay and then give me a different address to ship to.

So what is the scam? If I ship with tracking, then can be confirmed it was delivered. And if they send me a different address, then it could be traced through the Ebay system that they wanted me to ship to a different place.

I'm kind of new to selling on Ebay and I've gotten all kinds of weird requests in my couple of months selling. Some make sense, like this current request. And others just leave me scratching my head.

lauti gave you the short answer.

The longer answer. A person's account Ebay account is hacked. OR Credit Card information is stolen. Or Paypal account is hacked.

A thief orders stuff but has it shipped to an "alternate" address. You're not even shipping it to the same country as the bidder. Paypal/Ebay won't listen to your reasoning. They won't care if you have delivery confirmation. You didn't ship the item to a Paypal verified address. The buyer will get a refund if they claim it wasn't received.

The easiest solution is to just ship to Canada. OR have the buyer verify the alternate mailing address with paypal. (I'm not sure how easy this is)

 

[wendow]

Thanks. I appreciate the responses. I told the seller I would ship to their friend's US address if they entered that as the shipping address at payment. Up to them. I just listed the item last night so pretty sure it will sell either way.

 

[aliceindisneyland]

I just reply to questions like this with "As noted in the listing I ship only to Paypal verified, USA address."
You are very nice to consider the workaround, but if something goes wrong you could be out money, or she could leave you negative feedback. If you just say, "Thanks, but no thanks", your only problem is not bending over backwards.

 

[wendow]

I just reply to questions like this with "As noted in the listing I ship only to Paypal verified, USA address."
You are very nice to consider the workaround, but if something goes wrong you could be out money, or she could leave you negative feedback. If you just say, "Thanks, but no thanks", your only problem is not bending over backwards.

I know I should be more like this. I am just one of those people who has a hard time saying 'no' and I really like to help people and be nice. They are Canadians and I know people in Canada have a hard time getting goods from the US. And this is homeschooling materials which I can only imagine how hard it is to acquire good materials without breaking the bank. I guess I just feel bad for the situation they are in. I haven't heard back from them so they may move on. Maybe they found a seller willing to ship to Canada.

 

[seashoreCM]

When shipping to some countries (I think including Canada) you cannot insure items sent by "letter post." Instead you have to use the more expensive "parcel post."

For those eavesdropping, this is one reason why shipping costs seem so high when trying to buy things on eBay.

I restrict my items to U.S. bidders because i don't want the hassle of dealing with foreign transactions that go sour. If an item is undeliverable it costs the seller a lot to get it back.

At one time I accepted personal checks and some brands of money orders from bidders, but eBay supposedly does not allow those methods of payment nowadays.