Posted By:
Joe D.I thought I would pass this along... just in case it helps someone else.
A recent lesson learned: Look at the winner of your auctions before sending an invoice as invoices might have some of your personal info (address or phone number). If anything about the buyer looks fishy or zero feedback or newly registered... use the contact member feature before sending an invoice.
A while back - I had someone click a 'buy it now' auction and the person had an obviously made up name and address. I sent a quick invoice to this person and regretted doing so.
Now just this week, - someone clicked another 'buy it now' auction of mine. Zero feedback / a person who just registered. Anyway, I did not send this person an invoice and tried to contact the person first. The person (from UK) said they are going to send me MORE than the auction called for and requested that I send him back the balance via Western Union (huh?) and the person wanted to be sure that the item was good quality (huh? -- why not ask questions before committing to a buy it now?), wanted me to ship at the same time of receiving the money order... buyer was going to send DHL for pickup (huh - no way!), and began each email asking me to send my address and telephone number.
The person very quickly was kicked off eBay (no longer a registered user). This was done by no action taken by me --- so he must have done something fishy with someone else.
Even after getting kicked off ebay he emailed me for my address and phone number so that he could send me more money than the auction called for ASAP.
I emailed back that I would not circumvent the ebay process... that he was no longer an ebay member and that I could not sell to him.
He emailed back... saying he was working out the issue with eBay but for me to please send my address / phone number so that he could send payment ASAP.
Long story short: I am glad that I did not send the invoice to this person. And suggest everyone look over the buyer's name / address / feedback - and if anything doesn't look right - to contact member before sending invoice.
I also went to the Post Office and got a PO Box which I will be using for eBay correspondence from now on.
I thought that I could block users below a certain feedback rating / but you can only block those with negative feedback.
eBay did relist the item at no cost... but I, like other eBayers, am still vulnerable that a menace can just create a new account and end any 'buy it now' auction.
Thought I would pass that along.