Do I have to sell to winning bidder with (0) feedback?

[mariel]

help! have just sold a high value item (smartphone) to a winning bidder who has zero feedback! i thought i was protected as in my selling preferences i had selected to block buyers who 'have a feedback score of -1 or lower' - argh!
do i have to sell it to them? what on earth do i do?? can't make head nor tail of ebay's information, am counting on the wisdom of the mumsnet...

[mumnosbest]

Will it matter if they pay?

[fergoose]

well - everyone has to start somewhere

I take it they haven't paid yet?

As long as their address is verified in the uk and you send with a courier with adequate insurance then there isn't a risk. Keep a note of the imei number before you send the phone.

You can't block 0 feedback buyers anyway

[roundtower]

As someone who only uses eBay to buy I am wondering how someone starting out would ever get to buy anything is no-one sold to them because of 0 feedback.

Surely there is only a problem is you don't get paid.

Even you, op, must have had 0 at some stage.

[SodaStreamy]

I've just started out with my own account and I'm hoping no-one would block me or refuse to sell because I have zero feedback so far.

There are still people like me who have simply never had an ebay account before

[Ebayaholic]

I too would be a bit concerned about a first time purchase being a mobile phone as these are notoriously targeted by scammers. If you proceed with the sale only post special delivery within the UK and note the imei number of the phone. If you don't proceed then you can receive a non performing seller strike but just one of these is not the end of the world.
If the seller were to pay by cash on delivery then you have more security than paypal or bank transfer.

Scammers can pay by paypal or bank transfer using someone else's bank account details which have been stolen and the funds can be reversed after you have posted the phone.

[HotelTangoFoxtrotUniform]

Don't people with 0 feedback not yet have a verified paypal account? I'd be a bit wary.

[NotTreadingGrapes]

People with 0 feedback are new to Ebay. As we all were once.

[NotTreadingGrapes]

But as regards doubting buyers because it's a phone....doesn't the opposite also ring true? Like I would be very wary (in fact I wouldn't) buy a phone from ebay because I would presume it was stolen.

Cuts both ways really.

[SavoyCabbage]

Me too!

I was crapping myself! Google-earthing their address and immediately contacting the second place buyer so they could swoop in when it all went pear shaped.

Turns out it was bought by a lovely 14 year old girl who had saved up for ages to buy it. She came with her dad to pick it up and my dh gave her a lesson in how to use it. I gave he my new iphone 5 headphone thingys as I was never going to use them.

[fergoose]

If they ask you rto send to Nigeria or pay by paypal then want to collect then you know it is a scam

[clam]

I had suspicions about a buyer recently (loads of red-flags) but when I google-earthed the address, it showed a church in Dorchester High Street! Reported him and yes, it was a scam.

[clam]

And yes, Nigeria was also mentioned. As well as a clear indication that funds had been transferred to my PayPal account, although they hadn't.

[soremummy]

Be careful! Can you insist they collect or can you send by trackable post? I sold to someone wasnt much for item but they had feedback of 8! They had private feedback though. First they didnt pay eBay resolved it then they didnt get item. Ebay said i had to refund money despite the fact that someone on ebay contacted me and had found out the buyer had at that time 5 unreceived item disputes open. Basically they would buy things with paypal say it wasnt received and reclaim money

[fergoose]

you must send trackable - especially for a phone

[mariel]

thanks for your replies everyone. yes i understand about everyone having to start somewhere but i don't think i can afford to lose so much money if it IS a scammer - it's a new factory sealed smartphone (an unwanted upgrade - not stolen!) that went for slightly more than i expected, another red flag to me.

i have sold high value items in the past on ebay but think i have always asked buyers with less than 10 feedback to contact me first - just forgot this time.

am considering emailing the buyer to say i am unwilling to sell at this time as they have no feedback (therefore no verified paypal address), i will risk the non-performing seller thingy and the bad feedback. does anyone know if i need to inform ebay?/apply to have the sale mutually withdrawn?

[ballstoit]

You can be verified by PayPal, without using eBay at all. I had to verify my bank details to do transactions through EventBrite, for example. PayPal put an amount in with a code, and I had to get the amount and code through internet banking. Is it worth checking that?

Or posting a letter first class to the PayPal address, stating details of the purchase etc, and seeing if someone messages you OK n EBay when they get it?

I'm sure new buyers would understand your concern and try to work with you.

[fergoose]

you can send the buyer a cancellation request - but if they don't pay in 4 days you can start a non payer case against them and get their fees back that way.

And add them to your blocked bidder list too.

[mariel]

thing is, i haven't invoiced them yet... i am reluctant to engage with them at all!

thank you so much for your replies - i am definite that i don't want to send the phone to this buyer, just need to know how to go about it. will look into the cancellation request now (i have done this before but it was ages ago!)

[mariel]

and can i go back with a second chance offer to the next bidder do you know? once it's all resolved??

[fergoose]

yes you can - but you need to either do a non paying bidder case or cancellation first

you don't need to invoice them, they can just paypal you anyway without that.

when did the auction end?