What would you do?

[Clevs]

I sold something today that has been listed for several weeks and I've dropped the price once.

Buyer paid immediately. An hour later she sent me a message (in not perfect English, not sure if hat matters) saying she'd given the wrong address and could I send to a different one, which she gave.

I have no seller protection if I send to a different address. But it's only a £12 item plus £4.50 postage, so not a lot to lose if it does go belly up.

Her feedback is 9, she's been a member since 2015.

Do I just send it to the new address and hope she's legitimate? The fact she paid immediately is promising.

The address on her PayPal account and the one she wants me to post to are reasonably close I think as the postcodes are XX16 and XX17.

[btecmummy]

Sounds like a scam, take the money and go

[Jaxhog]

Don't do it. Unless you want to lose the money and the item! She's paid immediatley because she knows she'll scam it back.

If she's got the wrong address on ebay and paypal, then why hasn't she already changed it? Has it been wrong since 2015?

[Supa1]

Hi I would not send it to a different address as you are then not covered by seller protection. Her PayPal account could have been hacked. You will get no seller protection. She would understand this if she was a genuine seller that you have to send to the registered address.
I hope this helps

[Clevs]

Thanks all, I won't send it. She messaged me again this morning asking the same question as I didn't reply yesterday until I'd posted on here thought about it. In today's message the road name is a different spelling to the one she gave yesterday although her spelling isn't great anyway.

I'll report her to EBay.

[EmilyR1984]

Message her back and tell her that you'll only send the item to her PayPal registered address. See what she says and if she still wants it!

[CraftyJojo]

People are so quick to shout scam!

She could have simply moved home and forgot to update her delivery address fgs or not know how to change it?!

I sell on eBay for a living - beds and furniture - I get this occasionally when people have moved or have purchased for example, for their parents / children who live elsewhere.

You can simply tell her as per eBay policy all items must be dispatched to the address received at the point of check-out and so the best way to resolve this would be for you to cancel this transaction, have her change her info and re-list the item for the same price so she can re-purchase with the correct address.
Let her know Paypal allows you to add 'alternative' addresses which she will be able to choose when checking out.

This can be a pain, and I will admit on occasion I have just altered the address for my customers - i check how far apart the postcodes are and have quick look at previous fb etc from/for them and see if anything jumps out.

We've not yet being scammed - fingers crossed eh.

[Clevs]

@CraftyJojo
Thanks. I didn't want to assume it was a scam, which is why I asked for opinions. I was prepared to give her the benefit of the doubt because like you say she could have genuinely forgotten to update her address. Something was niggling at me though, especially with the poor English and spelling as I know a lot of scammers use poor English. Judging by her name though English may be her second language so again I was going to give her the benefit of the doubt.

I've sent her a message saying that for protection for both of us she needs to update her address details, cancel the transaction and then purchase again with the correct address. I have also contacted EBay to let them look into it as she is violating their rules, whether intentionally or accidentally.

[19lottie82]

Refund her and ask her to repay, with the correct address.

[Clevs]

Update:

I cancelled the transaction and asked her to change her address details and buy again. I heard nothing back and have also heard nothing back from EBay after reporting her.

I've since sold the item again to someone in the USA with zero feedback. They paid instantly and their PayPal is verified meaning I'll be eligible for seller protection if it goes wrong. I need to send it to a UK address as part of the Global Shipping Programme. It still sounds dodgy to me (although I realise everyone starts with zero feedback). I will send recorded delivery to the EBay UK address but I still have visions of me posting it, them requesting a refund and EBay siding with them and I end up with no item and no money. Maybe I'm being cynical. As it's a verified PayPal though I don't have any choice but to post it.

It just seems odd to me as it's an item which would be available in the USA, so why buy from the UK? 😕

[19lottie82]

If it’s not an expensive item I wouldn’t worry about it too much. The global shipping problem actually gives you protection. Just make sure you send it signed for. As long as it reaches there and you have proof of that you’re obligation has been met in terms of a not received outcome.

[isseywithcats]

if you have sent it through the international hub dont worry i send items all the time to them, they receive the item and send it on and they email you to let you know when it goes from them and i goes tracked so they let you know when its been delivered to the buyer just make sure that you put the right reference number on the hub address