Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
eBay

If you buy or sell items on eBay, you will find tips and advice on this forum.

Original poster

Item won by Nigerian buyer wanting to pay cash on collection

92 replies

crazycrazy · 26/01/2010 22:55

I've just sold a highchair on ebay (listing offered only Paypal as payment method). The same buyer has just also won a steriliser

The winner emailed me saying he would pick up the item and pay me cash on collection. As he had no feedback and had only registered last week on ebay, I looked up his email address on google and found he was nigerian (don't want to generalise, but alarm bells started to ring).

I emailed him back saying paypal only and he has now replied asking me to ring him on his mobile. I'm really reluctant to call him so I emailed back saying I wasn't able to call, but is he able to pay on paypal

The invoice details on ebay state his registered address is in Staffordshire, yet on his email to me he says he lives in the city I live in (not in or near Staffordshire!). I'm pretty convinced there's something dodgy going on here so I don't want to sell my things to him (not only do I stand to lose about £50 worth, but I really don't now want to sell my baby's stuff to him)

WWYD?

OP posts:
Pannacotta · 27/01/2010 11:19

I think perhaps the reference in the thread title to the buyer being Nigerian didn't necessarily help...

StayingDavidTennantsGirl · 27/01/2010 11:22

Fair point, Pannacotta, though as the OP says, she has been the victim of an attempted scam by a Nigerian scammer, so has a reason for being suspicious of the person's nigerian connections.

SweetGrapes · 27/01/2010 11:35

Ignore the sarcasm, Crazy. You did fine.

Tryharder · 27/01/2010 12:04

I disagree with the general consensus that the OP was in the right. She is presuming that the buyer is Nigerian - did she see his passport? How do you all know he wasn't born in the UK and is three quarters white with a Nigerian grandfather??? How do you know that he wasn't actually a Nigerian - shock horror - and is perfectly decent and honest. They do exist you know!!

I am sorry but I do not think this post would have been written had the buyer been called John Smith.

I see nothing wrong with what the buyer did. It would be more economical to collect the high chair and sterilizer in person rather than having these bulky/heavy items posted. He presumably has a pregnant wife and is looking for bargains so has just joined ebay and got the items he wanted. We all have to start with zero feedback at some point... He doesn't have paypal because paypal take fucking forever to do the bank checks. When I first joined ebay, I didn't have paypal for about 3 months. He probably didn't realise that you only specified paypal because he's only just joined ebay and doesnt know the score...As for the different address, maybe he's got family in your area or is studying/working in Staffs but has a permanent address near you....

If you were so bothered about false bank notes, why didn't you agree to meet him by a bank and get him to verify the notes there or ask him to bring a postal order....

This post has left a bad taste in my mouth. And by the way, I am married to a West African and have a West African surname. Quite sad to think that if I win anything on ebay, sellers are potentially oohing and aahing about the prospect of actually having to post me their goods (luckily I have good feedback now)

Original poster
crazycrazy · 27/01/2010 12:42

maybe tryharder, but then again there are a lot of maybes in your post and I can't afford to risk it

And re. your sarcastic question relating to his passport - he posted on a nigerian forum that he is nigerian, so I didn't exactly need a detective to work it out

OP posts:
PfftTheMagicDragon · 27/01/2010 13:47

"
For those of you happy to accept cash, and the risk of false notes, I'm happy for you.

"

Maybe you should teach yourself how to tell a fake from a real note. I would happily take cash on collection as I can tell one from the other, I wouldn't worry about fake notes.

I think that a second hand highchair is hardly the target of a scammer, it's a lot of work to go to, coming to someone's house, with fake money, hoping them don't notice, just for a highchair?

I think that it is fair for the buyer to assume cash on collection would be acceptable as this seems to be standard as far as I can see on ebay. I have never seen an auction where paypal for collection has been stated. Ebay might tell you to do so, but they own paypal so that's another issue. I do not think it was unfair of him.

Yes there have been a large amount of nigerian scammers online, but I haven't read anything about that being down to collecting low cost items with fake notes, more internet transactions for high value goods.

I think you are being swayed by what you assume to be the mans nationality.

StayingDavidTennantsGirl · 27/01/2010 13:49

She does know that he is nigerian - she has seen postings by him on a nigerian website saying he is nigerian - reasonable then to make the assumption that he is nigerian, no?

PfftTheMagicDragon · 27/01/2010 13:55

sorry - had not read all of the posts. Still though - him being nigerian does not mean he is a scammer.

It is reasonable for him to not want to pay paypal for collection - ot offers him no protection,

But - he saw the terms before he bid.

ruddynorah · 27/01/2010 13:56

oh gosh i sold a bed to an mner last week, she sent a friend with a van to collect it and paid cash on collection..and i didn't even stop to ask if she or he were nigerian..AND i didn't check the notes he handed over. stupid me

crumpet · 27/01/2010 13:57

The thought of an international highchair scamming ring has amused me a LOT today.

wubblybubbly · 27/01/2010 14:00

But what difference does being Nigerian make?

If someone from ebay is buying something from you that is collection only, the general assumption is that cash on collection is okay, that's how we've always done it, both selling and buying.

The OP is perfectly within her rights to cancel the transaction if she's concerned about the zero feedback, the very recent account, the discrepancy in the address, all legitimate concerns, but what on earth does the fact that the buyer was Nigerian have anything to do with it?

Paolosgirl · 27/01/2010 14:08

Ignore the shrieks of "racist" - they are predictable.

Some of the suggestions on here have been very helpful - having someone with you etc. Others - learn how to spot a fake bank note -are slightly less helpful, because unless you happen to be an expert on forgery they can be very difficult to detect.

If you do decide to accept cash, make sure you get him to sign a receipt to confirm that you did give him the goods, he paid you £X, and he accepted the item as seen.

mummyofexcitedprincesses · 27/01/2010 15:27

The shrieks of racist are predictable because if the buyer had not been Nigerian, the seller would not have started this thread. Very sad in this day and age.

SpeedyGonzalez · 27/01/2010 15:35

Bloody hell, OP, I'm Nigerian and I'm an excellent ebayer with 100% positive feedback .

This has nothing to do with his nationality or the emails which you have received from dodgy Nigerians living in Holland. We're not all crooks, thank you very much.

This is purely about the fact that he's trying to change the terms of your agreement - to accept payment by Paypal only; and that he has two addresses. If he were Welsh, Taiwanese or Icelandic I hope you'd have the same response. Cash on collection is not a problem IME, but since you're not happy about it and it's not what was originally agreed, just tell him it's Paypal or nothing; give him a deadline within which to pay and then, if he doesn't relent, offer it to the next buyer down the chain. And in which case, feel free to report him to ebay - but please don't make up any crap about him being a potential fraudster.

Original poster
crazycrazy · 27/01/2010 15:35

If you read my posts, you will have noticed that I was suspicious well before knowing anything about the buyer's nationality, hence me googling his email address in the first place

OP posts:
Original poster
crazycrazy · 27/01/2010 15:38

speedy - if you'd read my posts, you would have noticed that I have chosen simply to withdraw the sale

OP posts:
SpeedyGonzalez · 27/01/2010 15:41

You did say, very clearly, that alarm bells started to ring after you discovered his nationality. It's in your OP.

Original poster
crazycrazy · 27/01/2010 15:44

yes speedy, but why on earth do you think I googled his email address if I wasn't suspicious in the first place

I'm not afraid to admit that his nationality added to the existing suspicions and increased alarm bells, yes

OP posts:
SpeedyGonzalez · 27/01/2010 15:53

That's exactly what I'm saying. Regardless of whether you were uncertain about him at first, his nationality was enough to confirm to you that he must be a scammer.

There are 151 million native-born Nigerians in the world, let alone people like me born in other countries. That's more than 2.5 times the population of the UK. It would be wrong to assume that 'British' = chav or toff because that's all you've seen of Brits on TV. It is equally wrong to assume that Nigerian = fraudster. As many (non-Nigerians) have already told you on this thread, it's got nothing to do with his nationality.

Original poster
crazycrazy · 27/01/2010 15:57

I have not decided that he 'must be a scammer'. I have come to the decisin that there are several reasons why I no longer wish to proceed with the transaction. Whilst I accept that there is every likelihood that the purchase is legitimate, I am not willing to risk losing £50 of goods with the level of doubt I currently have. Personal choice

OP posts:
Mmmcoffee · 27/01/2010 15:58

I have no problem getting cash on collection of my items. But I tell the buyer what notes I want. Most of the fake notes are 50's, with some 20's. So I tell the buyer I want the money in 5s or 10s.

I've never had a problem with it.

Sorry btw, my 'pound' sign isn't working!!!

skidoodle · 27/01/2010 16:09

crazy

You specified how you wanted payment made and the buyer is not honouring that.

Only a complete moron would give their address to a stranger on the Internet and let them come around to their house and give them "cash on collection".

Don't even think about going along with this obvious scam artist. Please, keep yourself safe and report this contact to eBay.

crumpet · 27/01/2010 16:17

Loving it. You do realise that to launder any sensible amount of money an enormous number of second hand highchairs would need to be bought and sold.

Clearly this guy is onto something - the old "give me your bank account details and £200k" must be giving a slower return than the novel highchair approach.

Original poster
crazycrazy · 27/01/2010 16:20

crumpet glad you're enjoying it so much. Suggest you move onto some other threads now to have some more fun making jokes out of peoples' problems

Obviously in your world fraud or theft is only something that happens to the rich. Hope your naivety doesn't trip you up some day

OP posts:
oranges · 27/01/2010 16:22

oh for god's sake, if this guy is a scammer, he won't make his money by selling on a highchair bought with dodgy notes. He makes it by offering up a fake 50 pound note and getting the seller to give him the change in real money.
Agree though that the Nigerian bit is probably irrelevant.