I recently sold a $1000 Canon GL2 on ebay. The bidder paid my "Buy Now" price. Awesome, right?? But now I noticed he's got 0% feedback?!

Is this a scam? Are there things I should watch out for? Basically, once I get my money via Paypal is it mine? Or is it possible it's fake somehow & my bank doesn't clear the transaction & I'm out $1000 bucks & a camera.

Thanks all for the feedback, I've really never sold much on ebay, only bought a few things.

Zero feedback could mean that he's brand new to Ebay... maybe. When I was brand new to Ebay, I bought nickle and dime stuff -- usually less than $50 per item -- while I tested the waters. $1000 is a big purchase for an Ebay first-timer in my opinion.

Don't ship until the funds have cleared your account.

You may need to check with PayPal to find out at what point the money can't bounce.

The problem with eBay newbies is that somebody has to start somewhere and if no one gives them an OK, then eBay is useless. Some people will make small buys or sells to build feedback but that just promulgates useless purchases.

You may need to contact the buyer and let them know that you have to wait for the money to clear. Of course they may not like that but assuming you've established a good feedback rating they'll be understanding.

Personally I've used eBay infrequently and I may go over a year or more between uses and if that raises suspicion then it just means eBay is useless to me. There's something wrong with the "frequent or bust" method of doing business. Some people have even used that as a scam by building up good feedback on small exchanges and then doing the ripoff on a high ticket item.

Protect yourself for sure! Communicate with the buyer and tell them you need to be cautious and see if they accept those terms.

Interesting, I just saw this post:

"I recently bought a Canon GL2 on eBay. I paid his "Buy Now" price. But I noticed he's only got 8 feedback, with 0 feedback as a seller?! Is this a scam"

Of course, I'm kidding, but my point is that everyone has to start somewhere. Just because your bidder has no feedback does not mean you're being scammed.

eBay is no longer the "wild west" flea market it used to be. There are a lot of protections for both buyer and seller. Just make sure you follow some common sense rules:

Ship only with a true trackable shipper (UPS, FedEx, DHL - definitely *not* the USPS for $1000 items.) Always insure, even if the buyer did not opt for insurance. Only accept PayPal for payment. Keep all receipts.

I've sold hundreds of items, big and small, to zero feedback buyers. I just followed the established procedures and everything went fine.

As far as Chris's advice not to ship until the funds clear your account - it's doesn't matter because PayPal can go back to your bank account and take that $1100 out *even if the transaction has "cleared"*

Wait - you said your buyer has zero feedback - I looked and your buyer has their feedback set to private. That is a huge difference. You need to ask your buyer why they have hidden their feedback and they better have a good explaination.

You may need to check with PayPal to find out at what point the money can't bounce.The problem is not with a "bounce" - once PayPal says they have the money, they have it. The concern is that your buyer will make a bogus claim after they've received the camera. They could tell PayPal that you shipped a box of dirty diapers and try to get the transaction reversed. It doesn't matter if you already withdrew and spent the money, you have given PayPal the authority to take the money back out of your account (you did read the agreement before you checked "I have read the agreement", didn't you?) If PayPal thinks the buyers claim is valid, they will take $1100 out of your bank account and you'll be the one with checks bouncing all over.

I like eBay and have used it continuously since 1996, but it's not for the faint of heart.

Ah so. Thanks for pointing that out, Chris. I've never had a PayPal transaction disputed, hope it never happens.

The question is what is the period in which PayPal can retrieve the money. I can't believe that it can be indefinite or one could have claims years after a purchase.

Thanks for all your posts. Seeman, like you, I use it infrequently. I wouldn't mind if the buyer did also, but the 0 buys before just screamed to me that the "Please ship this to Nigeria as I am out of the country and I will Western Union the money. " was coming.

Davis, thanks for noticing that. I wasn't aware, I'll check further into it. Myb he had some bad reviews, we'll see but as someone said myb I should insure it to be safe.

Davis are you sure Paypal can take the money back?? Someone at work told me they can't. Well, to clarify, they said the money is good (ie not like a bad check or insufficient funds). I suppose if the buyer was upset & thought I sold them a piece of junk they can. That's not neccisarily my concern, as the camera is in good shape. My fear was the buyer would put a fake $1000 check into his bank account, buy the item, I ship the camera, then 2 weeks later my bank says the pymt bounced & I'm out $1000 bucks and a camera. From what I understand that part cannot happen. Paypal verifies the amount when the buyer deposits it into their paypal account (from what I'm told). EDIT: Just reread your post, you seem to say the same thing. However the claiming of a box of junk or whatever certainly is another another fear to be midful of. Thanks for informing me.

Thanks all, I'll keep you posted. I was excited, but then became suspicious especially since they just Bigfooted down on everyone else & used the "Buy Now" whereas the recent bid was only around $400 (although I wasn't selling for that low anyway, had a reserve price on it).

Wait - you said your buyer has zero feedback - I looked and your buyer has their feedback set to private. That is a huge difference. You need to ask your buyer why they have hidden their feedback and they better have a good explaination.


Are you sure? It looks like it would still show the feedback:

"Private Feedback - This member, XXXXXXXX, has decided to make his/her Feedback comments private. Feedback can still be left for this user and the Feedback ratings left are shown above in summary format."

To be honest, I rec'vd this email question from the buyer:
______________________________________________________________________

hi
i want to know if the item is in good condition
before making the payment through paypal.
I await your soonest response.
cheers

_________________________________________________________________

A) People in Ohio don't speak like this "I await your soonest response." (sounds like verbage from the Nigerian Businessman scam)
B) Americans don't say "Cheers"
C) They say a generic "item" not "camera"


I'm sorry, I gotta bail on this transaction. Understandably I'll probably have trouble & reflect poorly on my account, but walks like a duck, talks like a duck, it's probably a duck.

The question is what is the period in which PayPal can retrieve the money. I can't believe that it can be indefinite or one could have claims years after a purchase.As a buyer you have up to 42 days to register a claim with PayPal if there is something wrong with your purchase e.g. not delivered, not as described. So in theory after that period you should be assured that the transaction will not be reversed. In practice just as soon as they have left positive feedback on Ebay you can be confident that the payment is good. In fact I guess that is the reason why some sellers are so keen to get feedback that they keep sending emails reminding you to leave feedback.

I've been around the eBay block and unfortunately, since the purchase of PayPal, eBay corp is way more about the buyer now than the seller.

They've recently implemented a policy to hurt sellers. If you do not have a seller rating over 100 and/or 5 detailed seller ratings, PayPal will hold the funds (while withdrawing their fees) for up to 21 days. They also will implement this for "High-Risk" items, such as digital cameras / camcorders.

It is a terribly frustrating policy for a seller. Having just sold my XL2, the funds were held until I received positive feedback from the buyer. Ugh.

Not for the faint at heart, indeed.

On to the buyer: I'd agree they they are over-seas. Probably Europe. Or they have recently immigrated to the United States. Your best bet is to be very direct with the seller. Respond with something like this: "It concerns me that you have 0% feedback for such a large ticket item, my camera is in excellent condition but I'd like to confirm a couple of things with you first:

1) I only ship to confirmed PayPal address in the USA
2) I only ship once PayPal payment has cleared
3) What are you using the camera for?

You'll be able to decide from the buyers response whether they are legit.
Hope this helps,
-C

I sold a Canon GL1 on Ebay last year and Paypal likewise placed a hold on the funds until the buyer acknowledged receiving the camcorder. I shipped it via UPS. I was a little worried as 4 days went by. Once received, I got the UPS delivery notice and the hold on the funds was released.

I will add that this was the second time I sold the camera on Ebay. The first time the buyer did not pay. I sent him numerous emails and filed a dispute. Finnaly, I was able to relist the camcorder. He actually had a pretty good buyer rating but on closer inspection he was using a mail drop in Texas and was actually located in Brazil where he was reselling the equipment.

All in all the whole process was tiresome and I will probably only sell lower priced items on Ebay in the future that don't requre a hold on the funds.

Thanks Chris it should. I was on with ebay chat to no avail. Just going in circles because to cancel the transaction the buyer apparently needs to agree with it. I kept asking what if they don't & the rep never gave much of a straightforward answer.

It sucks because earlier I wrote yes it is a great camera but now I responded again saying No, it's not working I have to cancel & fix it.


It sucks, to be honest I don't care about my account or feedback, I just don't want to lose $1000. Trying to be proactive with ebay & Paypal & look where it gets me.

To be honest, I rec'vd this email question from the buyer:
______________________________________________________________________

hi
i want to know if the item is in good condition
before making the payment through paypal.
I await your soonest response.
cheers

_________________________________________________________________

A) People in Ohio don't speak like this "I await your soonest response." (sounds like verbage from the Nigerian Businessman scam)
B) Americans don't say "Cheers"
C) They say a generic "item" not "camera"


I'm sorry, I gotta bail on this transaction. Understandably I'll probably have trouble & reflect poorly on my account, but walks like a duck, talks like a duck, it's probably a duck.I agree that this sounds very fishy but don't just back out of the transaction as I am guessing that no payment by PayPal will ever be made. Buyers have seven days in which to pay you & if they don't then you lodge a claim for non-payment with Ebay. You need to do this otherwise you will be charged the Ebay fees.

I know all this stuff as I just recently attempted to sell an item on Ebay for the very first time even though I have been a buyer for many years.

I have just upgraded my iPhone 3G with a new iPhone 3GS at a bargain price from my phone operator so was looking forward to selling my old iPhone at a profit. The auction ran for seven days & there were several bidders eventually the winner was someone with zero feedback. I made it very clear in my listing that I would only accept PayPal as a means of payment but after the auction finished the buyer claimed that he had only just started on Ebay & had to wait a few days for the PayPal account to be verified & would I accept a cheque instead. Immediately alarm bells rang for me & I insisted that it was PayPal or nothing. There was an exchange of email with promises of payment with the final email claiming that he had been taken into hospital for an operation on his back & that his father would settle the payment. Needless to say no money ever arrived. I had already entered a claim for non-payment & as this was an auction Ebay has the so-called Second Chance option where you can offer one or more of the losing bidders the opportunity to purchase at their highest bid. Sadly the two highest losing bidders had by then bought a similar iPhone from another seller.

In my failed sale I don't know whether it was an attempted scam & that when I refused to accept a cheque he just strung me along so as to make it appear that it wasn't a scam. Maybe he was just some kid who wanted an iPhone but didn't have any money. Alternatively he just got some kind of thrill from mucking me about & screwing up the sale for genuine buyer. Who knows? Anyway it has left me rather jaded with the whole business of selling on Ebay especially as they are still charging me for the cost of the listing (less than the equivalent of $2 & not the final sale fee which was refunded).

I do see listings on Ebay that say that bids from buyers with zero feedback or less than ten will be refused. I don't know whether this is within the Ebay rules but I shall certainly add that caveat when I re-list my iPhone.

When you create your listing you can select which offers will be refused based on low feedback scores or lack of feedback. It's in one of the many control panels.

Edit: It's under Site Preferences > Buyer requirements. But unfortunately it isn't as versatile as I remembered and wouldn't have helped in this situation, although there are some useful tools there.

But the whole point of the feedback scores is for both buyers and sellers to judge the credibility of others, so I don't think you'd be out of line to say you won't accept a bid from someone who has a score of less than, say, 10, and 100% positive feedback.

I've spent the past six months selling off most of my old video gear on eBay, including several camcorders, and have had pretty good luck, no issues (except for one attempted scam that was easily uncovered thanks to a little web research). Most of the advice here is right on. If he hasn't paid yet, it's unlikely he ever will, so you won't be obligated to ship anything and a dispute will allow you to re-list without fees. If the money's in your PayPal account and marked as "pending" then they won't release it until he confirms he gets the cam and/or leaves positive feedback. Even if the money's cleared and you withdraw it to put it into your bank account, he could still dispute is as outlined above and then you'd be stuck.

I agree the email is a huge red flag and very suspicious. I'd bail.

Thanks Adam. It gets more comical. For an $1100 camera purchase, I rec'v an email from Paypal saying they deposited $1300.


Email from them asking I Western Union back the $200 is coming in 5...4...3...2......



I suppose I'll call Paypal tonight & ask how I should proceed. Regardless, I'm not shipping anything.

I'll chime in on a couple points - first, DVi has a classifieds section, might be a better venue?

ANY online transaction has risks - even face to face ones have their risks... life's risky... yet we moslty all muddle through by using some common sense!

EBay is by their own description a venue, they have and continue to take steps to try and make transactions "safe", but you must ALWAYS be proactive, and even then there can be "issues".

I'd be more suspicious of "private" feedback than 0 feedback, particularly now, as I believe the FB reflects only the last 12 months (meaning an inactive or seldom active member may not have recent FB). I deal with 0 or low fb people on both the buy and sell side all the time, and do a fair amount of international transactions. Sometimes you have to do some handholding, and this is where COMMUNICATION is important - better to use their messaging as much as you need to vett your counterparty. If it's really sketchy, pull contact information (you can only do this with someone who you have a transaction with) and see if the phone # and address match - if they don't, be very careful. Just because someone is not a native English speaker or has trouble communicating isn't a reason to panic, just a reason to be extra careful.

EBay and PayPal have VERY specific protection plans, and they are a lot improved over what they were, but you ABSOLUTELY MUST follow (in other words READ and make sure, don't just assume you're "covered") their "rules", or you could get stuck... Shipping MUST be trackable and signature required, PERIOD if the item is over $250. It also has to go to the address in the PayPal transaction, not some alternate addy because of some lame excuse by the buyer...

If you're nervous, probably better to trust your instincts - I've had a couple really flaky (and NASTY) buyers lately... You can always set the auction to not take any buyers below a certain feedback #, and note they can contact you BEFORE they bid/buy so you can allow them. I prefer contact BEFORE someone buys, but sometimes I just get a payment, send the item off, and it's all good, with almost no communication - usually eBay regulars...


As far as the potential for the transaction to "reverse" - the buyer has 45 days to "dispute", and depending on the circumstances, the case can go either way - again if it happens, you have to be proactive.

I suggest withdrawing the funds ASAP - PP can't legally take money once it's withdrawn to your bank account, giving you at least SOME protection, though if you get a claim against you, they can lock the PayPal account and come after you for any "balance owed".

There's always one other issue, as a "real" scammer will be using a stolen CC number too... and so you're exposed for 60 days to a chargeback, but this is the situation where if you follow their rules, PP should protect you.

There are plenty of tales of woe out there about eBay and PayPal, but it's a pretty good "system" if you understand all the rules, follow them, and be careful. You have to remember that there are scammers that "work" the venue, and LOOK for low feedback or infrequent sellers/buyers to try to scam, figuring they are more vulnerable. MOST of the scammers are pretty crude and sloppy, but there are a FEW "pros" - I had a scam seller, ended up being glad I used a credit card for payment - he/she knew the entire sytem and was quite artuculate... don't know if law enforcement ever nailed them, but they were "good"...

Then again, there are plenty of really nice, pleasant people who are honest and thoughtful there too... as with anything it's the few who mess it up for the majority. Again, that's life!

Hope that helps with your question.

Thanks Adam. It gets more comical. For an $1100 camera purchase, I rec'v an email from Paypal saying they deposited $1300.


Email from them asking I Western Union back the $200 is coming in 5...4...3...2......



I suppose I'll call Paypal tonight & ask how I should proceed. Regardless, I'm not shipping anything.

I'll bet if you check your PP account, there won't be anything at all there, and yep, you've got a scammer... fake PP "receipts" have been a scam floating around... I'm betting that's what you'll find - I don't think it's even possible to "overpay" anymore - if you issued an invoice it locks the amount of the transaction now - you have to issue a new invoice, and even there they've limited the amount of changes you can make to the original transaction (people used to "pad" invoices to avoid fees...

Let eBay know (forward all the stuff to their safe harbor department, they SHOULD de-register the buyer account, whick is probably jacked...), and file for FVF refunds - you should get that without a problem if the buyer is NARU'd). You may have to ASK for the safe harbor department, the front line CS people "can" forward the case, but sometimes it's better to ask!

If you list an item, errr I mean camera, on ebay and include a Buy It Now price, always be sure to include the "Immediate Payment Required" option. That way, your item, errr I mean camera, stays listed until the payment is made through Paypal.

I listed a camera a while back with a BIN price. A scammer bought it and ended the listing. Never paid, never heard from them. Relisted it, same thing by a "different" buyer.

That's when I researched ebay selling help and found out about requiring immediate payment. No problems after that.

HTH.

Jeff... most assuredly from Ohio. Cheers

I rec'd this email question from the buyer:
______________________________________________________________________

hi
i want to know if the item is in good condition
before making the payment through paypal.
I await your soonest response.
cheers

_________________________________________________________________

A) People in Ohio don't speak like this "I await your soonest response." (sounds like verbage from the Nigerian Businessman scam)
B) Americans don't say "Cheers"
C) They say a generic "item" not "camera"


I'm sorry, I gotta bail on this transaction.


You were smart to bail out. This email carries the hallmark of all scams:
referring to a $1000 purchase as an "item." If he was really intending to
spend $1000 on a GL2, he would refer to it as a GL2. But he's probably
just doing a generic cut & paste of his standard scamming message.
"The item." Heh. Give me a break!


It gets more comical. For an $1100 camera purchase, I rec'v an email from Paypal saying they deposited $1300.

Email from them asking I Western Union back the $200 is coming in 5...4...3...2...

Yes, that's exactly how this particular scam works: Buyer overpays for "the
item" and asks for a refund via wire transfer of the difference. Meanwhile,
your bank kicks back his check as a fraud. That's how you're bilked out of
"the item" plus a couple hundred bucks.

Classic scam. Thanks very much for sharing this with us, David -- sure hope
a lot of our folks can learn from reading this thread. Much appreciated,

Thanks Chris. I'll have to follow thru with how to have PP undo this transaction. It kinda sucks in that I'm being smart & proactive for not going thru with this transaction, but will probably endure alot of time & bs with paypal customer service as to why I'm not following thru on my end.

Blackhurst I did list it on here a couple weeks ago. And overall there's just too many red flags for me on this. I know it sounds petty caring that an American says "Cheers" or has a 0% rating, but everything combined is a little too much for me ($1300 pymt). If they send some coherant email about videography etc etc, myb I'll reconsider, but I highly doubt that's going to happen anyway.

OK, now it's just becoming a comedy show within itself. I went into my paypal account & saw $0. ??? I reread the "Paypal email" and (Thankfully, to be honest) it says "The payment will be placed into your account once the item is shipped" (not!). So I continue to read the email & it's full of mispellings (from the "Paypal" email, not the part from him directly & actually has a Nigerian mailing address.


At least this way I can deny this on the grounds of I stated shipping to US only. Also, it seems they never did give me the payment via paypal either. Anyway, check out the email they sent:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shipping Information
Shipping Info:
Name: FAVOUR ADEOLU
Address: 1 Sunday Street
City: Shomolu
State: Lagos
Zip code: 23401
Country: Nigeria
Address Status: Confirmed

Here is a message from Buyer,Oh great dealing with you,I will like you to ship the product via USPS International Express Mail of 3-5days or 8days delivery service if possible to Nigeria as a gift package that is the major reason for paying the requested cost.I believe you understand better.Also bear it in mind that the tracking nbr always commence with E,R or C and ends with US when you get to post office later today.Nice doing business with you and let me know if you have any more items forsale,keep up the good work.Thanks and have a nice time.cheers

Send him a fake tracking # <wink>! Silly scammers...

Just let eBay know, so they can refund your FV Fees.. and kill the guys account.

Good on you David. When I read your first post I thought you were just a nervous nelly, but you were wise to pay attention to your suspicions. And boy, did your buyer give you plenty to be suspicious about! :)

You don't have to kill the transaction because there's no transaction to kill. On a real purchase you'll always get real emails from eBay with links to your paypal account so you can print the address label and all that and verify the balance and transaction.

But letting eBay know will certainly allow you to relist without charge.

Jeff's idea about requiring immediate payment for BIN is a good one. Also, you can check a box that prohibits buyers from altering or editing invoice amounts.

Glad your instincts kicked in on this one in time.

If you sell frequently on ebay, then it is perfectly possible for you to lose, even after you have the funds released. If paypal believe the transaction is fraudulent, then they do have, as said, the ability to reverse the transaction even after they have paid you by simply deducting the amount from your account balance. Even if you don't have a credit in the account, they can use your secondary funding source, and already have your authority to do this!

Basically, it's all down to trust. With big ticket items, I like to get into discussions with the customers straight away. So as soon as the "congratulations ...." email arrives, I double check if the delivery address in confirmed - this is before I check feedback ratings. Unless somebody else has sold them something and they've done the confirmation process the address is unconfirmed. This is when I worry a little. So I send off a note saying thanks for buying the microphone, could they confirm the name and address for the parcel. This won't mean anything of course - but initiates a dialogue. They'll email back giving you the unconfirmed address. I then ask them a question about the product. "Just checking but you do have phantom power available?" you then get an answer. In most cases, you get a sensible answer back which at least lets you know they understand what a microphone is, but sometimes the message coming back is decidedly odd - "yes, I have plenty of power in the room". This, coupled with an unconfirmed address didn't sound right. I Googled the address and found a few people complaining they'd sent goods to this address. So I cancelled the sale, the goods were no longer available - there are plenty of options and paypal reversed the payment. I've done a couple of these, and apart from losing the fees, it's been safe. I tell the buyer I'm really sorry, but when I was packing it up I accidentally dropped it and it is broken, so I have returned your paypal payment - really sorry.

So for me - it's the confirmed address that's important - and Paypal tell you this is important anyway. People with zero feedback can be disadvantaged, but perhaps they should have bought a few low ticket items first.

As for Nigeria - no way! I turn down sales from anywhere apart from the UK, just too risky.

PayPal & Ebay claim to be very concerned about fraud & safety but in my experience care little about crime as long as they get their listing fees & that everything appears rosy. In particular they don't want to frighten people off using Ebay/PayPal with bad publicity about numbers of bad transactions.

I was the victim of a scam with non-delivery of a $1000+ Canon 14mm F2.8L lens from Singapore. I discovered that there were at least half a dozen other people who had bought similar high end & high priced photographic items & received nothing or as in my case a package containing junk (a glossy magazine). I pretty rapidly got refunded but I could not get Ebay/PayPal to take any interest in reporting the seller to the authorities in Singapore & they even told me to just dispose of the magazine despite the fact that this could have been evidence with the criminal's fingerprints on it. In particular they refused to let me know what action if any had been taken regarding this crook.

I sold a GL2 about a year ago on Ebay and found the scammers outnumbered actual buyers about 2:1. I am not a frequent Ebay-er so I didn't realize you can block bidders with zero feedback and/or no Pay Pal account. Luckily I didnt ship anything either but I did have to get Ebay to reverse their charges so I could relist the item. Delayed things about a week when I was in a hurry to sell.

And funny - I got a question from my "buyer" after winning the item that was worded almost exactly like the one to the original poster. First red flag.

I also had a lot of random questions from people - who then never bid - and I can only think they were looking to get my personal info (perhaps for identity theft?). When communicating with people make sure your preferences are set to not include your real identity, and that if you include your email address to them, that it not be attached to a profile that includes your real name.

I was selling my vx1000 on craigslist and someone responded "I'll take two at that price". Hmm. Scam?

To relay my recent experiences, Ebay is more dangerous for buyers of big ticket items than sellers.

I check the broadcast cameras from time to time and I noticed a lot of cameras and lenses were repeating. Often these images have been stolen from real listings and are complete scams for high dollar equipment.

I have also come across the "second chance offer" scam a few times where somebody actually takes over another person's account and try's to re-sell their items.

They send out a second chance to bid on the item like the sale fell though and re-direct the communications to their accounts.

If the item is expensive, I always request a phone number to call. I figure if the person will talk to you, you have a shot at making an informed decision.

Glad you avoided your scam. BTW, you can call Ebay or Pay-pal and they are very helpful. The numbers are on the site or by google search.

The main thing is to only consider messages that are in your ebay account, not just your personal e-mail. Ebay always sends one to your Ebay account for verification.

PayPal & Ebay claim to be very concerned about fraud & safety but in my experience care little about crime as long as they get their listing fees & that everything appears rosy.
My experience has been completely opposite. I have found both Ebay and
PayPal to be very quick to respond to my concerns on the rare occasions
in which I've had a problem. Based on my encounters, I would say that
they do indeed care very much.

In particular they don't want to frighten people off using Ebay/PayPal with bad publicity about numbers of bad transactions.
They have no control whatsoever regarding bad publicity. There are plenty
of reports about the numbers of bad transactions which are well outside their
ability to suppress, available to anyone who makes the effort to look for them.

I was the victim of a scam with non-delivery of $1000... I pretty rapidly got refunded
So you were *rapidly refunded* by Ebay / PayPal. Therefore you
would say that they are indeed concerned about fraud after all.
Once you've been refunded, you're no longer the victim. That
status is then passed on, from you to Ebay / PayPal.

But I could not get Ebay/PayPal to take any interest in reporting the seller to the authorities in Singapore
Since you're not the victim (because you were rapidly refunded),
Ebay / PayPal has no responsibility to tell you whether they reported
the seller to the authorities or not. Even if they actually told you they
were not going to report the seller, they might have done so anyway.
Regardless, they're under no obligation to tell you how they handled
it, since you're no longer involved.

...in my case a package containing junk (a glossy magazine)... they even told me to just dispose of the magazine despite the fact that this could have been evidence with the criminal's fingerprints on it.
What would Ebay / Paypal do with that magazine? They're not a law
enforcement agency. Nor would Singapore's criminal investigations
division want it -- they probably don't bother dusting for prints on
a magazine that's been handled by who knows how many people,
for a misdemeanor offense that most likely would never go to trial.

In particular they refused to let me know what action if any had been taken regarding this crook.
Of course not. How is that any of your business, since
you're not the victim? Were you not rapidly refunded?

Here's the documentation of two cases in which Ebay came to my aid rather quickly:

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/canon-eos-5d-mk-ii-hd/138184-warning-5d-mk-ii-ebay-fraud-uses-my-photo.html

and

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/taking-care-business/6968-ebay-warning-watchdog-used-tool-rip-people-off.html

Ebay's fast response in both instances has left me with a
very good impression about how seriously committed they
are to combating fraud.

C) They say a generic "item" not "camera"


That is my hint to bail. Agreed. No one says "the item."

My experience has been completely opposite. I have found both Ebay and PayPal to be very quick to respond to my concerns on the rare occasions in which I've had a problem. Based on my encounters, I would say that they do indeed care very much.

Chris as always lays down the solid truth on this matter. If you have your money back, then you are out of the picture PERIOD. And no police agency ANYWHERE will give two craps about an online investigation unless it involves millions of dollars (then it is likely to be federal), involves major campaign doners to powerful politicians, or involves child porn. Everything else is not worth investigating.

in your sellers area go to Account, Site Preferances, Buyer Requirements, select SHOW, then EDIT.
and select away all the STUFF you dont want.
Here is mine

BLOCK
Don't have a PayPal account
Have received 2 Unpaid Item strike(s) within 12 Month(s).
Are registered in countries to which I don't ship
Have 4 Policy Violation report(s) within 6 Month(s).
Have a feedback score of -1 or lower
Are currently winning or have bought 5 of my items in the last 10 days and have a feedback score of 5 or lower

You cant set it to excessivly restrictive, but at least you can set it so the constant scammers cant even bid on your auctions.

Also while your there check out some other things

Payment from buyers - Allow buyers to edit payment totals (NO)
Shipping preferences - Exclude shipping locations from your listings

and always File an Unpaid against any buyer who doesnt ever pay , give the slow pokes time, NARU the crooks
Always Block any buyer you have trouble with, like any buyers that really ticked you off.

Chris as always lays down the solid truth on this matter. If you have your money back, then you are out of the picture PERIOD. And no police agency ANYWHERE will give two craps about an online investigation unless it involves millions of dollars (then it is likely to be federal), involves major campaign doners to powerful politicians, or involves child porn. Everything else is not worth investigating.Sorry, but that's not my interpretation. I can only assume that the law is different in the US but I was the victim of the crime not Ebay/PayPal & the fact that I was reimbursed is irrelevant. If I had posted the guy a cheque rather than using PayPal I would clearly have been the victim of the crime. If my car is stolen then even though the insurance company pays out they still expect me to report the theft to the police. In a similar event to the Ebay scam I had a fraudulent transaction on my bank card. My bank reimbursed me but insisted that I go to the police & report the crime.

The fact that Ebay is online is irrelevant it's a straightforward mail order fraud. Ebay/PayPal have all the information available to them e.g. address & bank account details of the fraudster plus details of all the other fraudulent transactions from that individual. That's why they need to report these crimes to the authorities because unlike the individual victim they have access to the bigger picture. Whether Ebay/PayPal do involve the authorities or not they certainly don't do themselves any favours by their lack of transparency. The suspicion is that in order to make Ebay/PayPal attractive to buyers & sellers they actually do all in their power to minimise reports of the numbers of fraudulent transactions by brushing it under the carpet so people won't be scared off using their service.

There very much is a difference of law between Europe and the US, some times for the better, other times, not so. And realistically, no ebay transaction is going to get investigated by any police force in the US. There just isn't the manpower for the prosecution to investigate all the cross border legalities of each fraudulent transaction. This is of course not ideal. But having the service is better than not having it.

I just had a 3 day auction that was won by a high bidder. I sent an invoice and the buyer sent a message asking for more pictures of the camera and asking me to verify my paypal address. I simply responded for the buyer to pay by clicking the PAy Now button. I've not heard another word and this was 5 days ago and no payment...I opened a resolution case yesterday - had to wait 4 days after the sell time and now have to wait another 4 days until I can stop the sell - which at this point I'd love to do now!! The address is GA. USA and the name looks to be very Nigerian sounding on the surface which is fine.....but I've been burned before by folks bidding and then never paying....It wastes my time and energy. Ebay is very pro buyer and honest sellers are bit from time to time.....I think bottom line - I'll not be using eBay after this.

Sorry to hear this. eBay is indeed slanted to the buyer, after all that drives their business model. The biggest red flags are any deviation in payment type / method. If they aren't willing to process with PayPal and do so promptly, then doing what you did is the best way to go. File the complaint, go through their hoops. :-/

Got a related question - I opened a resolution case almost 4 days ago - have to wait 4 days after the case initiation before I can "Close the case". What does this mean? I've read and re read the eBay help file and know that tomorrow morning I can "Close the case".
I've sent two emails to the buyer but have received no response at all. Is the "buyer" who is not paying for his winning bid setting me up? I want to cancel the sale at this point to sale to a friend anyway so I'm trying to go through the proper channels and I'd love to see the crook on the other side have a little negative feedback because bidding, winning and then not paying is not cool.
When I "Close the case" tomorrow morning what does this do exactly?? What is the resolution case but waiting for time to pass?

I had a bad buy experience where the vendor simple did not send the items. The eBay/Paypal resolution system just did not work. It was a sub $400 transaction so probably would be regarded as a less unaffordable loss in amongst the background noise of bigger ticket transactions.

I have since bought through eBay after a boycott of about five months but would never sell via eBay in a fit.

I agree that this sounds very fishy but don't just back out of the transaction as I am guessing that no payment by PayPal will ever be made. Buyers have seven days in which to pay you & if they don't then you lodge a claim for non-payment with Ebay. You need to do this otherwise you will be charged the Ebay fees.

I know all this stuff as I just recently attempted to sell an item on Ebay for the very first time even though I have been a buyer for many years.

I have just upgraded my iPhone 3G with a new iPhone 3GS at a bargain price from my phone operator so was looking forward to selling my old iPhone at a profit. The auction ran for seven days & there were several bidders eventually the winner was someone with zero feedback. I made it very clear in my listing that I would only accept PayPal as a means of payment but after the auction finished the buyer claimed that he had only just started on Ebay & had to wait a few days for the PayPal account to be verified & would I accept a cheque instead. Immediately alarm bells rang for me & I insisted that it was PayPal or nothing. There was an exchange of email with promises of payment with the final email claiming that he had been taken into hospital for an operation on his back & that his father would settle the payment. Needless to say no money ever arrived. I had already entered a claim for non-payment & as this was an auction Ebay has the so-called Second Chance option where you can offer one or more of the losing bidders the opportunity to purchase at their highest bid. Sadly the two highest losing bidders had by then bought a similar iPhone from another seller.

In my failed sale I don't know whether it was an attempted scam & that when I refused to accept a cheque he just strung me along so as to make it appear that it wasn't a scam. Maybe he was just some kid who wanted an iPhone but didn't have any money. Alternatively he just got some kind of thrill from mucking me about & screwing up the sale for genuine buyer. Who knows? Anyway it has left me rather jaded with the whole business of selling on Ebay especially as they are still charging me for the cost of the listing (less than the equivalent of $2 & not the final sale fee which was refunded).

I do see listings on Ebay that say that bids from buyers with zero feedback or less than ten will be refused. I don't know whether this is within the Ebay rules but I shall certainly add that caveat when I re-list my iPhone.

I had a similar problem when listing a cell phone. The first time it was a Nigerian scammer who hit the "Buy It Now" button. I refused to ship, and Ebay eventually refunded the fees. Of course, I had to call Ebay first and convince them that I would NOT be shipping to Nigeria.

The second auction for the same phone was won by some person in Florida who accidentally won the auction and decided she wasn't interested in the phone after all. I filed a dispute, she paid, and I shipped.

I was dealing with all of this and getting ready for Air Force basic training at the same time. It was pretty irritating.