Strange ebay buyer coincidence - two recent packages returned - Address does not exist? New scam?
ndleo
Posts: 4,076 ✭✭✭✭✭
Two recent ebay sales (both modern FB auto rookies under $50) both were returned to me Address Does Not Exist by the USPS. Both times they were newbie buyers with 0 or 1 feedback. I printed a label right from ebay and both cards came back to me "Address Does Not Exist". I reached out to both buyers and asked them to file an Item Not Received claim so I can refund them. Both of them tried to get me to ship the card to a new address and I told them that I couldn't do that since I cannot change the order address. I needed them to file a claim, do a refund, and do the order again with the correct address.
Both times they filed the claim and I never heard from them again after the refund. Is this a new ebay buyer scam? Both buyers played newbie about filing a claim until I literally spelled it out step by step. These happened relatively close to each other, which seems really odd to me since I haven't seen this before in all my years selling on ebay using their label system.
Comments
If it's a scam, I don't get it.
Seems simple enough. I'm guessing they are using a stolen CC or something. They then make up an address that they know does not exist, but has the same numeric portion of the address and the same zip as the billing address of the stolen CC, so they can use it on ebay to pay. The seller then ships to the bogus address and when it comes back, the seller is convinced by the buyer to send it to an "updated, correct" address. Of course in this instance, the plan was foiled by a intelligent ebay seller who goes by the alias ndleo!!!
I see. Wouldn't have occurred to me. I guess I'm not nefarious enough.
Seems like a lot of work for a card under $50.
Yes this scam has been attempted on me before and eBay cannot do much to detect it.
Glad you followed the policy and didn't ship to the new address however it's strange they went ahead with a refund when they weren't going to receive the item unless they just didn't want the credit card to be maxed out.
As far as a $50 cards go...they may have lots of credit cards and they will use them until they are maxed out. If they can't buy a $100 item then they will go for something cheaper.
Anyone with 0/1 feedback and an account less than a year tends to be a scammer like you said. Hope most people know this. I guess when you've had an eBay account for 25 years then some of this becomes second nature.
Thanks for helping spread the information.
Rule Number 1 of selling on eBay: NEVER EVER ship to an address that is not on the account!