First eBay Sale - Scam or Success?

October 7, 2015 6:00 AM

I joined ebay yesterday and listed my first item, an iPad mini (never opened) for $225. I chose the "best offer" option. Today I got an offer for $250 along with a kind of confusing message. Is this some sort of scam, or did I get lucky?

The message reads:

Hi Seller, i will like to have your PayPal email address or your money request so that i can contact u asap send it through your invoice and i we like to know if the item is in good condition and i will like to make the payment today get back to me

The condition of the item is obvious in the description and photos (still in original plastic wrapping). I'm new to ebay and not really sure how this works. Should I click "review and respond" and accept his offer of $250? Or is this too good to be true?

posted by jschu to Computers & Internet (13 answers total)

Best answer: It is a very common scam, there is absolutely no need to ever give someone your Paypal email address. If you've already done that, you need to contact Paypal and change your password etc.
posted by the bricabrac man at 6:09 AM on October 7, 2015 [8 favorites]

Best answer: I would venture a guess and say NO. It reads like a scam.
posted by donaken at 6:11 AM on October 7, 2015 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Very longtime ebay buyer/occasional seller here.

1) They don't need your PayPal email address to complete the transaction.
2) A bid higher than the "buy it now" price? I detect a smell of fish wafting in the breeze.
3) Oh, look, they haven't read the description.

Nix this one.
posted by thomas j wise at 6:13 AM on October 7, 2015 [8 favorites]

Best answer: This is classic "If it seems too good to be true, it probably is."
posted by futureisunwritten at 6:14 AM on October 7, 2015 [1 favorite]

Best answer: It's a scam. What they are planning to do is send you a spoof "you've received a payment" email and hope you send the iPad without checking your Paypal account to verify that you actually got paid.
posted by mama casserole at 6:15 AM on October 7, 2015 [11 favorites]

Best answer: If someone is paying over the marked price, it's a scam.

IIRC, the scam works by sending you a fake Paypal mail (this is why they need your address) on how the funds are on escrow and will be available once you provide a shipping tracking number.
posted by lmfsilva at 6:15 AM on October 7, 2015

Response by poster: Got it. Thanks! I thought maybe there was a chance I had listed it too low, and someone wanted to snap it up right away. But the red flags were there.
posted by jschu at 6:16 AM on October 7, 2015 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Definite scam. Forward it to "[e-mail]"
posted by Slinga at 6:20 AM on October 7, 2015 [1 favorite]

Almost every email that doesn't mention directly refer to the thing you are selling is a scam. If the message could be copy/pasted and sent to a completely different seller who has listed a completely different item, then you can be certain that that is what is happening.
posted by Pater Aletheias at 6:35 AM on October 7, 2015 [3 favorites]

"I will like to" = usually spam
posted by frantumaglia at 6:51 AM on October 7, 2015 [1 favorite]

Seconding Pater Aletheias - the "is the item in good condition" (saying "the item" instead of what the actual thing is, and asking a question that's answered in the ad) is a huge red flag. If you search through the AskMe archives for similar questions about suspicious messages, they almost always ask something like this:
i will like to buy this item
Is the posted item available and i hope is in good condition?
posted by EndsOfInvention at 6:52 AM on October 7, 2015 [3 favorites]

This type of item is probably one of the worst to get your feet wet on eBay with, honestly. You may get more scam come-ons than actual offers. There are things you can do to protect yourself: fix your settings to disallow buyers with few feedback (I believe that's an option), read a buyer's feedback carefully, don't allow over-seas sales, insure the package, etc. Take a look at the forums and read up on best practices, and good luck.
posted by thebrokedown at 7:39 AM on October 7, 2015 [2 favorites]

Tell them great, they can pay via paypal, but then send them a paypal payment notice from within the ebay seller interface. They'll see your e-mail eventually, don't worry about that.

If it's a scam, they will not pay the payment notice, and you can report them to both ebay and paypal. Then pass the auction to the next highest bidder, or relist.
posted by gorcha at 7:57 AM on October 7, 2015