I posted a strap of $2 bills on EBay and the buyer makes a bid which is accepted. He pays with PayPal using an e-check to show that he has paid for the item. However, PayPal notifies you of this and tells you it will take 3-5 days to clear the payment. Next day, buyer cancels the check. After receiving note of the check payment, I sent a message to the buyer letting him know that I would wait for clearance before sending out the item. Of course after seeing the cancellation, I never did send it out. So think about it, seller receives notification of payment, sends out the cash in the mail. Buyer cancels check, receives cash and off he goes! I won't post the name of the individual because I would like to think it was an honest mistake of some kind. Although, my better judgement tells me this was a scam in the making. I sent 2 follow up emails to the guy asking how he was planning on paying if he cancelled the check. None of my emails were ever responded to. I will file an unpaid item with EBay this coming Monday.
Not sure from your story's details that you experienced a scam this time. There could be a number of explanations for the buyer backing out of the deal. e-checks via PayPal are a painfully slow payment method. I'm glad that you didn't loose your notes. One must constantly be alert, as you have demonstrated. :thumb: Never send merchandise until payment has cleared.
I wasn't cheated but if you look at the actions of the buyer, to me it's clear he was setting me up. Then also, why would he not reply to a single email about the transaction? I told him I would report an unpaid item if I didn't hear from him. That's going to affect his EBay profile. If it was harmless, I'd be up for giving the guy another chance but failing to respond is very suspicious.
Just b/c someone didn't reply to an email yet does not make them guilty of anything. Hell, the guy could have had an emergency happen. Be glad you didn't get ripped off. I don't know what follows b/c I never heard of an e-check. I hope everything comes out in the wash for you. :thumb:
I agree that it's a bit hasty to suspect his non-reply. If you suspected all the non-responsive people on eBay there'd be global chaos in the streets fighting over it. LOL! jwa: you did all the right things trying to communicate with him and letting him know the next steps you would take reporting the non-payment to eBay for lost fees. I'd let them handle the rest and rest easy that you still have your merchandise. If eBay suspects something then they should issue you a refund for listing/final value fees... but even an eBay report, investigation and reimbursement can be met with a long wait until you hear back from them making them seem non-responsive at times. I think you did well and didn't loose so there's really no issue here.
Thanks fretboard. Mind you, we're not talking about a single email but 3 separate ones over 4 days. And even if he had to cancel the check, the first thing I would do as a buyer is contact the seller and say, hey I don't have enough in my checking account, will you accept another form of payment or can you give me a little more time? it just seems logical.
Yes I'm glad I didn't wind up getting ripped off but I felt a sense of duty to warn other CT members from this sort of thing. I plan on getting the fees refunded and leaving it at that.
jwa: It is logical and you are a responsible person, clearly. But everyone else is not necessarily as prompt or courteous and may have extenuating circumstances which they are not willing to divulge to the detriment of their eBay reputation.
The only thing to reiterate is NEVER SEND MERCHANDISE UNTIL PAYMENT CLEARS. That's common practice. There was no evidence provided that there was a scam afoot.
Its very sad when you cant trust people!!, And some just dont care!! E-bay is a hot bed for this behavior, Just be careful, Thats the best Advice i can give!!
I do not remember the exact wording since it has been a couple years since I received an e-check, but if you read the email you got saying the seller was sending you an e-check, it specifically states that you should not send the merchandise until the check is funded. I am in no way trying to condone what was done to you, but you need to read that e-mail. When you file with eBay, just call them at: 1-866-643-3720 5am - 10pm PST 7 days a week.
Thanks for the number rlm. Though I did mention in the post that I saw that notice in the email and it reminded me of the fact that I should wait until the payment cleared before sending the item out.
