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Took an offer on something this morning and got a message hours later explaining that I should use a pre-paid shipping label generated by them, which they attached. The label has a valid tracking ID, but everything else is wrong – e.g., it has a shipped from address 6 states over.
Am I missing something, or is this really suspicious/possibly mail fraud?
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If they sent the label via eBay messages, and NOT your email, then eBay will see that the buyer directed you to use it. You should be fine.
If they sent something via email, though, don’t do it!
I have heard of businesses sending labels or asking sellers to use their UPS account, so this isn’t unheard of. To feel better, I suggest you message (via eBay) the buyer back and specifically request that they verify the new address.
Never act on an email message. I’d be OK with a buyer using email if they ask to ship carefully, or I’ve used it as a reminder to pay, etc., but never for a change to a sale in any way, a request for money back, feedback extortion, etc. If something like that happened, you should not respond or just sent an email saying that all messages must be through eBay.
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Oh yeah, definitely aware of all that stuff. How would someone even get my email from an eBay transaction anyway? PayPal? Haven’t had it happen yet.
My main concern is how I could even ship something like this when the address on the label is incorrect. It says “shipped from <zip code>”, where the zip code is in a completely different state. How does that work? It seems like they’re trying to get cheaper shipping by claiming it’s been shipped from a state closer to the destination.
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Oh, I thought that the delivery address was incorrect.
Then definitely contact the buyer and ask those questions. You might want to call eBay in this case.
They’ve already paid for your postage, correct? Have they asked you to refund them that money? If they gave you a label and aren’t asking for a refund, then they aren’t saving any money.
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Another thought is the tracking number may not be something that is real. Ebay may not be able to see it and verify if it really got to the final destination.
On a personal note, I don’t careful for people telling me how to run my business. But will try to provide flexible services, but this seems it may have red flags on it.
So as Sharyn says, call Ebay and ask. The only dumb question is the one you don’t ask. In this case just call and ask Ebay.
Let us all know the outcome.
mike at MDCGFA
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Twice I used a Fed Ex label provided to me by the seller. No issue. I never did it with USPS, only FedEx.
In both cases they had a fed ex account and they got better rates. I was fine with it and there was no issue — except in one case I had to drive it do a remote location but it was a 450.00 sale so obviously I was ok with it. I was able to track the package and I put the tracking in the my sold listing.
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We are wondering if the carrier was USPS, UPS, Fedex, etc?
Or if it is an expensive or high-risk item?Depending on the type of service, they may not have paid enough postage for USPS.
If Fedex or UPS, the buyer controls the shipper and can easily have the package redirected to a different address in a different zip code. In that case, you cannot prove shipping or delivery and might be left losing both the item and your money via eBay or Paypal or credit card claim later.
I doubt if the eBay messages would be proof enough for a Paypal or credit card charge-back.
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Thanks for the great replies everyone. Instead of replying to everyone I’ll just do a big post:
The sale was via Best Offer, so they hadn’t paid for postage yet. They wanted a “corrected invoice” (shipping taken off,) which I refused. I asked about the label and its origins, and they simply said “just use it.” I followed up with a question about the incorrect “shipped from” address and they immediately paid in full for shipping via FedEx SmartPost.
I checked the order and saw the buyer had written instructions on how the item was to be shipped, and said I had to message them to confirm I understood (lol). I did, thinking I’d already went this far, why not one more thing? They then messaged me about 45 minutes later with “Please ship this today, thanks.” Sheesh. I told them no – it would ship tomorrow.
I went back and looked at the label they’d sent me. The return address was made to look like it was coming from a warehouse, but it was just a residential address with fluff added. There’s also a clear splice in the label near the top that looks very intentional – it obscures part of the text on the top right and makes it hard to read.
Since I’m not using their label anymore I’m not that worried. This behavior (having specifics for shipping, wanting it shipped sooner than normal) aligns with a drop shipper, which is pretty common with what I sell. Some are easier to work with than others, but if a return gets opened things can get messy. The sale was just under $100 all told.
I’ve heard about the FedEx account thing. My initial thought was that it was a similar concept but with USPS.
In hindsight I should have called eBay before they paid and asked for their advice, but it’s too late for that I think.
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The customer was probably using a corporate Fed Ex account. I work for a company that has a crazy amazing Fed Ex rates (we would all kill for their shipping rates). This person probably either had approved access to (or more likely was “borrowing”) their offices Fed Ex account.
The return address does not have to match your shipping address when the buyer sends a Fed Ex label. Fed Ex will assess the actual charge based on the drop off location. Since you are not generating the label, the only thing you need to be concerned about is making sure that the seller’s address is a confirmed address (the one provided in the Ebay system).
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