This was a trend that was happening a ton back around 2010 but recently I have seen a lot of people on Reddit stating they are seeing this happen again, so here’s exactly what’s going on:

As you already know a Zero Feedback eBay buyer is already a high risk buyer HOWEVER, everyone starts at 0, so it’s possible they could be a legit person (usually they’re not), either way you should be skeptical based on 0 feedback as a whole.

If the 0 feedback is also bidding like crazy, this should make you extra skeptical, especially if the full retail price of the sweater is $50 and they have bid it up over $60 and there’s still 8 hours left of the auction. We can all agree this is the most sketchy part of the whole thing. Unless your item is some kind of super rare something special.

WHY THIS IS HAPPENING:

The reason this is all occurring is because it is a scam. The buyers goal is to excite you; “OMG I just sold a hoodie that I paid $2.97 for at GoodWill for $300!” … and in your excitement you lose sense of judgement. Shortly after the auction has closed the buyer will contact you to say they are having issues paying. The issues can range from “eBay isn’t working” to “something is wrong with PayPal” to “It’s not letting me pay because my credit card is __(pick something)___ so eBay won’t accept it. The buyer will insist they really want and need the item they won. They will then suggest allowing them to remit payment off of eBay… which you know is a violation of eBays rules.

If you, in your excitement, decide to allow the buyer to pay outside of eBay, you WILL be scammed. You will end up with a bad check or a chargeback. If the buyer offers to pay in Visa gift cards or gift cards to a different store, these will be BLOCKED or EMPTY.

Lesson: DO NOT EVER, EVER allow payments outside of eBay… ever. I absolutely guarantee you, if their card truly isn’t working on eBay they can contact eBay and their card company to get the issue figured out. If PayPal isn’t working for them, tell them to contact PayPal.

YOU CAN COPY & PASTE THIS REPLY:

Sorry, as an eBay seller I have to follow eBays policies and eBay requires payment through eBay. If you are having issues with your card, please call the phone number on the back of the card to resolve. If your issues are with PayPal please contact PayPal customer support. If payment is not made I will be forced to file an Unpaid Item Dispute, so please kindly remit payment, through eBay. Thank you for your business and have a great day!