If you are an online seller I truly hope you take the time to read all of the blog posts in this series because your life and business can literally depend on it. With that being said, here’s another installment of The Dangers of Online Selling: When an Online Buyer Stalks In Real Life.

An online Seller who goes by the name PrivateSaleCraziness (“PSC”) had purchased an electronic online, and, when it arrived he realized he had bought the wrong thing, so he simply listed it for sale. The electronic was a brand new, still sealed in-box. The electronic quickly sold and PSC shipped it out fast. There was no further communication from the buyer so, just like every seller in the world, PSC assumed the transaction was flawless and the buyer was happy.

Fast forward 1 year: This is where the nightmare begins.

PSC worked a retail job and was utterly shocked when a man stormed into the establishment one day and began screaming at PSC about wanting a refund for the electronic. As you can imagine, this would catch anyone off guard and be pretty scary... but wait, it gets worse:

During the conversation PSC politely explained that he cannot offer a refund because it has been over 12 months since purchase date and the manufacturer's warranty on the item is also no longer valid. After this strange ambush PSC assumed the issue was squashed, but it was far from over. In fact, it was just beginning.

Several days later PSC was contacted again by the deranged buyer. This time was to blackmail PSC by informing him that the buyer not only has been taking photos of PSC but also secretly recorded the entire (ambush) interaction. The psycho buyer again demanded a refund.

The insane buyer then decided to go out of his way to destroy PSC’s life. The buyer contacted the district manager of the retail store where PSC worked and claimed that PSC sold him the electronic inside of the retail store, during business hours, and is now refusing to accept a return.

The harassment became so unbearable that PSC chose to leave the company (or got fired). Yes, an online buyer was able to destroy a persons job IN REAL LIFE.

HOW THIS HAPPENED:

The buyer was able to use the name and address on the shipping label to track down where PSC lived.

The buyer was able to reference the email address on the transaction and automated “Your Order Shipped! Heres Your Tracking Number” to locate other platforms where PSC had accounts using this same email

The buyer was then able to obtain PSCs employer info through LinkedIn or Facebook because both accounts were linked to the email address and buyers name.

LESSONS LEARNED:

NEVER use a home address or your personal name on your shipping labels. Read 5 Address Label Mistakes Online Sellers Make

Only use a “business email address” for things like your postage account, business email, eBay account, etc. DO NOT use this same email on your personal Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.  

Now it's time to read more of this series on our blog.