Scuba Gear and a new ebay problem, at least for me

[SilverForBrains]

Hi all,

got a steal, a "Spare Air" scuba tank at GW for $30. it was $45 but I cashed in some points to get 25% off. Got a bidder for around $180, not a bad profit at all. the problem is though the guy is in Bahrain, and my listing was for US only. how does that happen?

So I quote him shipping to Bahrain and it's like 88 bucks. he says it's too expensive and to ship to his US address instead. the problem is this address is nowhere on his profile. From talking with ebay and from what I understand, I will be protected via ebay as long as I have a message from the seller with his address, but I will not be protected from paypal since it's not a paypal confirmed address (at least not that I know of)

What do you guys think, Can I just protect myself by getting tracking and insurance on the package or am I being setup here? He's been an ebay member since sept. of this year and has 5 positive feedback. I checked the sellers and they all have lots of feedback and don't seem related. They say no problems, paid fast.


Anyways, always be on the lookout for scuba gear. tanks have to be visually inspected every year and hydrostatically tested every 5 so make sure to let the buyer know if it's past those dates so they don't go to jamaica and can't get a tank fill!

 

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[Cycluran]

If your auction was indeed for US only, then you are in no way obligated to ship to Bahrain. You can relist or offer it to the next highest bidder. If you have been paid and the buyer requests that you ship to his US address, then I say go for it. Insure your package at double the price, to cover you both, and pass any extra cost onto him.

 

[SilverForBrains]

If your auction was indeed for US only, then you are in no way obligated to ship to Bahrain. You can relist or offer it to the next highest bidder. If you have been paid and the buyer requests that you ship to his US address, then I say go for it. Insure your package at double the price, to cover you both, and pass any extra cost onto him.

yea that's what I had gathered from searching around a bit, but I didn't mind shipping to a confirmed address in Bahrain as long as the guy pays for shipping. I gave myself and extra $5 or so for having to fill out custom forms and whatnot. Really I just want to get paid for the item and move on haha so I am trying to work with the guy. Good advice, I will insure the package for double. I'm trying to envision a scenario where he could screw me over and usps insurance wouldn't cover it, can't think of anything off the top of my head

 

[Rdunzl]

I have 1 negative feedback on eBay. It came from a transaction similar to yours. I listed a PC game strategy
guide for sale, continental US only. I got a bid from Puerto Rico. I contacted eBay and was told not to worry
about it. It was a mistake, and I would not have any problems. I contacted the seller to let him know I had no
intention of shipping it if he won. He believed I was obligated to do so. He won the auction and paid for the item.
I promptly refunded his money. He left negative feedback. I contacted eBay and brought up my initial conversation.
eBay spun me around in circles, constantly changing their story. It was finally escalated to a "customer service specialist".
It was only then that I learned that the high bidder also had a registered address in the US, thus he was not blocked from bidding on my item. All he had to do was mention that and I would have shipped it there. He never did and chose to
post negative feedback instead. It all reeked to me. eBay made it very clear that they would only remove the feedback
if I shipped the item. They refused to honor the advice given to me in my first call. I relisted it, sold it, and moved on.
I don't make my living from eBay, so I decided to live with it. I posted my own response to his feedback. I have had no
issues selling since then, so it turned out not to be a big deal. Sorry for the long winded response, just wanted to show
how he was able to bid on your item. eBay obviously hasn't fixed this loophole. I still don't like it. Of course, you are
within your rights to ship it to his registered US address. Hope it works out smoothly for you.

 

[cyberdan]

WARNING. This sounds like a scam. You know the tank will never arrive and you have no way to prove it. Even if you insure for double value the post office will only pay for the value lost. (if at all)

only 5 f/b points is also a warning. either a green newbie or got kicked off ebay for some reason and came back as JoeCamel.

 

[SilverForBrains]

WARNING. This sounds like a scam. You know the tank will never arrive and you have no way to prove it. Even if you insure for double value the post office will only pay for the value lost. (if at all)

only 5 f/b points is also a warning. either a green newbie or got kicked off ebay for some reason and came back as JoeCamel.

I figure I can also get shipping confirmation?

 

[SilverForBrains]

I have 1 negative feedback on eBay. It came from a transaction similar to yours. I listed a PC game strategy
guide for sale, continental US only. I got a bid from Puerto Rico. I contacted eBay and was told not to worry
about it. It was a mistake, and I would not have any problems. I contacted the seller to let him know I had no
intention of shipping it if he won. He believed I was obligated to do so. He won the auction and paid for the item.
I promptly refunded his money. He left negative feedback. I contacted eBay and brought up my initial conversation.
eBay spun me around in circles, constantly changing their story. It was finally escalated to a "customer service specialist".
It was only then that I learned that the high bidder also had a registered address in the US, thus he was not blocked from bidding on my item. All he had to do was mention that and I would have shipped it there. He never did and chose to
post negative feedback instead. It all reeked to me. eBay made it very clear that they would only remove the feedback
if I shipped the item. They refused to honor the advice given to me in my first call. I relisted it, sold it, and moved on.
I don't make my living from eBay, so I decided to live with it. I posted my own response to his feedback. I have had no
issues selling since then, so it turned out not to be a big deal. Sorry for the long winded response, just wanted to show
how he was able to bid on your item. eBay obviously hasn't fixed this loophole. I still don't like it. Of course, you are
within your rights to ship it to his registered US address. Hope it works out smoothly for you.

that sucks, guess I'd better see if he has a registered US address

 

[Rdunzl]

The bidder I dealt with did not have any US address in his profile either. eBay did have it on record somewhere
according to them. They claim that is how he was able to "see" my item and bid on it, even though I had
blocked Puerto Rico. eBay obviously still has a problem with this scenario (I'm assuming you had Bahrain blocked?).
Proceed carefully. I can already see history repeating itself and you will most likely be the one hit with negative
feedback. How big an issue is that for you? I stood my ground based on my seller preferences and eBay still hit
me with negative feedback. I decided I could live with that.

 

[rickv14623]

BEFORE shipping to the US address (if that is what you want to do) you tell him to get that address added to the paypal account and then you have a confirmed, protected address

 

[clovis97]

No way am I shipping anything to Bahrain.

 

[vpnavy]

Time to put this puppy to bed SilverForBrains - Let the person know that you have been advised not to ship unless his address is official listed with his account - period. It just isn't worth the risk...