Possible Scam?

[JordanBettles]

Hello all.

This is my first time selling on eBay (along with needing some form of help) and I was approached by someone who lives in Nigeria who wanted to pay for my item.

The emails I had received was from <removed>. I've done a bit of research and have seen that PayPal does hold the funds and asks for the tracking/reference number, like the emails I had received asking for them.

Once provided, I was given an 8 hour time frame for the money to be credited to my account. To my surprise (to some extent), no money has been credited.

Is this a possible scam, or am I just being a bit worried baring in mind this is my first item I have actually sold?

Many thanks all. 

[PayPal_JonK]

Hello @JordanBettles,

Thanks for reaching out on our Community Help Forums! We do not recommend shipping out an item you've sold before you receive the funds into your PayPal account. While PayPal may place holds on a transaction from time to time, you will still see the transaction in your PayPal account. What you've described does not sound like a legitimate sale. Here are a few Help Center articles you may find useful:

What are common scams and how do I spot them?

How do I receive money through PayPal?

Why is my payment on hold or unavailable?

If you've already shipped the item, I would recommend reaching out to the shipping company to try to catch the item in transit to see if it can be returned to you.

I hope that helps!

 - Jon K

[JordanBettles]

Hello again,

I have just checked my email to see that I have apparently received an email stating that There has been a "little" problem while crediting my paypal account as my paypal account is not a premium user.

I am genuinely starting to think this is a scam, will be contacting who I can to retract my parcel I have sent.

[PayPal_Siobhan2]

@JordanBettles

Your question is very account specific and we would be unable to tell you why this has happened over a public forum. I would suggest contacting us via Facebook - https://www facebook.com/PayPal/, Twitter - @AskPayPal., email or chat and we would be happy to advise.

- Siobhan