Sale of goods to a Russian buyer who initially claimed to be in USA. Is this a scam ?

[crogal]

Hi All

I have received payment for some valuable "glass" photo equipment from a buyer who initially indicated he/she was based in USA but upon payment has requested that the items be sent to a UK shipper "Top Parcel" who specialise in forwarding to Russia. The name is Russian. When I google "Ebay Paypal Scam" I find many newspaper articles criticising Ebay and Paypal for always taking the side of the scammer who claims non delivery or damage which in the case of glass items not covered by the onwarding shipper would be pretty easy. I have reported my concerns to Ebay and asked if they will accept proof of safe delivery to the forwarding shipper as me having met my obligation as a seller and if not requested to cancel the transaction. Am I being paranoid? I don't want to discredit a genuine buyer. The press articles are pretty damning of Ebay and Paypal in the circumstaces of such a scam... and it would appear that Paypal's seller protection only works in the Uk. Am I reading this correctly? As the delivery address is in the UK but the buyer is registered in Russia this looks like a grey area. What questions should I ask of Paypal and eBay to avoid falling victim?

Any advice gratefully received! Apologies to anyone who has already read this on the eBay community.

[PayPal_Intars]

Hi crogal,
 
Welcome to the community forum and thanks for posting.

Our Seller Protection can help you if a buyer claims that an item didn't arrive or if an unauthorised payment was made.

Here are some requirements you need to meet to be covered by our Seller Protection:

• Make sure your item is 'Eligible' for Seller Protection by checking the transaction 'Details'
• Retain online trackable proof of delivery, like Royal Mail's recorded delivery (We require online tracking to confirm delivery)
• Send the item to the address on the transaction 'Details' page
• Provide a copy of the proof of postage of the parcel (This helps us ensure that the parcel has been sent to the right address)
• Respond to our requests for documentation and other information within the given timeframe

Not all transactions are eligible for our Seller Protection. If a transaction is eligible, you'll see 'Eligible' on the Transaction Details page.

Here's how to see if your transaction is eligible:

1. Go to www.paypal.com/uk and log in to your account.
2. Click Activity and locate the payment.
3. Select the payment to open the 'Transactions Details' page.
4. Under 'Seller Protection' see if your transaction is 'eligible'.

With 'Eligible' transactions, you're fully protected if your buyer doesn't receive the item you sent or if an unauthorised payment was made.

Intars

[crogal]

Thanks Intars.

It seems to be eligible as I have sent it to the address in UK exactly as requested by the buyer via Parcelforce. I also dropped the buyer a message letting him know that I had googled the address and found that it belonged to an onward shipper and hoped that he understood that the insurance I have bought only covers the item until it has been signed and accepted by them... Not much more I can do. I'm pretty sure it'll be fine.

[Jesaul]

It is widely used in Russia. It's not scum, just a 3rd party shipping company.