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Red flags or just me?

J

joshjtd

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I have been working with a person for many months about a deal on a dragon. This persons communication has been spotty at best. Recently the emails were more frequent and we came to an agreement on price and shipping.

I stated in the email before a payment was sent that I would only ship to the confirmed paypal address from which the payment was sent. I end up getting a payment from another party in a totally different state wanting me to ship to yet another person in another state.

My gut is telling me to refund and move on but the person sending the payment has done business with some of the same folks I have and has references (I would check with them before anything would be shipped).

Would you do the same in my shoes or am I just being paranoid?
 
It depends a bit on some of the details...but, I would probably explain the problem to the persons B & C, and request another form of payment if they want to proceed with the transaction as outlined. Refunding, and accepting a personal (gift) payment via PayPal might be an option...but it is one that could blow up in your face, too.
 
hhmoore said:
It depends a bit on some of the details...but, I would probably explain the problem to the persons B & C, and request another form of payment if they want to proceed with the transaction as outlined. Refunding, and accepting a personal (gift) payment via PayPal might be an option...but it is one that could blow up in your face, too.
Click to expand...

I checked the BOI and Google and I can't find a reason not to trust them but the whole situation is just a bit off.
 
Snake-Queen said:
In your shoes, I would refund and move on.

Too many people involved in your deal.
Click to expand...

I agree.


From Paypal's discussion of their 'seller protection' policies:

What if the buyer asks me to ship to an address other than the Shipping Address on the Transaction Details page?
If you ship to a different address, you will not be eligible for coverage. If the buyer wants you to ship to a different address, we recommend that you ask the buyer to resubmit the payment with the new shipping address.


The way it looks now, you could easily be set up for a scam. Not saying that's happening, but if it did, you couldn't ask Paypal for help.
If the guy doing the paying is a good guy with references, he should have no problem with a refund. After all, he can just as easily send money to whoever is doing the actual purchasing and who has a confirmed Paypal address which is where you should ship.
 
The 4th party just adds a weird dimension. Seller, buyer, recipient, and negotiator??
Things may be on the up and up, which is why I said it depends on some of the details. You know that shipping to a different person and place will void your seller protection...even having written instructions to do so wouldn't guarantee your success if a claim is initiated. I'm not going to use this as a launch into PayPal's shortcomings, so I'll leave it at that.
 
joshjtd said:
I checked the BOI and Google and I can't find a reason not to trust them but the whole situation is just a bit off.
Click to expand...
I end up getting a payment from another party in a totally different state wanting me to ship to yet another person in another state.
Click to expand...

Did you also check the name and email address from where the paypal came from and the other party they wanted you to ship to? There are two things that come to mind when I first read this. One, the person may be trying to buy for someone who is banned or has a bad reputation.

Two, they are using you as a drop-shipper for their customers.
 
Dennis Hultman said:
Did you also check the name and email address from where the paypal came from and the other party they wanted you to ship to? There are two things that come to mind when I first read this. One, the person may be trying to buy for someone who is banned or has a bad reputation.

Two, they are using you as a drop-shipper for their customers.
Click to expand...


I checked all three names involved in the transaction. The person I was negotiating with stated their paypal account was "messed up". I then get the payment from one of the other parties telling me to ship it to another party, which I was told was the negotiators significant other that they lived with.

Google nor the BOI showed anything. I did an inquiry and got no replies. Not saying they were up to no good but I had all the risk and was not comfortable.
 
And now I am glad that I didn't go through with the transaction: This is the reply I got when I told the sender of the payment I had issued a refund and apologized for not being able to complete the transaction:

DID YOU CHECK MY REFERENCES?
It just seems so funny that you are so worried about protecting yourself! If the Dragon is healthy and you haven't had negitive problems with sales on your end, what in the world is your problem.I guess I just don't understand,thats OK though...You enjoy your weekend! Take Care...
 
Lucille said:
Josh I feel like you dodged a bullet there by refunding.
Click to expand...

I have to agree. They kind of went on the defensive when I issued the refund. I stated that I was not challenging anyone integrity but wanted to make sure that the transaction was safe for all parties.
 
I've had a similar transaction before and made the same decision that you did, Josh. In my case, the buyers simply gave me a verifiable address. It would have been such an easy fix in this case that I, too, believe that you dodged a bullet.
 
You did the right thing, Josh. You can't walk into a brick-N-mortar store and make a purchase with another person's credit card or debit card attached to a third person's account.
Same with an online purchase, IMO.

I make a sale to one person. If they have a spouse or friend or significant-other involved in the transfer of funds/sale, then it all needs to be credible, provable and trackable.

It may be strict, but in the end it covers the seller and the buyer. As an honest seller I adhere to it; as an honest buyer, I appreciate, understand and feel more assured by the policy.

Also, as previously pointed out, a transaction that takes an excessive amount of time (and excuses) might also be a red flag.
 
You definitely did the right thing Josh. It seemed a bit dodgy with all the different people getting involved.
 
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