Hi there

I am new to posting on this forum however i do visit alot and read the posts....

I have just sold a pair of concert tickets on ebay to a buyer in Austria.... They have a 0 rating with no transactions to there name....

They dont use paypal due to costs so i asked them for a cheque, its then when i got this reply to my email back....

Hi Nick

sorry this is all going somewhat slow from our side, yet we'd really need your bank account details to transfer the amount to you.

we noticed that the message we posted to you lately started with a line that was obviously automatically added by ebay, stating we'll pay by cheque. we were wondering how this got there since in austria, paying by cheque is strictly forbidden and was thus abolished way back in the nineties.

other payment methods like moneybrokers, credit card or western union money transfer are either too costly altogether or otherwise infeasible for us, yet bank transfer seems the most secure, fast, highly insured and guaranteed method to us.

which is why we'd need you to provide us with the following data:

• your bank's BIC/SWIFT Code
• your IBAN (International Bank Account Number)

regarding IBAN: if you didn't come across this before, this is your internationalized account number necessary for secure cash transfer with EU countries. For example, if you have an account with Natwest, you might have an IBAN similar to this one:

GB29 NWBK 6016 1331 9268 19


thank you very much in advance for providing us with these details; upon receipt, we will instantly send you the amount due.

cheers,


Now does this seem dodgy to you? Im not paticularly happy at giving these details out - what do you all think ? Any help would be appreciated? I have copied the email as it is and i am very suspicious about the cheque thing in Austria and the orange text?

thanks......

Ha! abolished my a***
Moneybookers are too dear , this guy is unbelievable, tell him to pay by paypal masspay then.
Im afraid that this person has no intentions of paying for these goods and although i cant be 100% sure im fairly certain that he wont.
You are the seller you dictate the payment terms, if bank transfer wasnt an option then dont accept it. Dictate that your methods were clearly stated.
Is he a new member ie less then 30 days?.
If so set him a a date in which to pay by and then get him booted off of ebay.
Just my opinion and its because of ppl like him that i no longer trade on ebay

Chris

Thanks BandDirect....

They joined i think Feb 07 - but havent bought or sold anything....

I will send email back asking them to pay by paypal within a few days otherwise there OFF!!!

Bank transfer will save you £3 in paypal fees and is faster than cheque.

But do you not think DM that the above email seems too dodgy and well written for an email just asking about making a payment?

I'm not sure if i am happy about giving sort code and account number out to them..... Not when they have a 0 rating feedback...

First off all the OP has to change his settings on ebay to restrict bids from ppl with 0 or little feedback. Now i know this isnt perfect but neither is Ebay. They dont care so much as they're a business in the business of making as much money possible and of course it is the buyers and sellers responsibility to adhere to the strict rules not theres.

Unfortunately Ebay is not the buyers or sellers utopia that Ebays advertisers would have us picture but instead it is a place that is full of potential peril especially for the newbies.
So id say cancel the transaction, look at how you sell and place strict guidelines in your adverts and avoid these ppl like the plague.
You will learn from it and you will spot these halfbreeds from a mile but unfortunately in this type of business the scammers are rife. They even think they can try their luck on here which always makes me laugh.

See this thread: sold item on ebay

Haha abolished cheque payments! Thats brilliant (well at least I laughed).