Legitimate buyers or scammers?

[Deleted]

This week I lowered prices on most of my closet items (things not selling, giving it a last shot). Next time I checked my account, I discovered an item had sold (no email from Poshmark to tell me it had sold, but that’s another thread).  I looked at the buyer’s account and there is nothing in it, just her full name.  That made me uncomfortable, along with not getting the email about the sale. So I tried to look into this on PM but could find no assistance possibilities. I googled the situation to see if it might come up that others had the same question, but no help there. So I wrote to PM support. Their response was that some people are new and have not yet posted items to sell. And then “Ruth” said that my buyer was purchasing as a guest. So that didn’t make me feel any better. What does that mean?  Is there a guarantee that “guest” payments are reliable? Do they have full accounts that they registered with PM?  How reliable is a guest buyer?

 I did not get an email with the shipping label, tried several times (again, a problem for another thread) and finally downloaded one.  I discovered that this buyer has a PO Box, another red flag. So I then tried leaving a message for the buyer in the item’s comment area which is the only way to contact a buyer that I know of. I did this twice and never heard from her. I am going to cancel the order, I just don’t trust it and will not risk losing my sale item. And I am so frustrated that we cannot talk to a real person at Poshmark.  Please let me know if you have ever dealt with buyers who are “guests” or who have no profile other than a name.  What was your experience.  Should I trust such a sale?  And does anyone know a phone number for PM support? Thanks for any assistance or advice.

[chapeaunoir]

I get sales from guests, too - if it has sold and there's a label to download, I just ship it out. I never look past that. Don't care if they have a PO box or whatever, and in fact that's actually safer (no porch pirates). Regular Posh members don't all have profiles, either. Just make sure to wait 3 hours past the sale - that way the buyer can't cancel.

[Deleted]

Thank you.  It is helpful to hear this.  Good thoughts about PO box vs porch pirates.  However, I just got another sale from someone with nothing in their "meet the posher page" and the shipping label address is for some kind of Industrial Company in a totally different city and state from the address listed in the header on the meet the posher page.  I am getting so skeptical!  Your advice to just wait three hours, close my eyes and mail it out is probably a good one.  I do too much detective work!

[Desire]

I never could understand why some sellers will not sell to buyers if they have a PO BOX or a APO Box. Many people live in congested areas or out in the wilderness and don't want packages left at their door or important mail put in their mailbox, especially if their mailbox is out on a post at the road vs boxes that are affixed to homes.  So, many prefer to pick up their mail/packages at the Post Office.  And APO is for our military service people. This really shouldn't be considered a "red flag".

[kritter]

And APO is for our military service people. This really shouldn't be considered a "red flag".

I quit selling to APO addresses because the last one I sent was apparently delayed after the package left the USPS system and I got a INR case flied by the buyer and ebay refunded them.  I couldn't find any tracking after the package left USPS so no idea if ever delivered.

Once bitten, twice shy.

[Desire]

Once bitten, that's it. I don't blame you on that.  I'm surprised I never got taken from all the international packages I used to send before the GSP went into effect.  I used to sell directly overseas quite a bit years ago.  Now not too much, a handful a year.

[chapeaunoir]

The APO falls into international shipping which right now even I'm not doing, and I've shipped internationally since the late 90s - I had packages get lost and with Covid on the rise again probably will still hold off (I'm just clearing out).

PO Boxes are a good deal because the package is held for the buyer at the post office until they pick it up. More safe, I would think.

@cb with so much going on right now on eBay it's easy to be sceptical about other sites! 

[denise15601]

I would ship it and not worry about it since Posh will back you up if there is a problem. I also have had guest buyers and most of my buyers are newbies anyway.

Seldom does a big Posh seller buy anything from me.

[zoesam]

I didn't use to sell APO b/c Ebay considered it Intl & I didn't want to bother w/customs forms, etc. It was a hassle. Now, it's all much easier, so I do it, except when I had to stop all int'l shipping for awhile b/c of the problems due to COVID.

OP, IDK Posh, but on Ebay, a guest simply means they don't have an Ebay ID. Many buyers are only buyers, so they have no reason to set up an Ebay ID. I don't give 'guests' a second thought. They pay, I ship.