If You’re Selling GPUs On Ebay, Beware Of This Shipping Scam
Find me a scammer with scruples and I'll show you where to buy ocean front property in Arizona. Neither exists and I was reminded of this after selling a graphics card on eBay. Selling anything online, be it through eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, or wherever else is always a headache (or series of headaches) in my experience, and though this sale went more smoothly than most (so far, anyway...knock on wood), it brought to attention a shipping scam that I could see less savvy sellers falling for.
So, what happened? My son, who lives across town, scored himself an invitation to buy a GeForce RTX 5090 through NVIDIA's Priority Access program. He pounced, and then asked if I'd sell his GeForce RTX 4090 for him (he doesn't have an eBay account or any real experience selling online, whereas I do). Even with eBay taking a sizable cut of the sale and factoring in shipping costs, it's a seller's market for GPUs, to where a seller can almost break even on such an upgrade (or even come out ahead).
Anyway, I obliged and listed the card for less than the average selling price. It sold within an hour of being listed, the buyer promptly paid, and I got busy packaging it up and slapping a shipping label on the card. Then the scammers came out of the woodwork.
I received multiple messages through eBay from scammers pretending to be the buyer, all claiming to have provided me with the wrong shipping address.
"Hello, thanks for this business. Please don't send it old address. I made mistake and paid fro incorrect place. I am attached photo and this is my current location. Use it for mail and message me tracking number after sending it," one of the scammers wrote.
Right off the bat, the atrocious grammar and typos are textbook traits of a scammer (I've copy/pasted the message exactly as it was received). What I found a little more devious, however, was providing me with a US-based address. This one...
Another scammer reached out with a similar plea, albeit perhaps an ever-so-slightly more convincing one (and I hesitate to even use that word).
"My new address, where i can get the item will be attached down there. Immediately going to Wilmington Delaware. Thank you for understanding and inform me with tracking code after sending it ! If you printed label already you can refund it and then creat new one. I contacted ebay support and we changed it, they said that seller need to change it manually now," the scammer wrote.
New message, same red flags—typos and bad grammar. However, this scammer also provided a US-based address that is likewise based in Delaware. Why Delaware? Interestingly, Delaware is one of just five states that doesn't collect sales tax, but I can't imagine how that would be useful for this kind of scam.
After doing some digging, I discovered that the address posted above is a common one used for this kind of scam. It's a freight forward facility, so presumably once the package arrives, it's put on a freighter and can't be touched.
Another address I received from a scammer isn't as clear cut. I'm not sure what the "A" part of "21-A" or the second address line refer to, but 21 Brookside Drive is registered to a custom machined parts and components outfit called Able Machine & Speciality. According to Google, it's permanently closed (albeit Street View shows the location as 21-B). It's possible the scammer is using a defunct address to collect packages, or maybe there's another freight forward service next door.
Regardless, keep your head on a swivel when selling online. Be sure you're only shipping to the address that eBay has on file, lest you screw yourself out of any type of seller protection.
