Mail Order Inquiry...Real or Fake? (names not included)

[PearlesPainting]

Letter one came two days ago. I replied to it. No answer back.

Hello,
I am interested in some of your items , but will like to know how long it will take to deliver items to Slovenia as that is the destination. More also i will like to confirm what kind of Credit Card do you accept as form of payment? Kindly get back to me with answer to my inquiry and don't forget to include your updated website link for me to browse through.
God Bless.
xxxxx

I noticed that somebody from Slovenia did spend 11 minutes in my shop after my response.

Second Letter received just now...worded very similar:

Hello,
I want to place an order in your Stores, And I will like to know if you
ship to Manila, Philippines and my payment will be remitted via
Visa/Master Card issued in US bank.

So please let me know if you can assist me with the order, and please
do not forget to include the link to your website in your reply. Your
quick response will be highly appreciated, I will be very glad if you
treat this email with good concern.

Best Regards
xxxxxx

I don't see them asking for anything other than a link to my shop....I have a FB page and I was thinking they may be coming from there and that is why they are requesting my link. (even though my link is available on my FB page).

The first one didn't make me suspicious but the second one does.
Should I be? Should I respond to the second.
I have noticed recently that on my GA there are a few other countries spending a lot of time in my Etsy shop....from 25 minutes to over an hour and viewing 50 60 listings. I don't usually have a lot of foreign traffic.
Sorry so long...
Anybody else receiving emails similar?

[Former_Member]

Very strange that they are almost exactly the same. I haven't received anything like this. I wonder if Admin could shed some light?

[samsstuff]

It does seem odd, as this information is readily available to anyone wanting to purchase & both inquiries, from very different places are very similar. I'm not sure what they might be trying to do. Has anyone else had experience with this sort of inquiry? If they do purchase, I would wait for the payment to go through & be verified. I would also make sure to do delivery confirmation & document everything, including exact detail photos of the item. This seems risky, given the similarities. If it was only one, I might think that there was maybe a language barrier, but with two...

[WrappedToPerfection]

S C A M !! I've gotten several of these. Answer politely in case it's a legitimate purchaser, but insist on payment via PayPal. Check their feedback and profile... notify Etsy, too.

[Former_Member]

Ya, these sound like scams. But, like Wrapped says above, just in case, still remain professional. But make sure you keep the purchase within Etsy and Paypal, and make sure everything clears before shipping.

[Former_Member]

This has happened to me before, not just on etsy. They were worded in similar ways. Bad english some slight misspellings. If they insist or respond to you again just tell them you only accept payment through paypal. They may be scamming you or they could be scamming someone else through you.

[PearlesPainting]

Thank you...I feel better knowing that I am not being paranoid...just safe.
I responded:

Hello XXXXX,
Here is a link to my Etsy shop. I accept all credit card payments through PayPal. Thank you for your interest.
Pearle
My Etsy Shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/PearlesPainting

[Former_Member]

Sounds great! Its always a good idea to protect yourself first when something questionable happens. The customer doesn't have to know you ever questioned them!

[PearlesPainting]

I wrote both back...no response as of yet.

If these are a scam...what are they possibly trying to get?

[PearlesPainting]

THE RESPONSE: Does this look legit?

Hello
I have your website already, just want to confirm if the price remain same .
Good to read back from you . below are the items I want to order:

******************************

Gorgeous Purple Leaves Hand Painted Plate: Decorative Plate

Beautiful Salt and Pepper Mill set: Hand Painted Shaker and Grinder


******************************


SHIPPING ADDRESS:

Store Address
XXXXX
Metro Manila 1221
Philippines


Concerning the shipment,the likes of UPS,FEDEX and POST OFFICE always don't take care of the charges down here. Charges like handling, customs duties,tax etc. I have experienced such situation before and I don't want to be the victims of such a thing again. I will be glad if you contact this freight forwarder Asia Shipping International Transport Ltd for shipping quote.The shipping company will arrange the pick-up of my order from your store,so you don't have any stress to face in shipping processing at all.Here is their email address (asia_logistics@yahoo.com) ,Not that I can't deal with the shipper directly,but they always prefer to deal with the store where they will be doing the pick up in other to reduce the customs duties and other charges.They have a way of preparing their shipment documents whereby the custom duties payment on this goods will be reduced and if I wanted to pay for the custom duties and other charges, at times it is 40% of the whole package amount.I do trust Asia Shipping Ltd , if not I wouldn't have recommend them for my shipment.They are very reliable and fast.They will take care of everything including Handling, Customs duties,Tax, Insurance etc.Contact them to obtain a quote and get back to
me in the format below:

COST OF THE ORDER
COST OF THE SHIPPING FROM Asia Shipping International Transport Ltd
TOTAL COST (ORDER + SHIPPING)

Once I have these details from you, I will get back to you with my credit card information,so you can charge and make the necessary shipping arrangements.


Kindly Contact Asia Shipping via asia_logistics@yahoo.com for the freight fees so as to make payment at once.

NOTE:The freight company will need these 5 information to get you a quote,so provide them with the details bellow:

1) My Customer's ID # XXXXXX

2)Delivery Full Address:

XXXXX
XXXXX
Metro Manila 1221
Philippines


3)Pick Up Full Address : PROVIDE YOUR ADDRESS

4)Weight Of The Consignment : PROVIDE ORDER WEIGHT

5)Momentary Value Of The Consignment : PROVIDE ORDER TOTAL COST


Kind Regards
XXXXXX


* I have never had this requested of me. I haven't done many International shipments....Is this real or fake?

[PearlesPainting]

I am going to treat it as a fraud because it has most of these RED Flags!

Red flags for fraud

* Orders through relay operator for the hearing impaired
* Email orders with numerous typos and grammatical problems
* Orders for large quantities of standard glass sizes
* Orders that require long-distance shipping
* Orders that request use of a shipping company chosen only by the customer
* Orders paid for with a check written out for more than the cost of the product
* Orders paid for with a credit card that has a different billing address than the shipping address
* Orders from a Gmail, Yahoo or other free email account

[JanJat]

Type in "Asia Shipping International Transport Ltd" with Google and this whole thing makes NO sense!! They are really a cargo company and they don't even have offices in the States....

[PearlesPainting]

I have decided it is a fraud. I usually spot it straight away...but w/ my many different social networks connected to my business I want to be sure they a fraud before I disregard them completely. I googled the shipping company and it was clear...the email addresses did not match. Why would a HUGE shipping company use a Yahoo email.
Seller Beware!

It doesn't make any sense.

[NatureLook]

It does not look good to me that she/ he does not wont to use US carrier, and talks so much about this Asia carrier.

Look like they want your address.

[BeadsByBev]

Thanks for the information. It will make me more alert for possible scams!