Check out some similar questions!

Lowtax4eva · May 18, 2007, 06:48 AM

I have no idea if this is the right topic to post under but I'm wondering if there is any reason it would be dangerous to give your address when making sales online.

I've sold a lot of items on Craigslist and now I'm selling an item and someone responded wanting me ship an item to the US once I receive his payment, the only reason I'm questioning doing so is that he seems too eager to get this info and mentions at least 3 times in his email please give me your address and his english is very poor. He already gave me the address to ship to but mentions he is not in the US right now and just wants the item shipped to his home while he is away as a gift for someone.

Can your name and address only be used in any sort of fraud by someone overseas?

RubyPitbull · May 18, 2007, 06:52 AM

Lowtax, go with your gut instinct. Please. There was a recent news story regarding craigslist, of someone who fraudulently posted an ad stating that everything was being given away at a home, address was given. It was a rental property. The owner stopped by to check on the property and the entire place was completely stripped, fixtures and all.

So, if it doesn't feel right to you, don't doubt your gut. Find another way to sell the item or another person to sell it to.

Fr_Chuck · May 18, 2007, 06:53 AM

Of course he could be concerned of buying something from a person he does not have an address for. If I sent you 100 dollars to a unknown email address with the promise you would send me a product, honestly I would never do that because I would not trust you. IF I don't have a physcial address for a company or person, I would never buy from them online ( with the exception of eBay where I havve buyer protection and use a credit card so I can contest it)

But of course if they sent you a check or some money transfer, they will have your bank account number ( their cancelled check shows where the money went) so they would have your address and name, and bank account number, from that and about 30 bucks I can find out all about you from paid research sites.]\

And of course he may not really be overseas and if this is real expensive items, they could easily just come over to your home and steal everything from it.

RubyPitbull · May 18, 2007, 06:55 AM

I just had another thought. Maybe you should take out a P.O. Box. This way, he won't know where you are, and you can make sure that his check will clear before sending anything. Use the P.O. Box for any correspondence. Let the guy know you will send him the product once you are sure that the check clears.

Lowtax4eva · May 18, 2007, 06:58 AM

That's what I was thinking, the sale was far too easy and this made me wonder what exactly my address would give him. Thanks for the input, good to hear there could be a way this could backfire and its not just me worrying.

Emland · May 18, 2007, 07:15 AM

I'll chime in here for the industry I work for - private mailbox rental. It works for eBay buyers and sellers in that you don't have to give out your home address to people you don't know. Places like Mail Boxes, Etc. the UPS Store or an Independent MPC, like where I work, have a bonus to a PO Box because many people are wary of businesses working out of a PO Box and also the MPC will receive packages from any carrier. At this time you can only receive US mail through a PO Box, so if someone wanted to send you a payment FedEx, you would still have to give out a physical address. You can find a local MPC here Neighborhood Postal Centers&reg

This type of mailbox will cost considerbly more than its POBox counterpart, but you also get more. If you are running a business, you may also be able to write off the expense.

multimastery · May 19, 2007, 07:30 PM

I also agree with Emland's suggestion to use a Private Mailbox. I have personally used one for years and it has worked wonderfully. I currently use have my service through the UPS store. Previously I had it through Mailbox Etc. but I think they're the same thing and were just bought-out by the UPS store. Service usually runs on average about $15-20 per month (maybe less.. especially if you prepay for a good number of months in advance).

In my opinion private mailboxes are much better than P.O. Boxes (particularly from a business standpoint) for 2 reasons:

1.) It gives you a more Professional Image

2.) Most people think it's your actual "real" physical address - so this builds more trust than just hiding behind a P.O. Box.

Note: P.O. Boxes are nice for personally use, but if you want that Professional Business Image plus Security - then Private Mailbox Service is the Answer!

Clough · May 20, 2007, 02:37 AM

I have many ads on Craigslist.org. It is one of numerous sites where I list my ads for the things that I can do for people concerning the services that I provide. I have been doing this for over two years. In some of my ads, I list my real address. There has never been a problem with listing my real address.

In over two years, I have received many bogus requests from people who don't know how to write English grammar correctly. They have asked for certain things like my home address, my email address and telephone number.

I just ignore their requests. I wouldn't be giving out any personal information to anyone who seemed too eager to get it if I were you as it could just be a scam.