mjhjmtu

I'm selling an item online. Someone contacted me and, after a question about whether the item is available, said the following:

"Good,Am okay with the price. but right now am currently out of the country for a business trip ,I want you to help me shipping it out to my colleague as his birthday gift to WEST AFRICA.I’ll paying you €100 EURO which includes for the shipping fees through the POST OFFICE, can I send you the money through western Union money transfer?"

The item costs 8 EUROS. Shipping costs around 30 to 40 EUROS.

My question is, is it a scam and, if so, how does it work? Thank you.

My question is, is it a scam and, if so, how does it work?

Yes this is a scam. No one pays EUR 100 for a EUR 8 item.

There are different ways this can proceed. At some point there will be a request for refund as the transfer was by mistake for a larger amount, or request for identification documents saying Western Union is asking etc.

Stay away from these things.

This scam is a common one, typically called overpayment fraud. The usual route is the scammer sends you a money transfer for an amount much larger than the total cost of the purchase. They will then ask you to give them back the difference.

The scam is that a short while later, the cheque will bounce or payment will in some way be revoked, so you will be short not only the amount the scammer 'sent' you but also the difference you gave back to them. The form of payment varies, but they will always ask for a refund.

Simply insist that they send only the amount to cover the items and no more. As you said, that is about half of the amount they are trying to send you. There is simply no legitimate need to send any more than necessary.

If you are earning €8 gross, your profit margin isn’t a lot. By the time you factor in your inconvenience with money handling etc and perhaps even fuel costs to drive to the post office and back, you might have been better off just throwing the item away - even if the buyer is legitimate.

Paying €42 postage for an €8 item sounds excessive. Adding an additional €50 of messy money opens the way for all sorts of scams, including money laundering.

To maximise whatever profit you get out of the €8 item, you are better off selling to a more straightforward cash buyer, especially if it is a one-off sale.