Real Online Marketplace Shipping vs Label or Overpayment Scam
How to tell a genuine buyer's shipping request from a scammer using fake payment screenshots or overpaid cheques to steal money from online sellers.
Last reviewed: 1 June 2026
Most marketplace sales are straightforward. A buyer pays the agreed amount, the money appears as cleared funds in your account, you post the item with your own courier, and the conversation stays inside the platform where it is logged. Payment and shipping scams work because they target the seller's decency rather than their greed. The buyer is polite, has a plausible story about a birthday or a family member, and produces something that looks like proof of payment, so the pressure you feel is a wish not to keep a nice person waiting. Overpayment versions add guilt to the mix by asking you to return money that was apparently sent by mistake. The distinction that matters most is where you are looking. A screenshot, an email or a pending notice is not money. Only cleared funds in your own account are.
Side-by-side comparison
| Legitimate marketplace buyer | Shipping label or overpayment scammer | |
|---|---|---|
| Payment confirmation | Payment confirmation from PayPal Goods and Services, platform escrow, or direct bank transfer is verifiable within the platform or your bank account | Fake payment confirmation screenshot showing a transfer 'pending release'; or a cheque for more than the asking price |
| Shipping request | Buyer accepts whatever standard courier service the seller uses; shipping is arranged and paid by the seller as standard | Buyer insists on using a specific shipping company (often one recommended via a link) or provides a 'prepaid label' that is fraudulent |
| Overpayment scenario | Payment matches the agreed price exactly; any genuine overpayment is managed within the platform's dispute system | Buyer claims to have accidentally sent more than agreed and asks the seller to send back the difference before the original payment clears |
| Communication | Communication stays within the marketplace platform where messages are logged and disputes can be escalated | Buyer pushes communication off-platform to WhatsApp or email to avoid the platform's fraud detection and buyer-seller protections |
| Item dispatch timing | Seller dispatches after confirmed receipt of cleared, verified funds — within the platform's seller protection timeframe | Scammer creates urgency to dispatch before payment has actually cleared, often with a plausible personal story |
Common red flags
- Buyer sends a payment confirmation screenshot rather than the payment itself arriving in your account
- Buyer requests a refund of an overpayment before you have confirmed the original payment has fully cleared
- Buyer insists on a specific shipping company or provides a shipping label outside normal platform processes
- Buyer asks you to move communication off the marketplace platform
- Buyer pays by cheque for a high-value item from a private online sale
Verification steps
- Verify payment in your actual bank account or PayPal account — not from a screenshot or email confirmation
- Do not dispatch any item until payment is confirmed as cleared and settled in your account
- Stay within the marketplace platform's messaging system for all communications and payments
What not to do
- Do not treat a PayPal payment confirmation email or screenshot as proof of cleared funds — verify it in your PayPal account
- Do not refund any portion of an overpayment until the original payment is fully cleared
- Do not use a shipping label, courier link, or service suggested by the buyer rather than your own verified provider
A safe response
Slow the sale down and check your own account rather than anything you were sent. Log in to your bank or payment provider directly and confirm the money is settled and available, not pending or on hold, before anything leaves your hands. A simple "I post once the payment has cleared on my side" is a complete answer and needs no apology, and if a buyer objects to that or asks you to move to WhatsApp, stop the sale and report the account to the platform. Never refund an overpayment until the original payment has fully cleared, and always create your own shipping label. If you have already sent goods or money against a payment that reversed, contact your bank and the platform's fraud team straight away.
Frequently asked questions
A cheque cleared into my account, so why might I still lose the money?
Cleared is not the same as final. Banks often make funds available before a cheque has genuinely settled, and if it turns out to be forged or drawn on a closed account the amount is taken back from you, sometimes weeks later. That gap is exactly what overpayment scams rely on. For an online sale to someone you have never met, decline cheques and use a payment method within the platform, or wait until your bank confirms the funds are irreversible.
PayPal says my payment is 'pending' — should I still send the item?
No. A pending PayPal payment is not a cleared payment. Only send goods once the payment is showing as completed and the funds are available in your PayPal balance. 'Pending' can mean the payment has not yet gone through or that it is under review.
The buyer sent me a prepaid shipping label — is it safe to use it?
Treat any shipping label provided by a buyer with caution. Fraudulent labels may be stolen, invalid, or associated with a fraudulent account — the item may be intercepted or the label may fail in transit, leaving you liable. Always generate your own labels through a verified courier account.