Unfortunately, none of us can know for certain that this offer is a scam. However, it clearly seems out of bounds and it's a good thing to be cautious whenever you feel nervous about a transaction.
Considering that you have another offer that is acceptable, it's probably wise to take that offer. But, here are some guidelines to help avoid being scammed on eBay:
- Read eBay's official policies and follow them to the letter. Although some scammers will try to exploit the policies, if you follow the policies you will have a better chance of getting official help if or when something goes wrong. If you don't follow policies, and you get scammed, you are on your own.
- Don't accept payment in any form that isn't verifiable and protected. Don't take personal checks. Don't follow instructions to get paid in any way that isn't officially sanctioned by eBay. if you accept money via PayPal or other similar service, make sure you understand the rules for those payment mechanisms. Many scammers will exploit payment mechanisms (i.e. they'll send a payment via the "gift to friends and family" feature on PayPal, which removes all of your protections).
- Don't accept offers where the details don't line up. Scammers will often steal someone else's payment account and use that stolen account to send you money. If the eBay account doesn't match the details on the payment account, don't accept the business.
- Similarly, if you're using PayPal, don't ship to any name or address except the exact match to the official name and address registered with the PayPal account.
- Don't accept offers that involve payment, delivery, or other functions offline or outside of eBay's visibility, even if the other party insists doing so will somehow be more profitable or better for you. Use the built-in payment and shipping management tools. See the first bullet: make sure you're staying "in the system" so you have a safety net if you get scammed.
- In general, the standard rule of thumb applies: If it's too good to be true, it probably isn't true. Why would this person offer so much of a markup when they can grab those shoes for cheaper from other sellers, or even from you? Offering way over your price doesn't make any sense at all. Even if you're a collector looking for a rare shoe, why wouldn't you just buy them at the listed price of $70? Offering several times that makes no sense at all. Unless you've significantly under-priced a serious collectible shoe, and you've got a half a dozen competing offers bidding the price way up, it doesn't make sense to accept a single offer that's way out in left field at several times your price. Scammers often do things that make no sense as a way to filter out gullible people. If they presume that a reasonable person would reject an outlandish offer, they will purposefully make an outlandish offer in the hopes of catching the few people that are gullible enough to fall for it.
Finally, when in doubt, seek help from experts who have experience in the exact system you're trying to use. Since you've mentioned eBay, you can check out their seller help forums, where experienced sellers will give you guidance on the nuances of scams and how to avoid them. This is especially important as a new seller, since scammers often prey on inexperienced people. If a scammer sees that you're a brand new seller with low rep, they will assume you're an easy target.
