Another ebay scam ?!?

I don't think that it's THAT bad, the majority of cameras on there (even the expensive ones) are perfectly legitimate auctions. Canon themselves have an ebay outlet and shift loads of 5Ds and quite a few 1Ds that have been returned & refurbished or just have shop-soiled packaging. There are quite a lot of dealers in the UK selling grey import cameras.

I bought my 20D, along with a 100-400L, in one deal on ebay. They cost me £1,750 (around $3k) and saved me over £500 compared to buying from a 'normal' internet dealer..

I would advise caution of course, buying from a seller within driving distance is always a good idea, then go and pick up the camera in person and pay cash on collection.

I've bought several hundred items through ebay and only had a couple of unsatisfactory deals. The money I've saved on all the others meant the loss on those two was irritating but of no great importance. Fortunately they were cheaper items, which just didn't match up to the condition described.

Unfortunately, cameras & laptops are the most common items used in scams like this.

Interesting new ebay scam variant:

My nephew won an auction on an Audi TT, which was on the continent. Seller had good feedback, the auction looked genuine with none of the usual 'tells' that it was a scam.

The seller also came across as genuine and keen to help. He also offered to arrange the transportation of the car to England and to use an Escrow service to allay any fears that it wouldn't turn up. The Escrow would be provided by Square Deal a respected name on ebay, my nephew sends them the money which they hold onto, until he informs them that the car has arrived satisfactorily, they then forward the money to the seller.

Naturally cautious, my nephew checked out every part of the deal, despite the escrow theoretically guaranteeing it wasn't a scam. Of course, when he contacted Square Deal directly they informed him that they don't DO an escrow service !! The scammers presumably send a link to a look-a-like 'Square Deal' website where you can put your money in 'safe' hands until the car arrives. This one is scary as it SEEMS very safe and I'm sure that some people just send the money to 'Square Deal' without checking it out. Bearing in mind the value of the item, the loss will be several thousand pounds too.

It's so hard to know anymore what's legit and what's not. Is every good deal suspect?
Like this:

http://cgi.ebay.com …ame=STRK%3AMEWA​%3AIT&rd=1

Looks legit, but opening price is low (though it has a reserve) and seller's feedback is low...but looks legit. So how's one to really know until one is a victim like "grumpyhaggis"?

One wonders anymore about buying or selling...I recently sold a lens and seperately a camera outfit on ebay and used paypal taking a huge hit (I mean huge) for the fees (ebay and paypal), just to have protection for both the sales. And I found out that if the buyer doesn't have a registered address, or if you ship to someplace besides the registered address (some people want PO boxes or work) you aren't covered with protection. Both those auctions worked out okay but I didn't even remove the money from paypal for weeks...just in case.

So again, I ask, how's one to know?
BTW: I'm not in the market for that auction, I just found one that looked legit but had a few things against it, in order to make a point.

Peregrin wrote:
It's so hard to know anymore what's legit and what's not. Is every good deal suspect?
Like this:

http://cgi.ebay.com …ame=STRK%3AMEWA​%3AIT&rd=1

Looks legit, but opening price is low (though it has a reserve) and seller's feedback is low...but looks legit. So how's one to really know until one is a victim like "grumpyhaggis"?

One wonders anymore about buying or selling...I recently sold a lens and seperately a camera outfit on ebay and used paypal taking a huge hit (I mean huge) for the fees (ebay and paypal), just to have protection for both the sales. And I found out that if the buyer doesn't have a registered address, or if you ship to someplace besides the registered address (some people want PO boxes or work) you aren't covered with protection. Both those auctions worked out okay but I didn't even remove the money from paypal for weeks...just in case.

So again, I ask, how's one to know?
BTW: I'm not in the market for that auction, I just found one that looked legit but had a few things against it, in order to make a point.

I would say that one is genuine, you can pay by paypal and so if you don't receive the camera you can get a charge back just like a credit card. As for a low opening price, that means nothing. I start ALL my auctions at 99p with no reserve - even for items worth a couple of hundred pounds. It keeps the listing fees down AND encourages people to bid. The fact that this one has a reserve on it makes it almost certainly genuine. The reserve is there to stop it selling below a certain price. If it's a scam, why the reserve? They won't care HOW cheap the item goes for as they won't actually be handing anything over. All a reserve would do is risk a 'no sale' which they don't want to happen.

You say that you are worried about somebody getting an item from you, then telling Paypal they didn't receive it and claiming the money back. Simple, if it's an expensive item include insurance in the shipping price and send it signed for and fully insured. If they claim that it didn't arrive:

a) The PO will have a signature and a record that it DID arrive and you can appeal this with Paypal.

b) If the PO CAN'T prove that it delivered the item, claim the insurance and recover your money that way.

I've been selling on ebay for a number of years now, probably shifted over 3,000 lots now. I have only had 3 people claim that the item never arrived, all for low value items (under $50) and I just refunded the money myself. I don't know if they were genuine or not, but I know that quite a lot of stuff DOES get lost in the mail and a 0.1% loss rate doesn't seem unfeasable. I have had a couple of things I ordered on ebay not turn up, then the seller has sent a replacement when I queried it, so it's just a part of dealing with the mail.

There are scams on ebay, yes, just as real life is full of them. Used with a bit of common sense though, it is normally a safe way to buy and sell.

I'd agree with Sandpiper, that auction looks legit - for one thing the photos are clearly taken on someone's floor, they are unique and not the generic pictures many sellers use.
I also always start my auctions at 99p - it's cheaper. I do tend not to put a reserve price but I've never sold anything that needed one.

It is certainly hard to spot the dodgey stuff sometimes though.

but as far as that car thing goes - I have actually read about something like this on the ebay community selling board, where a guy did actually pay, and lost all his money. Cops and ebay unable to help. But who on earth would buy a car uninspected, from another country? air travel is cheap, personally if I wanted something that bad i'd go look at it and pay cash. People need to be sensible, and retain some degree of common sense. It won't always be enough, but crime afects us all. someone might be burgling my downstairs as I type this.... better go check!

steved110 wrote:
but as far as that car thing goes - I have actually read about something like this on the ebay community selling board, where a guy did actually pay, and lost all his money. Cops and ebay unable to help. But who on earth would buy a car uninspected, from another country? air travel is cheap, personally if I wanted something that bad i'd go look at it and pay cash. People need to be sensible, and retain some degree of common sense. It won't always be enough, but crime afects us all. someone might be burgling my downstairs as I type this.... better go check!

I agree about not buying the car uninspected, part of the escrow deal though is that once the car is delivered, you only accept it - and authorize the payment - once you have checked it matches the description and are happy with it. So, in theory, you aren't buying it uninspected.

My nephew and I WOULD have flown over and picked it up, if it had passed all his checks first and still seemed legit. Not only because it would be an extra level of security, but also because it's a damn good excuse for a trans-Europe road trip in a neat sports car, and to get some great photos.

He wasn't too surprised to discover that it was a scam though.

I want to offer an additional warning here: I fully agree that going and picking up an item will greatly reduce the chance of a ripoff, but please consider what you are getting into in such a case... never go pick up a high-price item in person and pay cash! You are asking to be jacked, in which case it is not just your money but your health and even life that is at risk. I can't locate the article I read about this very problem, must have tossed it (can't recall even what I read it in, one of the local small papers I think), but it told the story of someone getting held up, along with claims that it happens more often than I would have suspected. I am not saying that everyone is a crook who will take your money, not by a long shot, but the risk is much greater and bares consideration. I'm sorry to say I don't recall any advice on how to go about purchasing items while avoiding this risk, but I suspect telling them ahead of time that you will be bringing a certified check is a good start (I can't recall which type of check is which - I mean the kind you CAN cancel if lost or stolen, and which must have a particular person's name, but is better for the recipient than a personal check... I lost one last year and had to wait three months for a refund, even though it was with a small customer service, first name basis with clients type bank since they had to balance both my needs and those of the recipient - hope that all makes sense!)

I don't mean to be alarmist, this is just something to consider.

Also:
-Make sure they are listed in the phone book or other directory as living at the stated address - by all means don't meet at the local park "because it is easier to find"!
-Make sure they know you are bringing a check *in that name* and not cash.
-Don't go alone
-Trust your instincts

MOST people are good people. Most are not out there to get over on someone at that person's expense, and most would certainly not harm you. It is the very few that would that we have to watch for. Sorry if I sound paranoid - I'd go meet someone for a reasonable deal if it sounded ok, but hope I'd also spend a little energy making sure it was ok to do so. By no means am I suggesting anyone let fear rule their lives!

Ok.... 2 options... 1st one is: i'm geting paranoid..... 2nd one is: i'm realy developing a talent to find ebay scams....

If the 2nd option is correct i might just apply for a job on ebay... hehehe

see this: http://cgi.ebay.com …553401&fromMake​Track=true

This guy posted a Canon 1Ds MkII for sale, with a starting price of $300 US and 12 hour's time on the sale. The fishy thing is, the seller himself.....
1st, if people thought this is a legit auction someone would have already placed a bid.
2nd, the seller (franc37h2) is registered since April 2002 but never bought anything 'till April 30th 2006 between 10:33 and 10:50 when he got 10 items from several seller's (all probably fake as well) and the items do not exist!!!! If you go to the profile, you can see the items he bought, and they don't have price, description or anything else, it's just a auction on ebay with question marks on it. See this: http://cgi.ebay.com …y=94386&item=32​0022571241

This ebay scam thing is geting ridiculous..... more scams show up every day.... ebay should have people 24/7 looking for scams like these...

Without even looking at your link - I'd say you've become a fully fledged member of the POTN Scam Spotters Elite Squad!

They have........... us!

jpvaz wrote:
Ok.... 2 options... 1st one is: i'm geting paranoid..... 2nd one is: i'm realy developing a talent to find ebay scams....

If the 2nd option is correct i might just apply for a job on ebay... hehehe

see this: http://cgi.ebay.com …553401&fromMake​Track=true

This guy posted a Canon 1Ds MkII for sale, with a starting price of $300 US and 12 hour's time on the sale. The fishy thing is, the seller himself.....
1st, if people thought this is a legit auction someone would have already placed a bid.
2nd, the seller (franc37h2) is registered since April 2002 but never bought anything 'till April 30th 2006 between 10:33 and 10:50 when he got 10 items from several seller's (all probably fake as well) and the items do not exist!!!! If you go to the profile, you can see the items he bought, and they don't have price, description or anything else, it's just a auction on ebay with question marks on it. See this: http://cgi.ebay.com …y=94386&item=32​0022571241

This ebay scam thing is geting ridiculous..... more scams show up every day.... ebay should have people 24/7 looking for scams like these...

Fortunately, most scams are as obvious as this one, at which a casual glance soon discovers the flaws. I always check feedback (not just the rating) and actually READ the comments and look at the auctions he has bought / sold. ALSO, check out some of the OTHER ebayers feedback.

If the camera seller has +ve feedback from selling similar items, left by people who also have lots of varied feedback (i.e. don't look like fake buyer accounts set up to give credibility) you are probably safe. If they have feedback which is clearly manufactured, such as these, steer clear.

Apart from that, this seller gives a very dodgy impression by being registered as a seller in Italy, the camera location is in China and he ships via USPS to America only.

These scams are irritating, but so obvious you have to wonder how people fall for them. Even a cursory check will find the clues. The problem scammers are the ones who set up an account and, like the one that caught out Grumpyhaggis, they run them as a regular auction with no silly offers or requests to contact 'direct'. The only possible clue being little or no feedback.

Personally, I wouldn't buy an expensive item from someone who had no (or very few) checkable feedback references. Be careful of new accounts that have bought several very cheap items over the previous two weeks, to build feedback. A good feedback record will go back over a significant period of time, have both buying and selling feedbacks (or can be just selling, as many genuine people have seperate ebay accounts for buying and selling, I have three accounts myself) and many of those feedbacks will be from ebayers with good feedback records themselves. To create a feedback record like that takes a lot of time, effort and some expense, if buying items, or having to actually sell genuinely to get good feedback from buyers. If that good account is then used for a scam, it will get closed down as soon as the scam is discovered, then they will have to start again. In order to make all that effort building a good reputation worth while, the scammers have to 'sell' a LOT of medium to high value items over a couple of weeks, getting a lot of payments in (by cheque) before the complaints of non-delivery start to flood into ebay and negative feedbacks start appearing, at which point the whole thing loses credibility and they are likely to be suspended.

These look very genuine, they put sensible buy-it-nows on items, rather than dirt cheap ones. However, clues are still there - the sudden appearance of SO MANY items for sale for one, also they are unlikely to accept Paypal as the buyers could claim the money back again, when the items don't arrive. The only way they could accept Paypal, is to have a dodgy bank account to pay the money into, then empty it before the chargebacks hit. Of course, identity theft happens and could be used to create a false bank account.

This is all far too much effort for most scammers, however, who generally rely on loads of 'poor quality' scams, knowing most will be discovered but some will find a sucker. Keep your wits about you, make sensible checks and take precautions and you should have no problems. There is never a 100% guarantee of course, but that applies to many things in life not just ebay.

All good advice. In addition, if they insist on cash, you can arrange to meet them at their house (and make sure that they 'go in' and aren't just waiting outside when you arrive) check out the item then, when satisfied, get them to follow you to the bank where you withdraw the money, swap items over in the bank, then get into your car and leave with the item. They are unlikely to pull a gun on you in a bank, or just outside. Try and take a friend with you too, as extra security. Make sure that they know in advance that you WON'T have cash on your person when you arrive, don't leave them to find that out after you've been bashed on the head!

Insisting on cash isn't an indication that anything is dodgy, the cheques that fitzhugh mentions are only safer for YOU, the seller still takes a risk. For one thing, not many people are used to dealing with certified cheques and can't tell a genuine item from a fake, for another they CAN still be cancelled. The advice generally given to private sellers of cars etc, is ALWAYS take cash only.

As with anything, there is ALWAYS a risk but if you take care and minimise the risks you are unlikely to have a problem. It's easy to get paranoid about scams as we hear about so many, what doesn't get mentioned is the million deals EVERY DAY that go well. Even with the high value items (cars, cameras, laptops, antiques etc) there are several thousand deals done a day that DON'T involve a scam, we just don't go on about them.

And.... another one!!!

http://cgi.ebay.com …48512QQrdZ1QQcm​dZViewItem

Same MO as my earlyer post.

2 more bite the dust.... already sent e-mail's to Ebay about boath of them.

EDIT:

found 6 more.... all Canon 1Ds MkII but on these 6 the MO was the same as the 1st post, the "don't send e-mail's here, send them to my private GMAIL account and the price os £700".

All reported to ebay.

(maybe ebay can put me on they're pay roll one of these days....)

If anyone has ever wanted revenge on ebay scammers here is one way...

http://www.zug.com/pra​nks/powerbook/

Absolutely priceless!

perfect_pixel wrote:
If anyone has ever wanted revenge on ebay scammers here is one way...

http://www.zug.com/pra​nks/powerbook/

Absolutely priceless!

Dude.... i've just read that.... and my stomach is still in pain from laughing so hard!!!!!!

That is truely priceless!!!!

Tkz for the link!!!