Posted on 11/10/2007 11:06:12 PM PST by Andonius_99
Hey FR, need a little bit o' help from someone who has sold things via the internet. I think this guy may be trying to scam me and I just want to see if anyone else is getting a caveat venditor feel about this.
Hello how are you is this item is still available for sale get back to me as soon as possible. Thanks
TO which I replied:
yes it is. actually, it was kind of a typo. i'm selling for $1600/bo. i have the full bike with pedals. it's a medium size frame and good to go, if you want it or want to see it. let me know.
Thanks.
Then, today I get this email:
Hi.... I will like to proceed with payment asap and will like to handle shipment myself when you must have gotten your cash at hand.I am in no rush to pick up the item till funds are clear at the bank. My mode of payment will be via Bank Certified Check drawn on . I will need your name and address with valid email address to send the check to you . Kindly delete the advert of this item if my mode of payment is accepted. I will await your email asap.Please provide your phone number!and i will be offering you $100 to your asking price for selling it to me so please get back to me with the asking price so i can send the check asap! Thanks.
Now, like I said before, I'm not too familiar with selling things online, but something 'bout this smells kinda fishy and I'm not sure about it. Has anyone else encountered this? I look forward to any advice anyone can give on this matter. Thanks in advance!
Yes, but in a slightly more diplomatic tone.
Scam... forged check.... especially if he wants you to deposit it and send him some money back. It will eventually bounce and you will out the money you sent him.
For future reference, never accept a check. If you must accept a personal check, inform the buyer that you will hold his purchase until the check clears (2 weeks). Never accept any other type of check, including "bank certified" or whatever check. They are often forgeries so good that even a bank teller will tell you they are legit. Also, never do business with an unverified PayPal vendor until you have cash in hand (withdraw the money into your own account or receive a check from PayPal). Never give Paypal your bank account info for ANY REASON. Good luck.
Don’t ship until the check clears and your bank says no problem.
I would not deposit anything he gives me into my bank account. Is this a foreign transaction? If not, insist on a bank that has branches near you, and cash it in person before letting the merchandise go.
I would go and post the item for sale on Ebay of Amazon. I would never deal directly with anyone I hadn’t already done business with for a while.
That said, there are sellers who have been dealing on Ebay for a very long time, having made thousands of sales, and it is difficult not to develope a relationship on a first name basis with them. I’ve met some very nice people that way. But one must be very careful - there are genuine nuts, thieves, and even murderers out there in cyberland - so keep your wits about you.
To reiterate; I would post the item for auction on an auction site again, such as Ebay or Amazon.
Not enough info. Why not ask him a few qualifying questions, such as what type of check he’ll be sending. Ask if he wants the bike shipped to his home or some other address. Is this an ebay deal? Does the buyer have any feedback, and how clean is that feedback? I **sometimes** buy stuff on ebay and send a personal check to save the trip to the PO and the fee to get a money order, and I absolutely expect the seller to allow the check to clear, which can take 10 business days. In those cases, I’m in no hurry for the goods. So that, in and of itself, doesn’t strike any particular nerve as far as my own experience is concerned. In general, I prefer to use PayPal because of the buyer protections it offers. But PP (and separately, ebay) will extract a fee from the seller and it’s not exactly miniscule on a $1600 sale. I think you’re taking one specific characteristic of a private transaction and reacting to it (negatively) when it could mean nothing.
Just trying to be helpful.
It soumds bogus to me. I wouldn’t take the chance. These people are good at what they do, and I would never give anyone my name and phone number (especially on line) that I didn’t know, because they could use it to try to steal your identity.
An Ebay stalker told me to tell you to only accept Paypal payments
I have bought and sold literally hundreds of thousands of dollars of stuff on the internet, primarily through eBay, and have had NO problems 99% of the time.
As I read this offer, the buyer is wanting to arrange shipment himself. I don’t see any aspect of the deal he is setting out that is particularly dangerous. You can either ask for a Money Order, or a certified check, or you can just wait until the check clears before you let the bike out of your possession.
If you are worried about dealing with a buyer online, why did you advertise the bike on line? What kind of service are you using? Did you just place a classified on something like Craig’s list?
Anyway, I wouldn’t fear being cheated, bu tI would do the reasonsble things that anybody would do when selling somethign to a stranger, even one that buys something from a garage sale in person. Question personal checks.
Ask for payment like cash. Yse Paypal and withdraw the money before the bike leaves your control. There’s lots you can do to protect yourself short of giving up when there is really no reson to conclude that this deal is bogus. BTW, I have seen bogus deals,and this doesn’t look like one to me.
Don’t open mail if you don’t know the individual. Geesh.
Modified Nigerian scam, bogus certified check, they’ll ask to pay extra so that you’ll send them the change, perhaps in cell phones or some other crap.
Delete, move on. Calling anyone means nothing - usually I get the scammers with the credit card numbers; I always take those down so I can get the banks to kill the cards.
Please don’t do this. Actually tell him to open a paypal account. You most likely will never hear from him again. Thank you so much for posting this. I believe you were right in coming to your FRiends!
I think I read about scams using certified checks. The checks clear initially but then bounce once presented to the check-writer’s bank.
The grammar sounds like a Nigerian
What item is it? Some bidders are really so fanatical that they’ll pay extra to end an auction early...I learned ebay from a pro, so I might be able to help out if I know the particulars.
Even if he paid with Paypal, especially with a cc, he can do a chargeback or it can be a stolen card. If he is overseas, Paypal is not safe because you can’t track the item (which Paypal requires).
Go here and get excellent advice:
http://forums.ebay.com/db2/forum.jspa?forumID=143
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