Guest Pagemakers Posted February 26, 2006 Report Posted February 26, 2006 I've just nearly been duped on eBay selling my very first item. The auction ended and I duly sent the ebay invoice to the buyer. Within a few minutes I received a very authentic email from PayPal saying they buyer had paid PayPal and as soon as I send the parcel tracking details they will release the funds to my account. So off I went to the post office and posted my package to Nigeria (yea I know!). I came back home and emailed the tracking number to them. Thanks to a quick phone call to a friend and he saved my bacon. The whole thing is a con and this was confirmed by PayPal. PayPal do not send out such emails requesting tracking numbers. Luckily I got my package back from the sorting office. Five minutes later and the shipping would have been unstoppable. Then I offered the product to the next next nighest bidder and guess what.....the same story "I live in Denmark and this is a gift for my mother/brother/friend in Indonesia/Nigeria etc". First time and last time on ebay for me. Pity the classifieds forums has gone from Modaco. It was a far safer place to trade with less con merchants lurking in the wings.
Guest spacerace Posted February 26, 2006 Report Posted February 26, 2006 It's unfortunate that ebay is rife with so many of these people. I had a similar experience ages ago and now refuse to use PayPal because of it. Of course, equally there are thousands of transactions that go by without issue. At least you managed to find out before it was too late. Mobile phones and other small electronics seem to attract most of this kind of activity.
Guest Swampie Posted February 26, 2006 Report Posted February 26, 2006 This is exactly why if I sell a phone, I'll never sell it overseas. Has to be UK only for me. Only use Paypal or cash on collection for phones (I always offer collection on high profile items). Never use Buy It Now on mobile as they always seem to end with a 0 rated new user winning it. Makes me wonder whether they're scammers signing up with new accounts etc. Always enable the negative bidder can't bid function, the don't allow bids from countries I don't deliver to etc. No guarantee you won't get a problem - but I'm very cautious with phones, and usually will always withdraw the Paypal money prior to postage, to ensure money really is there (and of course, never use any links in email etc). D
Guest Pagemakers Posted February 26, 2006 Report Posted February 26, 2006 Oh and the other thing , this guy had great feedback! Shortly after he 'purchased' my item ebay closed his account.
Guest rickt Posted February 26, 2006 Report Posted February 26, 2006 @Pagemakers, that was a close shave , BUT , where have you been .This sort of activity has been publisised long enough . If you read some of the auction sales on e-bay you will read " I will not post to Africa , Nigeria etc" Most of the scams seem to originate from here. You got off very lucky in this case , let that be a lesson .Nothing wrong with e-mail to buy or sell if you know what you doing. On the other hand , maybe you dont know where you supposed to send the item untill after the sale has gone through. I have bought and sold a few item on e-bay but will only buy from the UK , but have never had any overseas buyers , in this case how would I find out ,during the auction ?
Guest fluffcat1 Posted February 26, 2006 Report Posted February 26, 2006 I've just nearly been duped on eBay selling my very first item. Sorry if this sounds harsh, but if it was your first ebay sale, why risk a high value item until you know the ropes? Regular sellers can spot such scams from a mile away, and some ( such as myself) will not even entertain foreign bids for high value items for the same reason. No offence, but TBH it's greed on the seller's part that causes these issues as invariably the foreign bidders buy above market value and the sellers are deafened by the 'ker-ching' of the final value so can't hear the alarm bells ringing in their ears... There are other options for selling on ebay - you could employ a 'selling assistant' who knows the system and handles the sale for you including the listing / photographing and payment for a % of the sale price. The paypal scam is a very common one too. Unlike some posters here I *won't* accept paypal for high value items as it offers little or no seller security or protection. Check www.paypalsucks.com for more info. If anyone wants to ask me questions about selling on ebay then feel free to post a topic. Richard / fluffcat1 ( 1500 rated powerseller on ebay since 1998 )
Guest roma0803 Posted February 26, 2006 Report Posted February 26, 2006 So what's new? Might look around a bit more first before selling an expensive item on a market you've never been before. This must not have come to you as a surprise.
Guest Pagemakers Posted February 26, 2006 Report Posted February 26, 2006 I only made the post the help others not to be slagged off myself.
Guest benzo Posted February 26, 2006 Report Posted February 26, 2006 I only made the post the help others not to be slagged off myself. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Hey Pagemakers, No one is slagging you off. I think everyone has your best interests at heart- hence the advice and heads up. And for the ebay noobs (including myself!), thanks for the advice. I'm about to sell some of my stuff on ebay and will look out for some BS paypal emails. Benzo
Guest Samsonite Posted February 26, 2006 Report Posted February 26, 2006 I only made the post the help others not to be slagged off myself. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> you certainly helped me!! I have toyed with getting into the ebay thing for while now - even considered buying the next bout of toys there... NOT NOW!!!!! scared to death of getting ripped off buying or selling... It's one of those cult things i think. Sure, everyone knows someone that has been making a mint out of the environment but the horror stories are far too prevalent for me now. I think its something that will pass me by now...
Guest username132 Posted February 26, 2006 Report Posted February 26, 2006 you certainly helped me!! I have toyed with getting into the ebay thing for while now - even considered buying the next bout of toys there... NOT NOW!!!!! scared to death of getting ripped off buying or selling... It's one of those cult things i think. Sure, everyone knows someone that has been making a mint out of the environment but the horror stories are far too prevalent for me now. I think its something that will pass me by now... <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I buy and sell no ebay and have never had any serious problems. I had one or two but they were too small for me to even remember. Like another poster said, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is [too good to be true]! I suggest you just dabble in little things like rechargeable batteries, low energy lightbulbs etc until you figure out what you're doing. It's a shame that people are being put off an excellent method of trading over things like this. I could understand for anything over £200 (when escrow, or cash on collection might be a consideration) but for something less than £30, you [almost] can't go wrong...
Guest chrisc28 Posted February 27, 2006 Report Posted February 27, 2006 I know this is silly, but sometimes I wonder what happens to genuine, honest people in Nigeria who actually want to purchase something online? These conmen have tarnished the country's image so badly that ordinary Nigerians are suffering in authentic online deals.
Guest max1956bikes Posted February 27, 2006 Report Posted February 27, 2006 I've just nearly been duped on eBay selling my very first item. what a shame greed in life.it also starts most wars someone wants what others have got.i buy and sell fair amount on ebay i use paypal or cash on collection only.i want deal any other way i beleive paypal safer than other ways.i was looking for a c500 last night one was going very cheap i nearly bid then i saw no paypal so i did not get it it sold very cheap so other people think same as me possibly?
Guest Jamma14 Posted February 27, 2006 Report Posted February 27, 2006 I know this is silly, but sometimes I wonder what happens to genuine, honest people in Nigeria who actually want to purchase something online? These conmen have tarnished the country's image so badly that ordinary Nigerians are suffering in authentic online deals. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Yeah, I've thought the same before! :) From the sounds of most of the requests though, I seriously doubt whether any are legitimate. Jamma
Guest Paul [MVP] Posted February 27, 2006 Report Posted February 27, 2006 I buy and sell lots of things on eBay, and i'm now very cautious, and - touch-wood - haven't been duped to date. I always do my homework on buyers / sellers tho... P
Guest spacerace Posted February 27, 2006 Report Posted February 27, 2006 The feedback thing is tricky aswell. You actually have to _look into_ what they have been buying and see if it's a string of low value items done purely to get a reasonable feedback score. As pagemakers says, they then close the account. Also don't forget the number of people that get their account details phished, so the person telling you they have made payment to you might not be the genuine owner of the account...
Guest Paul [MVP] Posted February 27, 2006 Report Posted February 27, 2006 Indeed, phishing is the biggest problem... P
Guest Samsonite Posted February 27, 2006 Report Posted February 27, 2006 ... Also don't forget the number of people that get their account details phished, so the person telling you they have made payment to you might not be the genuine owner of the account... <{POST_SNAPBACK}> you see, its things like this that put me right off.... Almost everyone i know that does the Ebay thing qualifies their use with a mountain of these proviso's!! watch for this, be careful of that, dont get caught out with, my mate knows someone who, i heard that... the list is endless!!! i understand that the majority of sales go without a hitch but you really have to want to use ebay to use ebay, if you see what i mean. At the end of the day, i have no desire to set myself up for potential problems all in the name of saving/making a few quid - 'specially when it is ONLY a few quid... I can find legitimate organisations with the law regulating what they do and how they do it for almost all of my wants and needs... anyhoo, just thought i'd add a thought to the discussion...
Guest spacerace Posted February 27, 2006 Report Posted February 27, 2006 well bottom line, these risks exist - better that you're aware of them surely ? it's no different than the people that have their credit card copied and fraudently used. it happens to many people but it doesn't stop us from using them. you just have to accept the risks and do the best you can to protect yourself against them..
Guest rickt Posted March 1, 2006 Report Posted March 1, 2006 I have a couple of nokias on e-bay and guess what , Yes I got a message today from someone ,but ,in America wanting to buy the phone for a friend in South America. I politely said no , I would only sell to UK buyers.He replied saying , that's OK .This one may have been genuine but take I no exceptions , I only deal with UK.
Guest Wozbacca Posted March 2, 2006 Report Posted March 2, 2006 its all well and good saying that you wont ship outside UK but i've listed a c600 and a d600 on ebay in the last few months and they've both been ended early due to the buy-it-now feature. even though i've clearly put "I WILL NOT SHIP OUTSIDE UK!!!! ESPECIALLY NIGERIA!!!" in the listing, so until there is some actual restrictions on the ebay purchase side of things then its not really worth it i sold my c600 a while back and i put on there, comes with tomtom software. ebay then closed the auction early because it contrevenes the acceptable usage policy or something! even though these badword nigerians are getting away with scams every day... makes me sick
Guest Pagemakers Posted March 2, 2006 Report Posted March 2, 2006 Instead of pointing a finger directly and getting your listing banned on ebay why not add the line: "I am fully aware of the PayPal scams - Don't waste your time or mine"
Guest Pondrew Posted March 2, 2006 Report Posted March 2, 2006 its all well and good saying that you wont ship outside UK but i've listed a c600 and a d600 on ebay in the last few months and they've both been ended early due to the buy-it-now feature. even though i've clearly put "I WILL NOT SHIP OUTSIDE UK!!!! ESPECIALLY NIGERIA!!!" in the listing, so until there is some actual restrictions on the ebay purchase side of things then its not really worth it i sold my c600 a while back and i put on there, comes with tomtom software. ebay then closed the auction early because it contrevenes the acceptable usage policy or something! even though these badword nigerians are getting away with scams every day... makes me sick <{POST_SNAPBACK}> You can prevent an auction ending early through time wasters using the 'buy it now'. You have to specify that instant payment required (you would have to accept Paypal payments to use this feature). I wish I'd known this when I was listing my MDA III as it cost me money relisting the item as listing enhancements aren't refunded should a listing be hit by timewasters... As for TomTom not being allowed in hardware listings, the reason for this is that the TomTom licence agreement clearly states that the licence is non-transferable. In other words, it's not legal to sell the software on, nor to give it away as the new user will not be licenced to use it. Oh, and there is a department at Ebay working against these conmen. I've personally received several emails from Ebay warning me about bidders on my auctions, and even had bids cancelled by Ebay admin as they cancel the conmen's account. It's NOT fair to claim no action is being taken against these scamsters...
Guest MARKUKCOUK Posted March 7, 2006 Report Posted March 7, 2006 It's common sense though it really is. I've sold a couple of SPVs and as long as you set up the auction correctly, you lose the losers Some people would disagree with this setup but... DO use paypal - but don't be stupid. If you use buy it now ALWAYS tick the "immediate payment required" button. This means the auction continues until the funds have 100% gone into your account. Always refuse neg feedback users, and I tend to put a note saying zero feedback need to email me first (they never do, but it does seem to cut out some of the losers). As some know, I also sold a XBOX 360 before christmas, and sold it to pretty much the perfect ebay buyer. As long as you are careful, its a great place to sell.
Guest Pagemakers Posted March 7, 2006 Report Posted March 7, 2006 My guy had tons of good feedback and no negative feedback.
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