Ed Coury Posted November 10, 2004 Share Posted November 10, 2004 I've been an avid user of eBay (seller and buyer) for 7 years or so. But this never happened to me before. About 3 months ago I bid on a Yamaha S90. About 5 days later I received an email from someone (in broken English) claiming to have a "new" one in the box for 900 bucks. I laughed it off. Then a couple of days later, I received the same type of letter from a different person. The next day, the price was different, but it was the same offer to sell me a Y S90! I replied, and said "sure, I'll buy. I'll send the cash when the synth arrives, or we can arrange to have an escrow firm hold my money until I'm satisfied with the item". In broken English, the answer I basically got was "no way". A couple of weeks ago I noticed an auction on eBay for a new S90, no reserve, and the winning price was 800 bucks. The seller had no feedback history. Now. I get emails from people for legitimate eBay auctions, but it's odd that the one time I get besieged with these emails, it has to do with a synth! "Oh yeah, I've got two hands here." (Viv Savage) "Mr. Blu... Mr. Blutarsky: Zero POINT zero." (Dean Vernon Wormer) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Horne Posted November 10, 2004 Share Posted November 10, 2004 My son-in-law responded to an e-bay sale that was just too good be true. He is out $1,200 on non-existent Nikon camera goodies. If it seems to good to be true, it probably is. No guitarists were harmed during the making of this message. In general, harmonic complexity is inversely proportional to the ratio between chording and non-chording instruments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffLearman Posted November 10, 2004 Share Posted November 10, 2004 If you pay by credit card you can stop payment. I had to do this due to charges I didn't make, and the credit card company was very helpful. You also have recourse through Ebay and PayPal. I bet they're pretty good at stopping payment when the goods aren't delivered, because their business models depend on this not happening very often. If you pay by personal check or money order, then, well ... consider it an expensive lesson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeT156 Posted November 10, 2004 Share Posted November 10, 2004 I'm really apprehensive to buy anything from EBay. Just too many scams. There's been a lot of posts on what to watch out for, so I won't rehash them. I know if I do buy something from Ebay, they'll have to be within driving distance from me so I can go pick it up. I don't mind using a money order once I see the KB or synth and be sure its in working order and what is advertised. Its so difficult to take any action with someone that is in another state. Credit cards are a good resource for getting your money back or the charge reversed. Going through pay pal can be a PITA from what I hear, so I haven't bought anything from Ebay yet. Mike T. Yamaha Motif ES8, Alesis Ion, Prophet 5 Rev 3.2, 1979 Rhodes Mark 1 Suitcase 73 Piano, Arp Odyssey Md III, Roland R-70 Drum Machine, Digitech Vocalist Live Pro. Roland Boss Chorus Ensemble CE-1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robmix Posted November 10, 2004 Share Posted November 10, 2004 Funny this should come up now. I'm dealing with a sudden flood of EBAY Scams some of which are using my past auctions. It seems the new scam is to make a copy of an auction that has just ended and send all the losing bidders a "second chance" offer. Frightening because it uses your auction and EBAY ID but has reply notices for different email addresses on Yahoo and Hotmail. Be careful, always confirm the auction on EBAY, confirm the item with the seller, stay with high feedback sellers, and stay away from items that are too good to be true. Rob Hoffman http://www.robmixmusic.com Los Angeles, CA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcmedo80 Posted November 10, 2004 Share Posted November 10, 2004 I know what you mean by all these scams going on. Here is a website where I would for sure STAY AWAY FROM: web page this site sounds too good to be true. after my bro did some investigation for me as he is a P.I. he quickly came up with: "The website/domain was only registered at the end of October. Why own the company while you live in G Britain, but have it running through a Greek server, with an online Spanish telephone number? The technician is in the US (apparently). The address given by the tech does not appear to exist (but the onwer in the UK, his address does exist). The phone numbers for the US are not listed, but they do exist. Most of the time they have been 'busy' signals. The UK phone number (which appears to be in the US) does not exist in the US * Their server is in Greece, Athens * Their phone number is in Spain * the company/domain is owned/registered in the UK * the technical support is registered in the US * The US Tech street address does not appear to exist" so thats why we found out, the site looks pretty for real but take my advice it is a SCAM! James - Sydney, Australia Equipment: Roland Fantom X8 with expansions Platinum Traxx, Supreme Dance, Orchestra, and Ultimate Keys. Behringer 2031B monitors, Apex AX48B (silver) stand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeronyne Posted November 10, 2004 Share Posted November 10, 2004 By the way, the escrow site they link to is also a scam. "For instance" is not proof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calumet Posted November 10, 2004 Share Posted November 10, 2004 I have bought lots of things on E-Bay and have never had a problem. Rule #1 - don't buy from anyone with no feedback. Good sign of a scam. My band Thousand Houses: www.thousandhouses.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Fiala Posted November 11, 2004 Share Posted November 11, 2004 I've bought several keyboards (korg z1, juno 106, ob-xa, andromeda) on e-bay succesfully, but I've also been scammed once (over a JP-8) My 2 cents worth: 1) always be suspicious when something is overly cheap. 2) investigate the seller - look at what the feedback is about, and who it is from, not just the numbers. 3) pay with paypal or a credit card. Don't use any service that doesn't offer fraud protection. 4) ask a few trial questions before you buy...to check the knowledge of the seller. Tom F. "It is what it is." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yahoo Posted November 12, 2004 Share Posted November 12, 2004 This must be a scam: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=64386&item=3756575901&rd=1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andym0908 Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 Interesting this... Just trying to sell a couple of items on Ebay, one, a Vaio laptop which started bidding at £1,100 - we got an email from someone saying that they'll buy it for GBP 1600 !!!! It's £1500 NEW. They wanted me to sign up to an escrow site called 'secured-ltd.co.uk' - I did this, but alarm bells were ringing, so we're not proceeding. At this stage, I've said I'll only go through an offical Escrow site, or Paypal, so now I'm waiting back to hear! I think if it seems too good to be true, then it definately is, and if your *instinct* is telling you something, however vague, then pull out of any deal. It just pisses me off how many scams are ongoing, and how many thieves are out there to mug us!!!! I nearly lost my Yamaha S08 to a Nigerian scam, but instead I sold to a local guy, who came and picked it up - much better!! Sorry, just thought I'd unload there... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sven Golly Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 You owe it to yourself to read this . Cheers, SG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike g Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 The first time I tryed ebay I was going to buy a Roland RD700 brand new out of the box for $800.00. They wanted me to us a UK pay site...I said I was going to buy it and looked into the site...Then Ebay sends me a email saying stop any further transactions with this person their acct. is being pulled!! I was Steps away from getting robbed. luckly ebay saved my $$$. They didn't want to uses Ebays pay pal or other offical ebay ways of paying for merch. Stating it's different in the UK... That should of been my first Red Flag. So from my First expierence of trying to buy from Ebay has left a sour taste in my mouth.I will never use them again. I'll only buy from someone I can drive to and see the merch. So for now I support my local music shops and keep them in business. Step out of the box and grow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sven Golly Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 I've had lots of positive transactions on eBay; it just takes some common sense. If the seller is non-committal on details about the product, or can't accurately describe something that they supposedly have in their possession, or if they want to avoid the "normal channels", then don't buy from them. If you get a "red flag" and continue, whose fault is it if the deal is a scam? Cheers, SG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike g Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 I know the Red Flag should of made me slow down and think but I was jazzed about my first ebay deal...things happen for a reason I think and ebay emailing me was a slap in my face saying "hey jackass...step back and think!!" Ya gott'a learn form those mistakes and luckly mine didn't cost me anything. Step out of the box and grow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andym0908 Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 I always thought the scams as one way, ie. BUYING something that doesn't exist, and parting with your money. Obviously it's so definately two-way, with my example being the other. I will not part with any goods I'm selling unless the money is in an offical and trusted third-party (ie. Paypal, or Escrow.com), or goods can be picked up and exchanged for cash. To reiterate, and warning bells (or red flags), then walk away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andym0908 Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 Oh, and another thing. The buyer of my goods had a long list of positives on his account. So I naturally thought "he's safe" then I thought... what if the account is fake, or the account is somehow ... not what it seems. This is what's happened. When I checked my buyers account, it shows the last activity was a year ago, so then I figure that the Ebay account HAS been hijacked, and IS being used fraudulently alongside a fraudulent Escrow website. Clever, but not clever enough Mr Bond. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bahama Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 I´ve only dealt once so far with Ebay and walked away winner. This happened last autumn when I bought a used Alesis Ion. So far I´ve nothing negative to say about the purchase. It was in great condition and cost only 545 which I thought was very cheap comparing to the prices here. I sure did check many auctions before closing on this one as I´ve heard of these scam attempts from different places and it made me aware of the risks. Fortunately my first encounter with the Ebay -monster went without me getting harmed. Maybe in the future I´ll deal with them again if my financial situation allows it. Oh, and I made sure the seller had positive feedback on his account. Bahama Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guestuserguestuser.com Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 Originally posted by Sven Golly: You owe it to yourself to read this . Cheers, SG Absolutely! It makes a heartwarming read! I wonder if it's true, though, or just someone's wish fulfillment fantasy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byrdman Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 Originally posted by Calumet: I have bought lots of things on E-Bay and have never had a problem. Rule #1 - don't buy from anyone with no feedback. Good sign of a scam. We had a scam artist here in Portland who was selling ceramics. He established himself with legitimate trades so as to get an excellent rating then perped the scam by upping his volume of business and diappearing before anyone could catch on So even if someone has good history, if their volume has gone up suddenly also be suspicious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricochet Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 Originally posted by Andym0908: This is what's happened. When I checked my buyers account, it shows the last activity was a year ago, so then I figure that the Ebay account HAS been hijacked, and IS being used fraudulently alongside a fraudulent Escrow website.Lots of "phishing" has been done with eBay's site graphics, the scammers claiming you need to renew your eBay credentials. Once they get a username and password, they can do whatever they like with that account. "A cheerful heart is good medicine." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Fiala Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 I have had some good finds on e-bay...an A-6, a moog source, a juno 106, a DSI evolver, and an OB-Xa...but I did get scammed once. Lost $300 on one of these "Second-chance" offers. Learned my lesson. Tom F. "It is what it is." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeronyne Posted March 16, 2005 Share Posted March 16, 2005 Also remember that Paypal is NOT a financial institution...they do not have the federal protections that a bank or savings & loan would have. You REALLY have to read the fine print with PayPal. "For instance" is not proof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dementia13 Posted March 16, 2005 Share Posted March 16, 2005 I've had a similar thing, where after bidding on Protools stuff I get an email from an ebayer offering some "too good to be true" bargains off auction. It's always from somebody with a low number of transactions, and the ID always traces back to the same email address. I turned them in to ebay security, and I haven't gotten that in a while, but I was getting it consistently for a while. Somebody's clearly running a script to pick out bidders on certain items. As for the "second chance" deals, I can vouch that Manny's Music does this legitimately. I got outbid on some software they had up, and they offered me a chance to purchase another copy of it...at my bid price, not at the winning bid price. Being as they're a reputable dealer and I've bought from them before, I pulled the trigger and wound up getting the software at a considerable discount. I wouldn't try that with a stranger, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andym0908 Posted March 16, 2005 Share Posted March 16, 2005 Ok, so now I need some help. I need to prevent the scam artist bidding on my items. Currently he's got a proxy bid going on two of my items for sale, so whenever someone else makes a bid, he automatically outbids them. How can I block him, retract HIS bids, anything?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sven Golly Posted March 16, 2005 Share Posted March 16, 2005 Ummm.... no offense, Andy, but wouldn't eBay's online Help have been a logical place to look? The answer you seek lies here . Cheers, SG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andym0908 Posted March 16, 2005 Share Posted March 16, 2005 Did this already... Just a little worried that it won't stop his proxy bid. Am I over-worrying? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sven Golly Posted March 16, 2005 Share Posted March 16, 2005 No idea... but a search for "cancel bid" leads to an entry on cancelling bids on your sale . Worst-case scenario: cancel your current auction, ensure the scammer is in your blocked bidder list, and re-list the item. Cheers, SG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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