Just lost my eBay scam virginity!
Discussion
Well, almost.
Saw an item listed with a BIN price of £99 (less than half the normal half what these things normally go for, which should have rang some warning bells, but sometimes this happens when people have no idea what they're worth and don't do their research). The listing said the item was in Sutton Coldfield and also had a best offer option, so I put in a cheeky bid of �75, which to my surprise was accepted. As always, I paid immediately through Paypal (got that 100% rep to keep up!) and this is where things started getting hinky.
The purchase sat their for several days not having completed, just saying 'check Paypal transaction' - when I did this I could see the money hadn't been claimed. Also, the email associated to the account is registered in Milan, not sunny Brum. Then today I get a call from the 'seller' on a Serbian phone number trying to get me to make the payment to a different account and I tell him a) it's already been paid to the account associated with the eBay account, and b) I'm not sending any money anywhere else. He says he will go check the account to see if the money's there but by this point my spidey senses have gone beyond tingling and are now slapping me around the head repeatedly.
So, paypal payment cancelled, 'seller' emailed to say why (basically, he's a thief) and eBay called to let them know and investigate.
Not sure why I'm posting all this, but it goes to show that someone who's usually very careful and picks up on these things sometimes can get caught out.
The 'seller' may still raise a dispute, but I'm not concerned as the ad is clearly deliberately inaccurate at best.
Saw an item listed with a BIN price of £99 (less than half the normal half what these things normally go for, which should have rang some warning bells, but sometimes this happens when people have no idea what they're worth and don't do their research). The listing said the item was in Sutton Coldfield and also had a best offer option, so I put in a cheeky bid of �75, which to my surprise was accepted. As always, I paid immediately through Paypal (got that 100% rep to keep up!) and this is where things started getting hinky.
The purchase sat their for several days not having completed, just saying 'check Paypal transaction' - when I did this I could see the money hadn't been claimed. Also, the email associated to the account is registered in Milan, not sunny Brum. Then today I get a call from the 'seller' on a Serbian phone number trying to get me to make the payment to a different account and I tell him a) it's already been paid to the account associated with the eBay account, and b) I'm not sending any money anywhere else. He says he will go check the account to see if the money's there but by this point my spidey senses have gone beyond tingling and are now slapping me around the head repeatedly.
So, paypal payment cancelled, 'seller' emailed to say why (basically, he's a thief) and eBay called to let them know and investigate.
Not sure why I'm posting all this, but it goes to show that someone who's usually very careful and picks up on these things sometimes can get caught out.
The 'seller' may still raise a dispute, but I'm not concerned as the ad is clearly deliberately inaccurate at best.
And the plot thickens. Item duly arrived, as described and working, from Belgrade. Kept to the deal and tried to pay via Paypal but he's unable to accept the payment for some reason. He has suggested I cancel the Paypal payment (again) and send the money via Western Union, deducting any fees from the amount I send.
Normally I wouldn't touch Western Union with someone else's barge pole, but I've got the goods so am struggling to see if there's any catch.
Normally I wouldn't touch Western Union with someone else's barge pole, but I've got the goods so am struggling to see if there's any catch.
Jefferson Steelflex said:
ViperDave said:
any chance you will send the money via some non reversible method and then in a few days/weeks later you'll get an invoice from the real (also scammed) supplier followed by a final demand and CCJ
Bingo - I have heard of something similar in the past although the CCJ point isn't valid. You haven't said if you signed for the package, which is going to be a key point.
To cover yourself, raise a dispute with eBay saying you cancelled the agreement owing to 'concerns' and the seller also refusing to accept the Paypal, yet you received the goods. eBay should offer to resolve with free return postage.
To answer some of the other comments:
Impasse said:
What goods? 
CoolHands said:
Just keep it and tell him to f
k off
I'm not a thief; this is not an option. Besides, I've already told him I've received it.k offGareth79 said:
Stolen? Is it something that could be stolen but is easily sold on ebay and best resold to a different country?
Highly unlikely. Shakermaker said:
You're having a st week aren't you!
Hope it picks up for you soon!
You have no idea! t week aren't you!Hope it picks up for you soon!
Thanks for your thoughts though.I'm going to tell him I'm not comfortable making payment outside of eBay/Paypal and will contact them to see if they can resolve the matter, and suggest he does the same. I don't want to return the item unless there's no other option - getting another at this price is highly unlikely; they normally sell for £200+
Ok, he's now saying to forget Western Union, but pay through Paypal via his email address. Yeah, like that's going to happen 
I can't make up my mind whether this is some incredibly complex scam, a really, really stupid one, or he's just a bit confused. He keeps banging on about Paypal wanting him to make a business account because he's sold more than 50 things on eBay, which is why, presumably, he say he can't claim the money. I've told him to sort it out with Paypal as I'm not going outside of the eBay/Paypal accounts the item was sold through.
I can't make up my mind whether this is some incredibly complex scam, a really, really stupid one, or he's just a bit confused. He keeps banging on about Paypal wanting him to make a business account because he's sold more than 50 things on eBay, which is why, presumably, he say he can't claim the money. I've told him to sort it out with Paypal as I'm not going outside of the eBay/Paypal accounts the item was sold through.
Sump said:
Have you tripple checked the item.
Drugs inside the item, gets delivered, thieves break into your place and take said drugs.
I wouldn't have even accepted it from the outset. The payment is likely to keep in touch with you to make sure you're still on radar whilst they perform the operation.
Seriously? Drugs inside the item, gets delivered, thieves break into your place and take said drugs.
I wouldn't have even accepted it from the outset. The payment is likely to keep in touch with you to make sure you're still on radar whilst they perform the operation.
Congratulations on the most outlandish suggestion so far!
havoc said:
One thought - if he can provide POD that you've received the goods, will PayPal honour the original transaction?
If so, he then gets paid by you twice - the original disputed claim gets released, AFTER you've sent the 2nd payment...
That, in essence, my concern. I wouldn't send another payment unless the first is cancelled, which is still an option. I suppose he could then open a dispute with eBay but as there's no proof of delivery (the item was sent untracked) then he won't get very far. Maybe the best thing to do is to agree with him that I cancel the PayPal payment, he cancels the sale and I then send him the money separately via his email/PayPal.If so, he then gets paid by you twice - the original disputed claim gets released, AFTER you've sent the 2nd payment...
Thoughts?
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