How to spot a scammer on eBay

CharlieWaffles · #1 12-26-2012, 11:47 AM

I post this as it is ridiculous what is about to happen to some aviation enthusiasts/pilots and potentially VAFs on eBay. There are some "brand new Bose A20" headsets for sale on ebay and the seller is obviously a scammer.

So let me show you how you can tell and if you are one of the current bidders, you should be aware of it now.

1) All three items by the seller are the same picture - http://www.ebay.com/sch/bryanttx66/m...p2047675.l2562

2) Look at their feedback (http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAP...edbackAsSeller). They have NEVER sold an item and now they are selling three $1000 headsets starting at $.99?

3) Look at their BUYING feedback (http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAP...eedbackAsBuyer). All of their purchases are on about the same day. The items you can look at (http://www.ebay.com/itm/110853961494) are purchased for $.99. So for $13 they have established a positive profile.

If you are one of the current bidders, its not too late to retract your bid if you are concerned (http://ocs.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...e&topicid=1273).

ScottSchmidt · #2 12-26-2012, 12:40 PM

I was scammed once and ebay/pal quickly refunded my money.
Make sure you always use Paypal.

Alex D · #3 12-26-2012, 01:40 PM

Thanks for the information, that is good to know.

Jerry Cochran · #4 12-26-2012, 01:43 PM

I just reported it to eBay so hopefully they will investigate and at least put a hold on it. Very scary as he has bids around $700... Good catch Mark, you may have saved fellow pilots a lot of buck$!!!

Jerry

rocketbob · #5 12-26-2012, 01:46 PM

As a seller on ebay without a certain # of positive seller feedbacks payment will be delayed until 5 days after the buyer receives the package. So its pretty much impossible to get scammed on ebay anymore where you couldn't get your payment back if paying with paypal. They will probably never get a package. So unless the seller tries to scam you into direct payment, its impossible to get scammed.

N546RV · #6 12-26-2012, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScottSchmidt

I was scammed once and ebay/pal quickly refunded my money.
Make sure you always use Paypal.

Or a good credit card. I went through the Paypal dispute process once with a deadbeat seller; I got my money back, but it took over a week as I recall.

The next time I got hosed on an auction, I'd paid with my card. When it became clear that I wasn't going to receive anything and the seller wasn't going to respond to my inquiries, I called my bank and had the funds back the next morning.

chaskuss · #7 12-26-2012, 07:09 PM

Mark,
Just because he has a low opening bid amount, does not mean this is a scam. What it most likely means, is that he has a friend who will act as a "schill" for him. EBay charges an extra fee for setting a reserve bid amount.
I see that EBay has pulled those auctions off the site. The #1 sign that you are being scammed is when the seller wants payment via Western Union or similar. You have NO recourse, if you don't pay via PayPal or a quality credit card.
Your comments about how he achieved positive feedback are excellent.
Charlie

CharlieWaffles · #8 12-26-2012, 07:13 PM

It was the low price that was suspicious, it was that along with all the other signs.

PerfTech · #9 12-27-2012, 10:36 AM

....When paying for anything on-line with Pay-Pal (E-Bay or all others) the buyer is 100% protected and it is impossible to get scammed or to loose your money. In actuality the opposite is what seems to occur on a regular basis. We do about 90K ( Turbos R Us) monthly on E-Bay so we see it all. We get scammed regularly by buyers that have it planned from the get-go and as sellers we can't prevent it. A seller is not even allowed to leave bad feedback for a non paying, or thief buyer. Bottom line is "The Buyer Can't Loose" a dime under any circumstances. Thanks, Allan......