22 replies to this topic

[vamps!]

I don't know if i can do this showmasters, however i am only looking out for fellow members interests, so i'm going to do it anyway.

Recently a member of my family attempted to purchase a video camera via Ebay, this camera cost £900.00.

All the information and contact details seemed genuine, in fact several emails were exchanged.  Once he had made payment with his credit card, he never heard from this seller again.  In fact he is still waiting for his camera.

It turns out that the whole advert was a scam, as a result an investigation for fraud is now underway.

I would like to ask members to be careful, i wouldn't want to see this happening again.  Just remember if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.  Also please be careful that oyu don't give out your banking details, unless your absolutley sure that the offer is genuine.

[Sam_21]

OMG thats terrible,I hope that they get the person.....Thankyou 4 letting us know.

[roxy]

That's terrible! I'm really sorry for your friend, I really hope they get them too.  

[vamps!]

thans peeps, so do i.  hopefully he will get his money back via insurance although no garuntees.

[DavidB]

Hey I'm sorry to hear that! Makes people feel weird about using eBay, but I have used it a lot and there ARE genuine people on there so u've just gotta be realllly careful, dont get put off about using it cuz there's more genuine people than scam people but hey .. guess it happens in life - some people r genuine, some arent!  

[vamps!]

Yes good point David, but i just wanted everyone to be cautious, there are genuine people on there, it's just a shame that there are some people that has to spoil it for everyone else.

[DavidB]

Personally, there's usually a few rules I use .. for REALLY expensive stuff (I'd say like £100 and over) then I wudnt buy from anyone with under 100 positive feedback .. there are people that'll sell on there for a living, and u can tell that it's gonna be safe. I wudnt risk buying anything expensive from anyone that has slightly low feedback, only cuz .. well, whats the point? U mite wanna save money but quality can be bad and somethin like this can happen! Better to buy from sumwhere else, reputable shop or website .. there's a hell of a lot of cheap electrical places online    I'd keep eBay for cheap-ish stuff.

[vamps!]

i would say , please be extremely careful of oversea sellers, this particular person that has conned money out of my father in law was in Greece and was using somebody elses identity.  Sorry i forgot to point that out earlier.

[DavidB]

Mmm here's a few rules for any1 using eBay:

(1) ALWAYS check the feedback .. anyone under 10 positive is risky, that would be someone with SUNGLASSES   ... for buying AND selling, I'd contact the person BEFORE you buy/sell.

(2) If they've got NEGATIVE feedback, see if they've got an explanation for it .. if not, don't buy from them  

(3) If there's similar items going from different people, then buy from the one with the best feedback, even if it may be a lil bit more expensive .. at least u'll get it  

and finally (4) Not all ppl on eBay are evil, such as ME lol seriously, just be careful, don't take everyone for their word .. if someone's got 0 feedback .. dont do it lol But if someone has low feedback, doesn't necessarily mean they're evil .. everyone's gotta start somewhere, right?  

[houdinia]

DavidB6937, on Jun 8 2003, 07:54 PM, said:

Mmm here's a few rules for any1 using eBay:

(1) ALWAYS check the feedback .. anyone under 10 positive is risky, that would be someone with SUNGLASSES   ... for buying AND selling, I'd contact the person BEFORE you buy/sell.

(2) If they've got NEGATIVE feedback, see if they've got an explanation for it .. if not, don't buy from them  

(3) If there's similar items going from different people, then buy from the one with the best feedback, even if it may be a lil bit more expensive .. at least u'll get it  

and finally (4) Not all ppl on eBay are evil, such as ME lol seriously, just be careful, don't take everyone for their word .. if someone's got 0 feedback .. dont do it lol But if someone has low feedback, doesn't necessarily mean they're evil .. everyone's gotta start somewhere, right?  

so what do YOU buy on ebay david?       

[tooty_fruity]

i bought some teddy ruxpin books 4 £3 once. everything was ok and i got the books but u cant b too careful! sorry bout the camera deal.
people have also sold their piccies from c3 on there, i saw some. jus try and b as carful as poss!

Kirsty xx

[DavidB]

Hmm I've bought ... Buffy figures, Angel figures, Movie Maniacs figures, CDs, DVDs, umm some clothes (new, not used lol) and umm books, some videos .. generally try to keep to cheapish stuff   definitely not anything expensive lol .. prob cuz I dont trust em and I cant actually afford it lol  

[emotionalvampire]

How did they pay?  Most credit cards offer insurance for purchases over £100.  If it was an online transaction through someone like PayPal, they can normally reverse the transactions.
eBay also offers insurance for purcahses over, I think, £75.

[vamps!]

yes it was via credit card, hopefully it will get sorted.  The police and ebay are looking into it now

[LOTR Fan]

That's really awful about what happened.

I always panic that I've been conned when I buy stuff on Ebay but everything has always worked out. Not that I buy a lot of stuff anyway...

LOTR Fan

[Oubliette]

big ebayer myself buying and selling, I have used it for a fair fews years now, and most people are honest- though there are hell of a lot who aren't. I think I have been conned about five times, Its not fun, and its normally overseas (sending cash etc). It would be better to use paypal, but both paypal and ebay are so anti-not america that you have to pay huge costs all the time.

[DavidSimons]

As some people who know me, will be aware I also both buy and sell on eBay and I agree with most of the posts on the subject. Most people out there in the eBay community are genuine, but there are a few bad apples and I've been ripped off before.

The only piece of advice I'd add to what's been said before is look at the persons Feeback %. Anyone can get negative feedback (I got one once from someone who didn't pay me for an item he'd bought from me and blamed me for not reminding him often enough before selling it to someone else two months later). But I think reputable dealers will find feedback % should never go below 99%+ positive.

I agree that for larger sales look for higher feedback rating, or you can always ask them to escrow the item if the price makes it worth you paying for that.

[martine]

i'm an ebayer myself . i buy a lot of stuff from movies. you have to be really really carefull about autographs, original posters and lobby cards a lot of them are fake. trust me i know from expierence. especially the autographs. sometimes these so called autographs don't even look a little bit on the real deal...but that doesn't mean it's all fake

[Indiana]

I won a Halloween novel in an Ebay auction and once I had won it and payed the seller stopped emailing me.

Weeks went by since I had won. I sent several emails asking when the book would be sent out but he just refused to reply. I then checked his feedback and found that several people found him to be like this. So I contacted Ebay and they suggested we sort it out between ourselves first. So I tried this and emailed again. No response.

However, as I had legitimate proof of my payment, and of his previous emails I threatened to contact his local law authority if I didn't hear from him in the next two days.

He contacted me immediately, and the book arrived the following week.

Never underestimate the power of Obi-Wan!

Obi-Wan  

[emotionalvampire]

martine, on Jun 9 2003, 12:37 PM, said:

i'm an ebayer myself . i buy a lot of stuff from movies. you have to be really really carefull about autographs, original posters and lobby cards a lot of them are fake. trust me i know from expierence. especially the autographs. sometimes these so called autographs don't even look a little bit on the real deal...but that doesn't mean it's all fake

The problem is, eBay do not really give a s***.  There are loads of really bad fakers on.  I have contacted eBay on several occasions regarding these sellers and their fake merchandise and they do bugger all.
If you want to have some fun (well its pretty dull actually) go to Anthony Daniels (C3-P0) website, he lists and slates eBay sellers selling his 'fake' autograph.
The rule I normally stick when buying autographs is only buy from a UACC registered dealer.