eBay Scammer Afoot!

[MrObsessive]

Just want to give you guys a heads up as there's yet another eBay scammer I've run across. I surf the vintage section of eBay pretty regularly, and the other day I happened to notice a very clean built '61 Lincoln Continental for a "Buy It Now" price of $15 and free shipping------------coming from China.

I said "No way....that's GOT to be a typo"! I got nosy and watched the auction as I wanted to see if they either would make a "correction" or someone in their excitement would buy it without thinking. I was even telling someone at work about it and even though they're not a model hobbyist, they right away saw it as a scam.

About an hour later when I went to check on the auction, POOF it was gone. No trace of it, nothing in the completed auctions........ZILCH. I even "followed" the seller as something seemed fishy and this individual has a ZERO feedback and literally just joined. There was nothing in their completed auctions as well. OK...........

Just this morning, I'm cruising the vintage section again, and I see a Johan '69 Road Runner very nicely built for $18 coming once again from China with free shipping. I thought, OK---------whoever this is, they're trying to run a scam, and I can bet you eBay will yank that one too. I put it in my watch list, and as of a little while ago, POOF it was gone too. Nothing in the completed auctions section, and the "seller" had changed their handle slightly, but I'm quite positive it was the same person. Their handle is all kinds of letters and numbers-----no definitive words or anything, and they're based in China. Not to knock the Chinese, bad folks are everywhere!

Just be on the lookout.........you know the old saying "If it's too good to be true, then it probably is".

To the newbies, watch out------the sharks are out there..........

[Mike Chernecki]

I have seen this as well, Seller from China with zero feedback and zero history selling new kits for next to nothing. Different seller name every time but same style. I have seen this with the Pagani and new Lamborghini kits from Aoshima. Check back a few days later to see progress and can't find it or the seller, can't find it in my watched items either.

[Mike999]

Thanks for the heads-up!  I'm an old eBay hand. But I try to remember that the best way for me to get scammed is to start thinking I'm too smart to get scammed.

A few days ago I was surfing eBay late at night, watching "Ending Soonest" in Models & Kits. Saw an airplane kit I'd wanted for a long time, standard auction with a fairly low opening bid.  The seller only had about 15 feedbacks, mostly as a buyer, and no recent sales.  That worried me.

But I went ahead and submitted the lowest bid possible, won the auction.  Got the kit in the mail 2 days later.  So the guy wasn't a crook, just an eBayer who doesn't sell very much.

[MrObsessive]

If someone has a low feedback (between 1-10) I'd like to give them the benefit of the doubt. We all had to start new at some point with eBay, and I remember the first thing I ever won-------the old IMC Dodge L-700 which I still have and haven't tackled yet!

But with this character, the very low price was a giveaway-----and the fact that it was a "Buy It Now" and not a regular auction raised my "beware" antenna quite high.

[Maindrian Pace]

Used to see it all the time on ebay with real cars. Auctions like a pristine '69 Boss 429 Mustang for $8500 BIN, with the usual BS story; owner overseas on business, car in a different state, must use their shipper and prepay shipping, etc. I always reported them, they always got taken down in minutes, sometimes even seconds, and haven't seen that kind of scammage there for a long time. Anything for a buck.

[CabDriver]

Someone in China was selling new unbuild Uncertain T kits (worth maybe $250-300) for $20 or something ridiculous.  They sold a couple of them too it looked like - that seemed like a scam to me too

[retired & glad]

I've only had a couple of things gone bad on Ebay. The only one I remember was a Ham radio that was stated as excellent and worked great. It didn't. Dents in the housing etc. etc. 

A few years back I got an email that my motorcycle had listed. I don't and never have had a motorcycle. I went to the listing and it was all correct as far as my names and things went. The ad stated that the listing had some watching but no bids. It also said the motorcycle was in Canada and the person was in the USA and who ever won it would have to pick it up from Canada.

I contacted Ebay and Paypal about the false listing and they pulled it. I always look at the feedback and check the negative, if any, to see how someone does business.

Richard

[gtx6970]

Nothing new. Been happening almost since  Ebays beginning.

Craigslist is nearly as bad or worst anymore .

Its buyer beware . I'm a firm believer ' if it feels to good to be true it probably is ' motto .

 

This is just one of the reasons why my Paypal account is NOT connected to my personal bank account .  Far to risky of a chance of fraud , it would be just my luck these scammers would find a backdoor in and clean out my bank account.

Paypal is my toy fund. When I sell something It enables me to buy  something. When I sell something the money just sits there till I find something I feel the need to own. If I don't have enough money in my account, its simple ,,,,I do without till I do.

Plus, when I buy something the seller has up till about 3 or 4  days before the opportunity to get my money back evaporates before I file a complaint. And an added personal pet peeve of mine, dont buy outside the states.

I got burned pretty bad by a Paypal / Ebay buyer in Los Angeles a few years back. And it left a nasty taste in my mouth for PayPals  so called "sellers assistant "  (((((   aka - your screwed you should have seen it coming crew .)))   But Someday I'll knock on his door . And its not going to be a pretty re-union.

 

[vintagercr]

I've been looking for a '58 Buick and got a note from EBay this morning and it must be the same person because the buy it now price was cheap.   Didn't chance it

[kelson]

I've seen these same sellers on Ebay,the other day a mint unbuilt 64 'el camino with the 'buy it now' option for only $20 dollars.was tempted but didn't,i see today another seller with a 72'Impala promo for the low price of $20 dollars hopefully nobody is taking the bait.

[droogie]

You folks sound like some pretty savvy small ticket luxury item shoppers. BTW, e bay has a money back guarantee policy:

https://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/money-back-guarantee.html

[Tom Geiger]

And watch out for Chinese sellers of cheap junk. There is a loophole in a trade agreement that lets them ship to USA cheaper than a US seller. I bought a couple phone charger cords and wall plugs that looked good but did not work. My phone actually rejected them as dangerous!  

You write the seller and they tell you to send it back knowing you cannot because the postage is more than you spent!

They even mascarade as US sellers.  I needed a pair of windshield washer nozzles. Take a look, there are thousands for sale by China sellers. I found a US seller listed as being in New Jersey. I paid about double what the China sellers were asking. A week later I get them shipped from China. Again, worthless junk that doesn't work. The nozzles shoot at the bottom of windshield and hose ends are too small to hold the hose in place.  

[Mr mopar]

Good thing I read this thread ............ I did see where this ebayer from china was selling a 72'charger built up it looked fishy to me .

thank you Bill for the heads up !

[Zen]

Dang, I think I got had by this seller or someone just like it. Bought a California Street Vette for a cheap price then realized it was from seller in China. Got too excited and hit the buy it now, thought it was too good to be true afterwards. Oh well, live & learn I guess.....

[Dodge Driver]

I see the China scammers are using names,photos and text of established sellers. Be extra careful before committing to buy.

[MrObsessive]

What's weird is that one of the models that got deleted by eBay coming from that Chinese seller, still showed up this morning on my "Ending Soon" list!

Of course when you click on the listing..........POOF! eBay tells you that the item has been removed, or is "no longer available" Frank, I swear people like that stare at the ceiling at midnight, banging their knuckles against the headboard, wondering how to beat folks like us out of our money.

Incredible!

[MrObsessive]

.............And they just won't stop!

1961 Plymouth Fury with "free shipping".

[MrObsessive]

I won't list them here, but I've just run across a BUNCH of other auctions by this joker. No doubt it's the same guy, just using different account handles.

eBay REALLY needs to start clamping down on this BS. Someone unfortunately is going to get wiped out financially if they're not on their toes. I can almost bet that if you "buy" something from them, they might have a way of hijacking your account, and then you're really in a world of hurt!

[Dodge Driver]

.............And they just won't stop!

1961 Plymouth Fury with "free shipping".

Criminal! Those photos and text are from an established seller with an excellent rep.

He's scamming buyers and damaging the reputation of legit sellers!

[Dave Van]

While I agree it looks 100% like a scammer........as a BUYER it is VERY difficult to get scammed on ebay.....if you have an average IQ. 

I have been using ebay since 1998 and NEVER been taken as a BUYER. I have been inconvenienced a number of times......last time was this week. I bought a socket wrench organizer tray. Seller was a scammer, I never got it.....filed a claim and got my money in four days after ebay delivery date was missed. SO I was out my money for a week or two....but got 100% of it back.  So was I scammed or just inconvenienced??? I have been scammed a few times outside ebay by people stealing my money when I ordered something and never delivered.....bet most of us here have. But never on ebay.....is ebay perfect...NO......but I do not worry much about any scammers. 

[MrObsessive]

Dave, you gotta wonder about newbies though that see something (might be a gift for a friend or relative), and they jump at the "great price" and free shipping. The scammers know that, so while us out here in the fringe get what they're doing, it's those that are new (I include those that could be new here on the board too), that you have to worry a little about. 

There must be a certain percentage that they're counting on to fall for the nonsense, otherwise they wouldn't keep on trying.

[Xingu]

Just a reminder, you cannot post links to items you are selling.

[Dave Van]

Newbie has the same protection if they follow the rules as us that have been on for 20 years. 

The scammers are hoping they can get the money, withdraw it before they are discovered.  IF they do ebay and paypal take the hit.....but it is such a small percentage overall.....it's considered 'cost of doing business'. 

End of the story.....ebay sellers stand to loose MUCH more than any buyer ever can.  Just use your basic living skills. 

[peteski]

I also have doubts that if a listing disappears, how can a buyer be scammed.  Ok, if someone does buy the item, I don't think the listing cab be deleted after it is sold.  SO that woudl show up in that sellers completed items history.  If the listing is pulled by the it usually still shows up with a reason it ended early.  I'm not sure if there is an option to just delete the listing but then again, that would have to be done before someone bought it.  So how does the scam work?

I also noticed some strange activities from a Chinese seller.  I watch for the Revell Can-Do wrecker kit and few weeks ago there were 2 listings for that kit from China by a seller with zero  feedback for a really low price and free shipping.  I found that odd since it is a rather large box.  I was watching both listings and one of them was actually completed (someone bought the kit) while the 2nd listing just disappeared.  The sellers name is skvhv689097 and I'm watching to see if they will get a feedback for the kit that sold.

 

Edited July 17, 2017 by peteski

[ChrisBcritter]

I messaged both the previous seller (he responded that he'd heard from many people about it) and eBay early this morning; the listing has been pulled.