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January 2006
Posts: 2120
Location: Chicago | I have a weird situation on ebay. Here is the history. Is this a scam?
1. I bid on a Boss 1600CD recorder ($800)
2. I am narrowly outbid, but shortly...
3. I'm notified that the winner backed out
4. I renew my bid, I win, and pay by PayPal
5. Suddenly PayPal tells me my $800 were refunded
6. The seller attaches a personal note saying she'd like a check or money order: "Message from merchant: PAYPAL wont release money in 21 days, I can't wait that long. Since I had shipped your item, I am taking the risk of refunding the money and ask you to send a money order or check to CHARLES W....."
7. She claims to have shipped the Boss recorder ALREADY, however....
8. I log onto USPS and get this suspicious text:
"The U.S. Postal Service was electronically notified by the shipper on May 31, 2008 to expect your package for mailing. This does not indicate receipt by the USPS or the actual mailing date. Delivery status information will be provided if / when available. Information, if available, is updated every evening. Please check again later." |
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Joined:
August 2002
Posts: 8307
Location: Tennessee | If it was me, I'd wait until the Boss was in my hands before sending a check or money order. It might be legit, but it could be a new more sophisticated scam. My bet is on the latter. |
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December 2006
Posts: 6268
Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | She probably can't wait 21 days for PP. Although that's quite a spell. She's probably not a 'verified' PP user which can make a difference in receiving funds. Or she just realized the PP fees...
You have your PP refund and the item is probably on the way.
It can take a day or so for USPS to get the item and put it in the system, especially just prior to and during the weekend. Just wait until you get the item and send her the money. |
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October 2006
Posts: 118
Location: Winter Haven, FL | First, I would contact the seller through the actual auction page, not through any email correspondence to verify it is even them you are corresponding with. From there, I'd still wait to receive the recorder. If the auction stated that they accepted PayPal, then they should accept PayPal. Best case scenario, you still have to go out of your way to buy them a money order. |
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Joined:
April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Good advice from all.
If the seller shipped the item and then refunded the paypal and asked for a check, it smells a bit.
I would email seller through ebay and explain you can't get your refunded money from paypal for 21 days and when you receive it, if you have received the item, you will send her the money.
Remember, the new feedback system is supposed to help protect you in cases just like this. The seller CAN'T post negative feedback to your account so wait the 21 days and then proceed.
All the confusion is because of the seller. |
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November 2006
Posts: 3969
| I've yet to see an item shipped to me by USPS show up in their system until it's been actually delivered, so I wouldn't bet on seeing anything on their website.
If the seller shipped the item before having confirmed payment of any sort, that's their mistake.
The whole thing smells like week-old fish to me. Stephen's advice is good - contact the seller through the auction page in case of future eBay dispute.
In any case, I wouldn't send so much as a penny in any form until I had the item in hand. |
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August 2006
Posts: 3145
Location: Marlton, NJ | All that USPS message means is that she logged into USPS online and set up a shipment. It's not actually shipped until she brings it to the post office - which could be never. |
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January 2006
Posts: 1132
Location: NW Washington State | There are new eBay policies, one of them might hold a seller's funds for 3 weeks so that the buyer can verify that they received the item as advertised. So it could be that the seller didn't know this and is confused.
If the seller is using USPS Online Postage, they might have paid for and printed a label. This could generate the message you saw, even if they haven't taken anything to the post office.
Don't even think of sending a check or money order. As others have said, wait for the item to arrive. Then send another payment via PayPal.
-Steve W. |
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September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | Your gut reaction has already said something ain't right.
Trust it. |
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January 2006
Posts: 2120
Location: Chicago | Thanks fellas. It really does "smell funny": she shipped the goods and then refunded the money. BTW a snail-mail check to Texas plus deposit and clearing time takes quite a while too.....
eBay has PULLED the listing so I cannot
"talk" to Ms. Angelo except through the email she left on PayPal..... |
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September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Yes... :mad:
Originally posted by Slipkid:
Your gut reaction has already said something ain't right.
Trust it. I sell stuff on eBay, and they are always sending me updates in my "Messages" box...
I have read nothing... and I have never heard of any 3 week waiting period.
I just checked my email history... Lot of stuff from pay pal, receipts and updates... Nothing about new policies regarding holding payments.
I have had Pay Pal hold my refunds (from other sellers) for a day or two, cuz my money hadn't made it through for the original sale yet (so they couldn't send it back yet).
I believe that at the time of my first sale I had a feedback rating of 26, and everything went right through no problem, no waiting.
When I bought my first Guitar on eBay (4861) there was a hold-up with the seller wanting to transfer Pay Pal money into his bank account... But it was like 24 hours, not 21 Days.
I have also had one Bogus Second Offer.... It had the yellow border and all that eBay stuff. But it did not show-up on My eBay Messages, and when I tried to contact the Real Seller they said that they don't do Do-Overs.
The advice about waiting is good! They might think you are a jerk... But. |
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November 2006
Posts: 3969
| Originally posted by dobro:
eBay has PULLED the listing so I cannot
"talk" to Ms. Angelo except through the email she left on PayPal..... That pretty much seals it as a scam. Completed listings are available for 90 days after completion. I would forward any communication (including the demand for a money order) to eBay. Not that it would necessarily do any good, since it looks like they already suspect problems with this seller, but it would give them more ammunition. Do the same with PayPal. |
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September 2005
Posts: 3619
Location: GATLINBURG TENNESSEE :) | I agree with the above statement that she PROBABLY just realized how much she was losing in PayPal fees, and now she's trying to keep from paying them. The first thing I always do on a transaction is get the seller's contact phone number as soon as I complete the transaction. I call and speak with them in person to get the REAL scoop. The way it appears to me is if she really sent it to you, all you have to do is wait it out and see. If she didn't, you're not out anything except for your time. I DEFINTELY wouldn't send her a dime until I had the thing in my hands. |
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May 2008
Posts: 16
Location: new jersey, u.s.a. | i agree with all the others who advise you to wait until you have received the item before you send any money. it is essential to be totally familiar with ebay's policies and proceedures. if not, "then you pays your money and takes your chances". |
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January 2006
Posts: 2120
Location: Chicago | Yeah, the first thing that puzzled me was the notice that the "winner" had "backed out". I did not know you could back out that easily. What lured me was the fact that this BOSS 1600CD was still pristine ("factory sealed")...
I sent the seller my work phone/voice mail.
I'll take the advice: not a dime until I see the goods and talk "live" to the seller. |
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April 2006
Posts: 2491
Location: Copenhagen Denmark | Gregg , sorry to hear about yer troubles , but 800 dollars for a 2hand ?...NEW it goes for 1050 on Graigslist , and , did you solve the trouble with that 3000 B mic. ?...
BTW , are you using a BOSE L-1 with it`s dedicated mixer ?..if so , how will you hook -up that BOSS ? ( or is it intended for studio use only ? )...questions...questions...I know !.. :rolleyes:
Vic
..Oh yeah , allways buy a complicated appliance like that New !!...( unless ye`ve borrowed one from a friend and are absolutely thrilled with it ) :) |
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January 2006
Posts: 1132
Location: NW Washington State | Originally posted by Old Man Arthur:
I have read nothing... and I have never heard of any 3 week waiting period.
I just checked my email history... Lot of stuff from pay pal, receipts and updates... Nothing about new policies regarding holding payments. Arthur-
They have so many new policies that nobody could read them all. eBay will soon be sanitized so that it's like buying from WalMart or Safeway. They call this one "safer payments" and it applies to sellers with limited/crappy records or some "high risk" items. Link: http://pages.ebay.com/sell/update08/rewardsfaq/#17
Could be that this seller is honest and was caught by the new policy.
Could be that they are ripoff artists.
Who knows?
-Steve W. |
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September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | I stand corrected...
Could be that I won't be using eBarf to sell either!
I got less than a 100 Feedback points... |
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August 2002
Posts: 8307
Location: Tennessee | With the amount of money that gets pumped through eBay and PayPal, the amount of money eBay is going to make on 21 days hold on funds is incredibly huge. |
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October 2006
Posts: 118
Location: Winter Haven, FL | Originally posted by stonebobbo:
With the amount of money that gets pumped through eBay and PayPal, the amount of money eBay is going to make on 21 days hold on funds is incredibly huge. I was thinking the same thing. And I'm sure they're allowed to use it as collateral for their PayPal Buyer Credit, so they can up the amount they lend and charge 20%+ on.
I think my Ebay days are over. It's just gotten worse and worse. I'm seriously considering closing my seller account so it isn't at risk of being hijacked since I won't be using it anymore. |
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April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Nothing wrong with ebay.
It is the scam artists that cause the problems.
Probably one reason why I never buy or bid on an item from any seller that is not "established" under my personal criteria. |
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Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 2120
Location: Chicago | I'm learning. And thanks again for the great input. I imagine that if I do not hear from the seller directly (and of course, if I receive nothing) I'll just move on. Plenty of similar units. The going rate on ebay (Boss 1600 cd) ranges from 550 to 750. Yes, 800 is high but it was "sealed".... Am I a sucker?
Vic: We are just doing a logical upgrade to Jeff's home studio. He is VERY skilled with his Boss 1180 CD four track but that machine is terribly limited with only ONE recording input. So we're thinking: why not get a 16 track. In the process it will allow us to record semi-live with direct lines in AND the AKG mic (for example). I hope to experiment with the Boss to see if its phantom power is sufficient to get a good sound from the AKG. So the Boss is for recording only. The BOSE L1 is simply superior for live work. We played a gig Saturday in a sweet room that just lit up when we plugged in. Our setup is simple: two guitars, reverb, a little chorus and Jeff's Roland synth. |
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December 2001
Posts: 10583
Location: NJ | just because someone does not take pay pal does not mean they are a scam artist.
but in this case
run |
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Posts: 3084
Location: Brisbane Australia | I think good advice Al |
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December 2004
Posts: 370
Location: Isle of Man, UK | If the seller is legit, they'll fully understand your "I'll pay you when it gets here" as any reasonable person would. If not, then they'll start shouting like an unreasonable person.
Sit on it for the moment. If it turns up, send the money and a bunch of flowers. If not, run as the others have said - what have you lost? Nowt...
JB |
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Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 2120
Location: Chicago | Decided: I just sit tight. How long can a package take to arrive from Texas?
If nothing turns up, I move on!
I'm left puzzled. If this IS a scam it's pretty darn lame.
Thanks again for the insight and advice! |
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Help! IAm I being scammed on ebay (?)