This guy needs a hand!

[JoeG]

First of all I really feel bad for this fella and though I don't buy on e-bay on a regular basis I have been very fortunate not to get scammed[ lucky ]---So what I really am getting/looking for is a condensed version of e-bay 101--- if you have access to sellers past neg/pos deals & customers past neg/pos responses--not to be nieve--do sellers just go bad or am I missing a loophole[trick]--Just trying to avoid the same fate ---Again--sad but too often story--short of rearranging his skeletal structure if you could find this piece of work--This poor guy will have to hope the US postal service cancels this guy for a long time.---JoeG [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img]

[Jeff H]

Unfortunately, if someone is looking to scam you, they can do it. They will have extra email accounts acting like different people who have bought successfully from the person who claims to be selling the item. Always beware of people who insist on a specific form of payment like Postal Money orders, beware of someone with no form of contact other than a cell phone or unlisted number and beware of someone who is trying to push you to do something too quickly. If it makes you feel uncomfortable, then back out. I was scammed by someone outside of Ebay and he had the knowledge of the cars and multiple accounts and phone numbers to make his scam work. But he pushed it too far and finally got caught. But he has already cashed the postal money orders before I could cancel them. He's in jail, but nobody can find the money he scammed people out of(hundreds of people for thousands of dollars) so nobody is really getting any of their money back. I've had good luck with Ebay, but there are scammers everywhere so don't let down your guard.

[budnate]

Jeff, I agree with you 100% accept on payment, People want postal money orders because they are just like cash, I donít think requesting one specifically should send off any alarms other than maybe the seller wants there funds for sure.
I learned something this last year I will share with everyone, CASHIERS checks are no better than a personal check, they need to clear just like a personal check and can be canceled after it is issued as well, I like most people was led to believe they were a great way to receive funds, not anymore.

-Money orders, PayPal if you can live with them taking 3%, wire transfer, credit cards in person are all good these days.

This story may turn out ok after all, our friend posted that he was contacted by the seller and his stuff may be on the way, check out his post.

Bud.

[JoeG]

JeffH--budnate,
Thanks for the lesson, [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beers.gif[/img]--------I went to that fella's post, sounds like good news,--But hope he stays on top of the authorities and this guy, until the engine is in his hands------This could all be a big mis-understanding?---But everybody is sorry after they are caught.--Good-Luck!-----------JoeG

[ChrisS]

I recently lost an auction but was contacted soon after the end by someone (very good feedback) who offered to sell me a like item for about a 10-15% discount from the winning bid. He proposed using an escrow service, www.escrowalliance.com. Has anyone heard of or used this specific company? I can't seem to find much on them and they're not listed with ebay.

[budnate]

Chris, an escrow Co. in general is a good thing, call the Better business bureau and the Attorney general in the state they are in and ask if there any complaints and how long they have been around, they may be fine but a little Columbo work never hurts either.

If you are talking about hunk of money where you need a escrow co??, you should make sure what you are buying is the real thing, Contact a local member to look it over or Fly in make the purchase and Buzz home after the deal. Good luck.

Bud.

[bbdon]

I hate to disagree with another member, but that escrow thing sounds like a scam that I have been hearing about a lot. I won't use escrow sites. Here's a link to a story about this:
http://www.msnbc.com/news/775457.asp

[JoeG]

Escrow Alliance--claims to do escrow work for yahoo auctions---Go to--GOOGLE---Type in---YAHOO AUCTIONS ESCROW----Look under---YAHOO HELP,general help.----Yahoo explains the pros and pitfalls of what to watch for and who to contact with relation to ecrow companies.------JoeG--

[budnate]

No problem, Like I said do your homework on the Co..

Thnx for the heads up on the scam alert, I had not heard that yet.

Bud.

[ChrisS]

Thanks for all of the input. I became a little suspicious when I couldn't find any "real" contact info (address or telephone) on their site. The item was a high-end digital camera, probably not worth the chance to save a few bucks unless someone can tell me that they have conducted business with them.