Strange eBay situation - Explorer XS - thoughts welcome

[BlackX]

[THERE IS PROBABLY NO POINT IN REPLYING TO THIS ANY LONGER (unless you've read the whole thread and have something new to say). Thx.


Okay, so I'm perusing eBay today, looking for Explorers (normally out of my price range) and I see this XS Explorer listed for $300 w/ no bids. Looking closely at the description, the seller says he doesn't want any bids but to contact him through his email address. This sounds like a scam but--after a bit of back and forth, he's offering to sell it to me for that price going through the eBay invoice system. Granted something feels wrong but, if it isn't, are there any issues doing a charge-back on a credit card if it falls through? i.e., to my thinking, it's worth the risk it if I can use the credit card charge-back as a fall back. If not, then I have no protection and I have to let the possibly legitimate opportunity go. Thoughts?

 

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[ronald99]

Ask the seller to send you a pic what the detector looks like,ask for couple different pics,just incase he has a old one,tell him you want a certain pic,like upclose botttom of coil without cover, and face of explorer,if he is able to assist you,than this would be a start.Ronald99

 

[lucky1777]

Just tell him you or a family member will be able to pick it up and pay then. If he doesn't agree with that you know he is a con.

 

[warsawdaddy]

Buyer beware! Recently there were several Minelab 3000 and 3500 on there for less than 1000.Didn't take ebay long to get the word and pull them off.They did not want bids either,it was a mismash of buying them.Any feedback on the seller?Of course they have had some scam artist using a fake seller name with good feedback and accepting only m.o. or cashier checks,no paypal.

 

[BlackX]

Any feedback on the seller?

Feedback was good but previous merchandise didn't match.

My mainquestion, I guess, is on any issues with doing chargebacks ona credit card if it is a scam. If that will be a problem, I'll let it go, as it doesn't feel right in many ways.

 

[roswellborn]

I would be VERY wary of this! If you go to the "ask the seller a question" link on the auction page, you'll find these words next to the text box:

"Always remember to complete your transactions on eBay - it's the safer way to trade.

Is this message an offer to buy your item directly through email without winning the item on eBay? If so, please help make the eBay marketplace safer by reporting it to us. These "outside-of-eBay" transactions may be unsafe and are against eBay policy. Learn more about trading safely. " (italics mine)

Also, have all the contacts with this guy been thru regular email, or did you go thru the "ask the seller a question" thing? Frankly, I'd contact eBay and ask them if this guy is in accordance with the eBay policies. If you find that auction gone within hours, and maybe even the seller too, then - well, you'll know, won'tcha?

I'd say go with what your gut is telling ya.

good luck
Nan

 

[Siegfried Schlagrule]

pay through paypal and opt for the buyer protection coverage and they will give you your money back if you don't recieve the item. siegfried sachlagrule

 

[Sandman]

I am always reminded of the rule, "If it seems to good to be true, it probably is." or something like that.

 

[swingman]

I try to 'trust my gut' in a situation like this. And if you do buy from this guy, send him a check - don't give him any credit card info.

 

[spez401]

sounds like it is almost definitely a scam. I've gotten these kind of solicitation emails before, and then they either ask you to sign in, or respond through a page (they provide the link) that looks EXACTLY like the ebay page. It is just a ploy to get your userid and password. forward all of his emails to spoof@ebay.com, and they will likely tell you the same thing
steve

 

[BlackX]

This wasn't a spoofing email, this was an actually item listed on eBay.

 

[spez401]

black... I understand that... however it ad/item itself is the spoof. Forward all the email you have from the supposed seller to spoof@ebay. Chances are it is a scam.

I had a similar experience just before xmas. I put a bid on a truck that had a "buy it now" of about 10% of its value. The seller told me to contact him at a different email, etc. About 2 days after i placed the first bid, I got a message from ebay saying that I had recently been contacted/exchanged emails with a memeber who has been conducting fraudulent transactions and was under investigation.

Forward the emails to ebay, or if you have any dealings with the guy, sign into ebay from their site, not a link that he gives you. also, check his member profile and see where he is located, and what the feedback is. If he's out of the usa, its probably a scam

steve

 

[paul1410]

Black,
The question that comes to my mind is: "Why would this person be willing to sell this machine so much under value?"

 

[BlackX]

black... I understand that... however it ad/item itself is the spoof.

Ah, understood.

I thought the odds were good that it was bogus from the start but thought I'd push it as far as I could both on the unlikely chance it might be real and I being the curious sort.

His last email yesterday was:

Ok...I'm agree with the price.So...Like I already told you all this deal will be done safe and legal through eBay.Just give me your full name and address and the item#.I will send this infos to eBay and they will contact you with an invoice.you will see there in the invoice step by step how to complete this purchase

When I replied w/ only my eBay user ID and said that I didn't know the item number since the listing was down (which he told me he'd closed in the previous email) I haven't heard a thing since. Particularly considering the other replies were pretty quick, I don't expect to hear back from him again.

Looking at it again now, I wonder if there then would have been a fake eBay invoice arriving by email if I'd followed through.

(Edit) One reason I'd first thought it might be a legit opportunity originally was that it wasn't quite listed in the right section on eBay. That was until I saw the "no bidding" and request for contact by email.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

The robot's waving his arms and yelling: "DANGER! DANGER!"

You're losing any ebaY scam protection. He's already cheating ebaY, and they're bigger than you. Sounds too suspicious to continue.

 

[surfrat96]

Black if you enter the item in the ebay search under completed items, you should still be able to see the listing. It'll just say that it didn't sell. That's just one step to see if it was a legit listing.

HH 8) surfrat

 

[buscadero]

Black: Run, Don't Walk, Away! It's a Scam!!!

Joe

 

[BlackX]

Looks like it's all a moot point anyhow since I've not heard a thing since i didn't respond with the answer he apparently wanted. FIgured that would be the case. Thanks for the comments all. (THough I'm still curious if a chargeback on a credit card via PayPal would have been viable protection.)

 

[cosmic]

Just ran into this also.. Seller said email the bid to him which I did and he accepted.. Then from taking all types of payments he said to send it western union instant which if you get screwed ebay or paypal can not help!!! Also do ALL correspondence through the send seller a message ON EBAY!!! NOT REGULAR EMAIL!!! Then it was to be sent to england!!! Then he said his id was --- on ebay which was a large electronic company!! Don;t think it was him,so I contacted ebay and they said they couldn't help becxause we emailed through our private email accounts.. On the ebay page THEY DO NOT RECCOMEND WESTERN UNION!!!! RUN AWAY!!!!!!!!!

 

[hollowpointred]

black... I understand that... however it ad/item itself is the spoof.

Ah, understood.

I thought the odds were good that it was bogus from the start but thought I'd push it as far as I could both on the unlikely chance it might be real and I being the curious sort.

His last email yesterday was:

Ok...I'm agree with the price.So...Like I already told you all this deal will be done safe and legal through eBay.Just give me your full name and address and the item#.I will send this infos to eBay and they will contact you with an invoice.you will see there in the invoice step by step how to complete this purchase

When I replied w/ only my eBay user ID and said that I didn't know the item number since the listing was down (which he told me he'd closed in the previous email) I haven't heard a thing since. Particularly considering the other replies were pretty quick, I don't expect to hear back from him again.

Looking at it again now, I wonder if there then would have been a fake eBay invoice arriving by email if I'd followed through.

(Edit) One reason I'd first thought it might be a legit opportunity originally was that it wasn't quite listed in the right section on eBay. That was until I saw the "no bidding" and request for contact by email.

DO NOT DO THIS!! this reeks of a scam.