Anyone want to check for me if this seller may be SCAMMER??

Hello, just a new seller here. 

im trying to sell a costly item, but this buyer seems really weird and i do not know if i can trust them.

I have an example of message sent from that buyer to me. Anyone want to check it for me, please? 😞 

+ Side story, I don't know much about paypal and i've studied  through the policies today. This buyer wants some other method (inside paypal) but i'm confused. So if anyone could clarify, I'd really be thankful. 

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Anyone want to check for me if this seller may be SCAMMER??

eBay don't read here, only other eBayers here.

 

We can't see any messages but if you are unsure about the buyer then add the buyer to your blocked bidders list and stop communicating with them.

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Anyone want to check for me if this seller may be SCAMMER??

imastawka
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Trust your instincts and block the ID

 

Don't communicate with them.

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Anyone want to check for me if this seller may be SCAMMER??

Paypal doesn't do escrow in Australia, so if they are suggesting that Paypal will hold the money until they confirm delivery, they are a scammer.

 

If they want you to send to Nigeria, they are a scammer.

 

If they say they will organise pickup but you will have to pay the courier and have them reimburse you, they are a scammer.

 

If they want you to send to a country other than the one they are registered in, they are a scammer.

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Anyone want to check for me if this seller may be SCAMMER??

Not only does the OP have a choice listing, they are wanting people to message them for different details......followed by a winking smily. Maybe they are after "friends", rather than selling items, or listing items that aren't violating the rules.

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Anyone want to check for me if this seller may be SCAMMER??

@pastelmallow-2,

 

Is it with regard to the A5100?

 

⚠ ⚠ ⚠ ⚠ ⚠ STOP PRESS! ⚠ ⚠ ⚠ ⚠ ⚠

 

Everything that's been posted here by kopenhagen, imastawka, and davewil is important for you to take in. Both kopenhagen and stawka point out that you should trust your gut instinct in this case, and stawka's advice that you cease communicating with this "buyer" (and block them) is spot on in my opinion. davewil has succinctly and clearly outlined what sort of things would signify that you're dealing with a scammer.

 

I'm not going to be as succinct, but on the other hand, I'm adding animations in the "danger colours" to really bring home the warning message.

 

Your listing states that it's postage within Australian only. If you have a prospective buyer trying to get you to post a reasonably expensive item outside Australia (when you've listed it as being available within Australia only), that is a warning sign.

Warning - caution sign  Warning - condition_ SCAM

 

If the prospective buyer says they will organise a courier and for you not to worry, that CAN be a scam. (This is usually associated with scams involving cars or other vehicles.) IN PARTICULAR, if the "buyer" wants the item couriered to an overseas address, "CAN be" becomes "probably is".

 

If the prospective buyer is "working on an oil rig" or says that he/she is working somewhere with limited or no internet or phone, that is a warning sign.

Warning - caution sign  Warning - condition_ SCAM

 

If the prospective buyer mentions "escrow" and "PayPal" and something along the lines of the money not being released until you provide proof of shipping, that is a warning sign.

Warning - caution sign  Warning - condition_ SCAM

 

Just to exapnd on that, this is a typical email sent by the scammer/s, purporting to be from PayPal. (It's not from PayPal. It's merely set up to look as though it's from PayPal. PayPal is not an escrow service.) "You received a payment from {user name blocked for safety} The money is pending and deposited in PayPal escrow account.The payment will not reflect in your account balance until we receive the proof of shipment from you for confirmation and, once shipment is confirmed, the money will be in your available balance within few minutes. This will help us continue to be a safer way to buy and sell." 🢤 FAKE EMAIL. SCAM. DEFINITELY SCAM.

 

If the prospective buyer mentions Nigeria, that is a warning sign.

Warning - caution sign  Warning - condition_ SCAM

 

 

There are a few things you really should correct on your listing, by the way.

Spoiler

You state "I can arrange free postage to you if you purchase" but your listing actually has Postage:AU $30.00 Standard Postage (which your postage tab says includes signature on delivery) or local pick-up. You need to be consistent. Get rid of the "I can arrange free postage" text in your listing and stick to the signature on delivery option and the local pick-up option.

 

You also say "search for its specs on google." That is just lazy, and it also means that you're reducing the number of potential buyers. Buyers on eBay do NOT want to be googling to find the specs; it's your job as the seller to provide them. (Besides, telling your prospective buyers to go away and google means you're sending them off to (possibly) find other listings of the item, some of which might be cheaper. What you should do is google the specs yourself, copy them, and then paste them into your listing. Have EVERYTHING there in your listing so that you attract buyers rather than wave them off.

 

Also, you should get rid of the "msg me for any inquiry or offers". eBay may interpret that as meaning that you are open to off-eBay offers, and you'll be chastised by eBay as well as charged the Final Value Fee even if you don't sell this item on eBay. (eBay enforce this relentlessly, and they're apt to interpret the most innocent of communications in the worst possible way, so don't put yourself in that position!)

 

Finally, you may want to reconsider using the words "mint condition". Looking at the photos, I would be inclined to say "very good to excellent condition". State that you cannot see any blemishes. Also - unless you literally used this camera once, don't say that it was. In fact, even if you DID only use the camera once, it's a phrase best avoided because it's so often used (like the used car salesman saying that the car was only driven once a week to church by a lady owner). Say something like, "I used this camera only a handful of times."

 

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Anyone want to check for me if this seller may be SCAMMER??

Have my doubts the poster will be back, not if he thinks he was on an ebay help line. He will most likely be sitting back, waiting for an answer in his private messages.

 

But just in case...

 

Yes, what the others said, if someone is trying to confuse you with unusual payment claims, then it is probably a scam. Paypal works pretty simply. People either pay or they don't, and sometimes buyers lie about it, so until a payment is showing into your paypal account, you don't send an item, no matter what the buyer might claim.

 

In regards to your ad, I read through the countessa's suggestions & would just add this. When I see ads such as yours, the first thing that goes through my head is-why would someone buy something at $800, only to take it home, test it & then sell it? And how do i know if they actually paid 800 for it? And when did they buy it, how long has it been stored?

 

People do sometimes sell new things, maybe they decide to upgrade to a dearer model, but in a lot of cases with a brand new camera, someone would just go back to the store the next day to see if they could arrange that. So why didn't that happen? Was it an unwanted gift?

When a sale is a bit unusual, it helps for a buyer to know. You're not claiming the camera was only lightly used, which would be an understandable sale. You're claiming the camera was never used except to test it.

So I'd be more impressed with the ad if you actually showed the receipt. That would prove it was yours, it would show when you bought it and exactly how much you paid for it. I think you'd get more people interested if they could see it really was a genuine bargain.

 

 

 

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Anyone want to check for me if this seller may be SCAMMER??


@springyzone wrote:

Have my doubts the poster will be back, not if he thinks he was on an ebay help line. He will most likely be sitting back, waiting for an answer in his private messages.

 

 


Sigh. Now I wish it did work like that for stuff that is not super urgent.

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