Is this a scam?

[jvdv11]

Hi - I have a camera lens listed for $150.00 which doesn't end until next week - so far no bids and I'll be suprised if the lens sells for anything more than that.

However I received a message from someone saying "Hi would you like offer 500 cash pick up  - I need it urgently".

Very generous offer but smells like a scam although the person making the offer has over 100 possitive feedbacks.

[lyndal1838]

Don't even think about it if you want to keep selling on ebay.  Ebay is cracking down HARD on off ebay selling.

The only way to do it would be to relist the item as a BIN at the agreed price....the buyer buys it and pays cash on pickup and ebay gets their fees for the transaction.

[davewil1964]

Unless it's a rare lense, or it costs a motza new, I'd be thinking scam.

Especially when they seem to be experienced enough to know the best way to do it is to negotiate a price which you can end the auction and BIN for, or negotiate to place a bid for $150 and you end it to the highest bidder. If you were happy to do that.

[kopenhagen5]

They could be trying to rob your house.

Add a BIN price of 500 to your listing and see if they formally buy it.

[jellybirddesigns]

Red Flags.

Everywhere.

And their positive feedback could be as a buyer, not a seller.

[kopenhagen5]

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@jellybirddesigns wrote:

Red Flags.

Everywhere.

And their positive feedback could be as a buyer, not a seller.

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Yep, could also be a hijacked eBay account.

[digital*ghost]

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@jvdv11 wrote:

However I received a message from someone saying "Hi would you like offer 500 cash pick up  - I need it urgently".

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I see red flags too - if unsure, here's the questions I would ask first and foremost: how much would the same (or a comparable / compatible) lens cost to buy immediately, from anywhere (assuming availability)?

And / or what kind of photographic emergency could exist that would create the need to buy yours for $500, rather than any other possible option? 

[countessalmirena]

Is this the Canon EF 40mm 2.8 STM lens?

You have this listed at a price which sits comfortably among other listings for this item, indicating you haven't grossly underpriced this.

Does it make sense that someone would offer you more than 3 times what this is worth?

Does it make sense that someone would require this "urgently"?

Take a look at the activity of the person making the offer. Is it recent? Any signs that the account has been hijacked?

If there's even the remotest chance that this is a genuine offer, you could try telling the person that you'll be happy to relist it for $500, cash on pickup only. You can't actually refuse PayPal as a payment method, but when it comes to pickup, cash is by far the safest for you.

However... my immediate reaction, along with everyone else on this thread, is that this is a scam. The chances are high that this person intends to fake a PayPal payment to you (sending you a mocked-up PayPal payment notification with links that lead to a site masquerading as PayPal, for the express purpose of getting you to click onto the links to "log in" to PayPal to check payment status), and then either getting someone to pick up the item OR getting you to post it.

The modus operandi would have several objectives. Even if no one actually picks up the camera, if you click onto links onto the "payment notification", you'll be giving the scammer your PayPal information including login and password. You'll possibly be downloading a keylogger or malware or trojan or other form of computer nasty. It would only be insult to injury if the scammer also got the lens from you.

I would contact eBay to tell them that you suspect that the account was hijacked. I'd block all contact with this "buyer". I wouldn't reply or communicate any further with them.

[shoppingbag*]

If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. 

[jvdv11]

Thanks for your response - and that's the lens. I did reply stating that there was no BIN price on this item.

Will notify eBay as you suggest.

Thanks