Suss Seller????

[fdifino]

Hi.. I just won a guitar for $700 . Very cheap for this guitar  The seller did not post a pic but described the guitar ok so I bid.  He had nominated $157 postage but as he is in Melbourne and so am I, I sent him a msg before the end  to point out that postage should only be around $20..or else I could pick it up... 

Now after winning, he then sent me a total of $1714.....which means that the postage would now be $1014...

I pointed out his error and he replied reducing it back to $157.....and when I replied that I could pick it up he confirmed $700....  My problem is that his communications have grammatical errors and do not read well so I obtained his ph no & suburb from eBay which confirmed that he was indeed in the adjacent suburb...but his ph no just drops out when dialed.  I have tried to text him with no response

I am now concerned that the seller may be from overseas and has highjacked a local account.  I have offered to pick up the guitar and pay cash but he wants payment first..then I can pick up but he wont give me his address until he has payment... I know that if I pay Paypal it should be covered but it is a real pain having to wait for refunds.

 Hey I just looked up his 'other items' and found that he has another guitar IDENTICAL under "Fender Telecaster Electric Guitar"  still with no photos.... 2 day sale...

Should I pay or report to eBay???.... gee the guy could be legit and inexperienced and I may be doing him a disservice but I smell somthing.....  what do you guys think?

[thecatspjs]

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@lyndal1838 wrote:

Better sit down Cats.....I've given you another kudos.

This must be the 2nd time this year we have agreed on anything,

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My eyes deceive me .... surely not ....

[fdifino]

ok guys thanks for all your help...here is the latest from the seller.;

Dear fdifino,

wonderini if monday is good for payment plz. Will deliver to you as soon as payment received. Hope is immediate monday morning as many other enquirers

- bigbadfuzzie

So from what I gather from what you guys have said is that even if I pay through paypal and he fails to deliver, because he has now said that he will drop it off to me, I will not be covered by paypal.....

I am glad I posted this as I may have gone ahead....    thanks

[kopenhagen5]

Sounds very shonky, he is now trying to create urgency because he knows you may still be hot.

I would report it, let ebay look to see if it's hijacked, if not nothing lost.

[kopenhagen5]

One of the hijack hunters kindly messaged me after having seen that account had purchased a fender some months ago.

So probably not hijacked but there could be something wrong with the guitar that they may want to offload it.

Or it simply could be a fake that they feel for, hence buy unseen urgently.

[fdifino]

OK guys...this should sort it out...who wouldnt walk to the adjacent suburb to pick up an easy extra $100?

Hello Greg

I have been in touch with eBay and Paypal who have advised me that if I now pay you by bank transfer and even through Paypal, I will not be covered under the Paypal warranty   ..  especially as I have not even seen a pic of the guitar .... now I still have the cash for you to do a straight swap once I have sighted the guitar and will even give you an extra $100 for your trouble  ie $800 total if the guitar is genuine .

[imastawka]

 AAAARRRGGGHHH!!!

I still strongly advise against it!   So, you're at the park,you look at the guitar - how do you know the

pick-ups are any good?  How do you know the body hasn't be water damaged? How can you know

how it sounds?  You're in the park for heaven's sake!   Apart from that, how do you know he and a

mate aren't going to clobber you for your $800?

Walk away........or don't come back crying that it doesn't work or it sounds **it!

[*crikey*mate*]

I would add, if the guitar is genuine and in a condition acceptable to me/as described in your listing.

You've just committed to buying for a guitar that might be totally trashed!

(assuming that the description didn't say this)

and I'm thinking IF this is a relatively new or inexperienced seller that their insistence to want the money first might just be cos they don't understand how things on here operate.

he might be super paranoid and think you're gonna snatch the guitar before handing over the money and do a runner.

or another hundred scenarios where he's gonna get mugged, stood up, yada yada yada.

He may not understand your reluctance to pay first (cos people who have limited experience may think, well. I'd do that if the buyer asked me to) and now is wary of you cos you seem to want to do it some other way iykwim.

Example, I won't do pick up items, and some customers don't understand why, and if I explain it's for safety reasons, (and the fact that it's hard to pin me down to a specific time I am home - it can change hour to hour)  some almost get offended because I am technically saying to them "I don't trust you not to mug me or case the joint so you can come back later and rob me" etc

[cq_tech]

I don't understand all the fuss. You stand to lose your money if you pay by any method other than cash on pick-up, and his insistence on not allowing that would be enough to have me running for the hills.

Your seller is either paranoid, or a scammer, and I doubt anybody would be that paranoid. Good Fenders aren't rare, but money sure as hell is. I really think you should walk away from this one.

[phorum_junkie*]

The only way you would have any buyer protection is if a delivery cost was included on the invoice and you paid for both the item and delivery on the one, single invoice.

Even if you managed to persuade them to add a postage cost and accept Paypal the onus would be on you to prove it was not as described if it turned out to be a fake and you would probably have to pay for the cost of tracked and signed for delivery back to the seller.

Please, please stop contacting them and keep your money in your pocket. 

In the unlikely event they open an unpaid item case against you any strike generated by ebay would be removed on appeal.

[rosebelle9798]

The classic pitfalls of trading:

Buying sight unseen, and

Pay and handover, or handover first and pay ? -  by the law of nature both these actions cannot occur exactly simultaneously that is why no other animal trades only humans .

If there is no trust then there is no satisfactory trading system.

My 2 cents worth stay away,  but let us know.