Mods, feel free to move this wherever you want, but I thought the classifieds was the most appropriate place to post this.


I get about 2 or 3 requests a month from people asking me to help them track down someone who has ripped them off on a transaction on eBay, HC, Bassgear, etc. I'm more than happy to help out, but the one thing I have noticed is that a lot of people don't protect themselves as much as they could. Here's a little checklist to go through that I posted over on the Dudepit that can help you guys avoid a lot of grief when doing a deal with someone you don't know.

In the future, I hope everyone here checks out people before they do business with them. A lot of you guys here buy and sell a lot of gear, and if you know the person...great. But if not make sure you get a home phone# a work phone # a cell phone# home address etc. check out the info too. Call the person. If you think they gave you a cell# as a home or work # - check it out here:
www.fonefinder.net/

It will tell you if it's a land line or a cell and what city it goes to.

Reverse the phone#s and addresses they gave you to see where they go. Argali is really good for this. You can also reverse the address.

Just go to www.argali.com and download their program.

If you think the address is a mail drop you can check that out as well at http://www.finaid.com/scholarships/maildropsearch.phtml

If you want to find out who owns the address they give you to send payment to you can also go to
www.skipease.com/property.html

Select the state and county of the address. A lot of them have online databases, but you can call the tax assessor as well and find out who owns that property.

These are just a few of the free online resouces you can use to protect yourself and verify the information the seller gives you is accurate.

Ask for references from other people they have done business with. If I'm shelling out $100 for an effect pedal or $3000 for a bass, I want to know if the person is honest or not,

Make sure the info they give you checks out before you give up any of your hard earned cash. An honest seller won't be offended in the least when you ask them for this info.

Very good post!

Great info!

Maybe we could talk the mods into making this a sticky - it's great info!

Great info. I'd like to add one of my basics:

If it smells funny, walk away. You started the day without it, it probably won't kill you to end it the same way.

Great info. I'd like to add one of my basics:

If it smells funny, walk away. You started the day without it, it probably won't kill you to end it the same way.
If I always followed that rule, I would never eat any Mexican food! :D

BTW Great post - this should be stickied at the top of the forum!

I would request this become a sticky... it is a really good post

Definitely. Been a fan of Juggs for a while now. He knows his stuff, big time.

ditto on the sticky!

ditto on the sticky!

Jugghaid, you sure ain't no "jugghaid".......... excellent info.

Also, if the other party checks out - even a homemade receipt with "Received and Paid in Full" written on it by the buyer/seller holds up in court.

No more, "Dude! I never got your check/money order!"

Great post, Jugghaid!:cool: I am going to sticky this one for now. Might also be a good idea to eventually put this in the site FAQ.

Thanks for the kind words gentlemen. I get real tired of seeing my bass playing brethren getting ripped off.

Jugghaid, you sure ain't no "jugghaid".......... excellent info.

Also, if the other party checks out - even a homemade receipt with "Received and Paid in Full" written on it by the buyer/seller holds up in court.

No more, "Dude! I never got your check/money order!"

I ALWAYS retain the receipt of the money order I purchase until well AFTER I get the item that I bought just in case anybody tries to play any funny business. I haven't been ripped off yet, and I hope I never am!

Just to add to this (and I know that this scam has been mentioned on other threads, but it's probably best to put it on a sticky thread):

The scam in which the "interested buyer" states that he will be issuing a cashier's check from a bank and that a third party will be involved in the shipment continues to rear its ugly head.

I just placed an ad on a new music classifieds site and received three 3-mails in one day from three different addresses attempting the same scam.

The English is typically broken and the spelling/grammar are usually pretty poor - this is at least one component of these e-mail "offers".

BEWARE of these offers! They are scams and you will NEVER see dime one.

Here is an example of the e-mails that you may receive:

Dear Seller,
I am interested in your advert.i will need to know the last price you will be selling as i am ready to make an offer.I will be paying with a cashire's check drawn from a US bank therefore i hope this payment method is okay with you.If the payment method is okay do get back to me asap with your full name,contact address and phone number so that the cheque can be issued asap. Concerning the shippment,i will need you to get back to me so that we can discuss on this .i am already making an arrangement with a shipper of mine who will be coming for the pick up. I hope to read back from you soonest.

That kind of scam is like the P-P-P-Powerbook. Escrow services are not a good way to go. It takes as muh faith to just send money and hope it gets there as it does to use an escrow service. Good post, Mr. Boulder!

I just completed another deal on TB. Never been ripped off yet.

The bass way to be safe is to just deal with the TB "family". No one gets ripped off here. If they do, there are enough of us around the country to track down the offender, and hang them from their toe nails.

-Mike

A helpful hint from todd 4ta, for when things really turn to s... poo.

... I've also opened a case with the FBI's new Internet Fraud unit and they have said they will definitely be able to track him down. The website is here IFCC (http://www.ifccfbi.gov/index.asp) in case anyone else needs it. They have a lot of good info on there.

i havn't looked on this thread in a good while. this is a really good thread btw.
i think that if anyone has any doubt at all about the product's quality and everything, that they probably should stay away from it, unless they can play it or whatever in person.
I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT ANYONE ON TB. i don't that anyone has gotten ripped off in the TB "family", as previously said.

Perhaps let me add something to Planet Boulder's story.

I got an email of somebody who was interested in my Streamer Bass (which I still have for sale over here on TB too anyway) and was very fast in replying. Constantly talking about husband, kids etc... this woman keeps talking about her man which arranges shipment and payment.

Now be aware... (I still don't hope they are one of these people anyway)... there are some people who use the construction of letting someone else on their behalf pay the price of whatever you are having for sale. In our language: A nice bass, cab... amplifier. But then they send a larger sum of money to you, while paying with a false cheque. The bank takes back this amount of your bank account, while you already sent the bass to the buyer and remit the amount which is left after taking your costs into account.

So in the end you loose the bass, a certain amount of money AND the price of the bass in the end, because your bank takes it back from your bank account. A friend of me noticed this repetitive construction in this case and it can be used by a lot of people.


That's why I took a Paypal membership! Hopefully they just pay the bass, but I'm a bit frightened they won't.....

Mods, feel free to move this wherever you want, but I thought the classifieds was the most appropriate place to post this.


I get about 2 or 3 requests a month from people asking me to help them track down someone who has ripped them off on a transaction on eBay, HC, Bassgear, etc. I'm more than happy to help out, but the one thing I have noticed is that a lot of people don't protect themselves as much as they could. Here's a little checklist to go through that I posted over on the Dudepit that can help you guys avoid a lot of grief when doing a deal with someone you don't know.

In the future, I hope everyone here checks out people before they do business with them. A lot of you guys here buy and sell a lot of gear, and if you know the person...great. But if not make sure you get a home phone# a work phone # a cell phone# home address etc. check out the info too. Call the person. If you think they gave you a cell# as a home or work # - check it out here:
www.fonefinder.net/

It will tell you if it's a land line or a cell and what city it goes to.

Reverse the phone#s and addresses they gave you to see where they go. Argali is really good for this. You can also reverse the address.

Just go to www.argali.com and download their program.

If you think the address is a mail drop you can check that out as well at http://www.finaid.com/scholarships/maildropsearch.phtml

If you want to find out who owns the address they give you to send payment to you can also go to
www.skipease.com/property.html

Select the state and county of the address. A lot of them have online databases, but you can call the tax assessor as well and find out who owns that property.

These are just a few of the free online resouces you can use to protect yourself and verify the information the seller gives you is accurate.

Ask for references from other people they have done business with. If I'm shelling out $100 for an effect pedal or $3000 for a bass, I want to know if the person is honest or not,

Make sure the info they give you checks out before you give up any of your hard earned cash. An honest seller won't be offended in the least when you ask them for this info.
Excellent info my man. Much appreciated. However, I might add that in the past, I have exchanged a scanned copy of each person's drivers liscense in addition to a home address. This seems to be fool proof IMO, and makes both parties comfortable.

Excellent info my man. Much appreciated. However, I might add that in the past, I have exchanged a scanned copy of each person's drivers liscense in addition to a home address. This seems to be fool proof IMO, and makes both parties comfortable.
Good suggestion.

Is it safe to give your checkings account number + routing number of your bank to a stranger so that he can wire the money directly to your account when you sell a bass?

Especially when the buyer is in a different country, it is easier for him to use a wire transfer than mailing a bank check to you.

But,I just don't know if it is safe though. Can someone potentially take money from your checkings account if they have the account number and your name?

Is it safe to give your checkings account number + routing number of your bank to a stranger so that he can wire the money directly to your account when you sell a bass?

Especially when the buyer is in a different country, it is easier for him to use a wire transfer than mailing a bank check to you.

But,I just don't know if it is safe though. Can someone potentially take money from your checkings account if they have the account number and your name?

Don't do this. It is another way that people can access your account. They can post a withdrawl with this info, and it will look totally legit. Have them send you an international money order, and then you know it is good. It has to be paid for before it can be sent, so it's value is there. A check can be stopped. Always go with money orders if you are not sure, they are probably one of the safest ways to do a transaction, and remember to let everything clear first.

Don't do this. It is another way that people can access your account. They can post a withdrawl with this info, and it will look totally legit. Have them send you an international money order, and then you know it is good. It has to be paid for before it can be sent, so it's value is there. A check can be stopped. Always go with money orders if you are not sure, they are probably one of the safest ways to do a transaction, and remember to let everything clear first.
I agree. Use an escrow service.

Does anyone use paypal?? They seem to protect both parties

never been ripped off so far...... most of my purchases are off ebay.

Does anyone use paypal?? They seem to protect both parties
yup... it offers some form of protection.... i think.

Not an appropriate use of the For Sale forums or this thread. Go post about it in the Feedback Forum.

Just to add to this (and I know that this scam has been mentioned on other threads, but it's probably best to put it on a sticky thread):

The scam in which the "interested buyer" states that he will be issuing a cashier's check from a bank and that a third party will be involved in the shipment continues to rear its ugly head.

I just placed an ad on a new music classifieds site and received three 3-mails in one day from three different addresses attempting the same scam.

The English is typically broken and the spelling/grammar are usually pretty poor - this is at least one component of these e-mail "offers".

BEWARE of these offers! They are scams and you will NEVER see dime one.

Here is an example of the e-mails that you may receive:

Amazing, Someone is currently using this scam on me! They also insist you to send the money via Western Union as soon as the "cashier's check" gets deposited. They even offer to give you compensation for being inconvenienced!( $100 in my case) This person also never even asked the condition of the bass! What really cracked me up is that the person claimed she was an older lady from Chelsea England (buying a Stingray 5!!) and "her" e-mail address was maryjohnson@dbzmail.com. That's "Dragonball Z mail!! I saved all the e-mails. If you guys want I will post them here so you can see ezactly what to look for.
BTW I posted my ad on bassgear.com not on TB.
From now on I am only dealing with you guys.

Peace

Some repitition of what's already been stated, but here's a link to the CraigsList scams page:
http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams.html

I've received two attempts to scam me in the last 2 days.

The first:
Hello,
I saw your advert over the web and am much interested in buying it. I live in CANADA,I will be responsible for the shippment down to my location, so please kindly write me back with your last offering price.I will also need some of its recent pics,and will like to know its present condition .I am Looking forward to your soonest reply.
MY REGARDS AND WILL LIKE YOU TO CONTACT ME DIRECTLY WITH MY EMAIL ADDRESS m_bartons6@yahoo.com

Followed by a second email from him:
Greetings,
Everything sounds well and am okay with the prize $2100 and I will be offering you $2200 for it so i will want you to keep other buyer's off.Concerning payment I have a friend in the state who is ready to issue you a Certified Cashier's check in Usa funds since I don't have the funds in your currency. For convinient and easy transaction, I have a liable shipping agent who'd be responsible for the shipping as soon as you receive payment for the BASS .I will therefore need the following information of yours to forward to my friend before he sends the check.....
NAME IN FULL........
ADDRESS IN FULL..........
STATE..............
ZIPCODE........
COUNTRY.........
CELL/OFFICE/HOME PHONE NUMBER.......
I await your soonest reply
MY REGARDS

The third party thing got my attention at first. I mean, he could just walk down to any bank here and get a US funds money order. It would be exactly the same as a Canadian one except for US dollars. Also, in my reply I said I'd take $2300 CDN for the bass and from the reply email he obviously didn't know what CDN meant. Also he has a friend in the state... I'm not in the US, which he must not have understood from the bassgear post. Plus, no one in Canada speaks like that.

Then the much more obvious scam:
We are interested in buying your above mentioned Warwick Dolphin Pro I 4 String at advertised rate. Bass will be picked up from your location for onward shipping to London. Cost and modalities of shipping to be born by us.

Payment for the purchase is by check through a debtor in US. The debtor owes us higher than our purchase. He will therefore be sending you a check for $7,000 to cover the cost of our order, as well as the Shipping costs.

On receipt of the check, you will cash and deduct the cost of our order .The balance you will send as we would instruct you to the Agency that will ship the bass to us. If this arrangement suites you fine, please send us your address where to send the check, as well as the name to be on it. Also send us your phone number for easy communication.
Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thank you.

Best Regards

MR. BOB WILSON.

Well, that's one's pretty obvious since the bass I'm selling isn't a Warwick at all. It's a Rob Allen. Also $7000 check... (alarms go off).

Maybe someone can use this to recognize something if they get sent a scam.

To add, if you are going to pay with credit card over the internet many of today's credit card companies allow you to make a temporary card for online purchase. Since i have MBNA I will use that as an example. On their website I can log into my account and goto ShopSafe. That allows me to create a temporary credit card number. I defined the spending limit and expiration time (minimum 2 months for MBNA), they spit out a number. That way if someone does steal your number on the internet you minimize your losses.

IMO, reading through some of these scam emails sheds some light on how awkward they sound and ultimately how fishy they smell. :eyebrow:

The balance you will send

Mmmmm. yes jedi The balance you will send.

Friggin Yoda is trying to scam us out of all our gear. :)

I just bought an Allen guitar amp off of Harmony Central classifieds, and was a bit nervous. I arranged with the seller to send half of the payment via USPS money order, then he'd send the amp, then I'd send the rest. That way, we were equally splitting the risk of getting ripped off. Worked out great, only downside was that I had to pay for 2 money orders and 2 priority mails.

It always scares them off that I tell them I'll cash the check and keep the tip. They never seem to write back after that.....

:D

It always scares them off that I tell them I'll cash the check and keep the tip. They never seem to write back after that.....

:D

I guess I'm lucky that nobody has tried to scam me (knock on wood), or maybe I'm too cautious. But how does offering more money for what something is worth a scam?

I'm assuming either their payment does clear, and the bass is shipped before and it never comes back. Or is this some sort of money laundering scheme? Where they just give you $2000 to send them $5000?

It can take a while for fake money orders/cashier's checks to be detected--legally, your bank has to make those funds available to you within 5 days, but it can take them weeks to find out the MO/CC was bogus.

The ONLY reason anyone is going to offer you a payment like that for way over what something's worth and ask you to sent to difference back is to scam you.

See these Tips for Fake Check Scams: http://www.fraud.org/tips/internet/fakecheck.htm

Mike

Sometimes I opt not to sell gear via eBay. If I have something for private sale (not through eBay) and I'm not going to be seeing the buyer face-to-face, I offer to create a "buy-it-now" auction on eBay at the amount we agreed upon. This can increase the comfort factor for the buyer.

For stuff I'm buying that's not listed through eBay, I'll often request they create a buy-it-now auction, provided the other party already has an eBay account with a decent amount of feedback, all positive.

I believe we're less likely to be scammed this way, since eBayers don't want to have bad feedback. The downside is that you have to pay eBay a seller's fee, but that can be built into the price for the mutual "protection" by eBay.

It's worked well for me so far!

Chris

hey i just want to say thanks heaps for all this information!

i had been drooling over a bass that was on ebay. i was really keen to buy it, and sometimes that gets in the way of good judgement. It was all just a little bit fishy. the guy had all positive feedback, but only 6 or something, all for buying (things between about $500 and $2000). he was fairly slow to answer his emails and simply didn't respond when i asked for some additional photo's and information. Also, he would only accept payment by check or money order, which i found a little strange.

Anyway, i happened upon this thread just in time. I requested the sellers information from ebay then downloaded the Argali program that jugghaid mentioned. used the reverse phone number search and subsequently found that the number the guy had registered didn't actually exist. i even double checked, searching for his name in the state he said he was from, and the guy doesn't exist!!

i'm so glad i came accross all this info at such a crucial time, because i was starting to talk myself into buying it anyway. It's a lot harder when you really want it!!

so, thanks so much to jugghaid for all that awesome info, i really appreciate it!

like brad johnson said, if it smells funny, walk away. i came way too close to losing a serious amount of money.

THANKS AGAIN!

over and out,
andy.

hey i just want to say thanks heaps for all this information!

i had been drooling over a bass that was on ebay. i was really keen to buy it, and sometimes that gets in the way of good judgement. It was all just a little bit fishy. the guy had all positive feedback, but only 6 or something, all for buying (things between about $500 and $2000). he was fairly slow to answer his emails and simply didn't respond when i asked for some additional photo's and information. Also, he would only accept payment by check or money order, which i found a little strange.

Anyway, i happened upon this thread just in time. I requested the sellers information from ebay then downloaded the Argali program that jugghaid mentioned. used the reverse phone number search and subsequently found that the number the guy had registered didn't actually exist. i even double checked, searching for his name in the state he said he was from, and the guy doesn't exist!!

i'm so glad i came accross all this info at such a crucial time, because i was starting to talk myself into buying it anyway. It's a lot harder when you really want it!!

so, thanks so much to jugghaid for all that awesome info, i really appreciate it!

like brad johnson said, if it smells funny, walk away. i came way too close to losing a serious amount of money.

THANKS AGAIN!

over and out,
andy.
Glad to help bro. A good rule of thumb for anyone is "If it doesn't feel right, don't do it....walk away."

If I always followed that rule, I would never eat any Mexican food! :D

BTW Great post - this should be stickied at the top of the forum!

I am sorry, you have missed out on a great part of life.

testing 1-2-3

Well, guess I can post here.

I've had recent ebay experience which I've been waiting to happen. Scammer running the table. Bassgear.com all over but sanctioned by ebay. I suspected as much but just got it verified today.

This was dude was reportedly from Maldova - wherever that is. Anyway, he bid on some cheap pups I had up but it was a US auction and I always post for anyone with Negative/low feedback (5 or less) to contact me before bidding, he had 3 transacton at the time. 2 red flags immediately. Occassionally I get inquiries for my stuff from over seas (as often as not Americans there) and as long as there's no language barrier, I say no problem. And I've had no problem with them. Couple I refused cause I couldn't understand them and it's bad enough when you can communicate. But they've all asked first.

This guy didn't ask, was definitely not American, and in the lower 10 percentile of the foriegnors for communicating, 3 strikes and long gone. Anyway, I told the guy he screwed up and I was going to void the auction. An hour + of my time and 17 days later that came to pass.

That ebay garbage about being able to tank an auction immediately when someone bids from a "wrong" country is BS. It strung out and strung out. All the while he's trying to get me to ship the pups trying one tactic after another, including leaving positive feedback in advance, and shipping them to Atlanta or Seattle. I don't think so. The shipping desitnation is not just the country, it implies the source of the funds as well. Then he tells ebay we've agreed to settle dispute. I don't think so and I inform ebay otherwise. Never even knew that the other party could close a dispute. What's the point for it to begin with if so?

Time's past and it's mid January, this dude just started ebaying in December and he's accumulated $2,000 of buying (no sales) in that time. All the while guys are leaving him positive feedback with lots of Kudo's and I'm thinking, this dude has 60 days to jerk the card carpet - and that's in this country. I didn't even think ebay would let anybody new rack up that kind of bill.

By the end of January, I seen the first negative feedback for non-payment - a cheap set of pups no less. This guys bought several basses/guitars. He's up to $3K in purchases now. Convinced enough of what's going on, I chuck my negative feedback in. Then another follows and he's down in the 70's now for a rating and his feedback stops.

Today I get noticed from ebay saying they pulled his plug - which I assumes means he didn't pay ebay - and they said all feedback he'd left would be removed.

I was in David McNaught Guitars one day when he got a call from a distributor that said they got stung for $3500 worth of his guitars from a shanghai card and they were just out the funds. So are these guys in the $3,000 bundle I'm guessing. Hope you weren't one.

Something folks should know:

Most money orders issued in the USA originate from only a few companies. By looking carfully at the money order and doing a few simple searches, it is frequently possible to find an 800 number for the institution behind the money order. The larger institutions have automated systems that allow you to enter the serial number of the money order and then tell you where the money order was issued, the amount and IF THE MONEY ORDER HAS CLEARED BACK TO THEM. They will also flag known stolen numbers.

This has allowed me to deposit a money order and not ship an item until I know it has actually cleared and been accepted by the issuing institution. This usually takes 5-14 days from the time I deposit it in my personal account.

When I do an auction for more expensive items, I follow this procedure and state in the auction that money orders must clear back to the issuing institution in the listing. I had one purchaser squack because he thought that should happen in two days and it took about five or six days. I explained things to him and while he was a little impatient, I preserved my peace of mind by waiting. In the end he was overjoyed with the bass he bought.

I have not seen this information about money orders posted elsewhere, so I thought it may help someone.

Peace,
S

That's interesting,

Not sure what the technical difference between a cashier's check and money order is but I know when I've recieved a cashiers check I contact the bank to verify it's was obtained there. And my bank has told me it's like 5 months before a stop can be put on a cashiers check unless the purchaser has both halfs.

I try to use us postal money orders as much as possible. You can cash them at the post office, they verify it as legit and no waiting for them to clear. Easy nuff! :)

Yeh I was just trying to answer my own question and ran across this on verifying genuine postal money orders.


http://www.antiqueadvertiser.com/AABBoard/Money%20Order%20Security.pdf

I've taken several into USPS before and asked directly about verifying them cause they never checked them that I could tell and I know for a fact they didn't say anything about the above or give any indication they new otherwise.

Also, they will only cash it if they have the amount on hand so small amounts is no issue.

I recently saw an ebay add that refused USPS money orders in particular which struck me as strange cause they're usually preferred. So I emailed the seller and he said his bank won't take them any more so he's not.

I purchased a bass on bassgear and went through escrow.com

Makes it real easy because you can check out the purchased gear to make sure you got what you paid for before the money is exchanged. If you don't receive what you wanted to purchase, you can simply send it back and get your money back, less the escrow costs.

If you go through an escrow company, make sure it is a well known one though!

I have a friend who scammed the scammers. He sold them "top of the line" laptops that they had no intention of paying for. Same thing, broken english response with red flags waiving all around. He played dumb through the entire process, making sure to keep a record of every e-mail. He finally convinced the scammers to commit to covering the certified shipping costs. They told him the check was in the mail, so he shipped off several wrecked laptops in a heavy crate box that was encased with heavy metal junk thrown in to make the whole thing weigh a ton. The "purchasers" had to accept the shipping charges before opening the package. When they opened it, they were highly confused and then totally pissed off.

Definitely not recommending something like this for obvious reasons, but it is funny as hell :)

Fellow TB'ers,
If you bid on something on EBay and DON'T WIN, watch out for this latest wrinkle that is very sophisiticated: fairly soon after the auction ends where you were outbid, you may receive a private email with EBay logos and such stating that the winning bidder has not been able to complete the bid and giving you the option of buying the item at the highest price that you bid (which will be a discount over what the item won for, obviously). Some of the emails were very careful not to ask for personal or financial information that would look suspicious, but the latest said that everything would go according to EBay policy. Then, they faked an email that they sent to me from ebay@2ndchance-offer-ebay.com with instructions to send the amount via Western Union and all of this extra stuff about Square Trade Seal Program protection and refund policies and procedures and legal-looking jargon, but not a thing about feedback process or working through the official EBay site. Well, the Western Union ONLY option sent off a late red flag, and now it all looks very flakey. The real transaction, in the mean time, has closed with the real buyer and seller entering their feedback, so apparently, someone on foreign versions of EBay can grab personal email information from bidders and INSERT themselves into a transaction and act (spoof) as the real seller, but they advise not emailing to the seller EBay mail account, so that is a tipoff. So, if you bid on something and don't win, WATCH OUT!

Earl

Fellow TB'ers,
...So, if you bid on something and don't win, WATCH OUT!

Earl

FWIW:

All possible ebay communications should be run through ebay, then there's no need to watch out. That also gives you an inhouse record of all our communications. I also avoid any communications by phone as there's no record. If I do have phone contact and the other party makes a statement of consequence, I get them to put that into an email so there is a record. If they won't then it's just BS as far as I'm concerned.

I use to never communicate through ebay. Now outside of ebay, I delete any ebay related emails that come to my email addresses without even opening them. I had someone hack my account (sell stuff using my screen). That came about through operating outside of ebay. Now the only thing I do outside of ebay is send additional pics - which I haven't figured out how to do through ebay messaging. But I know who those people are cause they originally contacted me through ebay.

Just a heads up, looks like fonefinder.net isn't totally accurate.. my landline shows up as a nextel number. If I were to guess, I'd probably say my number was originally a nextel number but got ported to a different provider.

More info on accepting personal checks:
You can always call the issuing bank and verify that the funds are available. They may not give you the exact balance on hand but will give you info on whether there's enough money in the account at the moment you call. There's still a chance that the money can be withdrawn before the check hits his bank.

Also, ask your bank to let you know how long it takes to clear a check at the issuing bank. These days with electronic transfer between banks, it's sometimes over night for check clearing.

Escrow would seem to be a good way to go or the Ebay "buy-it-now" item sale is something to think about.

The question I have is: how do you know if it's stolen merchandise or not?

Somebody must have posted then deleted it cause no new post.

Anyway:

What's in an account when you call and what's in account when a check arrives can be grossly different things. It basically only tells you enough money was there when you called.

Anyway, my bank told me you can't ever know if a check has cleared, you can only know if it bounces. You essencially conclude its cleared if it hasn't bounced - that's why you often have to wait a week or two before someone will send an item paid for by check. Not very comforting.

I don't take checks.

A bank CS or MO on the other hand has been funded up front and you can verify those funds are good before you ship your goods - so why bother with a check. A USPO MO you either it get the funds for or they tell you it's fake before you ship.

How can you know anything you buy used is not stolen - let alone anything used shipped to you.

I don't take checks.


If a check bounces you will get hit with bounced check fees, maybe two times if it's the banks policy to put the check through again. It could be up to $50 total, depending on the bank.

More often than not, if you think you're being scammed on eBay, just do a google search for any of the names in any emails. You may find a post on a forum talking about the scam.

I've had many scam attempts on eBay and every time someone else has posted something about it being a scam on the net.

My favorite one was this very elaborate and clever scam when someone bought my Xbox on a hijacked eBay account. It involved emails from all sorts of people and agencys, including the buyer, "eBay", "Directorate of International Relations", "FBI", "Secret Service", "Ambassador to Nigeria", and even "PayPal" who was going to close my account and prosecute me for internet fraud. It was classic. I just kept responding to all the emails with horrible, broken english saying I haven't been paid.

My cheque policy has always been cashier's cheques and money orders must clear before shipment and personal cheques must clear, plus 2 business days before shipment - this hasn't backfired on me... yet.

One of the things that really helps if you're buying, is to ask for more pictures, but to also ask for a picture of today's newspaper with the bass/effect/set of strings. That way you know they have it and it's one less worry out of the way. :)