Dealing with internet ripoffs: Non shipped item

SchecterC4 · #1 06-23-2009, 09:35 PM

On another forum I frequent, I posted a wanted ad looking for a few things in the classifieds section about two weeks ago. A seller contacted me and left a number to set up payment and such. Everything went well, I used paypal to pay the required amount when he said he needed it and I got a call the day after I submitted payment saying that the items had been shipping. Or not?

It's been over a week and a half and I still have received no package and no response from the seller via PM or phone. No tracking number was supplied and the moderator I contacted on the site about this did not reply either.

I'm certainly hoping that this is all just a hugely effed up coincidence, but it definitely points in the direction of scam. My question to those who have dealt with this is what should I do now? Flame him publicly on the forums? Call paypal? Leave another two messages? I'm at a total loss, and at a loss of a good amount of money..

Thanks..

unclekebm · #2 06-23-2009, 11:14 PM

Are you PayPal "verified"? Is He?
contact PayPal, they'll protect you

curandero · #3 06-23-2009, 11:59 PM

A week and a half with no communication or tracking number is eff'd up. I'd send him a box of dog turds now.

curandero · #4 06-24-2009, 12:00 AM

After you contact Paypal, of course

hbarcat · #5 06-24-2009, 12:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SchecterC4

On another forum I frequent, I posted a wanted ad looking for a few things in the classifieds section about two weeks ago. A seller contacted me and left a number to set up payment and such. . . .

Posting a wanted ad online is the same thing as posting "Hey scammers, come and rip me off!"

On a forum like TalkBass, you at least have buyers and sellers who are usually known to each other with a long history of posts and most have a number of feedbacks that offer some kind of assurance you won't get scammed.

If your other forum is anything like this you can ask other members if they've dealt with the guy before and you can ask a moderator or forum administrator to check the guy out. But if the place is pretty lax and/or the guy who has your money is a fly-by-night with no history there - and if PayPal can't help you - then you are just hosed.

bongomania · #6 06-24-2009, 12:26 AM

Yep. However, you can still file a dispute through Paypal, and depending on how it goes, you may get some of your money back. Go to the Paypal site and open a dispute.

MJ5150 · #7 06-24-2009, 08:19 AM

Do a search for the username from the forum of the guy you paid, search his real name too. Is his name Dave Ledger by chance?

-Mike

SchecterC4 · #8 06-24-2009, 12:24 PM

Thanks for the replies. I opened a dispute with paypal and have gotten nothing so far. On thursday I will escalate it to a claim as that will mark the two week with no package and no replies. The classifieds on that forum are fairly active and it is a close knit community, so I think I shouldn't have a problem asking around. I sent a PM to a moderator but got no response, so I'm going to send a PM to an admin right now.

I've heard a lot of people say that paypal is really good about this kind of thing, so hopefully it works out for me. I have his full name, his email and the email address of his company.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MJ5150

Is his name Dave Ledger by chance?

No, it's Chatham Sinclair, apparently.

Stinsok · #9 06-24-2009, 01:01 PM

You need to bump it up to a claim-NOW. It will take that amount out of the seller's Paypal account until it is settled.

jwbassman · #10 06-24-2009, 01:11 PM

Get his physical address, then get all of the magazine subscription mailers and junk mail sign ups, etc. Sign him up for every one. take his email address and sign him up for as much spam as possible. Seriously. A friend of mine did this to a guy that ripped him off on a trade for some Phish boot legs. My buddy basically signed the guy up for everything he could. The guy eventually called him like a year later and begged him to stop. He was just bombarded with stuff. My friend was satisfied.

Hopefully pay-pal gets is resolved, but I'd still mess with the guy.

SchecterC4 · #11 06-24-2009, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stinsok

You need to bump it up to a claim-NOW. It will take that amount out of the seller's Paypal account until it is settled.

I'll take your word for it. Escalated to a claim.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwbassman

My buddy basically signed the guy up for everything he could. The guy eventually called him like a year later and begged him to stop. He was just bombarded with stuff. My friend was satisfied.

hahahaha. Nice.

I don't have the heart to do that kind of thing, no matter how badly I want to. +1 to your friend, though.

Stumbo · #12 06-24-2009, 01:18 PM

I suggest in the future, you get the physical address the guy is shipping from along with a copy of his driver's license so you can verify them.

If he has a company, does the company have a physical address? Do you know which state the item is being shipped from?

If you don't know these things then you really can't follow up with his business license or the state BBB or police or....

One method I've used in the past with Craigslist sellers shipping items to me is to let them know that I'll pay the shipping directly by credit card.

I have them take the item to a local shipping store that I've located near their physical address. I call the shipping store to arrange the transaction and have the manager/clear verify the item before it's packed. They obviously can't test the item but it's at least verifying that something is being shipped to you that resembles the pictures you requested from the seller.

The item is packed and the tracking number issued. I then drop payment into the seller's paypal account.

SchecterC4 · #13 06-24-2009, 01:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stumbo

I suggest in the future, you get the physical address the guy is shipping from along with a copy of his driver's license so you can verify them.

If he has a company, does the company have a physical address? Do you know which state the item is being shipped from?

If you don't know these things then you really can't follow up with his business license or the state BBB or police or....

I never got any of his information, which was a total mistake, and I completely agree. I'm still new to the 3rd party seller thing, so even though this is a phenomenally effed up way to learn, I don't think I would've caught on any other way.

Stumbo · #14 06-24-2009, 01:44 PM

Hopefully paypal should have his information.

Also, if you use a credit card with Paypal, that's another layer of protection.

I suggest you post to TB before you do deals and get some advice then, not after everything is "efffffffffffed" up, as you say.

akaTRENT · #15 06-24-2009, 03:02 PM

My rule is to only deal with paypal and only with verified buyers/sellers

MatticusMania · #16 06-24-2009, 03:35 PM

I refue to use Paypal and generally dont buy things from private parties online to avoid situations like this.

Except that one time I traded my VOL pedal for someones Wah pedal via TB, and that worked out quite well.

**john turner** · #17 06-24-2009, 03:40 PM

i would post in the general forums there that the dude ripped you off through their forums. at the very least you will be helping out other members in that forum.

SchecterC4 · #18 07-06-2009, 08:38 PM

Thank you to all who have replied. I really appreciate it. The paypal case closed last night and I got all of $9.41 back out of $109. I have definitely learned my lesson and learned the hard way how NOT to go about buying stuff on the intarweb. haha.

I posted a message on my other forums about this guy, so hopefully it will do some good, if not, oh well. I did what I can.

Thanks again to everyone in this post and I will do my best in the future to not have something like this happen again.

csala · #19 07-08-2009, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SchecterC4

Thank you to all who have replied. I really appreciate it. The paypal case closed last night and I got all of $9.41 back out of $109. I have definitely learned my lesson and learned the hard way how NOT to go about buying stuff on the intarweb. haha.

I posted a message on my other forums about this guy, so hopefully it will do some good, if not, oh well. I did what I can.

Thanks again to everyone in this post and I will do my best in the future to not have something like this happen again.

I'm wondering why you only received $9.41 instead of a full refund. What was the reason given?

SchecterC4 · #20 07-09-2009, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by csala

I'm wondering why you only received $9.41 instead of a full refund. What was the reason given?

I called paypal and they said that they only seize the funds in the account as soon as the claim is filed. I waited two weeks because I thought the seller was legitimate. Before I filed the claim he took the money out of his account, and the $9.41 that was left was probably something he received for shipping from someone else or something.

The account he used was fake, as well. I tried to email the email on the account and it was sent back to me saying that it did not exist.