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How to avoid getting ripped off on the internet

#161
"Musical instrument insurance.
Absolutely appalling company. They did this twice - Sent a renewal notice out to me and then drew out way more money than stated causing me to go overdrawn and incur bank charges. They are either criminals or idiots or both.
AVOID ! TOTAL SCAMMERS !!!
I'm just glad I didn't need to claim.
Somebody official should look in to this company and shut them down for illegal business practice.
If I could put no stars I would."

Invalid Link Removed
 
#165
One thing to consider. If you are counting on paypal to back you up when an instrument is shipped that has been damaged prior to shipment and was not disclosed by seller (broken truss, etc). They will not back you up. I learned this the hard way. If you file a claim, they will dismiss it. I was told that the buyer protection plan only applies to ebay purchases with regards to merchandise quality. The only way I could have been protected is if it had not been delivered at all.


Careful folks, ask all questions. And demand up close and personal photos if you are not sure.
 
#166
I have a Juzek bass for sale. I've had 2 similar emails in the last month or so from people "currently out of the country" who want to send me a bank check through a 3rd party. Both offered more than my asking price. Both obviously scams. Neither one even asked to see pics, or see the bass in person.

Here's one of the emails.

Hi Russell,

Thanks so much for getting back to me, I am highly interested in the Juzek 3/4 sized carved bass and i want you to be rest assured that you are dealing with the right person, I will have no reason what so ever to do anything to hurt anyone and i would also love you to be honest with me, i have gone through it on the posted site and i found out that the asking price for the Juzek 3/4 sized carved bass will cost just $10,000, and am very much okay with the condition and the asking price for it and would love to proceed with the payment at once. I am from Seattle,WA but presently i am out of state for a brief business transaction in London , All arrangement regarding payment and shipping has been made and all i need from you to make this work out good and soon is your maximum cooperation, I will instruct my client in the state to mail out a check to you for the amount of $13,750 which you are to deduct your own cut for the payment of your Juzek 3/4 sized carved bass which is $10,000 and an additional $200 for your running around, expenses and understanding towards making this transaction a progress and the rest of the money will be sent to the shipping company by you after the check might have been approved and cleared the bank to enable the shipping company start making a quick arrangement for the pick up of my Juzek 3/4 sized carved bass

For us to proceed , i will need you to get back to me with the name and address you would like the check payment to be mailed out to such as follows.

Name::

Address::

City, State and Zip code::

Contact Phone number::

You can reach me on phone from Monday to Friday with (+447024019276)

I will be looking forward to read from you.

Regards

Tony LeCompte
-----------------
206-339-4371 Tel
206-339-4371 Fax

I told him to pay cash or a Post Office Money Order, and he was not interested. Hmmmm....surprised? Nope.
 
#167
101 % scam.
My experience

I got this message few months ago, after asking infos about a fender jazz.
----------------------
first mail after photos request :

See more pictures attached .Look, I 'm now in Birmingham UK, and will be moving here permanently soon, but I am using SafeTransports services so I can sell the jazz from this far away. They have it in a storage place in Minneapolis since I left . They will take care of the shipping , paperwork, and everything else. Also, there's a return policy included. So if you want to buy it, please let me know and I will explain you how SafeTransports works and how you can make a deposit to start the process. Please excuse me if I will respond with delay, I had a stroke six months ago and I’m recovering.

(he's from England and has a 62 jazz in a storage place in Minneapolis, yeah )


----------------------------------------
answer with photos attached :
You will have to deposit $2000 down payment. First of all ,I'll offer in this price delivery`s fees and it`s insurance for the shipping, to make it accessible to you. I want a fast deal , and the guitar is ready to go and insured. As soon as I forward to SafeTransports your full name and delivery details, they will start the transaction and notify you with all you need to know about payment , delivery, my account status etc. You will have a return policy, so you will have the chance to inspect the guitar and inform them if you keep it or not. If you decide to keep it,you will have to pay the rest of the amount, or you will have a complete refund within 3 days. So, I am waiting your name and address if you want to do it. The web site is: http://safetransports.co.cc

Please notice that the site is a scammer site (bad grammar, non-existent links etc.etc.)
Link Removed
yeah, sollutions :-D

-----------------------
The seller has sent photos seen in at least a dozen places. No heel, no pickups, no pots photos, just a request of money
Clever guy

314xfmb.jpg



------------------------------
My answer :

Ok man, no problems for the 2000$, just tell me how & where to send yout he money and when.
How long will it take for the delivery once the payment is cleared ?
Bye!

p.s. : the bass is beautiful!

--------------------------------

I'll let you know :-)
 
#168
This thread has been very informative. Thanks to the OP and all the responders.

I have done 2 transactions here on TB ( and several in the Acoustic Guitar Forum ), and every transaction has been handled very well and with total integrity.

I feel safer on TB, but of course it's that way because it's a niche community, and not likely to be where a scam artist would stay and do his/her tricks.

When buying or selling on Ebay, I prefer to deal only with those having large feedback. As a seller, I have been hit a couple of times with auction winners not paying, and only one time was I scammed.
 
#169
I had another scam attempt regarding my bass for sale on the Gollihur website. The initial email sounded like the typical scam, and they asked me what the selling price was (in my ad I state that it was appraised between $8K and $10K). Sensing a scam, I replied "$16,000".

Here's the email I got back.

Hello,

Thanks for the mail, I really appreciate your prompt reply and i'm glad you are selling to me... First,I'm okay with the selling cost, secondly i don't want you to bother about the shipping process,I have a shipping company that handles my shipments,All you need do is to keep the it in a safe and good condition.

I will instruct my staff associate to issue out a cheque for the payment and shipping to you, When you get the payment you are to deduct your selling price and send the remaining funds to my shipper via Western Union or Money Gram to enable him come down to your location for the pickup. I bought some other merchandise too and my shipper will be picking them up also,so they will need the remaining funds to enable them come for the pickup.

It takes 1-2 working days to clear a cheque, so cheque must clear before pickup. Notify me immediately when you get the funds so i will email you with my shipper's information who will be coming for the pickup at your location. "I HOPE I CAN TRUST YOU WITH MY FUNDS"? I'm sure you can await the payment in the mail, It will be sent to the Information as requested below you will provide for me:


Full name...
Residential address...
City..
State..
Zip code...
Country...
Phone number:
Cell Phone:........
Home Phone:............

Here's my response....

I don't deal with Western Union.

I am currently visiting relatives in London. I'll accept cash only in a face-to-face exchange. You can meet me at:
10 Downing Street
London, UK.

I'm guessing I won't hear back from him ;-)
 
#170
That's a pretty standard method of fraud. "It's $500? Cool, I accidentally sent you a check for $3000, but give some to the shippers and send the rest back to me. Oopsie!" And then the check doesn't clear after the instrument is picked up.
 
#174
On of the best strategies to protect yourself in a transaction is of course to use PayPal. But, as a buyer, instead of having the money taken right out of your bank account (once its gone it's gone!) it is far better (IMHO) to use the option (under secondary funding option) to fund the transaction via a credit card. Why? It provides an additional layer of protection if a transaction goes bad. It costs no more to use your credit card as a funding option. It's the same as using cash. And your money is safe and sound. No funds have left your account.

If a problem occurs, it allows you to dispute the charge with the credit card company as well as with PayPal. Once you file a dispute the credit card charge is put on hold until it is resolved. You do not have to pay it until there is resolution one way or another. So, all in all you have two layers of protection if there is a problem. First, you can file a dispute with PayPal and second, at the same time, file one with your credit card company as well. You'll find that both PayPal and the Credit Card companies are very, very consumer friendly when it comes to this. They work hard to prevent and address fraud - especially for Internet transactions.

Also, document - in writing - all correspondence with the buyer/seller and keep it on hand. If for example you agree on a 5-day return period and the other person won't honor it you can file a complaint. Or if the person says it's in A-1 condition and it isn't you've got a good case. In addition, make sure to insist on good digital photos of the equipment - and any dings, etc. beforehand so you are covered.

Another good measure if you are suspicious is to ask the seller for an immediate photo of the equipment, today's newspaper with the date prominent and a copy of the seller's drivers license all in one pic. If they are spooked, make excuses or hesitant...well....that's the reason for asking for this. To get their reaction.

Of course, if the other person refuses any of this...run the other way.
 
#176
hdracer said:
WRONG!!! I have been selling on ebay for years and do not take pay pal.
Click to expand...

RIGHT!!!
I also have been selling on eBay for years. Here it is, direct from eBay.

http://pages.ebay.com/help/pay/methods.html#other

Other payment methods
Checks, money orders, and bank wire transfers aren't allowed for most eBay purchases.

But sellers can offer these payment methods for certain items in some categories, including Motors, Capital and Business Equipment, Real Estate, and Adult Only.

I don't have any experience in sale in the "Adult Only" category - maybe you do.
 
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#177
Something very similar to Russell Bergum's description above almost happened to me this very month. I drew out of the "deal" soon enough.

I have subscribed to a few bass-boards around mid-January because I needed tips. Soon I got a shady offer per email so maybe some of you in one of these boards got it as well. The sender was a keith_powell-at-yahoo.com though it might be a group of people using different mail adresses.

This person wanted to buy a bass from me. I did put out a few ads but it was never clear which bass he actually wanted. I told him about the prices and conditions but he never really answered to these details. He also never gave me his adress, even when I insisted, but told me he's got his own transport agency and therefore employees that would pick it up at my place. Soon enough I called the deal off and I would not cash in any cheque I may receive. After (!) that he sent me cheques five times the item's worth. From the Netherlands btw. I tested them at the bank desk. Of course they were fraud but one might get tempted to cash them in. Police explained me that's a common trick. Because it might take some time until realizing the cheques were fraud or not covered but you would have already sent your goods. But that's not even what the trickster really wants. In the meantime the guy would contact his unaware victim once more to ask back some money because he „accidentally“ sent too much. Hope I can explain this here right due to my non-native english.

I know it smelled fishy from the start but oh well... I realized soon enough and this just as a warning to you guys, especially when I can put an email adress to it.
 
#178
just wanna ad, that im boycotting paypal since about 4 years ago. i have never ripped anyone off, and i refuse to use paypal or ebay now. they are crooks , selfish, controlling , and rude.

i also am upset that people on TB do not trust anything other then paypal.

i remember the days when i bought and sold on ebay with money orders, or checks. they didnt always require paypal. here is my story as short as possible version:

sold an fbass on ebay i bought from juan ortiz ( he is a great guy ) at bass and beyond ( formerly basses electric acoustic ) in california.
so the person who bought it from me, apparently used a stolen Cred. card. but, paypal and ebay did not tell me this till like 10 days after they said it was clear to ship and verified address etc... the money was in my paypal and then bank acct.
so 3 weeks later, they told me it was a stolen card. and then THEY TOOK 2500 dollars OUT OF MY CHECKING ACCT!!!!! not my paypal, my PERSONAL BANK ACCT!!!!
so im overdrawn to the max, and couldnt pay my bills , rent, car, insurance, electric, internet, food.... until about a month later after the initial 2-3 weeks it was after the bass shipped.

i will NEVER use paypal again. i even called them and spoke to 3 people. and a supervisor. SUCH A holes.... now , because of the overdrafting, and bank issues, i cannot open a checking account at all!!!!!!! so now there IS NO WAY to even try to use paypal or ebay for me. no bank acct. yeh its personal, but im glad to share my horror story. im on the checksystems bad check writer list. thanks paypal!!!!! *** and the bass was never found. someone got away with ruining my credit and stealing my fbass sunburst 5 fretted with mac ebony board, and a rare 5 piece neck george had on it. i believe a one piece body too, ( rare for them i believe)

so now in my SIG below here, i posted 335 feedbacks from my now defunkt ebay acct. so people can trust me. and if you go to page 2, you will see awesome feedbacks SINCE from the year 2000- so im 11 years a great trustworthy seller. also have used bassgear.

just wanted to point that out.

i have done business with tom clement basses FL , brian barret from the lowend for years, chris benavente, larry hartke;s people at samson, and also bass central, bass and beyond ( juan o ) , atl bass gallery jim rubio ( twice) , electro harmonix, madison, jorg schroeder since 2006 , and more the list goes on.

how do you make people trust you on here?
 
#180
I'd like to point out some other issues with eBay and (generally) a private seller; that is the verbiage used in the description.

Seller uses expression like "this is a SICK bass, great deal" and you receive instrument with some problems that were NOT pointed out in the description, whatever.... You contact seller, etc and get nowhere. You contact eBay's Resolution Dept. and they respond that the description from the seller was that the instrument was problematic; the term "sick" meant it needed work..... Lame? Yes. But it happened.

The gentleman that pointed out to not get into the "fever" of an auction & go slow OR back out.....is good advice.

When I have Emailed sellers and they don't respond, I generally let that sale go. It's not common but some folks simply don't respond to Email query's about the EXACT condition of an instrument & use expressions (such as the above) that can be construed two ways.....hoping to sell off a instrument that an exact description would stall. I fairly sure this is not common; but it does happen. It's the typical "used car" sales pitch & the buyer should be aware that an ethical seller wants to communicate as directly as possible & have NO problem pointing out issues that may make the buyer unhappy if they were concealed.
Another thing is the selling of musical instruments with no serial number! It's not a common thing to ask about but it's actually somewhat common on eBay; as pawn shops often won't take them, people dispose at a low figure an instrument w/ no serial #.
I have learned several things the hard way about eBay and not to beat up on teenagers but if the seller is a teenager (using "text-speak" etc) I do everything I can to make sure that I get a very CLEAR understanding of what is being communicated about the condition of the Bass, amp, etc. If the kid is too hip to communicate clearly; he lost a sale.
 

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