Do you think this was a scam?

Rick A

Subscriber
Joined
Mar 31, 2009
Messages
9,947
Location
Laurel Highlands
Format
8x10 Format
campy51 said:
Wanted to let everybody know I received my refund today.
Click to expand...

And lesson learnt, I'm sure. I'm happy it turned out positive for you.
I have this nagging suspicion that the seller played this knowing the buyer would get full refund from eBay or PayPal, and he would walk away with the money anyway.
 

Don_ih

Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2021
Messages
7,827
Location
Ontario
Format
35mm RF
Rick A said:
I have this nagging suspicion that the seller played this knowing the buyer would get full refund from eBay or PayPal, and he would walk away with the money anyway.
Click to expand...

The scam relies on someone not requesting a refund or reporting the item not received before the timer runs out. If you sell something on ebay, the buyer has 90 days or something to complain. After that, the seller has the money irrevocably.

I'm sure a lot of people believe the excuses for the delays and let that time elapse. Some people, it may even slip their mind they bought something.
 

bags27

Member
Joined
Jul 5, 2020
Messages
577
Location
USA
Format
Medium Format
Really sorry for your experience. I've learned never to buy anything unless the seller has an excellent track record and stocks other quality photographic items. I want to buy from a knowledgeable dealer, even if I'm paying the price that that dealer knows is market. The anxiety and uncertainty, at least for me, is not worth it otherwise.
 

Kodachromeguy

Subscriber
Joined
Nov 3, 2016
Messages
2,056
Location
Olympia, Washington
Format
Multi Format

That is excellent advice. You need to look at the seller's feedback to see what they have sold before. If they usually sell sneakers and all of a sudden are listing a Rolleiflex, what is going on? The exception might be the seller who scouts garage or estate sales and picks up some cameras among the detritus. But then you have the other red flags, in particular, the infamous "I don't know anything about cameras." I often wonder why a seller adds this moronic sentence in their listing.
 

Rick A

Subscriber
Joined
Mar 31, 2009
Messages
9,947
Location
Laurel Highlands
Format
8x10 Format

These days eBay deposits the funds from the sale within 24 hours into the sellers bank account. It's easy for the seller to remove the funds and shut down an account and keep the money, leaving the funding source to cover the refund whether it's PayPal or credit card, hopefully not a direct withdrawal from the buyers bank account.
 

Dennis S

Subscriber
Joined
Mar 16, 2008
Messages
1,763
Location
Vancouver B.C.
Format
Multi Format
Cancelled out eBay for buying or selling anything after selling and sending a camera to Australia and the buyer claimed it wasn't him that signed for it. Fought it and they claimed I can do nothing if the buyer "claims" he did not receive it. I showed them the tracking info I had received but THAT wasn't good enough for them so I was out a camera + shipping fees. KEH has the equipment I need for photography so I'm OK dealing with them.
 
Last edited:

btaylor

Subscriber
Joined
Dec 28, 2010
Messages
2,256
Location
Los Angeles
Format
Large Format
A couple of years ago I had a similar situation with a very different outcome. I sold a cinema lens for about $2k and shipped it to the winning bidder in Slovakia. I used the eBay international shipping program to be safe, though the buyer complained of the cost. Got an “item not received” complaint, which I suspect was bogus. eBay gave me my money.
 

btaylor

Subscriber
Joined
Dec 28, 2010
Messages
2,256
Location
Los Angeles
Format
Large Format
As this thread has wandered a bit, let’s remember that campy51 knew the price was a fair bit too good to be true from a seller with zero feedback. There was a chance an uninformed person was selling that Rollei at a crazy low price, but a small chance. He knew he would likely be getting a refund when he made the “purchase.”
 

Don_ih

Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2021
Messages
7,827
Location
Ontario
Format
35mm RF
Rick A said:
These days eBay deposits the funds from the sale within 24 hours into the sellers bank account.
Click to expand...

Not for a new user. They need to wait for confirmed delivery before they get the payout.
 
OP
OP

campy51

Subscriber
Joined
Oct 16, 2014
Messages
1,215
Location
Boston area USA
Format
Multi Format
Ebay said that they didn't receive a valid tracking number which is why I think they refunded so quickly. The actual package that was delivered was one digit off in the tracking number that ebay gave me.
 

BrianShaw

Member
Joined
Nov 30, 2005
Messages
16,545
Location
La-la-land
Format
Multi Format
What actual package? There probably never was one.
 

Sirius Glass

Subscriber
Joined
Jan 18, 2007
Messages
50,397
Location
Southern California
Format
Multi Format

I am fighting a problem with a scammer who never shipped the item but claims that I signed for it. This is part of the letter to the credit card company. It explains it all.

"Dear Sirs:​
​
On 23 November 2023, I ordered an item on the internet. I received a receipt but I never received any tracking information. I used several methods of contacting the seller so that I could obtain a tracking number. The support information on the website was invalid and fraudent. I never received the tracking number. I never received the package. I contacted CitiBank and initiated a dispute. The seller responded with incorrect and fraudulent information. Please read and study the following and then support my dispute. I am writing this to dispute this change and receive a refund.​
​
The following is what the seller sent to you in response to the dispute.​
​
​
  • The package was never received.
  • Neither I nor anyone else signed for the package. There is no signature provided because there is no valid signature.
  • On 28 November at 02:04 Z which is 18:04 PST [6:04 PM] Wednesday 29 November 2023, the motion activated surveillance system in my building showed that no one, not even the postal worker was in the mail room and nothing was delivered to the mail room that morning not even Amazon. Also USPS uses local time, not Zulu time.
​

The seller responded to CitiBank with this fraudulent tracking information.​
​
  • The document with the purported tracking manifest was purposely made small to make it harder to read.
  • The tracking number has 21 digits. UPSP tracking numbers have 22 digits. According to US Postal Inspector Alvin, this tracking number is invalid.
  • The US Postal Inspector Alvin has issued the Service Request number for this case. The Service Request Number is 588XXXXXX.
  • According to US Postal Inspector Alvin, the document provided by the seller is not from any USPS tracking system. Instead it is from ChatGTP, which USPS never uses. ChatGTP is an artificial intelligence program developed by OpenAI.
​
Note the line from the seller supplied tracking data below:​
​
​
​
According to US Postal Inspector Alvin, the USPS would never use ChatGPT and would never have this on the tracking document.​
​
This document is fraudulent and posed to deceive and defraud the card holder.​
​
  • The listing of USPS postal centers does have not the correct names. Furthermore the times for package movement is too fast for the normal processing following the Thanksgiving holiday this year.
  • Please follow this URL to see the original webpage advertisement:

Tuhavi, The Paralyzed Kachina By Philbert Poleyestewa - A Masterpiece!

$221.76,Proudly presented today is this spectacular Hopi Kachina doll, depicting a Koyemsi Mudhead carrying a Tuhavi Kachina. This is a representation of a Hopi legend which undoubtedly predates the K
www.specialglimmer.store
​
The original internet posting does not have any active support links and do not lead to the seller’s business support center. On the webpage, the section does not have any active links.​
​
  • The seller’s webpage provides this support@specialglimmer.store which is not a valid email address. I sent two emails to that email address and both were rejected. See Attachment 1 and Attachment 2.
  • I then sent two messages on the webpage to umino repeating the complete above messages and I never got a response.
  • I never received any tracking number.
This whole operation is a scam, which has committed wire fraud and email fraud."​
​
​
​
I will provide updates.
 

Attachments

  • 1704055267568.png
    19.3 KB · Views: 39

Ai Print

Subscriber
Joined
May 28, 2015
Messages
1,292
Location
Colorado
Format
Multi Format
Don_ih said:
Not for a new user. They need to wait for confirmed delivery before they get the payout.
Click to expand...

Or if you have not sold in awhile as was the case with me recently.

I used to enjoy selling things on eBay, etc because it was more fair, less fees and relatively safe. So this time around I let a lot of stuff pile up because I was dreading the process. But I ended up doing ok, to the tune of $25K in gear....nerve wracking. I won't let it pile up so much next time around.
 

Chuck1

Member
Joined
Jul 4, 2022
Messages
679
Location
Arlington ma
Format
Multi Format
Just regarding scams:
The sellers on ebay that sell only through an email adress(bids will be canceled) are they scams?
They have positive feedback, but it seems very weird, it's very high end stuff and not cheap.
This listing is a linhof master technika and 5 apo lenses for like $2200. Which seems like a mistake or a scam.
Anyone seen this listing,it was posted Jan 2?
 

Rick A

Subscriber
Joined
Mar 31, 2009
Messages
9,947
Location
Laurel Highlands
Format
8x10 Format

Red lights flashing! If you go off eBay for a sale listed through them it isn't covered by their policy and they warn not to do it.
 

JPD

Member
Joined
Mar 24, 2007
Messages
2,156
Location
Sweden
Format
Medium Format
If something seems good, then it's not true. There are few exceptions out there, but why keep hope alive when you know Disappointment is lurking behind the corner?
 

btaylor

Subscriber
Joined
Dec 28, 2010
Messages
2,256
Location
Los Angeles
Format
Large Format

I don’t know if this still flys, but what scammers used to do is hack someone’s account and then try to run the “to good to be true” item outside of eBay. Often the account had been inactive for years, the actual owner long gone.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn more…