[jaieger]

So I have my D-FA 100mm f2.8 WR on my local craigslist for $550 at the moment. A bit overpriced, but just seeing what I can get first. I receive what appears to be an interested buyer, and then they send me this...

"I'm interested in the immediate purchase of this item i will be paying
you a sum of $750 including shipping cost,i will want to complete the
transaction in a very timely manner and i will like you to ship out the item via
LOCAL POST if you can do this,email me with your paypal id so
that i can proceed with the payment right away.let me quickly say that i
will be sending this unit to my son in abroad ,he need this item
urgently for his birthday gift,i will be happy if u can email me back
now."

I dunno guys, sounds a bit off

[adr1an]

Yes its a scam. We had spates of these here in Australia 12-18mths ago, mainly to do with the sale of Motorbikes

The scam goes they are unable to inspect or visit in person (Reasons often range from, "on deployment", "at sea", "currently work on an Oil Rig".... etc).

They offer an amount often insanely above your asking price.
They can then ONLY pay with PayPal (because they are at-sea, etc, and apparently normal financial institutions do not have NetBanking...)
They then send a *forged* Payment notice at some point, using URL spoofing and the like. *Lots* of sellers then turn around and ship the item - Without having checked their Paypal.

So - Yes its a scam. And yes, like the "I need to get $1,000,000 dollars out of Nigeria..." scams... a scary amount of people fall for it. Tragic - considering that all you need to do is *log in* to your PayPal account and verify that you haven't received any payment at all.

[K57XR]

The fact that he called your lens "unit" and no photography questions whatsoever, this is more than likely a scam! I get these types of emails whenever I put an ad on Craigslist. I wouldn't even bother to respond to his/her inquiry since you'd be virtually giving him your Paypal ID, assuming you use the same email address as your ad. If their email has a link attached to it regardless how authentic it looks, DO NOT click on it! Better yet, delete the email.

[jaieger]

No worries, the email I send my craigslist stuff to is a dummy account ^__^

Sad thing is, the other email I've received in response to the ad is as legit as can be, a fellow Pentaxian wanting to trade lenses. She's got a DA 35 limited and DA* 16-50 on the chopping block.

[sweetpapa]

Yes this is a scam.

Craigslist does give you a warning to only deal locally to avoid scams like this, which is pretty good advice.

[JeffJS]

The REAL sad thing is that there are people who actually fall for this. It is as old (and probably older) as email itself. Sometimes it can be fun to lead these people along..

419 Eater - The largest scambaiting community on the planet!

[boriscleto]

I only asked a CL seller to ship once. (He lived 100 miles away and it was the middle of winter) I offered him $75 on an item listed for $50, I paid with a postal money order, and he shipped the item priority mail.

I'm sure the reason the seller had no problem accepting this is because I make no secret of my identity on the Internet. My email signature has a link to my home page and AIM/Skype ids. I had no problem sending him the money because he provided a home address and not a PO Box.

[Ed n Georgia]

For me, the giveaway is when the e-mail refers to what you're selling as "the item".

Definitely a scam.

[dgaies]

I only asked a CL seller to ship once. (He lived 100 miles away and it was the middle of winter) I offered him $75 on an item listed for $50, I paid with a postal money order, and he shipped the item priority mail.

I'm sure the reason the seller had no problem accepting this is because I make no secret of my identity on the Internet. My email signature has a link to my home page and AIM/Skype ids. I had no problem sending him the money because he provided a home address and not a PO Box.

I've done this a couple times (as a seller). Once was a similar situation when the buyer only lived about 20-25 miles away, but with traffic it might have taken the better part of an hour each way. For $5 to ship it by mail, it seemed like the best option for both of us. One time I did send something I was selling on craigslist to someone in Canada, and it worked out just fine for both of us. Again, based on my conversation with him it was clear he was someone who was interested and serious about buying the lens I had for sale as opposed to a generic, no-talent scammer sitting at a computer in Nigeria asking to "buy my item" for $200 above my asking price.

[magkelly]

Lately selling on CL/Ebay has become a real crapshoot. You post an ad on CL for anything on sale and you end up with tons of scammers all over the place trying the above and even more contacting you and then vanishing the moment you go to actually set up a live meeting etc. There's also been a real problem with people fishing for very personal info, info I am just not prepared to give to some person I don't even know off of CL.

I'm extremely careful about not giving too much personal info, about meeting in a public place, making sure that where I do meet someone has some security in place that I'm not just meeting in a parking lot or whatever. I take a cell with me, let someone know where I am going and when I'm supposed to be back, that kind of thing. I never let people just come to my house or give out the house phone # versus the throw away cell. I hate being this paranoid but there have been some really bad things that have happened off of ads posted on CL, muggings, rapes, and the like and I'd rather lose a sale than risk personal injury.

I had one guy the other day try to buy something I have up and without even asking me he sent some thing from Pay Pal with that exact amount on it. Supposedly I had to click and that was it, a Pay Pal link would come up and we could complete the transaction from there. I just laughed at the guy and sent him back an email telling him I didn't use Pay Pal and that I knew a phishing scam page when I saw one, but I am sure there are people out there who would indeed be fooled by something like this.

I have a bunch of collectibles that I inherited a couple of years ago from a family member that I really need to start selling this Fall. It's time I got rid of some of it. I still need things for my studio that I'm not going to get anytime soon unless I start selling all the stuff my aunt left me. I have a friend who sells on there all the time so I thought about going the Ebay/Pay Pal route, but after listening to her horror stories and reading all the latest info about Ebay's fees and all the Pay Pal scams that are popping up everywhere I'm not going anywhere near either one of them.

I'm going to be opening a couple of little online stores (One on Etsy for me making camera straps and the like, another on Bonanza or Ruby Lane I think for the collectibles.) and accepting only postal MO's and that's it. (Selling on CL too probably, though I've never made much locally doing that.) Bad for business not taking PayPal? Probably. I'd surely make a lot more money if I did, but I just don't particularly feel comfortable using it. I've just met one too many people who has lost money to Ebay, Pay Pal, charge backs, and them not protecting sellers even though they say they will. I see no security for me there.

Ever since I first started using CL I've always known that there was a criminal element involved on there. Par for the course, but lately? It seems there are more of "them" and far fewer decent people and I'm just far more cautious than I used to be as a result.

[K-9]

Lately selling on CL/Ebay has become a real crapshoot. You post an ad on CL for anything on sale and you end up with tons of scammers all over the place trying the above and even more contacting you and then vanishing the moment you go to actually set up a live meeting etc. There's also been a real problem with people fishing for very personal info, info I am just not prepared to give to some person I don't even know off of CL.

I'm extremely careful about not giving too much personal info, about meeting in a public place, making sure that where I do meet someone has some security in place that I'm not just meeting in a parking lot or whatever. I take a cell with me, let someone know where I am going and when I'm supposed to be back, that kind of thing. I never let people just come to my house or give out the house phone # versus the throw away cell. I hate being this paranoid but there have been some really bad things that have happened off of ads posted on CL, muggings, rapes, and the like and I'd rather lose a sale than risk personal injury.

I had one guy the other day try to buy something I have up and without even asking me he sent some thing from Pay Pal with that exact amount on it. Supposedly I had to click and that was it, a Pay Pal link would come up and we could complete the transaction from there. I just laughed at the guy and sent him back an email telling him I didn't use Pay Pal and that I knew a phishing scam page when I saw one, but I am sure there are people out there who would indeed be fooled by something like this.

I have a bunch of collectibles that I inherited a couple of years ago from a family member that I really need to start selling this Fall. It's time I got rid of some of it. I still need things for my studio that I'm not going to get anytime soon unless I start selling all the stuff my aunt left me. I have a friend who sells on there all the time so I thought about going the Ebay/Pay Pal route, but after listening to her horror stories and reading all the latest info about Ebay's fees and all the Pay Pal scams that are popping up everywhere I'm not going anywhere near either one of them.

I'm going to be opening a couple of little online stores (One on Etsy for me making camera straps and the like, another on Bonanza or Ruby Lane I think for the collectibles.) and accepting only postal MO's and that's it. (Selling on CL too probably, though I've never made much locally doing that.) Bad for business not taking PayPal? Probably. I'd surely make a lot more money if I did, but I just don't particularly feel comfortable using it. I've just met one too many people who has lost money to Ebay, Pay Pal, charge backs, and them not protecting sellers even though they say they will. I see no security for me there.

Ever since I first started using CL I've always known that there was a criminal element involved on there. Par for the course, but lately? It seems there are more of "them" and far fewer decent people and I'm just far more cautious than I used to be as a result.

If you know what you're doing, Ebay is easy, worthwhile, and not a risk to the seller at all. Ebay fees are not very bad either. Don't expect to sell $2 items, though. Right now, they have a list 100 items on auction free program. That's a huge savings over the normal .15-.45 listing fee.

Sellers are easily protected on ebay/paypal if they:

1) Only ship to the paypal listed address. I recommend only selling within the US as lots of overseas locations cannot get verified addresses through paypal. If you sell outside the US, send it only with insurance, and just add that into their shipping cost. If they pay what you pay for shipping, you lose nothing. If they say they didn't get it, and you are insured, you lose nothing. The only wishy washy overseas deals can be if they get a damaged item, because it's hard to go back and forth through the countries' postal systems to verify damage claims. If I sell items overseas, it's usually only sturdy ones and nothing fragile.

2) Anything shipped within the US you should add delivery confirmation. Again, just add it to the buyer's shipping fee in the listing. If a buyer submits a claim, paypal will not protect you if you do not have some kind of proof of delivery.

3) Never go to ebay or paypal through an email link. Bookmark it in your browsers or type it in yourself.

4) Take detailed pictures of the item you are selling. Hard to dispute a claim from a seller who says the LCD was cracked on your DSLR when it arrived to him, if you never had a photo on the ebay listing showing the back of the camera. If it's a really expensive item, take video of the item and of you boxing it up before you ship it out.

5) If you do buy it now ebay listings, always check off the "immediate payment required".

6) Check off selling preferences like "only allow bidders from countries I ship to", and "do not allow buyers with -1 feedback to bid".

I've been selling things on ebay since 1997 and really haven't had any troubles selling. The most troubles come from buying. Actually, the worst trouble wasn't from a transaction but from when I had $10,000 ready to plop down on ebay shares at roughly $68 each in 1998 just as they went public, and backed out at the last moment because I needed to keep that money secure for a house down payment. The stock soon went to over 100 and split.

On the flipside, Craigslist is like those seedy ads in the back of free newspapers. You never know who is buying or selling. Stay away unless you have to.

[magkelly]

You're a long time seller. For me actually a lot of those rules simply wouldn't apply. Ebay and Pal Pal have gotten absolutely ridiculous about a lot of things when it comes to non-established sellers. There's a lot more risk than there was for sellers and the length of time you can wait now to be paid as a newer seller is absurd. I've been reading in the Ebay forums for about a year, debating on joining to sell? After reading for a while I was totally turned off by the idea. Between the fees, having to use Pay Pal, and the risk of charge backs, phishing schemes, and theft I'm not impressed. For a novice seller Ebay and Pay Pal don't look like a very safe bet to me.

[krp]

For me the worst part about selling on ebay is you never really know what the final bid will be. I just sold a lens for a little higher than I expected. But it's frustrating when something worth $150+ only sells for $30 and the winning bidder is a reseller.

[pricyber]

Yep fishy
Here are two that I got TODAY. Posting here to warn ppl

"Thanks for your swift response,Am eminently interested in purchase this item from you,I'm an eBay buyer i just have some problem with my eBay Account plus am purchasing this for my fiance son who obligated to Stopover to her mum in West Africa.i will offer you $1050 for the item including the shipping cost I'll be paying you with PayPal so if you are interested to sell for me get back to me with your PayPal money request for the payment asap. i will need your quick respond.....

Awaiting your reply
Regards!!!
Cheers"

"Thanks for the mail concerning the inquiry mail I sent you, I am
buying this for my son in Tennessee, Nashville.I have been trying to
buy this on eBay but its so very stressful buying there.I will offer
you $700 CAD so as to close the auction as soon as possible.I will be
paying through PAYPAL because I have a verified account with PayPal
but if you don't have a PayPal account you can set up an account with
them just visit www.paypal.com the process is just 3- 5minutes, .So
kindly get back with your PayPal email address so i can make payment
into your PayPal account,shipment will be handled by me through my
personal fedex account,so you dont have to pay for shipment.Get back
to me if my approval is granted.I would like to see the pictures
please.Regards
"

[RioRico]

For me the worst part about selling on ebay is you never really know what the final bid will be. I just sold a lens for a little higher than I expected. But it's frustrating when something worth $150+ only sells for $30 and the winning bidder is a reseller.

Welcome to The Market. Something is worth precisely what someone is willing to pay for it. If nobody else thinks an item is worth lotsa bucks, it ain't. I've overpaid for lenses that I'm stuck with (for now) because I know the current market value just doesn't make it worthwhile for me to sell them. I also know, based on eBay experience, that they *will* probably be worth selling next year. I just need to hold my breath that long, eh?

No, nothing is certain in The Market, not without price-fixing. BIN and asking prices may be total fantasy, or may be negotiable. COMPLETED LISTING prices are reality -- but as stockbrokers must say, "Past performance is no guarantee of future value" or something like that. Selling is always a risk.

NOTE: I don't make a living on eBay. I buy stuff, keep what I want, and try to sell the rest to help pay for the keepers. I've been eBaying for 13 years now, but my lens sales are just in the last year. IMHO eBay (for all its flaws) is still a viable place to trade. CL isn't viable where I mostly live, so I ignore it.