Recently there has been more and more fraud on Ebay specifically in relation to the x505 series.

These theives list x505’s using generic pictures and once they take your money you will not get anything in return. I have personally been working with eBay to help curb this problem, and in general, they are caught before the sale can end, but I have decided to post this in case some buyers are unaware.

Some eBay accounts with good feedback are used to list these phoney auctions (what happens is the account is hacked and the theives use the hacked account to list the items).

Sings to be aware of:

1. Not accepting Paypal - As much as we all hate paypal, it is pretty secure. Theives love to use WesternUnion or direct merchant accounts - buyer beware.

2. Asking you to e-mail a different name from the ebay account name. Always use the ‘Ask The Seller A Question’ button.

3. Be aware of generic pictures - they steal pictures from other auctions or websites. If it’s a picture you’ve seen before, stay away.

4. Low or non-existent reserves - Face it, your not getting a $3K laptop, new, for under $1,500. If it’s too cheap, there is a reason for it, beware.

5. Little or no feedback/new user - Never buy a large ticket item $100+ from a new seller, certainly don’t buy a $2,000+ item from a newbie.

6. Multiple Auctions - Very few people have 10-20 x505’s in stock, beware if they have too many listings.

7. Short Auctions - It’s hard to remove auctions in less then 24 hours, so most theives run 24 hour auctions, beware.

Below are two screenshots of what these people are trying to get away with on ebay. Please note, all these auctions have been canceled.

Don’t be afraid to ask the seller a lot of specific questions, how the got it, why they are selling, etc. If you are considering buying off of Ebay and your concerned, feel free to PM or e-mail me, I have no problem trying to help you decide if it’s legit or not.

Good luck, be careful.

Erik

Nice ! Thanks erik ... I am thinking of buying the X505 but i dont think ill be using ebay anyway !

Thanks for the Heads Up…I sware first the TR’s now the x505’s I am sure they’ll jump into the t’s and s’s :?

THanks eric !

A friend of mine lost 1000 $ like that, it was one of his first e-bay auctions, he bought a pack with 5 nokia mobiles. The seller asked him to use Western Union… my friend never saw the phones and never saw his money again…

beware

Also, you can check feedback and see what kind of items they have been selling. I will only buy from someone who has a long history with eBay and it is a huge plus if others have left positive feedback for buying a similar item. It is rare that someone who has never sold high dollar items all of a sudden has the best deal ever (and multiple of the same item).
As someone who has been taken once or twice, it pays to be very careful.

JC

Something else to be aware of when purchasing anything NEW from eBay is whether or not the manufacturer will honor the warranty or not.

Nikon for example will only honor the warranty if it’s products are purchased from a Nikon Authorized dealer, i.e. a real camera store.  Your receipt is the proof of where you bought it.  It’s possible that some eBay sellers are Nikon Authorized but most are probably not.

I don’t know if Sony has this sort of thing but I would certainly do some checking before making the purchase.  You might save a few bucks now and get hosed later when you need warranty repair.

I myself never buy new high dollar items from eBay for this reason.  I might buy cheaper accessories new (like Clie Cradles) because they only cost $30 and are unlikely to need warranty service.

Used items on the other hand don’t have the issue because the warranty isn’t likely to apply anyway.

I have heard of something like this before. It’s something that I forgot to mention…

Always ask if you can get a copy of the original receipt. Tell the seller they can black out the Credit Card info…tell them it’s for warranty purposes. If they refuse, move on.

When I sold my TR on Ebay, the buyer asked for a copy, I had no problem providing one.

Erik

Also be very cautious about fictional positive feedback.  Recently I amd watching 20 items gone in 2 days almost of 250 value (PSX2 slim) for just 119.  All the feedback this seller has, is made up of items selling for $0,01 and free shipping.  The items are all cook recipies and things like that.

I contacted a few buyers to check if they got their items as described.

It’s very strange to me.

This guy is a newbie (less than 30 days registereds and has 111 ALL positive feedback status. for no value items…

It makes you wonder.

Just like i thought…

It was a scam this guy..
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8148080004

20 people got ripped off 120 plus ship and wonder when and if they will get anything back from paypal !

Be very cautious in big differences..

I had a legit seller run off with my money. I used a money order because he had perfect feedback for years. Ebay refunded my money except a $25 fee…I recovered around $200…so there is hope beyond just paypal.

Erik

Yes and no. Paypal only offers (full) coverage to some sellers…usually new Ebay or Paypal accounts do not qualify. You should see a paypal guarantee section below the auction price area. They also set up a lot of rules, both the seller and buyer must use confirmed addresses for example.

Sometimes paypal offers a money back guarantee that you can purchase on top of their automatic guarantee. Usually it’s only a few dollars, but I don’t know if they cover $2,000+ items.

If you are seriously looking into purchasing a system, get their paypal ID and call paypal to find out if you would be covered if the system never arrives.

As for using your credit card…its a trick situation. If you use your credit card to pay paypal, then as far as your credit card is concerned the transaction between you and paypal is what matters, they are not responsible for the transaction between paypal and the seller. If you pay the seller directly with your Credit Card, you would have some way of getting your money back, depending on your credit cards fraud policy.

Good luck,
Erik

Seems so. PM me the auction # or his Ebay ID, i’ll have a look see.

Erik

on any item purchased off ebay you’d be insane to send $2000 anywhere by any method i think.
I’d always use escrow. Then you’re protected and it doesn’t cost that much. If a seller won’t allow you to use escrow if you are offering to pay all fees then i’d be sceptical.

it is preference. a friend of mine sent 11K for an Audi bought on Ebay.
I just looked at my resolution center in my paypal account. I have 13 disputes with sellers. 10 of them resolved in my favour. the one which was not ... was resolved in my favour by the credit card company. It is safe to buy on ebay but always with a premium CC

[quote author=“DayWalker”]it is preference. a friend of mine sent 11K for an Audi bought on Ebay.
I just looked at my resolution center in my paypal account. I have 13 disputes with sellers. 10 of them resolved in my favour. the one which was not ... was resolved in my favour by the credit card company. It is safe to buy on ebay but always with a premium CC

Do you not look at feedback or do you just buy so much that 13 problems is not that much in the grand scheme of things?

Erik

feedback pretty much means nothing in some instances. Having in mind that this is ebay, most of the sellers are idiots and clueless in what they sell. For example, I got tension rods for my Q45 ... off ebay since someone bought them and never installed them, although the idiot didnt mention that they are OEM hard casing rods… I had to pay twice to install those and install the original one later on since the car was running like a tractor…. The seller denied the return ... although I got the money back through the credit card and sold the rods PROPERLY and recovered the money for the second install… that was the biggest pain in the ass in the last 4 years of my ebay experience.