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Uneasy Feeling


Foxman

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Hey guys I have a situation and am looking for some advice. I posted my speakers here and ebay and craigslist. I got a commitment from a guy with no reputation on Ebay who wants me to send the speakers to a different state than he lives in and he is paying me full price, + shipping and giving me an additional $300 for a gift card to include in the speaker box. I just received payment through paypal, what are my risks here?

 

Any ideas?

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Just now, Rudy81 said:

Wow, that doesn't sound right to me. 

Me either. Having not really used Paypal in many years, nor eBay, I really don't know if he can get his money back after I send the speakers. Paypal opens in 20 minutes, I will be on the phone.

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2 minutes ago, jvs1670 said:

Sounds like you're about to be scammed.  That's a classic set up on CL.   Did he even ask any questions?  Use bad grammar in his communications?

He asked about the condition and the performance, and he asked was okay sending the gift card. Basically my radar when off, but I said if the money is good, I'm good. Not bad grammar, however I did run into that with craigslist. Several emails with really bad grammar wanting me to text them at an email. I emailed instead and haven't heard back.

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3 minutes ago, Rudy81 said:

Unfortunately you are going to have to spend some time on the phone sorting this out. Sending the product to a different address is one issue. The gift card is a HUGE red flag. 

Yeah the gift card is a scam my wife almost got bit by, so, I am very cautious and wont send anything until it is buttoned up.

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27 minutes ago, foxman said:

I got a commitment from a guy with no reputation on Ebay who wants me to send the speakers to a different state than he lives in and he is paying me full price, + shipping and giving me an additional $300 for a gift card to include in the speaker box.

 

I just received payment through paypal, what are my risks here?

 

Complete scam.  Don't walk, run away from this one.  If it sounds too good to be true it probably isn't.

 

Protect yourself by locking down your security, and if it were me I'd change passwords.  That Paypal payment will get sucked out of your account, that has happened to others.  And who pays with a $300 gift card?  Don't cash it or you will be part of a scam ring and you will be on the hook for the money.  You are being scammed.

 

I'm sorry I have to be such a Debbie Downer but because we forumites buy and sell so much  on this forum we've seen a LOT of scams.  Speaking for myself I've learned what red flags to look for.   All the guys above ^^^ who said the same thing have also learned from their forum experience, or have learned the hard way first hand.

 

 

 

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As a seller with PayPal, you get no protection if you send items to a different address than PayPal shows. So if he pays and you ship to a different address, he tells PayPal he did not get the item, they request proof of shipment from you and when they see a different address, he gets an automatic refund from your PayPal account. 

 

I'd immediately refund the payment through PayPal and tell him the deal is off. Send the gift card back if he sends it.

 

Good luck.

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Well, I thank you all. I waited for Paypal to open and got what I suspected. It is a scam. So, just in case you are unsure about Paypal transactions, here is what they just sent me: Good luck and good selling.

 

You’ll know that an email is not from PayPal when:

  • The email uses a generic greeting like "Dear user" or "Hello, PayPal member." We always address you by your first name and last name or the business name on your PayPal account.
  • The email requests financial and other personal information. For example, an email from PayPal never asks for the numbers of your bank account, debit or credit card, or driver’s license. We also don’t request your email addresses, your full name, your account password, or the answers to your PayPal security questions.
  • The email includes an attachment or a software update to install on your computer.
  • We will never ask you for money in an email, and we will never ask you to send money through Western Union, MoneyGram or any other third party money transfer service.
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1 hour ago, foxman said:

Hey guys I have a situation and am looking for some advice. I posted my speakers here and ebay and craigslist. I got a commitment from a guy with no reputation on Ebay who wants me to send the speakers to a different state than he lives in and he is paying me full price, + shipping and giving me an additional $300 for a gift card to include in the speaker box. I just received payment through paypal, what are my risks here?

 

Any ideas?

 

RUN! RUN Fast and Far!

 

Wb

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I would be inclined to close my PayPal account over something like this. With a note to whoever pretends to care at that “bank”.

 

If you still need PayPal, open a new one with a different email.

 

And as mentioned, change your password on the email used for this transaction.

 

My philosophy for online buying and selling is:

”Any red flags on the play result in instant disqualification!”

 

Glad to hear you didn’t get taken!

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I believe you’re playing the “B” side of this.

 

 

I would not ship anything until you’re certain of the funds.  It’s probably a scam and the scammer will grow impatient and disappear.  The question is whether with or without your speakers.

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I am a regular eBay and Paypal user both as a seller and buyer.  EBay and especially Paypal is 100% buyer centric.  Even if you send to a buyer's confirmed address, they can still dispute the transaction and say they did not receive the correct item or the condition was not as described.  I've even heard of an instance where someone purchased a diamond ring from a legitimate seller.  The buyer filed a dispute stating they received a box of rocks, and the buyer got the refund.  The burden of proof is 100% on the seller.  Failure to produce said proof will result in a refund to the buyer regardless of whether seller is right or wrong, or for that matter the seller is being blatantly scammed.  The only defense for this is to request the buyer send Paypal funds via "friends and family", in which case the funds are NOT disputable.  If a buyer is not willing to go this route, I will never accept Paypal, end of story.

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On 11/18/2019 at 7:35 AM, foxman said:

Hey guys I have a situation and am looking for some advice. I posted my speakers here and ebay and craigslist. I got a commitment from a guy with no reputation on Ebay who wants me to send the speakers to a different state than he lives in and he is paying me full price, + shipping and giving me an additional $300 for a gift card to include in the speaker box. I just received payment through paypal, what are my risks here?

 

Any ideas?

You block people who make offers like this before they can bid. In your case I would claim the item got broken and refund his money.

 

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