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what's the worst that could happen on ebay?

onthat

onthat

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 26, 2006
179
1
Ruston, Louisiana
alright, unannounced to me, my father placed a guaranteed winning bid on a 17" 1.5ghz powerbook. That's fine and all, but I researched the seller behind my dad's back and found a bunch of ebook purchases on topics such as: Easy money on Ebay, how to get free laptops and other products, etc.

He has a 3 day return policy upon recieving the item in question...he is selling an identical laptop as well with a buy it now price of $1600. If we get screwed, what are the chances that we'll get our money back? What's the worst that could happen?
 
onthat said:
alright, unannounced to me, my father placed a guaranteed winning bid on a 17" 1.5ghz powerbook. That's fine and all, but I researched the seller behind my dad's back and found a bunch of ebook purchases on topics such as: Easy money on Ebay, how to get free laptops and other products, etc.

He has a 3 day return policy upon recieving the item in question...he is selling an identical laptop as well with a buy it now price of $1600. If we get screwed, what are the chances that we'll get our money back? What's the worst that could happen?
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How did you pay? PayPal?
 
What is the auction URL?

Make SURE it isn't one of the "win this auction and we'll tell you have to get a powerbook" deals. If it is, then tell him to contact eBay immediately to retract his bid. If you suspect fraud, retract the bid and notify eBay. ASAP.

If it is an auction for an actual product, you need to make a certain as possible that the product is fully described, and really what it says it is.

PayPal has limits on the amount you can get back, and whether theseller qualifies for buyer protection. If the seller does not have a confirmed PayPal address/account, that's bad.
Remember the seller can happily offer a 3 day money back guarantee-- that's plenty of time to drain the PayPal account, close the attached bank account, and b%^^#r off, and PayPal will say "sorry, there's no money left to recover". Make sure you read all the fine print from PayPay and their limitations, before you assume you are covered.
 
onthat said:
he was just outbid! I don't know how, but some guy just exceeded his maximum!
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Don't be shocked if the seller contacts you saying that (surprise surprise) they have additional units for sale at your bid price if you hurry and send them money.
Run. Away. Don't. Look. Back.


What is the auction #?


Also, if bidder the latest retracts his bid, Dad is back on the hook. Have your contingency plan and due dilligence in place...


It does look like the seller has intentionally bought a bunch of eBooks and ultra low cost items to bump his Feedback up. He has no feedback as a seller.

The chances of an individual who has never sold before suddenly having two Powerbooks, brand new unopened to sell, is improbable.

There aren't many scam signatures on this, But a ONE day auction without a reserve price is a red flag.
 
I would say its a scam, look at all his past auctions...
"Get rich quick" schemes
he uses stock photos, i know thats allowed, but its nice to actually see some proof...anyone can use a stock photo
 
I just got my second e-mail response from him: "I RECIEVED THE LAPTOPS THROUGH A SUPPLIER, BY THE NAME OF TRACY PETERS, I HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHING A BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP WITH HER COMPANY FOR THE PAST MONTH. IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT WHOLESALE THEN YOU KNOW HOW ONCE A RESPECTABLE RELATIONSHIP IS ESTABLISHED BETWEEN YOU AND A SUPPLIER THEN THE PRODUCTS THEY SUPPLY COME WITH A FAIR DISCOUNT. I USE EBOOKS TO EXPAND MY KNOWLEDGE IN BUSINESS. MOST OF THE EBOOKS HAVE BEEN A WASTE BUT AT THE SAME TIME I HAVE LEARNED VALUABLE INFOMATION FROM OTHERS..."

Originally I asked for a serial number...which he doesn't provide
 
onthat said:
I just got my second e-mail response from him: "I RECIEVED THE LAPTOPS THROUGH A SUPPLIER, BY THE NAME OF TRACY PETERS, I HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHING A BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP WITH HER COMPANY FOR THE PAST MONTH. IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT WHOLESALE THEN YOU KNOW HOW ONCE A RESPECTABLE RELATIONSHIP IS ESTABLISHED BETWEEN YOU AND A SUPPLIER THEN THE PRODUCTS THEY SUPPLY COME WITH A FAIR DISCOUNT. I USE EBOOKS TO EXPAND MY KNOWLEDGE IN BUSINESS. MOST OF THE EBOOKS HAVE BEEN A WASTE BUT AT THE SAME TIME I HAVE LEARNED VALUABLE INFOMATION FROM OTHERS..."

Originally I asked for a serial number...which he doesn't provide
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Did he mention his daughter is in Africa and he is selling the laptop to get some money for her?
 
onthat said:
I just got my second e-mail response from him: "I RECIEVED THE LAPTOPS THROUGH A SUPPLIER, BY THE NAME OF TRACY PETERS, I HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHING A BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP WITH HER COMPANY FOR THE PAST MONTH. IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT WHOLESALE THEN YOU KNOW HOW ONCE A RESPECTABLE RELATIONSHIP IS ESTABLISHED BETWEEN YOU AND A SUPPLIER THEN THE PRODUCTS THEY SUPPLY COME WITH A FAIR DISCOUNT. I USE EBOOKS TO EXPAND MY KNOWLEDGE IN BUSINESS. MOST OF THE EBOOKS HAVE BEEN A WASTE BUT AT THE SAME TIME I HAVE LEARNED VALUABLE INFOMATION FROM OTHERS..."

Originally I asked for a serial number...which he doesn't provide
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Yeah -- if HE knew anything about wholesale, he'd know the "supplier" for new Powerbooks is Apple... and their best discount to large buyers is about 7%.

Tracy Peters, yeah, that sounds official. Either these are stolen Powerbooks, or more probably, the seller himself is being gamed by the 'supplier'

This is a drop-ship type scenario -- They recruit him to sell online, and they promise to drop-ship the product to the auction buyers, Mr. Seller gets a % cut for 'representing' them online. So Mr. Seller takes the bidder's money, takes his cut, and sends the remaining 80% or 90% to the 'supplier'. Of course, the 'supplier' never ships any goods, only gives a bunch of excuses as to why the shipment is delayed. When the buyers get around to demanding their money back from Mr. Seller, he starts getting worried and goes after the 'supplier' to get a refund. At this point, "Tracey Peters" disappears, leaving Mr. Seller with a large mess and a few 10's of thousands owed to PayPal and angry buyers. Mr. Seller typically goes bankrupt at this point rather than have to pay back the buyers.

That's the part they left out of the eBooks :D

That's also why he can't give you the serial number - he doesn't actually have the Powerbooks in his posession -- which I believe is a violation of eBay policy not to disclose that you are an agent selling other people's goods.

Really, it sounds like he swallowed the bait, hook, line and sinker.
 
CanadaRAM said:
Yeah -- if HE knew anything about wholesale, he'd know the "supplier" for new Powerbooks is Apple... and their best discount to large buyers is about 7%.

Tracy Peters, yeah, that sounds official. Either these are stolen Powerbooks, or more probably, the seller himself is being gamed by the 'supplier'

This is a drop-ship type scenario -- They recruit him to sell online, and they promise to drop-ship the product to the auction buyers, Mr. Seller gets a % cut for 'representing' them online. So Mr. Seller takes the bidder's money, takes his cut, and sends the remaining 80% or 90% to the 'supplier'. Of course, the 'supplier' never ships any goods, only gives a bunch of excuses as to why the shipment is delayed. When the buyers get around to demanding their money back from Mr. Seller, he starts getting worried and goes after the 'supplier' to get a refund. At this point, "Tracey Peters" disappears, leaving Mr. Seller with a large mess and a few 10's of thousands owed to PayPal and angry buyers. Mr. Seller typically goes bankrupt at this point rather than have to pay back the buyers.

That's the part they left out of the eBooks :D

That's also why he can't give you the serial number - he doesn't actually have the Powerbooks in his posession -- which I believe is a violation of eBay policy not to disclose that you are an agent selling other people's goods.

Really, it sounds like he swallowed the bait, hook, line and sinker.
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Why do you believe that the "supplier" exists?

What I mean is - could the guy not just have made all that up, and in fact be your bog standard scammer?
 
It's all speculation at this point, I just feel sorry for the winning bidder...and thank god that my dad's full bid never went through.
 
Atlasland said:
Why do you believe that the "supplier" exists?

What I mean is - could the guy not just have made all that up, and in fact be your bog standard scammer?
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Oh of course, it could be made from whole cloth, but the seller's language and his history of buying eBooks suggests that he is the gullible sort.

The main point was to illustrate that there are various types of scams; the effect of the drop-ship supplier scam is that the party you are buying the goods from may very well have excellent feedback and a verifiable address etc. They may even be an honest, if gullible, person. Which is of course what the scam supplier is counting on as a front.

So checking feedback etc. may not provide adequate protection from the scammers.
 
is it safe to buy at ebay cause i saw read from other forums that they sometimes sell fake iPods...how would i know it its original? does it have a warranty? :confused:
 
DCapple said:
is it safe to buy at ebay cause i saw read from other forums that they sometimes sell fake iPods...how would i know it its original? does it have a warranty? :confused:
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If you don't know --- then you have answered your question -- it is not safe for you to buy through eBay.

In general, you are only assured of a warranty if you buy from an authorized dealer. In some cases a warranty is transferrable on used goods sold to a second person, in other cases the warranty is voided by resale.

eBay is a place where people can buy and sell almost anonymously... so it attracts people who think they can get away with cheating and not get caught. The most popular items are those that are in high demand; Powerbooks, High end TVs and video, expensive cell phones and iPods are good examples. They are so desirable that enough people will let greed overcome caution.

If someone is offering a new, unused Apple product, and they are not an Apple dealer, then there is a good chance the product is stolen, actually is used, or is a scam.

If you want a deal, go to the Apple refurb store.

If you want to buy on eBay, spend 6 months checking out the auctions first, until you know how to spot the questionable sellers on first sight. Then research your product well before bidding. Know what the new price is, and the refurb price. Have a list of what similar items have sold for recently. KNow your shipping methods and costs so you don't get ripped of in shipping. Research the seller's feedback to see if they have a good track record selling similar items.

eBay is a knowledge game. The person who knows more, makes the money, and the person who knows less, pays the money.
 
I wouldn't do it. There's lots of Powerbooks on eBay. Find one from a reputable seller with pictures of the actual product and good feedback. Not worth it for the money and expense at stake.
 
What's the worst thing that could happen on ebay?
Click to expand...

Answer: You could lose all your money.

I just checked and it seems like you did not continue to bid. Good decision. I'm not saying it was definitely a scam, but it was way too sketchy to risk over $1000.
 
Powerbook "deal"

One other red flag here. Though this guy has generally positive feedback, he has NEVER been a seller. That is where we would have learned about his honesty, shipping habits, ability to deliver what he advertises...
Brian
 
As someone who stupidly fell for an ebay scam and lost over €2200 on a powermac, please dont fall for this scam...

It is amazing what the scammers can do on ebay, they can hack existing ebay accounts and pretend to be selling from them, they can send automail with ebay email account details seemingly intact.

They can guarantee safe transactions and send you all the ebay documented proof, all of this fake.

These people are professionals and the reason they get away with it, is because there is no or little vetting on ebay.

Ebay doesnt seem to provide any real fraud prevention measures.

Also paypal only cover you for a maximum if $500 which is nothing...
 
You know I have been selling on ebay for 5 years now and these scams really do make it hard on the honest sellers. I go out find merchandise to sell and do it honestly. I still have 100% feedback and I try to keep it that way. I have never had anyone get upset with what they bought from me. I sell laptops, cellular phones and other electronics. Mostly small to medium equipment. So there are honest sellers the problem now is you have to siffed through them to get to the good ones! Good luck!
 
PayPal are rubbish.

I had to ring them up and they tell you to fill in a online form. And you have to pay a charge if you claim etc.

Dont risk it mate
 
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