E-bay concern - is everything kosher?

[Anthony]

didn't know where best to post this, so happy for Admin to move it.

recently I missed out on a TT shelf on eBay http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=010&item=200033088928&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEDW%3AIT&rd=1

Before bidding I had communicated with the seller and he said I could pick it up from him as I was heading up his way for a long weekend, thereby saving me the postage cost.

I was outbid on 8th October, but on 21st Oct I got this message from him in my eBay messages (and Yahoo mail):

Hello

Having major dispute through E bay, did you bid on the deck?

Regards

Trevor

I responded thus:

hello trevor

sorry to hear about your hassle with the buyer.

I put in the second highest bid under the name anthonyandelaine, but hfking beat me by a pound at the last second of the bid.

I was willing to bid this highly because I assumed that if I won I could have picked it up in person this weekend (just spent the weekend in Aviemore but back home in Edinburgh now) and therefore wouldn't have had to pay for postage.

Regards

Anthony

The seller has now responded with this:

Hello Anthony

Am really depressed with the hassle from this auction. Cannot believe that a fool on a quest to have some 'fun', putting in and withdrawing bids can ruin an auction.

What was your bid?

Please e mail my address

Regards

Trevor

He should know what my bid is because it was his auction and he has my eBay name. I also told him I was second in the bidding so it's clear whoI am. eBay has this message:

If this message is an offer to sell an item without winning it on the eBay Web site (including Second Chance Offers sent through My Messages) please do not respond to the sender. These external transactions are unsafe and not covered by eBay purchase protection programmes.

I'm a little confused as to what I should do now, particularly as I am pretty new to eBay. The guy has plenty of good feedback etc. but perhaps his account has been hijacked and someone is trying to get details out of me.I particularly don't like this phrase: 'Please email my address'.

Opinions/help please.

 

[adam]

SCAM,

As you say,he would know who had bid on the deck or shelf.

 

[Effem]

Sounds like the average eBay numpty to me.

I doubt that a hardcore scammer is going to get rich to the tune of fifty squid to be honestunless he plans to sell the same item 50 times.

To be on the safe side if the auction has been screwed then wait for it to be relisted

 

[Shakey]

Yes indeed, he'd should know everything he needs. Double ropey scammer, AVOID!

 

[Guest]

You could ask for a couple of piccies - with something included (e.g. today's newspaper) to show it is a genuine picture?

Could be a scam but normally scammers advertise expensive stuff... so looks genuine though his approach is very odd indeed

 

[Sastusbulbas]

Hi Anthony,

Was the email sent through eBay ? (if he has, or if it has an eBay heading, you can forward the email to spoof@eBay to find out the possibility of it being a scam)

Does the email address in contact with you correspond to the original sellers email ?

(you can confirm this by using his address to find a seller on eBay)

Has any message appeared in your eBay from this seller ? and if not why not ?

Most genuine sellers contact through eBay, to ensure confidence.

And does the seller respond to contact through eBay ? And does he have any feedback for recent items ?

As the item has not sold or been paid for, he is entitled to relist it for free, and if genuine this should not be a problem, you could ask him to do this with a £56 buy it now option ?

A good point to note is that the goods he sold at the same time as the table have had feeback given, but there is no feedback for the table ?

Hope these pointers may help,

Regards,

Steve.

 

[Arfa]

If I were you I'd leave it. Unless you can collect it, see the item and pay cash - to much of a risk otherwise. Plus you are paying over the odds a little. I've been after one of these myself and they do vary in price quite a bit, in fact I got mine the other day for £18.50! And the ones I missed were only going for around 30 quid...

Patience, you'll see another at a good price. Besides they're only £90 new on the Target website; either a glass shelf one or one with with two wood shelves.

Edit: just realised, I was talking to you before about these shelves. Did you not bid against me in that one auction in Stanmore in the end?

 

[Oliver]

This is all a bit weird. Both the seller and the highest bidder have got good feedback from their previous transactions and £56 is hardly the sort of amount to be scamming! But the seller ought to know your highest bid. It may be a genuine disagreement but I thought e-bay had some sort of 2nd chance option for these incidents.

I'd do one of two things

1. Stay clear and look out for another table.

2 Continue to get some evidence of whether this is genuine eg photos but do it via e-bay ... don't give him your e-mail address!

Good luck

 

[Borats Baby]

The guys obviously a wierdo.

Dont reply to him in any way.

look for another shelf.

You were outbid fair and square, If hes havin problems with his buyer, thats not your problem.

BB

 

[notaclue]

Also his e-mail says "did you bid on the deck" :Not Sure:

But it wasn't a deck. It was a shelf. :Not Sure::Not Sure:

Add that to the fact he doesn't know what was bid on his own auction...

Don't get me wrong. It may be that this is the genuine eBayer rather than an imposter, but there is a strong chance that he has become a CIA mind control victim.

Could be dangerous. I wouldn't mess around if the CIA are involved.

And it looks like the CIA's fingerprints are all over this one...

 

[Anthony]

thanks for the comments everyone. I may just respond to his messages (which have all come through eBay) and say that I'm no longer interested.

Arfa - you're right, £56 is over the odds but i was factoring in £15 postage. maybe that's still too much though. they only ever seem to go cheap if it is pick-up only, and that doesn't seem to happen much (at all) up here. may just bide my time.

 

[Guest]

If you are after something in particular why not ask your fellow wammers if anyone is getting rid of one...

 

[Anthony]

Starmist wrote:

If you are after something in particular why not ask your fellow wammers if anyone is getting rid of one...

i've tried that, but unfortunately nothing came of it.

http://www.hifiwigwam.com/forum5/8643.html

 

[Bourney]

i think my mate has just been scammed in a similar manner for a lot more money tho...

just hoping the item arrives now.

 

[Anthony]

Bourney wrote:

i think my mate has just been scammed in a similar manner for a lot more money tho...

just hoping the item arrives now.

it wasn't this was it?

possible ebay scam?

i asked the seller for more pictures and info and never heard back. in mint these go for big money. he had no feedback either. hope it wasn't a scam for whoever ended up paying (if anyone actually did).

 

[Hawk]

Something not right at all.... look at trevor.scotlands feedback 'left for others' in particular the feedback he left for his buyer in that auction...

 

[Anthony]

Hawk wrote:

Something not right at all.... look at trevor.scotlands feedback 'left for others' in particular the feedback he left for his buyer in that auction...

hmmm, good point.

have sent a message saying i'm not interested any more.

 

[Bourney]

Anthony wrote:

Bourney wrote:

i think my mate has just been scammed in a similar manner for a lot more money tho...

just hoping the item arrives now.

it wasn't this was it?

possible ebay scam?

i asked the seller for more pictures and info and never heard back. in mint these go for big money. he had no feedback either. hope it wasn't a scam for whoever ended up paying (if anyone actually did).

no he got a second chance offer on a merdiian cd player by email rather than thro eBay..it was blatant to me...emails didnt match up,namesand address of seller didnt match location & names on eBay and he offerred the items 300 quid cheaper than highest bid. I feel for my mate as he a trusting and honest lad with a young family etc.some tw*ts out there!

 

[Anthony]

Bourney wrote:

Anthony wrote:

Bourney wrote:

i think my mate has just been scammed in a similar manner for a lot more money tho...

just hoping the item arrives now.

it wasn't this was it?

possible ebay scam?

i asked the seller for more pictures and info and never heard back. in mint these go for big money. he had no feedback either. hope it wasn't a scam for whoever ended up paying (if anyone actually did).

no he got a second chance offer on a merdiian cd player by email rather than thro eBay..it was blatant to me...emails didnt match up,namesand address of seller didnt match location & names on eBay and he offerred the items 300 quid cheaper than highest bid. I feel for my mate as he a trusting and honest lad with a young family etc.some tw*ts out there!

there truly are some theiving wankers out there. hope everything turns out ok for your buddy.