# ebay: anyone heard of a scam like this? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 11, 2008, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-anyone-heard-of-a-scam-like-this/433193 "2008-01-11T22:18:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SpaceDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spacedog/32/9932_2.png) [@SpaceDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpaceDog)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-anyone-heard-of-a-scam-like-this/433193/1 "2008-01-11T22:18:10Z")
A friend of mine bought a PS3 on e-bay. The seller had a job lot of 100, and was selling them buy-it-now for a few hundred pounds. It sounded fishy but accepted PayPal, so the transaction was protected, and they had decent feedback, legitimate looking feedback. After the end of the auction he receives this e-mail. > [@](#): > > Subject: Playstation 3 order on ebay > > hi there > > we regret to inform you that we can no longer supply you with your PlayStation 3, our stock was delivered to us yesterday and everything was fine, overnight last night our unit had a slight leak from the roof, and it dripped water over the pallet of PS3’s throughout the night and today, > > we can not send these items out after this, The pallet was covered in plastic bubble rap, however there was gaps in that and water has defiantly gone through to the boxes. > > Although some boxes look OK, in order to test them we would have to break the seals on boxes, and open up all stock to test all, rendering the items USED and not BNIB SEALED as our auction stated. > > we have been in touch with our insurance company and they have told us to leave the stock there, and they will inspect tomm or Monday, either way we cannot do anything with them > > i refuse to send any out, as the last thing you want is a FAULTY PS3, so our only option is to refund you, > > we have made a mutual agreement in eBay, so to release us both from the transaction, soon as this is done your refund will be processed, it will take up to 7 days before everything is complete and the money is back with you > > please see our feedback we have over 200 happy customers and have never let anyone down, we are absolutely GUTTED not only have we lost our stock, but we have lost the potential profit we were supposed to make also, > > please accept our apologies and please know this incident was totally out of our hands, > > furthermore, we WILL be getting stock back in, in about 3 weeks time, we will give a 10% discount to all that have been messed about by us. so keep an eye on our eBay > > thank you for your patience > > and we hope you can accept our apologies Now, this just screams scam to me and him. I’m wondering if anyone’s seem this before, and if they know what’s going on? What I don’t get, if this is a scam, is why don’t they just take the money and run? Why send this e-mail? They could have just claimed to have posted them and still got their seven days. Or is it just a way to ‘borrow’ a large sum of money for a couple of weeks. Or is this just the first step in a bigger confidence scam? Finally what would you do if you were in that position? I’ve already suggested contacting e-bay and PayPal, start procedures to hold the money and reverse the transaction. Am I jumping the gun, or closing the door way after the horse has fucked off with the money? ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-anyone-heard-of-a-scam-like-this/433193/2 "2008-01-11T22:28:59Z")
I’d be wary of the form in which refuld payment was returned. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-anyone-heard-of-a-scam-like-this/433193/3 "2008-01-11T22:30:02Z")
[QUOTE=SpaceDog] A friend of mine bought a PS3 on e-bay. The seller had a job lot of 100, and was selling them buy-it-now for a few hundred pounds. It sounded fishy but accepted PayPal, so the transaction was protected, and they had decent feedback, legitimate looking feedback. After the end of the auction he receives this e-mail. Now, this just screams scam to me and him. I’m wondering if anyone’s seem this before, and if they know what’s going on? What I don’t get, if this is a scam, is why don’t they just take the money and run? Why send this e-mail? They could have just claimed to have posted them and still got their seven days. Or is it just a way to ‘borrow’ a large sum of money for a couple of weeks. Or is this just the first step in a bigger confidence scam? Finally what would you do if you were in that position? I’ve already suggested contacting e-bay and PayPal, start procedures to hold the money and reverse the transaction. Am I jumping the gun, or closing the door way after the horse has fucked off with the money? [/QUOTE] I’m not all that familiar with current scamming techniques, but I wonder if it’s a way to get you immediately thinking that there was a legitimate problem, making it more likely you’ll wait longer before enquiring about your machine or refund and possibly leaving you more open to “we’re sorry - the refund process has been delayed a few days; if you do not receive your refund in another 7 days please contact us again” repeated a few times. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-anyone-heard-of-a-scam-like-this/433193/4 "2008-01-11T22:34:23Z")
Only accept a refund in the form of a reversal of the actual PayPal transaction - if they send the refund as a separate payment, you’ll pay fees to receive it, but more importantly, it could be funded by a stolen credit card, and will bounce right back out of your PayPal account. Regardless of the seller’s platitudes, file an Item Not Received dispute. If the seller comes good on the refund as promised (and it’s a proper refund), you can just close the dispute. The later you leave it, the further away the money could be. Of course it might all be in earnest (the 7 days could be the delay required to get funds back into the seller’s PayPal account in order to make the refunds possible), but there’s no harm in filing an INR, just don’t close it until you’re happy it’s fully resolved (you normally only het one shot at disputing a transaction) ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-anyone-heard-of-a-scam-like-this/433193/5 "2008-01-11T22:39:50Z")
… why does this scream scam to you? I’d be inclined to take it at face value - at least, for seven or so days, at which point I’d start to hit the panic stations if the promised refund hasn’t arrived. Sometimes stuff happens. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-anyone-heard-of-a-scam-like-this/433193/6 "2008-01-11T22:46:17Z")
If you like, PM me the item number - I’ll sniff it out a bit, in strictest confidence. ---
**Author:** ![SpaceDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spacedog/32/9932_2.png) [@SpaceDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpaceDog)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-anyone-heard-of-a-scam-like-this/433193/7 "2008-01-11T22:47:02Z")
[QUOTE=Cazzle] … why does this scream scam to you? I’d be inclined to take it at face value - at least, for seven or so days, at which point I’d start to hit the panic stations if the promised refund hasn’t arrived. Sometimes stuff happens. [/QUOTE] I agree stuff does sometimes happen. But I apply a higher than normal level of paranoia to e-bay because, frankly, there are a lot of scam artists out there and the PS3 is clearly a popular scam target. The seven days thing seems like it’s buying time for something, I’d be inclined not to give 'em that time. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-anyone-heard-of-a-scam-like-this/433193/8 "2008-01-11T22:51:23Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] If you like, PM me the item number - I’ll sniff it out a bit, in strictest confidence. [/QUOTE] The OP should do this. **Mangetout** ’s scam-fu is way way strong. ---
**Author:** ![Cillasi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@Cillasi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cillasi)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-anyone-heard-of-a-scam-like-this/433193/9 "2008-01-11T22:55:09Z")
Unfortunately, that may be what they’re banking on (pun intended). Especially with overseas transactions, banks may put a hold on funds received for a set period of time before they can be withdrawn. By assuaging any anxieties over late delivery, they have bought the opportunity to for the funds to clear, withdraw them and scram. It’s difficult to tell in a case like this. Do your homework. Check their references on e-bay and see if they’ve ever “brokered” large numbers of items like this before. Some sellers spend time building up a reputation on smaller deals then go for the grand slam of scams. Although this doesn’t sound very big, they had to know they’d sell their entire stock since the item is so scarce. It might be big enough for them. If you are totally uncomfortable with the situation, have paypal and/or your credit card company reverse the charges immediately, voicing your concerns. I’d rather miss the chance at a PS3 than lose my money, especially if I’m concerned about being scammed. [QUOTE=Cazzle] … why does this scream scam to you? I’d be inclined to take it at face value - at least, for seven or so days, at which point I’d start to hit the panic stations if the promised refund hasn’t arrived. Sometimes stuff happens. [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-anyone-heard-of-a-scam-like-this/433193/10 "2008-01-11T23:13:42Z")
Why does it take 7 days to “process” a refund in PayPal? I work for a small company which takes PayPal payments, and should a refund be called for, it’s done right then. Same day at absolute most. I’d file a dispute immediately; stalling is a bad sign. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-anyone-heard-of-a-scam-like-this/433193/11 "2008-01-11T23:17:36Z")
[QUOTE=fluiddruid] Why does it take 7 days to “process” a refund in PayPal? I work for a small company which takes PayPal payments, and should a refund be called for, it’s done right then. Same day at absolute most. I’d file a dispute immediately; stalling is a bad sign. [/QUOTE] It could be that they quite legitimately withdrew funds from their PayPal account. You can only refund from PayPal balances, and there isn’t any easy way of instantly topping up the balance. So there is at least a possibility of a plausible reason for the delay. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-anyone-heard-of-a-scam-like-this/433193/12 "2008-01-11T23:17:51Z")
Yes, and if you want PM me your CC number. I have to run… er… a fraud search. Yeah, fraud search… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2008, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-anyone-heard-of-a-scam-like-this/433193/13 "2008-01-12T02:15:38Z")
_Immediately_ put in a dispute throgh Paypal. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2008, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-anyone-heard-of-a-scam-like-this/433193/14 "2008-01-12T03:24:37Z")
> [@](#): > > however there was gaps in that and water has \*\*defiantly \*\*gone through to the boxes. I think what they wanted to say here was “definitely” but made the age-old mistake of spelling it “definately” and then got it spell-corrected back to “defiantly.” And shouldn’t it be “were” gaps? Yeah, I know legitimate businesses make typos. I have worked in high-tech manufacturing for 20+ years. Never would we have sent an email like this to customers. There would ALWAYS be some recoverable material and the chances that dry boxes would suffer any damage is ridiculous. This is **obviously** a scam. No doubt in my mind. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2008, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-anyone-heard-of-a-scam-like-this/433193/15 "2008-01-12T03:48:51Z")
I’d get in touch with Paypal ASAP and halt all further communication with the ‘Seller’ except for the process of filing a Paypal dispute. Document, document, document. If this was funded from a credit card and Paypal fails to rule in your favor, consider a chargeback, but only once Paypal has made a ruling. I would, incidentally, immediately leave the seller negative feedback and file a “Seller Non-Performance” report with Ebay against this seller. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2008, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-anyone-heard-of-a-scam-like-this/433193/16 "2008-01-12T12:58:22Z")
Another vote for wanting my money back now. I’d email them and tell them this was for a birthday, so it’s of no use to you know and could you please refund the money. If for any reason they don’t do it right awat, then start filing disputes (make sure to save the emails). ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2008, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-anyone-heard-of-a-scam-like-this/433193/17 "2008-01-12T16:05:55Z")
Full scam - it takes a couple of days to withdraw money from paypal - once the paypal account is empty, its much harder to get a claim thru. Open a claim with paypal - the sooner you do this the quicker they can freeze the funds in the paypal account (of the scammer) until it is resolved - in the dispute, copy the contents of the email from the seller. HTere is no reason to wait 7 days - I know for a fact that payments can be refused immediately with paypal. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2008, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-anyone-heard-of-a-scam-like-this/433193/18 "2008-01-12T16:15:25Z")
[QUOTE=simster] Full scam - it takes a couple of days to withdraw money from paypal - once the paypal account is empty, its much harder to get a claim thru. Open a claim with paypal - the sooner you do this the quicker they can freeze the funds in the paypal account (of the scammer) until it is resolved - in the dispute, copy the contents of the email from the seller. HTere is no reason to wait 7 days - I know for a fact that payments can be refused immediately with paypal. [/QUOTE] I wanted to add - its not so much rather or not you are covered “under paypal” and that paypal might ‘eventually’ give you your money back (read the fine print) - its that the scammers _will_ get the funds - thats the scam. They get the money You don’t get your item Paypal may/may not refund the moeny to you (scammer dont care). ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2008, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-anyone-heard-of-a-scam-like-this/433193/19 "2008-01-12T16:34:03Z")
[QUOTE=Joey P] Another vote for wanting my money back now. I’d email them and tell them this was for a birthday, so it’s of no use to you know and could you please refund the money. If for any reason they don’t do it right awat, then start filing disputes (make sure to save the emails). [/QUOTE] errr know=now awat=away Waay to early to have been posting. I changed my mind, start the dispute RIGHT NOW. I guess it doesn’t matter what the excuse is, the seller came right out and told you that he wasn’t going to ship the merchendise. Start the dispute, you can close it when you receive your money. If you can contact the other buyers, you might invite them to do the same.