# eBay buyer asking questions after he won the bid

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-buyer-asking-questions-after-he-won-the-bid/917646>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 9, 2020, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-buyer-asking-questions-after-he-won-the-bid/917646 "2020-08-09T13:02:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\
**Post date:** [September 9, 2020, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-buyer-asking-questions-after-he-won-the-bid/917646/41 "2020-09-09T02:36:45Z")

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To return to the O.P., I would immediately offer the Serial # to a potential buyer. No problem at all. Since I know I’m not selling stolen goods.  
I don’t buy new cell phones. I’m weird that way. I buy used, and ONLY on Craigslist. I’m in NYC. I have my pick and choose of almost all models of used devices.  
I send an email and ask for the IMEI #.  
And a photo of the sticker.  
They agree, I call Verizon or do it online, check for theft, go buy the phone. I always take a jeweler’s loupe with me. So I can check the IMEI # inside of the phone. They don’t want me to check it, I stroll back to the subway.

Never ever been ripped off…

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**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\
**Post date:** [September 9, 2020, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-buyer-asking-questions-after-he-won-the-bid/917646/42 "2020-09-09T14:11:45Z")

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Ok, so you just don’t understand how eBay works.

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**Author:** ![GnuMe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f17d59/32.png) [@GnuMe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GnuMe)\
**Post date:** [September 9, 2020, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-buyer-asking-questions-after-he-won-the-bid/917646/43 "2020-09-09T16:43:01Z")

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Guess not. I’ll keep an eye out for all the great things I can learn from you…eBay or otherwise.

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**Author:** ![Nayna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ebca7d/32.png) [@Nayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nayna)\
**Post date:** [September 10, 2020, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-buyer-asking-questions-after-he-won-the-bid/917646/44 "2020-09-10T02:07:55Z")

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I’m leery (my first instinct was to spell it “leary,” but Google tells me that spelling hasn’t been widely used in 100 years. Huh.) of giving out a serial number, and Ebay is different from Craigslist in a lot of ways, but also - you ask questions _before_ you agree to purchase the phone, which would be absolutely fine with me. My only issue was that we had gone through a week-long auction during which the buyer asked no questions at all, and minutes after he won, he started asking for additional information.

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