Someone contacted me about the ejection seat I’m selling on eBay. Here’s the eBay message:
Is there a rush to get this items sold and out of your way? I ask because I’m very interest. However, I would like to have the item picked up (not shipped) but can’t make it happen right now. I’m thinking my best available date might be in mid November. I understand holding the item (after receiving payment) for over a month could be an issue if you need the space.
Let me know you position on this and I will see what I can do to make it happen.
Thank you for your time.
I’m vaguely familiar with Craigslist scams, but I haven’t heard anything about them on eBay. A couple of things stick out: First, there are a couple of ‘typos’. Second, the ‘Let me know you[r] position on this’ line seems a little stilted. Third, he didn’t try to haggle. While my price is lower than other listings, it’s about twice as much as I’d accept. Not haggling makes it feel as if someone is counting on my greed.
I don’t think PayPal Seller Protection applies, because he wants to have it picked up. I understand timing a pickup; for example, maybe he or someone he knows will be in the area in a month and a half. On the other hand, it seems that six weeks would be plenty of time for PayPal to actually receive the funds and it would be safe to transfer them to my bank after someone picks the seat up.
I think I will reply to this guy and tell him that storage is not a problem, but that he should not purchase it until he’s ready to get it.
Scam. No way that’s a typo. I hear that kind of construction in countless scambaiting videos.
I’m sure the pickup person will need freight fees or such and the pre-payment will be a cashier’s check.
The eBay userID is a first and last name, which is different from the name he signed the email with. Clicking on the name shows that he has ‘based in the United States’ and has been an eBay member since March 11, 1999. He has 177 feedbacks, and is 100%. I clicked on ‘Feedback received as buyer’, and there are only two in the past six months. I don’t know what he bought, but the seller sells GoPro things. Several of the older feedbacks are from multiple purchases from same sellers. A couple of these sellers appear to sell military patches, which seems in line with someone looking at an ejection seat. A lot of the other members who left feedback over a year ago show as ‘unregistered’.
@carniverousplant: I bought it in the early-'90s, but I don’t remember where. It arrived by truck at the building where I worked. It has not been ‘used’ as in ‘ejecting from an aircraft’, but it’s used in the sense that he was in service on an A-7E.
However, if they want to pay the amount listed, use PayPal to pay, keep all transactions and communications through eBay, and you can stand to keep it through mid-November, then what’s the harm?
As soon as the buyer asks to do anything off eBay, or offers to pay more and then asks for a refund by check or anything, that’s when you… eject yourself from the situation.
Red flag. He may have stolen this account.
Who says they’re “based” in the US if they mean they live here?
The odd language structure proves they haven’t learned English from living here.
The feedback and such can be gamed.
It’s been in the storage unit for years. Another couple of months is nothing. Where’s the harm? He picks it up and then makes a chargeback to PayPal. I assume that if he pays now and doesn’t pick it up until November, then the funds will legitimately be collected by PayPal and it would make no sense to arrange pickup. OTOH, there’s plenty of time for him to do a chargeback before pickup.
eBay says when I click on the username.
I’d like to sell it ASAP. But I don’t have time for any monkeyshines. I was hoping someone local (Seattle/Everett) would buy it.
He has a plan to rip you(and others he’s e-mailed)off.
Maybe the “friend” makes the pickup then the buyer claims it was never picked up as his friend broke down and never made it to your place.
I’d say ignore it, there’s too many signs it’s not legit.
My guess is they’ll send you a cashier’s check for more than the sales amount with instructions to give some of the cash to the person who is picking it up, and of course the check will turn out to be fraudulent.
My very strong recommendation on this, before you do anything else, is to please read the quote in your original email using the voice of Borat in your head.
Yeah, I did say local pickup is OK. I don’t know what issues are possible through PayPal. But there were other things that I noted that make me suspicious.
The way it usually goes is they send you a fake certified check then ask you to wire the excess to the pickup person. You deposit the check and the bank gives you access to the funds immediately, or after a few days. You think it’s all good and wire the money. A wire is irreversible and can be untraceable. Then when the check bounces you are screwed.