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Warning - watch out buying an MTB on eBay (LONG)!



 
 
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  #1  
Old July 24th 03, 02:32 PM
iddqdATworldonline.dk
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Default Warning - watch out buying an MTB on eBay (LONG)!

Didn't find this group until the other day, otherwise I would have
posted this 3 weeks ago. (Quote from my post from July 2nd in
alt.mountain-bike follows)

------QUOTE START
I'm writting this post partly as a warning, partly because some help
would be welcome and partly because I need to put words to my frustration.

Saturday a week ago I was surfing looking for interesting parts for my
bike or perhaphs even a good deal on a new bike. So I check out what's
on ebay and find a good deal on a Specialized Enduro:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...y=22 677&rd=1

I mail the guy through eBay with a few questions and also because I
wanna check him out due to it being the first thin he sells on eBay, and
he answers me back with the info I request corcerning the bike size and
if it will fit me also in effect reasureing me that while he is a new
seller he is totally legit. He also tells me that he is currently in the
UK and that he is willing to pay for the delivery. This of course only
makes the offer look even better as having the bike send within the EU
means no tax to pay at customs and so.

He's eager to close the deal and since no one has so far made an offer
on the bike he offers to close the auction ahead of schedule, in effect
meaning we deal without using ebay. To make a short story long we agree
on the $1100 and come monday I mail the money through Western Union. My
name is causing a few problems, there's a none english letter in it and
also in my adress so retrieving the money becomes a little difficult
because Western Union has changed one letter to another but sometime
tuesday after a few mails back and forth he is able to withdraw the
money. Now - his withdrawl of the money I only know because of checking
it on the Western Union site because I have heard nothing since the last
mail about how to spell my name in english:-(

So in short I have send $1100 to a guy that looks to have grabbed the
money and since decided to ignore me completely. Question is should I
just wait some more or do you guys think this is a case for the police?

I would like to try to get in touch with the guy in another fashion than
just email, but I have not been able to find his telephone number or
even verify the adress he has provided. So I wonder if anyone in the
group knows how to find some info on this guy?

NAMEANI MISCHI
ADDRESS:352 BARKING ROAD
CITY:LONDON
ZIP:E13 8HL
COUNTRY: UK

Supposedly he's from the US currently staying in the UK and in ebay he's
registrered as residing in

ELLENSBURG
United States /Seattle-Tacoma

And his email is Dani Bruce

If any of you is in the market for a Enduro I suggest you wait till this
matter has been resolved before you buy something from the Dani guy!

Now I would like to think that the reason I have heard nothing from him
since he has gotten the money is due to some family emergency or
something, but it's been more than a week now so one has to wonder.

I still hope the deal comes true and I get the bike, partly because else
my money is lost and I'll have to stick with my 1998 FSR Elite for a
while(no new bike this year for sure), but even more so because I so far
have had the luxury that whenever I have made arrengements to buy stuff
from people on the net it has been good experiences and I really want to
keep it that way. Maybe I'm just naive?
------QOUTE END

Through the response I recieved to the above post I learned that the
scammer has tried to do the same moves on others offering items as
differently as guitars and espresso machines, and also learned about one
guy that did sens money to buy a guitar and never got anything. I now
belive that it's not just a single individual working eBay in such
manner but some sort of organized fraud.

The guy the sold me the bike waited a few days and then offered the bike
again using the exact same add and even the same username, once I saw
that I of course contacted eBay and also informed a bidder on the bike
about the whole thing plus I made a bid on the bike (after all I had
allready paied for it). Being an official bidder enabled me to learn
the name and details behind the user name which turned out to be an
totally innocent US guy, which had just has his named misused.

Furthermore as I made a bid on the second sale of the bike I was first
outbid by someone and that cause someone to mail me an offer on a
different Enduro. I played along with the offer and was treated to a
description and pictures simply copied from a review on SingleTrackWorld
plus language very similar to the one used by the one which suckered me
in the first place. Eventually I was asked to send money to this person:

Billi Jovani
233 A Heathway Dagenham
Essex,London
zip RM9 5AN

And then I mentioned that I would come to the UK and get the bike which
would save the seller money due to him offering to pay UPS shipping -
which not surprisingly cause him to inform me he had another buyer.

The whole business is now a police matter and I really have no hope of
getting my money back. So now it's more about warning others no to be as
naive as me and if possible to get the &¤%¤&¤% scam artists brought to
justice.

Kind regards

Bruno, Denmark

Ads
  #2  
Old July 24th 03, 02:46 PM
Tiny Tim
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Default Warning - watch out buying an MTB on eBay (LONG)!

iddqdATworldonline.dk wrote:
Didn't find this group until the other day, otherwise I would have
posted this 3 weeks ago. (Quote from my post from July 2nd in
alt.mountain-bike follows)

------QUOTE START
I'm writting this post partly as a warning, partly because some help
would be welcome and partly because I need to put words to my
frustration.

snip

Are you aware there is a uk.people.consumers.ebay group that was only formed
a couple of weeks ago. I suspect you're out of luck but maybe if you post
there someone may have some ideas.

Good luck,
Tim.


  #3  
Old July 24th 03, 04:07 PM
JamJar
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Warning - watch out buying an MTB on eBay (LONG)!

I live fairly near this guy ... of course there is no reason for you to
trust me (but if you've possibly lost the bike anyway) but I could go down
and say hello to this fellow . If you want me to give him a knock send me
a mail on


---
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Checked by AVG anti-virus system (
http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.502 / Virus Database: 300 - Release Date: 18/07/03


  #4  
Old July 24th 03, 04:52 PM
John Wallace
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Default Warning - watch out buying an MTB on eBay (LONG)!

"Ian" wrote in message
...
iddqdATworldonline.dk must be edykated coz e writed:


OUCH! I buy and sell on Ebay a lot, but have always got the goods, this
reminds me not to get complacent, I hope you manage to get somewhere with
this Bruno, have you informed Western Union that they are involved in a
fraud?


Ian, do a Google search on "Ebay" and "Western Union" - they must be well
aware by now. Basically NEVER use Western Union to pay for anything on Ebay,
and in fact make sure to check out carefully whatever payment option is
proposed.

I always do, and also insist first to come and pick the goods up in person
(even if I have no intention to do so). If the person refuses without good
reason, be cautious. So far I've bought 200 items online and never (touches
lots of wooden items!) had a problem, but it really pays to be careful.





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  #5  
Old July 24th 03, 08:32 PM
chris French
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Default Warning - watch out buying an MTB on eBay (LONG)!

In message , John Wallace
writes
"Ian" wrote in message
...
iddqdATworldonline.dk must be edykated coz e writed:


OUCH! I buy and sell on Ebay a lot, but have always got the goods, this
reminds me not to get complacent, I hope you manage to get somewhere with
this Bruno, have you informed Western Union that they are involved in a
fraud?


Ian, do a Google search on "Ebay" and "Western Union" - they must be well
aware by now. Basically NEVER use Western Union to pay for anything on Ebay,
and in fact make sure to check out carefully whatever payment option is
proposed.

I always do, and also insist first to come and pick the goods up in person
(even if I have no intention to do so). If the person refuses without good
reason, be cautious. So far I've bought 200 items online and never (touches
lots of wooden items!) had a problem, but it really pays to be careful.


The two things that struck me from this poor situation.

1. I wouldn't carry out any large trade with a seller with no track
record on Ebay (you can still be ripped of . but you lessen the risk.
There was someone recently who built up a good feedback record, then put
a load of stuff up for auction and took the money and ran.

2. if you do a deal outside of Ebay you don't have any of the protection
that you have doing it via Ebay.
--
Chris French, Leeds
  #6  
Old July 25th 03, 12:47 AM
iddqdATworldonline.dk
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Warning - watch out buying an MTB on eBay (LONG)!

chris French wrote:
The two things that struck me from this poor situation.

1. I wouldn't carry out any large trade with a seller with no track
record on Ebay (you can still be ripped of . but you lessen the risk.
There was someone recently who built up a good feedback record, then put
a load of stuff up for auction and took the money and ran.

Well you are right of course but then again. Most first deals are just
fine - in fact a friend of mine bought an Ellesworth frame from a eBay
newcomer. I was just naive and unlucky since the huge majority of deals
are perfectly legit.

To me it seems what you must do is the following:

1. Never ever send money to something the other party can access without
having a legit permanent residence.

2. If possible use an escrow service or even better do the actual deal
face to face.

3. Make sure you talk to the person also - at least on the more
expensive items. Don't accept excuses about a phone not being possible
and make sure you do the call.



2. if you do a deal outside of Ebay you don't have any of the protection
that you have doing it via Ebay.


Well going through eBay is not worth much.

A account can be build on false information and it's not like eBay are
real quick to respond in case of problems, in fact I had to jump through
hoops to get anything than a automated response and that's when the
scammer tried to sell the bike a second time. Plus they don't even offer
a phone number the police can call, in fact it seems they do everything
possible to distance themself from any sort of responsibility - more
like something you would expect from a less than legit company!

Plus their so called ensurance will only cover you so far, so that's not
worth much either.

Kind regards

Bruno

 




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