Ebay scams

[Chingford 166]

I had a 'Buy it Now' used on a particularly expensive coin this morning.

The buyer in very bad English, through bay Messages, asked me to Invoice him for immediate payment and asked to collect the coin in person the same day.

The Payment was made through PayPal immediately, notification from Paypal they had received the funds followed shortly, then I received an email from the buyer confirming he had made the payment and asking for my address/where the coin was for collecting that day also my whereabouts, was I at my address or at work.

Fortunately I don't keep my coins at home, but offered to collect it and meet this person at my home address to hand it over that evening.

In the meantime the PayPal payment had been reversed by the Buyer/PayPal and notification of such received from PayPal.

Had it not been for the delay in collecting the coin, and that I keep my email browser open, I probably would missed the PayPal warning and parted with the coin.

I emailed the Buyer that the payment had been withdrawn, he never showed up or replied to the email, the Telephone number he listed is non-existant, probably the address also.

PayPal are investigating, but the buyer had a 100% posotive Ebay UK Feedback of 156, although it was registered as Private.

As a precaution I will now be listing a three day turnaround with no personal collections, unless of course I know you.

[Chris Perkins 228]

Dodgy!

For expenisve things I don't trust paypal. Has to be a bank transfer (which should really become more widely encouraged).

You had a lucky escape.

[Chingford 166]

Dodgy!

For expenisve things I don't trust paypal. Has to be a bank transfer (which should really become more widely encouraged).

You had a lucky escape.

Very lucky, that's why I thought I'd pass it on, my experience may just save another a few quid/coin.

Bacs is a much better way of securing the funds, but I get jittery at giving out too much personal information with all the 'cloning' that's been going on.

Cash is the best way, but try paying in or taking out more than a couple of hundred from the bank and they all but frisk you these days.

[Chris Perkins 228]

I put my bank details on each and every listing for all to see. So far it's been perfectly safe, especially if the banks are so nervous about giving money out.

Here in Germany, most people under 30 have never written a cheque. People don't even have cheque books. Their version of BACS is the norm, and for that reason paypal doesn't do as well here. I think it's mad that people in the same country should pay paypal (a US company) a fee to send money to each other!

[Rob 3,152]

Any clues as to identity of this nefarious character? Ebay id and location would be useful although ebay id is easily changed. I'm not sure they are clever enough to vary the location but every bit of info helps.

[Chris Perkins 228]

If they had got feedback before this I bet it was someone bad that had taken over a good account.

[Geordie582 18]

Hijacking accounts is happening. It happened to me. Though Ebay shut down my account before any damage was done! That is apart from the hassle of having to open a new account with a different name and opening a new Ebay address. I always thought that bank transfers were the dodgiest method?

Edited August 11, 2006 by Geordie582

[Chingford 166]

Any clues as to identity of this nefarious character? Ebay id and location would be useful although ebay id is easily changed. I'm not sure they are clever enough to vary the location but every bit of info helps.

Name and shame time, I have emailed both addresses, no reply received (if they were cloned accounts I think they would have replied by now), Telephone number supplied is dead, I would assume Postal address is false,

PayPal and Ebay are investigating

Ebay id is charliejsn feedack is 156 100%, PayPal account is under a different name completely

Postal Address:

Charlie Johnson

London NW10

Unconfirmed

Email address: charliejohnson911@hotmail.co.uk

PayPal id:

Payment From: Ryan Clayton

Buyer's ID: charliejsn

Buyer's Email: ryan.clayton@hotmail.co.uk

[Rob 3,152]

This thread seems a good starting point for intentional ebay rip-offs as opposed to laughs. So here's one for starters. Shill bidding or what? 1858 shilling. 184 feedbacks for top bidder but only 7 for someone other than the seller.

[Chingford 166]

Any clues as to identity of this nefarious character? Ebay id and location would be useful although ebay id is easily changed. I'm not sure they are clever enough to vary the location but every bit of info helps.

Name and shame time, I have emailed both addresses, no reply received (if they were cloned accounts I think they would have replied by now), Telephone number supplied is dead, I would assume Postal address is false,

PayPal and Ebay are investigating

Ebay id is charliejsn feedack is 156 100%, PayPal account is under a different name completely

Postal Address:

Charlie Johnson

London NW10

Unconfirmed

Email address: charliejohnson911@hotmail.co.uk

PayPal id:

Payment From: Ryan Clayton

Buyer's ID: charliejsn

Buyer's Email: ryan.clayton@hotmail.co.uk

[Chingford 166]

Messed that first one up!

I have researched my 'Buyer' and found the following which may help others.

Buyer has been selling screensavers at 1 pence each, this has given a large feedback over a relatively short period.

As Feedback is kept private, you can't check to see what has been bought by whom, Paypal also gives a healthy verified rating due to large number of payments received.

Nothing has ever been posted to or from this buyer, Correspondance is only through Ebay messages, therefore no details can be checked.

I personally will block all buyers with private feedback from now on, what have they got to hide? Obviously a lot in some cases.

[Chris Perkins 228]

I think some people use private feedback because they don't want people to know what they're buying. You might not want people to know about certain personal items! So I can see the logic behind it. Obviously its open to abuse.

[Rob 3,152]

w13ang is another user who uses private feedback. He is currently selling a Peck 778 (1718 silver halfpenny proof (?)). I was the underbidder on this piece at Baldwins in May when he paid £360 hammer. The first time he listed this he used his alter ego tee2459 as the shill bidder who according to his relisting was a non-payer. For some reason he didn't leave himself negative feedback, although I'm sure he could have written himself a cheque. Now it's relisted and his other shill is matthews9289 who is top bidder. I'm going to have a good time and bid to what I was prepared to pay in May. I know I'll be outbid, but I might as well hope he screws up. In any case, I'm more than happy to let him keep paying. People like this are a problem. Particularly when they try to offload a piece like this for £800 which he did. There are too many part time dealers out there who think that because it was bought at auction it must be a bargain, and an equal number of suckers who think everything on offer is cheap.

Another rant over. Thank you.

[Chingford 166]

w13ang is another user who uses private feedback. He is currently selling a Peck 778 (1718 silver halfpenny proof (?)). I was the underbidder on this piece at Baldwins in May when he paid £360 hammer. The first time he listed this he used his alter ego tee2459 as the shill bidder who according to his relisting was a non-payer. For some reason he didn't leave himself negative feedback, although I'm sure he could have written himself a cheque. Now it's relisted and his other shill is matthews9289 who is top bidder. I'm going to have a good time and bid to what I was prepared to pay in May. I know I'll be outbid, but I might as well hope he screws up. In any case, I'm more than happy to let him keep paying. People like this are a problem. Particularly when they try to offload a piece like this for £800 which he did. There are too many part time dealers out there who think that because it was bought at auction it must be a bargain, and an equal number of suckers who think everything on offer is cheap.

Another rant over. Thank you.

There is a lot of this going on, I think you had a good point in your earlier email, to expose these dealers/sellers, using a forum to make members aware of people/auctions that could be a problem.

I my four years on ebay I have exposed several fraudelent dealers/sellers to Ebay, all who have been removed, but then seem to re emerge under a different name.

[Gary D 76]

This is another one, a seller with no feedback, two buyers fighting over it neither have bought any coins or even collectables before. It was reported as possible shill bidding but nothing happenned. Just waiting now to see if any feedback appears although I boubt it.

ebay

[Emperor Oli 0]

Although most of us collect non-US stuff, there is a US seller who is regularly posted on the CU boards. He goes by the name of dmplrainbow with a feedback score 2131 and 98.6% positive. Sounds alright, but his buyers must be blind...look at his pictures!

Number 1

Number 2

Number 3

Number 4

A child could do better with a paintbrush than he could with Photoshop. For further laughs, see his feedback.

[Rob 3,152]

This is another one, a seller with no feedback, two buyers fighting over it neither have bought any coins or even collectables before. It was reported as possible shill bidding but nothing happenned. Just waiting now to see if any feedback appears although I boubt it.

ebay

Yes. Essexrat and martymouse do seem a little coincidental.

[Rob 3,152]

Here's another concert party that members of this forum will almost certainly be interested in, particularly as the coins offered are usually high grade and expensive.

A couple of weeks ago I noticed this for sale. Interestingly, I had sold the same piece to someone trading on ebay under the id mdagcoins and posted it to him 2 days prior to the listing date. See picture below for confirmation. Note that in my picture it struggles to make gVF and EF is a no-no so it was listed overgraded and with the wrong description and "suggested" value. An error later corrected in a note at the bottom of the page.

It had also not escaped my notice that the same purchaser of the 1720 shilling was particularly astute at winning listings by the seller which didn't come close to their "suggested" value. A few examples as follows. 1821 crown listing 330007752671, 1834 half crown 1835 sixpence. He was also fortunate enough to acquire a genuinely EF 1773 1/2d for £87 last Friday although I don't have the number to hand.

Given that they both reside in the same neck of the woods, I leave readers to draw their own conclusions

Edited August 13, 2006 by Rob

[TomGoodheart 402]

Does anyone else think these bidders look suspicious? lindah4786 burdale2

lucky anglo1948 to be so popular.....

[Gary D 76]

I see burdale2 won a few, funny he didn't leave or receive any feedback.

[Chingford 166]

Does anyone else think these bidders look suspicious? lindah4786 burdale2

lucky anglo1948 to be so popular.....

That's a very useful tool, I've heard of the search previously but have never been able to find it, could you point me in the right direction

[Rob 3,152]

Does anyone else think these bidders look suspicious? lindah4786 burdale2

lucky anglo1948 to be so popular.....

That's a very useful tool, I've heard of the search previously but have never been able to find it, could you point me in the right direction

Follow the Advanced Search link and choose the By Bidder option, then tick the boxes you want for the time period in question and also tick whether high bidder or not.

[Chingford 166]

Does anyone else think these bidders look suspicious? lindah4786 burdale2

lucky anglo1948 to be so popular.....

That's a very useful tool, I've heard of the search previously but have never been able to find it, could you point me in the right direction

Follow the Advanced Search link and choose the By Bidder option, then tick the boxes you want for the time period in question and also tick whether high bidder or not.

Thanks Rob, found it.

John

[Rob 3,152]

Looks like ebmplc likes numismast a lot. He's being a bit greedy though, he only paid just over £310 for this 1720 halfpenny and just over £220 for this 1694.

[Chris Perkins 228]

And the way he bids up in increments of £10 makes it look like he wanted the get the most out of the current high bidder at the time!