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Scammed. Advice or anyone else been?

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Blitzeclips

15+ Year Contributor
1,571
6
Aug 5, 2004
Bear, Delaware
Hey everyone just have some complaints about eBay and was just checking to see if any of you might have had the same problem at some point. Basically, I've sold over $800 worth of items on there a month ago, and recieved not a dime thus far. A $700 set of brand new TEIN shocks/struts that I sold hasn't been paid for. The guy has been messaging me for 3 weeks about setting up a po box and to wait, then finally send me the address, I quote him for shipping and handling and he says ok sent the check but 10 days laterand there's still no check. Pretty much everyone else did the same too. Sucks because I'm leaving the country for vacation in a week and I could have really used this money.

Anyways, has this happened to any of you before? I meen I've been ripped off before, but is this what the world is really coming to? People really don't have anything better to do then browse sales and place false bids? I don't understand the nature of some people.

IF this has happened to you, let me know what you did about it. I usually re-list and blow it off but for $700 I might fax some papers to their local P.D. As far as I'm concerned, when you place the highest bid on that site it's a contractual agreement. Period. I don't know I'm just pissed off and wanted to see who else has dealt with this before. NO big deal but input advice or anything is cool. later guys. :thumb:
 
OK let me teach you the first rule of business. Never, NEVER give the product out before you receive and confirm payment. Just like no company would send you a product before they verify the payment. It has come to my attension a lot of people have been getting scamed. But I have to say you people are allowing it to happen to you.

Call the local PD where you sent it and let them know what has happened. And see if they can do anything for you.
 
If you still have the parts and just didn't get paid for it, you haven't been scammed.

Re-list it on eBay for 3 days, post an ad here and in DSMSource.com and it'll probably be gone in 3 days.
 
I have never been on the selling side of this issue before. I have been ripped off on ebay before and I could only get about $200 (out of $500) from ebay when I didnt recieve an item. I reported the seller and about after a month I recovered some money and the deadbeat seller disappeared from ebay. Overall I was very disappointed in the way ebay handle the claim an I believe in my case, as well as yours, ebay should reimburse the screwed party fully and then take legal action against the deadbeat. You are right though, it is becoming more prevalent these days. I think this "contract" is in a grayish area right now with the law they refer to "internet crime". I think, in my case, that the local authorities didnt know what to do (and didnt do anything) because they werent familiar with the policies for this "new" form of crime.

In order to get your money faster, I recommend you set up a paypal account and require immediate payment after the auction. That is what I do because that way the transaction is documented, and paypal insures their transactions. When I got screwed, it was through a money order and they told me it very difficult to trace; all they told me was that the MO was cashed.

I would report those bastards to ebay to see if you can get them to pay. Let everyone know what comes of it because Im sure other people have had this issue too. Hopefully other people chime in on the topic so we can collectively know how to handle/prevent these types of situations. Good luck.
 
Yeah, if you didn't send the parts just re-list them and file a non-paying bidder thing on eBay.
 
I didn't send anything out at all, in fact, I told them I'd wait a few days for the check to clear. That might have scared them off.. I don't know. It's upsetting.. Bad part is that I e-mailed eBay regarding this a full week ago and they haven't responded to me at all..
 
The term "scammed" is widely used these days and has become a blanket statement for anything that goes wrong with an online transaction. I think in this case the term doesn't apply.

There doesn't seem to be any scam taking place. It just looks as if the guy is lagging or has changed his mind. Just list it again and find someone who will pay you for it. I wouldn't be waiting on a payment for more than 4-5 days before I started looking for a new buyer.

And as someone has already said, never send the parts before you receive payment unless maybe when using an Escrow service.
 
yea thats a common scam, usually nigerians set them up, or they tell u to send them to different countrys, all there info is fake, dont deposit the check either u get int he mail, its a fake, and ##'ll get ## bank accoutn shut down, or police will show up, the first time i sold on ebay i sold a yamaha drum set for 800 bucks and i got a 4 grand cashiers check in the mail, only accept paypal pretty much, but some nigerians are getting smarter and stealing paypal accounts and paying for the items, common sense is useful
 
I got an e-mail yesterday for my bank account information so a guy from New York could Paypal me $2000 for a $400 laptop I'm selling and he wanted me to ship and transfer the rest of the money to Nigeria. Just because it isn't a money order, doesn't mean it is safe. My ex-wife and I had to pay a local bank $5000 after I got ripped off by a Nigerian fake money order scam. Scammers are getting smart!
 
My ex-wife and I had to pay a local bank $5000 after I got ripped off by a Nigerian fake money order scam. Scammers are getting smart!


Jesus! I'm grateful then! That truly does suck bro!

On a lighter note, I'm a firm believer in Karma. Though it may not be cash back in my pocket, they'll get theirs in a way the universe sees fit. Some f**ked up way or another.
 
There are actually MANY MANY ways you can protect yourself for scammers.

In your case, you messed up by waiting 3 weeks. In my all my ads, it states you have 24 hours to pay.
In 24 hours I send you a reminder. In 48, I file a non-paying bidder and contact ebay to get my fees refunded and/or re-list. Ebay, says you must wait 7 days to file for one, but I never do. It says in the auction the time frame to pay.

Never place yourself in a situation you don't want to be in. And the "too good to be true" ALWAYS APPLIES!!!!! No matter how legitimate it seems. I also am pretty current on the scams. The last one someone tried to pull on me was the dispute with paypal scam. They tried to clam that I sent them a brick instead of a turbo. Paypal was ### of course and tried to take the money back even though there was no way to prove either way what I did. I could have sent him a brick or he could have took the turbo out and put a brick in it then took a picture. When paypal got tried to take the money. It was already gone. The way I protect myself is I have two paypal accounts with different emails and different financial sources. When someone sends me money it goes to into a paypal account [email protected]. I IMMEDIATELY transfer the funds to [email protected]. Since it is a paypal to paypal transfer the funds move instantly. When paypal tries to take the funds they are gone. If they take it from the credit card listed there, I dispute it with credit card company. If they close my account. I report the credit card lost and get a new one. This means for a few days I can not sell anything, but this also means I lose NOTHING. New card with a new set of numbers and I open a new paypal account. If anyone ever tries to get money from me unrightfully they get nothing.

Now when I buy something, I use [email protected]. The account is linked to a bank account that has 5 dollars in it (to keep the account open). This is called a Liberty Flex account. I can transfer money into in instantly by calling my bank or do it online (which takes about 3-5 days). If someone hacks my paypal account or my bank account numbers then only get $5. Thats it. I, of course, dispute it with the bank and get it back. Then they track down the perpetrator and press charges and because it was internet fraud that is a federal felony. All for $5 that they never even got. Funny huh?

I have yet to get the one where someone wants me to send me $5000 for a $50 item and then have me send them $4950 back. I don't deal international anyway it states that my auctions. But if I did get that one. I would cash the check. Then send a picture of my "Johnson" to them in an envelope with a note that says:

"Instead of sending you the extra money I sent you a picture of my d*ck. Now go f*ck yourself!"

I also like baiting. Baiting is when someone is trying to scam you and you just drag them along. This could by anywhere from Son of the King of [insert foreign country] and wants you to send them $40,000 to them in order for them to send you $54,000,000 or [insert insane amount of money] to keep the evil overlords from stealing it (.... rrrrrrrrrrrrrright. If something that big was happening, it would be on CNN 100%.) -to- you just won the online lottery from IRELAND!!!! (Funny, I never been to Ireland, nor did I apply online for their internet lottery). I even got a chick once that was dying to make hot love sex to me, I just needed to send her $4000 for a round trip ticket from Romania. (funny that then sent a picture of a blonde chick) and I needed to send the money to Africa....?!? Anyway, I just play along with their emails, but never send them the money.
 
I didn't send anything out at all, in fact, I told them I'd wait a few days for the check to clear.
Well crap, then. You have nothing to carp about. The tuner world is full of flakes. Try reading the noob posts on here, you'll see.
Re-list and relax. You might want to get a PayPal account going, too. Yes, it's not perfect, but there are a huge number of buyers who won't bother with an auction if it isn't PP, and at least they do offer some protection if you get screwed.
 
There are actually MANY MANY ways you can protect yourself for scammers.

In your case, you messed up by waiting 3 weeks. In my all my ads, it states you have 24 hours to pay.
In 24 hours I send you a reminder. In 48, I file a non-paying bidder and contact ebay to get my fees refunded and/or re-list. Ebay, says you must wait 7 days to file for one, but I never do. It says in the auction the time frame to pay.

Never place yourself in a situation you don't want to be in. And the "too good to be true" ALWAYS APPLIES!!!!! No matter how legitimate it seems. I also am pretty current on the scams. The last one someone tried to pull on me was the dispute with paypal scam. They tried to clam that I sent them a brick instead of a turbo. Paypal was ### of course and tried to take the money back even though there was no way to prove either way what I did. I could have sent him a brick or he could have took the turbo out and put a brick in it then took a picture. When paypal got tried to take the money. It was already gone. The way I protect myself is I have two paypal accounts with different emails and different financial sources. When someone sends me money it goes to into a paypal account [email protected]. I IMMEDIATELY transfer the funds to [email protected]. Since it is a paypal to paypal transfer the funds move instantly. When paypal tries to take the funds they are gone. If they take it from the credit card listed there, I dispute it with credit card company. If they close my account. I report the credit card lost and get a new one. This means for a few days I can not sell anything, but this also means I lose NOTHING. New card with a new set of numbers and I open a new paypal account. If anyone ever tries to get money from me unrightfully they get nothing.

Now when I buy something, I use [email protected]. The account is linked to a bank account that has 5 dollars in it (to keep the account open). This is called a Liberty Flex account. I can transfer money into in instantly by calling my bank or do it online (which takes about 3-5 days). If someone hacks my paypal account or my bank account numbers then only get $5. Thats it. I, of course, dispute it with the bank and get it back. Then they track down the perpetrator and press charges and because it was internet fraud that is a federal felony. All for $5 that they never even got. Funny huh?

I have yet to get the one where someone wants me to send me $5000 for a $50 item and then have me send them $4950 back. I don't deal international anyway it states that my auctions. But if I did get that one. I would cash the check. Then send a picture of my "Johnson" to them in an envelope with a note that says:

"Instead of sending you the extra money I sent you a picture of my d*ck. Now go f*ck yourself!"

I also like baiting. Baiting is when someone is trying to scam you and you just drag them along. This could by anywhere from Son of the King of [insert foreign country] and wants you to send them $40,000 to them in order for them to send you $54,000,000 or [insert insane amount of money] to keep the evil overlords from stealing it (.... rrrrrrrrrrrrrright. If something that big was happening, it would be on CNN 100%.) -to- you just won the online lottery from IRELAND!!!! (Funny, I never been to Ireland, nor did I apply online for their internet lottery). I even got a chick once that was dying to make hot love sex to me, I just needed to send her $4000 for a round trip ticket from Romania. (funny that then sent a picture of a blonde chick) and I needed to send the money to Africa....?!? Anyway, I just play along with their emails, but never send them the money.

Good post! I was one of the first people that got scammed on DSMTrader a long long time ago, before it was shut down.
 
I got an e-mail yesterday for my bank account information so a guy from New York could Paypal me $2000 for a $400 laptop I'm selling and he wanted me to ship and transfer the rest of the money to Nigeria. Just because it isn't a money order, doesn't mean it is safe. My ex-wife and I had to pay a local bank $5000 after I got ripped off by a Nigerian fake money order scam. Scammers are getting smart!

Must be a Nigerian thing. One of my good friends recently got screwed over by somebody with an account from Nigeria and lost out on about 250 bucks and a digital camera.
 
i've actually never been ripped off by ebay. bought all my performance parts for my last eclipse off ebay, for my CRX, and for my current car (including the car itself). however, i do a bit of research before i decide to purchase, and anything over $500 i have to have a phone number to call the guy, and talk to them in person. pretty much i tend to buy from the same people and but from people with a star.

as for selling.... honestly i cant see how anyone can get ripped off selling on ebay since you get the money before you send the item. Mostly the worst i can see is you lose whatever you spend to put it up on ebay.
 
Hey guys, a buyer who hasn't been following through with a transaction (has taken over 3 weeks to recieve a check from FL- yeah, I know, bullshit huh?) was requesting to send me the money via paypal. I am very cautious about this, because I haven't recieved or had money sent to me via paypal.

Just wondering what tips you guys would give.

Should I wait a couple days until I know the guys hasn't bounced the payment?
I read of these 'never recieved the item' scams through paypal, how can I protect myself from this, and how can I avoid it?

Any other input would be great... Thanks guys. :thumb:
 
OK guys I actually have the money for the struts in my paypal right now. I can't believe it. That means that 2-3 checks were really lost through the mail. I don't know. But anyways before I transfer it to my checking account, how can I ensure I won't be scammed or ripped off before I send the parts?

I've heard alot about people claiming they never ecieve the items, and then the seller ends up re-imbursing the buyer because paypal prompts them to. Or the bank atleast. If I send the tracking number to paypal, ebay, and the buyer, I figure I should be OK?? Plus I'm getting insurance on the item when it ships. Is there any other way the buyer can somehow manipulate a scam on me here ?
 
Best way is to pay using Paypal by using a credit card, that way you are federally insured.

I use a bank account for money received and use a visa debit/credit card for payments to people. I have never had a problem but if I do, I will always get my money back.

20+ Sales on DSMTalk
290ish Sales on Ebay
 
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