Scammers on Ebay

[pkobse]

Just want to let everyone to know and be aware, that in recent days, scammers appeared in high numbers on Ebay, pretending to sell mining equipment in auctions. They build a 100% feedback over purchases of small 0.99 items for buy it now and then start the auction on some mining equipment, which is going up quite quickly in recent days (e.g. 10,20 block erupters, butterfly small single or Jalapeno), but after payment, they stop to communicate and after couple of days, the ebay account is deactivated, of course, the equipment wont arrive. Be aware, as it locks your money in Ebay, as you have to go thorough the resolution centre to get your money back. I just have to start the process.

This annoys me, as, except for graphic cards, I bought all my mining equipment over Ebay and I still want to get some, but now I have to be much more careful. 

[StefanThePro]

eBay has become a hostile wasteland for knowledgable users, with scams and overpriced hardware.

Unless you're selling out, theres not much usefulness left, unless you need a good surprise or two... 2TH for 20K anyone?

Buyer Beware

[philipma1957]

I am out of gear  but when you look for a seller  find ones like me.

http://www.ebay.com/usr/philipma1957


http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=philipma1957&ftab=AllFeedback&myworld=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2050430.m2531.l4585


10 years on ebay. -------------------------long time sellers are almost always better then new sellers


many positive feedbacks.

 no negative feedbacks.  

 read the feedbacks  at least 20 feedbacks.  see if the buyers wrote nice shit.

How much cash is tied up for you?  I know it can take as long as 20 days.

[ar9]

Why would people bother trying to scam through eBay.  I'll admit ignorance when it comes to online market place rules/regulation.  Are their funds cleared immediately upon receiving payment?

[TheWoodser]

I have also have seen a lot of posts on Craigslist....Similar photos, similar text...WAY low price.  I emailed the guy on the Washington D.C.  CL and suggested we meet in person and never heard back from him ....LOL!

[philipma1957]

Why would people bother trying to scam through eBay.  I'll admit ignorance when it comes to online market place rules/regulation.  Are their funds cleared immediately upon receiving payment?

Okay I have been working with ebay a long time.  plenty of buyers and sellers scam.    here is a buyer scam..

 they game and burn up a  hd7970 video card..  they go to ebay  buy a good used card from me   in 20 days they say my card is bad.  ebay has a 45 day buyer protection ..    as a long time seller  of over ten years.  I want to stick around    I may have to eat that dead card he sends back.  with a video card there are serial numbers so I can discourage a bad buyer by showing video card serial numbers.

here is a sale I did  notice clear serial numbers to hopefully prevent a fake return

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=151149114301


I can't do this with most asics.  so asic returns happen more often then you like..    

 on the bad seller   .. they can get a loan for free… they sell a high end item   a 500 apple gift card.  they say to you the buyer.  I can not ship it until the monday after thanksgiving.  they put it up for sale on weds before thanksgiving.   so weds thur fri sat sun  then on monday  they buy postage give  a tracking number mail an empty letter to you.  with the address fucked up.  you may have to wait a week more to put in a claim…  so   you are talking 11 or 12 days before a report.  he held the 500 used it.  may pay it back right a way.    or he may just disappear  and ebay will  pay you the buyer in 2 more weeks… you 500 will be gone for 20-26 days.

Many other scams from buyers and sellers.   Have to say it helped me in the btc world  since I am used to dealing with bad guys on ebay.   I would say ebay has 1 in 20 bad apples so to speak.

[TheWoodser]

I have not sold many things on Ebay in a while.  When I did recently, the buyers funds were frozen until they posted feedback.  How do you prevent having those funds stuck in paypal?  Or am I missing something?

[whitefeather]

Let me share one example which may dissuade some of you from engaging in selling on eBay, given the real risks involved which eBay will never tell you.

I sold off my FPGA miners on eBay in May, when I started to transition to ASIC. Then in July, one of the buyers filed a bullshit chargeback with their credit card company, citing undelivered goods or something along those lines. Paypal pulled the amount from my Paypal balance. After I provided Paypal with the tracking number and the proof of delivery in the form of a signature form which I requested from USPS, Paypal gave me back my money.

I thought I was in the clear.

Fuck No.

The criminal buyer and his equally criminal credit card company ignored the proof that Paypal sent to them on my behalf. The credit card company refused to reverse the chargeback.

So guess what?

Paypal once again pulled the amount from my Paypal balance. I'm out the miner and I'm out the money.

I checked with eBay and Paypal to see how I can set up my listing so that next time, I can prevent people from paying using a credit card through Paypal and potentially abusing me again. Both eBay and Paypal said they can't and won't do that. So, I told them to fuck themselves. I have a 100% feedback on eBay and have been selling since the year 2000. Despite that, I walked away from the eBay/Payal platform that shifts all risk to the seller.

The chargeback example I provided above is just one of several scams enabled by credit card companies, eBay and Paypal. I've had enough and am not selling on eBay anymore. Frankly, after all the fees and shit they take from the seller, the margins really aren't worth the inevitable headache. Sellers take all the risks. Everyone else benefits. Well, it's high time I got out of that unbalanced, pathetic model.

[philipma1957]

Let me share one example which may dissuade some of you from engaging in selling on eBay, given the real risks involved which eBay will never tell you.

I sold off my FPGA miners on eBay in May, when I started to transition to ASIC. Then in July, one of the buyers filed a bullshit chargeback with their credit card company, citing undelivered goods or something along those lines. Paypal pulled the amount from my Paypal balance. After I provided Paypal with the tracking number and the proof of delivery in the form of a signature form which I requested from USPS, Paypal gave me back my money.

I thought I was in the clear.

Fuck No.

The criminal buyer and his equally criminal credit card company ignored the proof that Paypal sent to them on my behalf. The credit card company refused to reverse the chargeback.

So guess what?

Paypal once again pulled the amount from my Paypal balance. I'm out the miner and I'm out the money.

I checked with eBay and Paypal to see how I can set up my listing so that next time, I can prevent people from paying using a credit card through Paypal and potentially abusing me again. Both eBay and Paypal said they can't and won't do that. So, I told them to fuck themselves. I have a 100% feedback on eBay and have been selling since the year 2000. Despite that, I walked away from the eBay/Payal platform that shifts all risk to the seller.

The chargeback example I provided above is just one of several scams enabled by credit card companies, eBay and Paypal. I've had enough and am not selling on eBay anymore. Frankly, after all the fees and shit they take from the seller, the margins really aren't worth the inevitable headache. Sellers take all the risks. Everyone else benefits. Well, it's high time I got out of that unbalanced, pathetic model.

that sucks >i have had chargebacks 2 or 3 and I won on all my cases.  and paypal ate the money.. around 1k.

  I have also purchased from a few thugs about 1.3k and paypal ate the loss.  But I am a paperwork freak.  And I have done a lot of sales since 2003. 

 I have stopped big ticket sales due to chargebacks .  I stay under 1k.

  I also insure and require signature for items over 250 cash.   but you are correct there are bad ebay buyers.
 

[wmcleod]

I have also have seen a lot of posts on Craigslist....Similar photos, similar text...WAY low price.  I emailed the guy on the Washington D.C.  CL and suggested we meet in person and never heard back from him ....LOL!

i don't blame any seller for not wanting to meet face-to-face with any inquirers through craigslist.  risky stuff.

[pkobse]

Not nice to hear, because I sold some items as well, I`m in the UK and what I noticed, there are plenty of ads on equipment which look close to mine one, but my seller was from "France", this UK ones you can spot, as the person doesn`t bother now to invent the address, he/she is putting there, Item location: UK, UK. Maybe someone of them is real person, but my guess is maybe every fifth or tenth. From todays 10 ending soonest auctions only about 4 looks genuine, compared to week ago, it is really high increase, as I`m browsing the auctions daily in order to find some good deals. I did get my equipment(about 40 buys so far, this is first wrong one) in the past even from guys with 0 feedback, but in recent days, when price shot up, looks like someone find the bitcoin mining equipment market untouched and really profitable.

[aurel57]

I have been a seller on EBay since 1999 http://www.ebay.com/usr/playlikeachampion

I have seen and been thru a lot. Now EBay wants my credit card so THEY could make refunds to buyers with the CC. Last week I wanted to sell my USB Miners so I gave EBay one of my CC and listed my miners. Once they sold and shipped I froze that CC. I really don't mind taking care of a problem if one comes up and always have been more than fair in the past, but not sure I like EBay just handing out refunds as they see fit.

Also with PayPal I have my account there ONLY linked to that same CC. Never again to my bank account. My PayPal account was hacked years ago and have seen to many horror stories with charge backs and have done a few legitimates ones myself. If most people understood how venerable they are as a seller with EBay and PayPal they would think twice.

I always pull my money out as quick as I can and it seems instead of "buyer beware" its more like "seller beware".

[rollehgoo]

I sold a PC on eBay about a yr ago. Did it the right one new parts, bench tested, posted via courier packaged super food.
I get postive feedback and he is thrilled with the item. 2days later apparently it stopped working. He wanted a refund. PayPal froze my account, took back the $1500 he paid for me and basically said I have to prove I'm in the right.

So I got the PC back mind you in pieces! I took photos and tested it all. Sent them to PayPal along with a teat report. Nope I was s having to give him a refund. I took the components back to my supplier. The GPUs where fried, Mobo was dead and the PSU was not the one I sent.

In the end with all my evidence and as well as warranty and replacement documents from my supplier I still had to give the refund and pay PayPal back the $1500.. so Yeh I'm done with them Fkn useless.

[CoinGeneral]

Watch out for auctions like these:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bitcoin-mining-contract-100Gh-s-24-7-1-year-mining-starting-in-March-Miner-/221324732000

http://www.ebay.com/itm/100GH-s-Bitcoin-Mining-Contract-FOR-LIFE-/251384279488

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-Year-100-GH-s-Bitcoin-Mining-Contract-/271330087023

http://www.ebay.com/itm/20-GH-s-Bitcoin-Mining-Contract-1-year-NOT-BFL-BTC-/261339072729

Where the person says "Buy now and we'll start mining as early as April 2014." It's a scam, 6 months is enough time for the eBay feedback window to close and for the PayPal money to permanently be in the buyer's account. So don't bid or buy any of these, you won't be able to leave negative feedback nor will you be able to get your money back.

[philipma1957]

I sold a PC on eBay about a yr ago. Did it the right one new parts, bench tested, posted via courier packaged super food.
I get postive feedback and he is thrilled with the item. 2days later apparently it stopped working. He wanted a refund. PayPal froze my account, took back the $1500 he paid for me and basically said I have to prove I'm in the right.

So I got the PC back mind you in pieces! I took photos and tested it all. Sent them to PayPal along with a teat report. Nope I was s having to give him a refund. I took the components back to my supplier. The GPUs where fried, Mobo was dead and the PSU was not the one I sent.

In the end with all my evidence and as well as warranty and replacement documents from my supplier I still had to give the refund and pay PayPal back the $1500.. so Yeh I'm done with them Fkn useless.

yeah I stopped doing my  mac mini upgrades due to this.  a clever buyer can game you.  most of my sales now are under 250 usd.

[EasyQuest]

I pretty much ignore the eBay bitcoin miners for sale, but people still want miners to get into the game.... I fell bad from them, but they will soon learn how difficult it is to get into the bitcoin mining world.

[StefanThePro]

I managed to snag a newly listed, buy it now on some block erupters at $10 a piece, the hub and fan for free.

[TheWoodser]

a clever buyer can game you.
[/quote]

So what is the solution?  I mean to get the exposure of eBay without the risk of getting "had"?  Take BTC only?

[philipma1957]

a clever buyer can game you.

So what is the solution?  I mean to get the exposure of eBay without the risk of getting "had"?  Take BTC only?
[/quote]


pick up only after you are paid in btc.  meet in a public place like a mall food court etc.

on big items I still do this. cash  is not quite as safe.   I altered my entire sales patterns on ebay due to bad buyers.


 I try to find an item for low cost and flat rate box.  if you study my sales on ebay you will see lots of usb stick in small flat rate boxes  3 pack set 4  pack set  5 pack set.   the incentive is less for a clever dishonest buyer. when the money to be made is under 30 or 50 usd.

[Zeek_W]

a clever buyer can game you.

So what is the solution?  I mean to get the exposure of eBay without the risk of getting "had"?  Take BTC only?
[/quote]

I have no option NOT to haved Paypal as a payment option. Even listing incentives to use other payments, 90% of the time its bloody fucking paypal. I've taken to adding a clause that processing times for paypal are longer, so I actually have the money in my hand and out of paypal/ebays grasp. I even got warned one days for adding words to the effect of "paypal payments incurr a processing charge".

Mind you I generally sell old console carts and arcade boards - some asshat buyers but generally its a close nit community (I only sell within my country).

Fuck ebay, they know it is pretty much a nessessary evil as other sites don't have the infrastructure or potiential buyers in place.