Ive been helping a friend out by selling a cell phone of hers that she doesnt want any more on ebay, i clearly stated in my listing that i am FULLY aware of all scams operated on ebay, that i DO NOT post abroad and especially not to nigeria.
Who won my frigging auction? some stupid person wanting me to post the phone to nigeria, oh and not to mention the FAKE ebay emails shes sent me.
Seriously, what the heck? now im worrying about feedback, worrying about the final value fees... how do i get her bids cancelled?
ive sent a copy of the dodgy email to ebays fraud team and sent a second chance offer to the bidder before the fraudster, but im just so irritated that i may have to relist and put my friend out for a few more days.
Why not donate it? There are lots of places that could use them. I just sent two old phones to a group called Cell Phones for Soldiers. They are recycled and the money goes towards calling cards for the troops. And the shipping is free!
Ebay is getting to be such a pain!!! Did you try calling them? Live chat with them? I make and sell candles. (you can email me for more details) and I only ship to canada and the us. less headache that way. Good luck!!
missy
Why not donate it? There are lots of places that could use them. I just sent two old phones to a group called Cell Phones for Soldiers. They are recycled and the money goes towards calling cards for the troops. And the shipping is free!
this is a newly released cell phone, worth over 500 bucks. she wants the cash!
I've sold on ebay to people all over the world (mostly collectible dolls that I make) with no problem at all (in fact the foreign customers were extra polite and so much nicer to deal with than the average american customer, and so happy to have anyone in the USA willing to sell to them). How do the scams operate, and why especially Nigeria? I've sold to Germany, France, Guam, Spain, and the Phillipines, and a country I never even heard of before the auction (so unmemorable, I can't even remember it now) but never to Nigeria or any african nation that I can think of. Mostly I've dealt with people from Europe and Asia.
Because of health problems I haven't sold on ebay for over a year, and I'd like to get back to it. I'd hate to have to stop selling to countries that are home to some of my best customers, are there any signs to look out especially for.
I only had one problem with one customer from Italy (either a scam or practices in europe being a lot less secure than here) wanting me to give me my bank account numbers so that he could deposit his money directly into my account. I refused and reminded him that as I had stated in my listing I only accept paypal from out of country buyers (and they don't even need to have a paypal account as international money orders can be used to pay pay pal), and it might take a while for the money to clear (I don't send anything out until the money has cleared). The guy grumbled, but did pay through pay pal.
yeh nigeria is the worst for scammers, they hack old unused ebay accounts in the usa or uk then win expensive items, offer to pay by paypal, send a fake email and when you send it the money never materialises, the item is always sent to a nigerian address for a studying son or husband. whatever. Ebay even have advice pages about it.
Secondly, italy, i do not ever post to, the postal system is RIFE with theives.
Malaysian, thai and chinese bidder scams are usually payments with stolen credit cards through paypal.
I dont post internationally on expensive items, on clothing i post to most places, but not the ones i mentioned.
*update*
Ebay have sent me a msg to say that the email IS a fake email, then they emailed to say the listing was removed, all fees paid back to me as the winning bidder was using a hikacked ebay account.
A huge, huge, huge amount of internet credit card fraud is being traced back to Nigeria. On top of the annoying emails "You've inherited 902843984234 BILLION dollars from your long lost relative in Nigeria!" or the 'business propositions' "Work from home for 4902843924 dollars an hour to repackage goods for us!" (Which are all stolen goods, by the way, don't fall for it!) -- For some reason, Nigeria stands out amungst the crowd. That's not to say it's JUST Nigeria (my future father-in-law just had 500 dollars taken off their credit card which was traced to Guam and Norway!) but it's way too much for comfort.
When I was living in England, racism really started to peak against Nigerians in both England and Ireland (lived in Dublin for four months, too) because there was a great deal of immigration, and Nigerians were 'known' to be very, very difficult people to deal with. My friend works in an auto store, and he says they have to call the police at least four times a week from theft, and it's almost always people from! Nigeria.
Now - Racial profiling, sure. But I'm not saying they're all out to steal money and items and cause a ruckus. (Not that you would guess it, I'm ghost white) but my grandmother is a black woman from (second generation, at least) Nigeria and one of the sweetest ladies I've ever known. Wouldn't hurt a fly!
Maybe try Craig's list -- I've sold a ton of stuff on there lately, all to local people who have to come and pick it up -- I accept cash only -- and there is no charge to post with pictures
A huge, huge, huge amount of internet credit card fraud is being traced back to Nigeria. On top of the annoying emails "You've inherited 902843984234 BILLION dollars from your long lost relative in Nigeria!" or the 'business propositions' "Work from home for 4902843924 dollars an hour to repackage goods for us!" (Which are all stolen goods, by the way, don't fall for it!) -- For some reason, Nigeria stands out amungst the crowd. That's not to say it's JUST Nigeria (my future father-in-law just had 500 dollars taken off their credit card which was traced to Guam and Norway!) but it's way too much for comfort.
When I was living in England, racism really started to peak against Nigerians in both England and Ireland (lived in Dublin for four months, too) because there was a great deal of immigration, and Nigerians were 'known' to be very, very difficult people to deal with. My friend works in an auto store, and he says they have to call the police at least four times a week from theft, and it's almost always people from! Nigeria.
Now - Racial profiling, sure. But I'm not saying they're all out to steal money and items and cause a ruckus. (Not that you would guess it, I'm ghost white) but my grandmother is a black woman from (second generation, at least) Nigeria and one of the sweetest ladies I've ever known. Wouldn't hurt a fly!
But yeah. I digress.
you are so right about england, working in a phone store i have to assess insurance claims and generally deal with all sorts of fraud, the sad fact, the MAJORITY is commited by Nigerian and Sudanese immigrants.
They are also incredibly rude to the staff in my store. I often have to remind people of there manners, and i am NOT subtle.
I think the craigslist recommendation is a good one -- it might take a little longer, but I'm sure it will sell, you'll get cash, no fees, etc.
There are a couple other sites, too. I have never used them, but I read an article -- kijiji.com and ecrater.com
Good for you for not falling for the scam!
Kaplods: apparently in Europe, money transfer through bank accounts is very common, especially in Italy. It could well have been a scam, but it could just as likely be legitimate. I am going to France this summer and had to look it up bc some b&b owners want what is the equivalent of wire transfer. According to various internet sources, wire transfer is expensive and uncommon in the US, but very common and inexpensive in parts of Europe, notably Italy.
I do really doubt that it was a scam, especially because the guy did eventually pay me. If it had been a scam, I'm sure I never would have heard from him again. It's just that the information he was asking for could have been so easily misused, especially since he already had my name and address. I don't think my first paypal account needed any more information than he was asking for.
Hi all :
Brand new. I have had multiple problems with Ebay in England where I had been living for the last year.
Got sold homemade burnt CDS/DVDS listed as new, once paid for a Marc Bolan T-shirt and he never sent it, had to go thru disputes, that never solved it, so had to deal with the credit card company. One thing that irritated me beyond belief, but people on the EBay messageboards blamed me for this. I hated the practice of selling free samples given away at the department store and with the postage paying about $ 6.00 if not more !!!! I was at a big disadvantage as I had not yet learned mls, as we use ounces and pounds over here, so got stuck with a large amount of teeny tiny freebie samples, before I learned how to calulate mls to ounces.
I have been a buyer in ebay for years and honestly, I never had a single problem. On the other hand, I always check the seller. I am a bit biased, I admit, but unless my buyer has a 90% good feedback, many good reviews from buyers and he/she is in the Power Sellers then I don't even think of bidding.
The only thing I ever bought from a non-top new seller was a handmade Snape plushie. It came through the mail in the best condition and package I have ever seen. Now, I have learnt she makes more of those and sells them in Ebay.
there are messege boards on ebay where you can discuss your problems. They always know what to do.
Go to site map discussion boards.. and pick from there..
To advoid scammers you can block certain country's bidders.. Also you can make use paypal only ( if she has it) and only accept confirmed addresses. Immediate payment only also helps reduce.. but then it doesnt allow people who want to pay by other means to bid...
The boards there are great and you will find people who are quick to help
You can also report the bidder as an unwelcomed bidder and file a UPI to get your fees back.. but you will never get the listing fee back ( unless it sells the second time around)
ebay rant
Buyer beware, I guess.
