[Powerbook]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=2731294465

See the good feedback - What do you think?
PB.

[Bazzbo]

Don't touch it with a bargepole!!!

Look at the sellers other available items. The layout of the pages is totally different.

Too risky, I would say.

[AssassyN]

Although his/her feedback record is good, this seems extremely odd. I'd email first with a big list of questions as well as a demand for actual pictures to be emailed to you. Even then, I don't think I could bring myself to bidding and resting assured I was gonna get my machine.

[icruise]

It's possible that someone has hijacked his account -- the other things he's sold seem to be mostly cheap auto accessories.

Lack of a "real" picture of the merchandise is another warning sign.

[hldan]

Originally posted by Powerbook:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=2731294465

See the good feedback - What do you think?
PB.

You also may notice that there's no offer to use PayPal. His other auctions have Paypal as an option for payment. If you search Google and type in Ebay scams then one of the scams will show a story or two about people selling Apple Powerbooks for a great price and not offering Paypal as a payment option. The scammers only want cash or wire transfer so it can't be tracked.
Using Paypal is Ebay's way of tracking the buyers purchases so scammers can't screw you.

[wallinbl]

Originally posted by hldan:
Using Paypal is Ebay's way of tracking the buyers purchases so scammers can't screw you.

That doesn't mean much. I won a PowerBook on eBay from a guy with plenty of good feedback. I paid through PayPal. I never got the PowerBook. Numerous emails got numerous excuses.

I eventually filed a complaint through PayPal. I got $2.34 back (no, the decimal point is not in the wrong place). When that didn't work, I filed a chargeback with the credit card company. I got my money back in full from them. I also filed complaints with the local authorities and the authorities in the seller's (alleged) city. I filed a complaint with the FBI, which is currently being investigated.

I started to get real action from the seller when I contacted him by phone. It took some digging to get a number. He claimed that his accounts (AOL, eBay and PayPal) were stolen and that he had nothing to do with the auction. I have no idea whether this was true, and it doesn't matter much to me. I will grant that the PowerBook auction was different from his other auctions, but it is reasonable that a person has a laptop they want to sell.

Whatever you do, pay with a credit card (do not use your check card). If you don't get the laptop, you should at least get your money back.

[fisherKing]

my ebay account was hijacked just last week...
i got emails from people asking about the imac i was selling...only i wasn't selling anything!

my roommate got burned last year buying a sony vaio laptop..that she never received.

altho i use ebay, i'm starting to think it's a place for the smaller things.

at least, work out a credit card payment, no western union or anything.

scary...

[fisherKing]

i just went to check out the ad, here is what there is:

"the seller ended this listing early because of an error in the listing."

so...????



on the imac, i went in and changed the ad, to say "SCAM! someone is using my account!!"

(and changed the price from $1200 to 120,000...)

[Powerbook]

Okay, update, these mails I got after contacting the seller.
This _is_ scam. Grrr.
PB.


Mail1:
------------------------
Dear Sir,

The item is new,sealed in the original box and comes with the factory accesories.It is 100% insured and has 1(one) year of US warranty.We are a US founded company with electronics and hardware stores in Spain,Italy,Germany,France,Switzerland,Sweden,Norw ay,Finland,Island,England and Ireland.

Our main store is in Madrid,Spain.Our policy for E-commerce does not allow us to ship you the item directly from our store.We tried this method but not with satisfactory results.

We agreed with eBay(as well with other auction sites like uBid or Yahoo Auctions) to send our high priced items(like notebooks,plasma TV´s etc) to its warehouse and be inspected first.By this method both sides(seller and buyer) are insured by eBay Square Trade.The shipping will be sent to your adress from Ebay´s warehouse in Santa Fe,CA ,where the items are now.

This is preaproved auction,that means that you are not allowed to bid or buy the item until payment is completed.

The payment must be sent on the name of our sales manager Mr.Tzepi Tzeparu to Madrid,Spain.The adress of our spanish store is:Mocofanu street,no 0,Furculesti,Spain.

As payment we prefer Western Union wire transfer.

Advantages of the Western Union Service :

years of experience in the Money Transfer business
locations worldwide in more than 186 countries
transfer fee charged to the sender
funds available within minutes worldwide
always local currency (usually cash)
easy - no bank accounts or lengthy procedures
reliable - proven track record
convenient - open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, 364 days of the year
high level of security - authorized users only

Ebay will send you a confirmation mail as soon as you ask a question as "Question for Seller" to backup por legitimacy and auction.

Thank you for trusting our company.

Btselectronics
----------------------------------


Mail 2 (see the mailadress??!):
-------------------------------------
SafeHarbor@ebay.com <ebay@moreinfo.com

We have been asked by "pro69ta" to inform you about the legitimacy of
his account and transactions.

We advise to close this specific transaction,the new Western Union and
eBay security system alows you to close transactions safely.

We have the item in our warehouse and it will be shipped to your
address from eBay central in Santa Fe,California, when the seller have
confirmed the payment by Western Union wire transfer.
You will not be allowed to bid or "Buy it now" until payment is
completed.
We adopted this method for both, buyer´s and seller´s ,protection.

We insured the total price of the items sold by this seller and advise
you to close the transaction.

Thank you for your patience on this subject.

SafeHarbor (Rules & Safety)


Here is what to do next:
- The buyer and seller should contact each other within three business
days to complete the sale. Buyers should send payment directly to the
seller by Western Union wire transfer.
- If you need help, click here:
http://cgi3.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAP...mberSearchShow
- Once you complete the transaction, please leave feedback at:
http://cgi2.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAP...DME:X:EOT:US:4
************************************************** *****************************
- BUY IT NOW! eBay's new buyer feature
A NEW and EASY way to do all your shopping on eBay! With Buy It Now,
you
can buy an item at a seller's specified price and immediately end an
auction. To learn more, click here:
http://pages.ebay.com/services/buyan...now-buyer.html
************************************************** *****************************
Remember: eBay will not ask you for sensitive personal information such
as your password, credit card and bank account numbers in an email.
Learn more about how to protect your account at
http://pages.ebay.com/help/account_protection.html.
Copyright © 1995-2003 eBay Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Designated trademarks and brands are the property of their respective
owners.
eBay and the eBay logo are trademarks of eBay Inc.