Possible fake auctions on ebay?

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scosgt

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So there is a guy selling "new" 396XT units for $275. He has NO seller feedback. Says he has three for sale.

There was a guy the other day selling the same three units for $269. Also NO seller feedback.

Anyone else think this may be a fraud? Three units at about $100 under the current asking price and no feedback?

The first guy had a few very low value recent purchases, nothing in electronics.

Things that make you go hmmm
 

SCPD

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either he got one heck a deal at rat shack and decided to sell as other or same guy, or is fake as you say, or is stolen nib and trying to sell them fast?
 

kf5bti

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I wouldn't waste my time buying from someone with little to no feedback. While eBay should refund your money if things go bad, your money will be tied up for several weeks as their refunds are not fast. I encountered this once and if I recall it took 30 days to get my refund.
 

scosgt

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I am also a little concerned that the person only shows a picture of the box, not any contents. It is not unheard of for people to ship an empty box and then dispute the claim to keep the money.
 

77Impala

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I paid $305 for a used one last weekend. That was the cheapest I could find it and that was through Amazon. Price dropping like that does not sound legit to me.
 

eaf1956

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I seen one auction where if you didn't read it real careful you didn't know you were bidding on an empty box.
 

NWI_Scanner_Guy

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I wouldn't waste my time buying from someone with little to no feedback. While eBay should refund your money if things go bad, your money will be tied up for several weeks as their refunds are not fast. I encountered this once and if I recall it took 30 days to get my refund.

But what if the person selling an item is still quite new to eBay? Such a person will naturally have a low feedback score.

Just sayin'
 

77Impala

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When I bought mine last Saturday the cheapest I found was for $305.00. And that was for a refurbished one.
 

russellmaher

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As I sometimes cruise through eBay looking for scanners, antennas, etc., and I come across a seller posting a scanner for sale and the only photo that's shown is of the box and not the actual unit, I will ask the question that instantly pops into my mind. "I would appreciate some pics of the scanner itself and not the box, so please give me a few to look at. If you're only selling the box then I wish you well in the auction."

I often wonder how many people are swindled this way, and how does eBay go about resolving this issue? After all, only the box was shown....not the radio.

It's perfectly acceptable to include a picture of the box alongside pictures of the radio, but the box only is a no-no.


Russell
 

toastycookies

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As I sometimes cruise through eBay looking for scanners, antennas, etc., and I come across a seller posting a scanner for sale and the only photo that's shown is of the box and not the actual unit, I will ask the question that instantly pops into my mind. "I would appreciate some pics of the scanner itself and not the box, so please give me a few to look at. If you're only selling the box then I wish you well in the auction."

I often wonder how many people are swindled this way, and how does eBay go about resolving this issue? After all, only the box was shown....not the radio.

It's perfectly acceptable to include a picture of the box alongside pictures of the radio, but the box only is a no-no.


Russell


this is impossible to do if the seller is selling a NEW item.

with used items, I agree, i always want to see a picture of the actual product.

but with NEW items, this is not possible at all.
 

Nasby

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To me, $260.00 is not all that great of a deal on an older model scanner like the 396xt.
I often see mint condition units selling for $200.00 on Craigslist.
If I wanted the scanner that is listed on Ebay, I would buy it with Paypal.
If there's an issue, Paypal and Ebay will refund your money as they almost always side with the buyer.
 

scosgt

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As I sometimes cruise through eBay looking for scanners, antennas, etc., and I come across a seller posting a scanner for sale and the only photo that's shown is of the box and not the actual unit, I will ask the question that instantly pops into my mind. "I would appreciate some pics of the scanner itself and not the box, so please give me a few to look at. If you're only selling the box then I wish you well in the auction."

I often wonder how many people are swindled this way, and how does eBay go about resolving this issue? After all, only the box was shown....not the radio.

It's perfectly acceptable to include a picture of the box alongside pictures of the radio, but the box only is a no-no.


Russell

If he sends you the box, and CLAIMS there was a radio inside, and has a tracking number, you will have a hard way to go with paypal. That was my point about the box.
 

MTS2000des

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here's an idea: use the Ebay messenger and ASK the seller a question and ask them for specific photos of the scanner.

If the seller does not respond, then you pretty much have your answer. If they do, and you get something "not as described" it will bolster your case for a refund.

As others' have said, Ebay's got your back, but it can take several weeks to recover your loss.

Number one rule of gambling, is never gamble more than you can afford to lose.

And that is what Ebay is, a gamble.
 

scosgt

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But what if the person selling an item is still quite new to eBay? Such a person will naturally have a low feedback score.

Just sayin'

True, but one of the basic fraud alerts is a person who buys a half dozen small items, for like 99 cents each, in order to get some feedback posted, and then does fake auctions for hi dollar value items.

If you don't actually go in and look at the feedback, you may be in for a big surprise.

The multiple units is also a red flag.

And the fact there is low feedback also sometimes indicates a non computer savvy person who just got his account hacked.
 

russellmaher

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here's an idea: use the Ebay messenger and ASK the seller a question and ask them for specific photos of the scanner.


I believe you misinterpreted what I meant.

I actually DID post the question and send it to the seller, and in most of the cases I got a nice reply and several photos of the item itself. However, one seller made some rude comments and I'm assuming that he had something to hide, so he didn't send any pics.

I figured he didn't want to send actual photos of the unit because it wasn't in the excellent condition that he described in his post, and pictures of it would have shown how beat up it really was.

Anyway, I think it's best to be cautious when buying from someone you don't know too much about.

Russell
 
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