Advice requested about Craigslist ad I posted

[ornate_wrasse]

I put an ad in my local Craigslist for my backup D300. I had bought it to take with me on my underwater photography dive trip to Indonesia in case my camera flooded. I didn't need to use the backup camera, fortunately. I had purchased it from Pro Photo Supply in Portland for $950.

I asked $850 for it, which included camera, all accessories and box.

I received the following email, which sounds very suspicious to me.

"Am glad that you still have it, i would like to know its condition and
do you still have its original box and the full accessories? I will be
paying via paypal and $150 will be added to the payment as postage fee
via USPS for my son schooling abroad. I want you to get back with your
paypal email or send a paypal payment invoice to this email so that i
can be able to make the payment."

I would appreciate your opinion on his email. It just sounds fishy to me, especially the part about adding $150 for postage for his son schooling abroad. Should I let him know that, if he wants to buy the camera, he's going to have to pay cash for it and ship it to his son himself?

Thanks!

Ellen

 

[celluloidprop]

Definitely a scam. Whether a result of being sent abroad or to a Paypal address different from the account (or using a hacked account, etc.) they'll file a complaint and Paypal will take your money.

No way I'd sell to that buyer, but you could reply that you ship only to verified Paypal addresses in the United States with signature confirmation, and see what the response is.

 

[Mr_Toad]

Hi, Ellen,

I am definitely not the expert on this stuff. But, there are some threads here in RFF that describe the risks of sending things abroad.

Do you think you might try to reply back to the person sending the email, apologizing and then explaining that you can only ship to addresses in the United States, and then he/she can ship it on to an overseas address?

The rules/ laws for PayPal returns and refunds are different overseas than they are in the US...so you could lose the camera and the payment.

Robt.

 

[jljohn]

While it is not always a scam, the best rule of thumb with CL is that any offer to pay by payal and have you ship the item is a scam.

 

[finguanzo]

Scam.. Ive had a similar response..

 

[ornate_wrasse]

Thanks everyone for your replies.

I can see I'd be a fool if I fell for his attempt to scam me.

I'll decline his offer for sure 😀

Ellen

 

[seakayaker1]

I have shipped a couple of lens overseas with the buyer using paypal. I only would send it to a Paypal verified address. My understanding if you use paypal you need to do business with another paypal user who has been verified or else no claim will be reviewed.

Both of the lens I shipped were to the UK and were under $300.00

I have bought a lens from Poland for a $1000.00 using paypal and the only drawback was a delivery that took close to a month. I was getting a bit nervous. Also several smaller paypal transactions from dealers in Hong Kong for adaptors.

Anything that comes from Craigs List that is not local would be a Red Flag for me to begin with.

 

[ornate_wrasse]

Update: The scammer's reply

Update: The scammer's reply

I just got the following email from the scammer after I told him he could buy the camera from me by paying cash for it:

Hi,
Am sorry i wont be able to meet with you and pay in cash due to the
nature of my job. Paypal is very fast,safe and secured so that no one
will be scammed. Am buying the item for my son schooling abroad
(Nigeria) for the completion of his project, and the postage fee will
be added as promised. You can easily setup paypal account on
www.paypal.com so that you can be able to receive the payment. you can
easily send me your paypal email address.
I will be waiting for your reply asap.
Thanks

That part about the son schooling abroad in Nigeria is too funny 🙂

He just doesn't want to give up on his attempt to scam me!!

Submitted for your entertainment 😀

Ellen

 

[Roscoe]

haha! Thanks for the entertainment! SCAM!

 

[35mmdelux]

Also consider if the buyer or seller is from a third world country. $1000, for example, may be a week's salary for some in the "first world" but in the third world its an entire year's salary, hence increase chance for being ripped off since its a huge amount for them. Some dont even come close to making that amount. Caveat Emptor

 

[FrankS]

Definitely a scam. Definitely.

 

[jsrockit]

Nobody ever offers more money than you are asking in a legit sale...