Leica LTM eBay scammer - IIIF

Leica M39 screw mount bodies/lenses
G

GarageBoy

Well-known
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11:36 AM
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May 29, 2013
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So I sell a IIIF on eBay, buyer pays, I mail it to China, he tells me, it got scratched in transit, and shows me pics of a well used Leica - I tell him, no way that happened, chrome doesn't wear like that, also, why are they pics of a IIIC -?
Awaiting his response- how else can I protect myself now? Already complained to eBay about him, but all they did was log it
 
you can't protect yourself really. Buyer has most of the protection. Next time, don't sell and mail to China. Actually, only sell in your country to avoid issues.
 
I am waiting for the Chinese to directly copy the IIIf and maybe this time produce a more decent copy than the Shanghai 58 model.
 
You will have to appeal your case with Ebay showing pictures of both cameras and explaining how they are different models.
I assume Paypal is holding your money?
 
Not holding my money yet. He tried to tell me he reported to eBay and they told him to start a claim, but he doesn't want to do that because it would lock up my PayPal and hes giving me a chance to make it right...
I'm just trying to take the defense

Postal records indicate it was delivered 12 hrs ago, and he claims he already contacted eBay and got an answer...

Not the first time its happened to me
 
You cannot protect yourself. eBay will in some way screw you on this, they chance is slim you will like the final result.

Now you have learned a valuable lesson, sell in the country where you live, if you insist on selling cameras on eBay.

I personally would never sell any electronics or cameras on eBay, but I understand many of our members are not in big cities. There are however several forum connected sales venues -- like the one on the RFF, where you stand a much better chance of a clean sale.

The advantage of the RFF is that you, not eBay, choose your buyer. You can call the potential buyer on the phone, confirm identities etc, a choose who you want to sell to. The highest bidder is not always the best bidder. You can even not sell to anyone if you don't want to, without getting bad feedback. You are in control of your sale.

Do bad things happen on the RFF, of course, but far fewer than we ever hear about on eBay.

Just for the record, of course I am an RFF mod, but I have been buying and selling cameras on a personal level since the days of Shutterbug mag ads in the '80s, and I have always insisted on knowing my buyer, and seller. It works, and is worth the small price of an RFF ad, and I don't get a penny. :)
 
It should be as simple as showing ebay it was a different camera model with a different serial number. Add this to the reasons I don't ship outside of the US.
 
GarageBoy said:
Yeah, but then what's stopping him from claiming I sent a different camera?
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nothing. and if you agree to accepting a return of your exact camera there is nothing you can do if he sends a brick back to you. ebay rarely sides with sellers in these circumstances. you're in for a long trip of ****ery at the hands of this buyer and ebay. I hope it works out for you but the reality is you are in a bad state with this. i have about 7,000 transactions on eBay and sometimes run into problems like this.

it'a all part of the problem and issues if you use ebay to sell stuff.
 
nikonhswebmaster said:
The advantage of the RFF is that you, not eBay, choose your buyer. You can call the potential buyer on the phone, confirm identities etc, a choose who you want to sell to. The highest bidder is not always the best bidder. You can even not sell to anyone if you don't want to, without getting bad feedback. You are in control of your sale.

Do bad things happen on the RFF, of course, but far fewer than we ever hear about on eBay.
Click to expand...

I've been taken twice by buying cameras off this site, so I would not claim it is any better than ebay.
 
The siren song of getting more money by opening your eBay auction up to the world, for me has always been overpowered by the nightmare of dealing with situations just like this.
 
nikonhswebmaster said:
The advantage of the RFF is that you, not eBay, choose your buyer. You can call the potential buyer on the phone, confirm identities etc, a choose who you want to sell to. The highest bidder is not always the best bidder. You can even not sell to anyone if you don't want to, without getting bad feedback. You are in control of your sale.

Do bad things happen on the RFF, of course, but far fewer than we ever hear about on eBay.
Click to expand...

I've had very good results buying and selling thru RFF. Far better than I have had with the big auction site. But I still limit sales to my own country, except in very rare occasions where I have had an ongoing relationship thru this forum with an individual in another country.
 
Can I ask if the sale was through the "global shipping program"?
And also, why not give us the name of the scoundrel so that we can avoid selling to him? or a hint of the name?
 
I lived through one of those scams myself. I sold a black Contax G2 on ebay to Hong Kong. Just 1 day after my shipment date the buyer complained to ebay that he didn't get the camera. Then, when he got it he claimed that G2 is full of scratches, therefore he wanted a partial refund. I said that as a matter of principle I don't issue any partial refunds. I asked him to ship the camera back to me, and I return his money. Fortunately, that was the end of it. It's a good idea to take pictures of the camera and packing.
 
eBay can be a pain for sellers but I wouldn't jump to any conclusions about what will happen. The system revolves around people jumping thru the hoops they demand; so if the OP puts his case clearly, and demands the seller PROVES that is the camera that arrived, then he has a good chance.

And no, buyers can't simply return a brick. All you would need to do if suspicious is record yourself opening the package on your phone. eBay does automatically refund when a purchase, returned tracked, is marked as delivered - in that case, the OP simply needs to file an Appeal.

Good luck op. You are unlucky enough to have encountered a crook, so make sure you scrupulously follow every eBay step. Would be interested to see others' thoughts, but I think at this point it would be worth calling eBay CS, tell them what you think is going on, ie levelling with them, and seeing how they will protect you.
 
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