M2 Scam?

[kully]

I've bidding for a Leica M2 on eBay recently, an M2 ended up going for ~£850, way above the £400 I bid.

This morning I got an email from eBay about a 'second chance', I checked the headers and all was good.

I popped off an email to the bloke asking what was up and he replied thus:

<bloke>

Hi ,

You have the opportunity to purchase this item ( the same item) at your bid price.The ex winner had some personal problems with the money and couldn't handle the situation , so following eBay's sugestion, I've contacted you this way.The deal will go strictly according to eBay's rules and policy regarding to this Second Chance Offer - to start the official transaction, I need to know your details- eBay user ID, full name and shipping address- as soon as I have them I'll start the official procedure, and eBay will notify you about this. You'll also receive important guidelines + instructions from them (please go through them exactly). I'll handle the shipping, so this will be free of charge for you . Also, a refund policy will be included. Unfortunately, I am not able to use the phone, as I'm wearing a hearing device (sound signal amp) as a result of a car crash I've experienced a couple of months ago, so let's keep it this way (contact via e-mail).

Looking forward to hearing from you ...

</bloke>

That is the same presentation as the email I got - I havn't changed that.

So, my scamdar is always on red alert, it's on super red alert now. I'm not going to buy the camera unless I can pick it up, but, does this look dodgy to you?

 

[laptoprob]

Where is this bloke? I am sure a pickup can be arranged through RFF members.
I agree this shipping would be tricky.
I had a similar deal on an MP in brilliant condition. Located in Madrid IIRC. So I went on, planning to ask someone in Spain to do the pickup instead of shipping.
Then there was silence on the other end...

 

[dadsm3]

Run like hell......

 

[dcsang]

It's possible it's a scam but it's also perfectly possible that he's on the up and up. Ebay does do "second chance" offers because if they don't, the seller then still is charged for the full cost of the "sale" (that never went through) to the deadbeat buyer.

This way, the seller is trying to get something for the sale rather than having to re-list the item AND also pay fees on a "sold" item that never was, in fact, sold.

Caveat Emptor all the same.. 🙂

Dave

 

[lubitel]

I dont know much about ebay scams, but I wouldnt do it. why would an M2 go so high? and why wouldnt he offer this offer to the second highest bidder?

There is a CLA'd M2 in the classifields here and for a similar or better price.

 

[kully]

I can definitely pick up the camera, no problems there.

The things that pique my ears:

- He wants my details when he should have them already.
- He has to explain what a hearing aid is.
- He has a hearing aid.
- The difference between £400 and ~£850.

Hopefully, the bloke is cool. If not, I'm interested in seeing how far I can take this (I'll take my camera to) 🙂

 

[dcsang]

I can definitely pick up the camera, no problems there.

The things that pique my ears:

- He wants my details when he should have them already.
- He has to explain what a hearing aid is.
- He has a hearing aid.
- The difference between £400 and ~£850.

Hopefully, the bloke is cool. If not, I'm interested in seeing how far I can take this (I'll take my camera to) 🙂

If you can pick up the camera there.. locally.. then arrange to meet with him.. forget the whole shipping thing and such. Give him your info but say that you'll buy it if you can pick it up locally.

Dave

 

[FrankS]

If you are close enough to pick it up, ask to see it in person first.

But the big red flag is why he is offering you, who only bid 400, and not the at least one other person who, along with the original buyer, bid the camera up to 800.

 

[dcsang]

If you are close enough to pick it up, ask to see it in person first.

But the big red flag is why he is offering you, who only bid 400, and not the at least one other person who, along with the original buyer, bid the camera up to 800.

We don't know if he did or didn't offer it to anyone else.

I know that I've sold stuff on Ebay in the past where the bidder turns out to be a deadbeat and by the time I go to the "next in line" they have decided that they no longer want the item.. like it's somehow "tainted" or such.... when dealing in the world of Ebay it's not just the sellers who are a bit odd at times 😀

Dave

 

[jingles_97]

You can also ask the high bidder to verify the situation, provided of course that the high bidder and the seller are not the same person. You can also contact eBay to verify this. From 850 to 400, that is dozans of proxy bids away, so I doubt you are the next highest bidder. Any reasonable seller will not contact you for a second chance bid, I know I won't. There are scams where some scammer just looks at the bidding history of a legit item, and send second chance emails to everyone who didn't win. I got a bunch of these before. Good luck!

 

[ElrodCod]

I just went through the same thing. Check "my messages" on your "my eBay" page. If it's legit the same message will appear there. If not, it's a scam. Don't send him any of your account informatiomn. Be wary of "second chance" offers that tell you to contact the seller directly. Next he'll be suggesting that you pay by wire transfer because of some glitch in his PayPal account. I'd forward his e-,mail to spoof@ebay.com.

 

[Bryce]

THIS is what made me stop dealing with online auction sites.
How could the price have possibly gone up to 800 pounds if only one other bidder offered more than your 400? This would have to indicate that at least two other bidders have failed to pay, and it would be hard not to think those people are 1) The seller himself, logged on with another I.D. and 2) his drinking buddy who's also selling things and needs his prices puffed up.
Just say no.

 

[kully]

Thanks for the advice.

Surprise, surprise: there is no copy of that message in my 'My messages' folder of eBay.

Time to string this bugger along. Let's see if I can get him to send my a photo of himself with "I Love RFF" permanent markered to his chest.

 

[Juancho]

Why don't you play his game, taking some controlled risk? You could get the M2... and then tell us.

 

[SolaresLarrave]

Well... I did buy an item once on a "second chance" offer, and at the price I bid, not at the winning bid price. Granted, it was a lot cheaper item (a set of lens diopters that I still have), but the whole thing was originated by the seller; I simply clicked on something through eBay, not the e-mail, paypalled the funds and got my diopters for the price I bid.

Now... if you already dismissed the offer, I wouldn't blame you. A while ago I did get an offer for "a lens similar to the one you're bidding on eBay" from a third party (this was about a Leica lens on which I had placed a "playful bid"). Since that one came from mining the bidders' names on eBay auctions, I did not go for it.

Just so you know that not everyone out there is a crook.

Good luck anyway! 🙂

 

[ampguy]

run, fast.

 

[julianphotoart]

I squarely agree that this is a scam. IMHO, he had a straw man bid it up high with no intention of ever buying. Then he uses that straw-man high bid to induce the other legitimate bidders to possibly pay more than they should.

 

[rool]

I've been receiving a lot of those kind of emails as I'm currently hunting for a camera and bidding on ebay.
They are scams if it doesn't appear in your message inbox on "Your ebay".
Run run run...

 

[kully]

My beer belly is too big to run further than the pub.

I'm going to see how far this scammer is willing to go to scam me.

 

[FrankS]

Certainly have some fun with them.