What's up with this eBay seller?

Dunn

Dunn

Well-known
Local time
2:18 PM
Joined
Dec 6, 2010
Messages
258
I found this seller doing an auction for a Leica M10 and other nice cameras (https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Unopened-Silver-Leica-M10-Body-Only/233577885401?hash=item366253aed9:g:AdoAAOSw~t5erykx)
But, says that it's only available for a buy it now price even though it's only posted as an auction. They list the buy it now price in the description which is significantly lower than market value and you must email them.
I don't understand what's going on here. This can't be real. Yet, they have 100% feedback. And, if I were to bid on it and win? I don't get it.

Anyone care to fill me in?

Edit: it seems that in the time it took me to post this the Leica M10 ad is gone. In the description the buy it now price was $1,900.
Here is another example of a Hasselblad X1D-50c for $1,900 too. https://www.ebay.com/itm/21-Hasselblad-X1D-50c-50MP-Digital-Camera-Body-Black-w-21mm-lens-4116/184277942223?hash=item2ae7d23fcf:g:IqsAAOSwQbVerykl

2nd Edit: I'm really confused now. It seems the ads are disappearing now. The seller is https://www.ebay.com/str/pbmretail, but it seems all those types of ads are gone now...
 
It's not allowed under Ebay rules to instruct buyers to email sellers with offers. But, Ebay cannot review the text in all their auctions. Report such auctions to Ebay, as these apparently were. It might not be a scam -- sometimes people are just dense and don't read the rules. But it's not allowed, whether scam or cluelessness.
 
Ebay does in fact monitor listings and will pull down listings that violate rules. They will also block sellers with violations.
 
A few years ago, I was reporting scams like this multiple times a day, and, they were taken down. Since then, I've seen none of it. Typically, they put all of their listing "text" into an image file, so the keywords will not be caught by Ebay's AI.
 
A few years back, the FBI was reporting that terror groups were laundering money through eBay with the sale of high-priced or rare items. I recall one seller about 5 or 6 years ago listing several 50 Noctilux, 35 Double ASPH and 75 Summilux at a time, using the same photograph and descriptions; items would sell 48 hrs later. I recall looking at the sales by the seller and they amounted to something like $250,000 over a 1 month period.
 
Ebay's auto monitoring has caused me trouble recently. At the start of the coronavirus lockdown postage was taking over 2 weeks for a next day delivery. I put a note telling buyers "...that due to covid 19 deliveries may take longer than expected, please be patient..." That broke the rules.

According to ebay I was selling a Covid 19 cure which is not allowed. My account was suspended. I got into a conversation with a representative who agreed with the company. Despite being told countless times what I had written.

I just sent a message to buyers after that warning them that it may take longer.

I have no idea how people get away with scams like this
 
I was on Facebook the other day and saw someone selling at close a Sony A7IV
for only $88.00 dollars, a scam that there was ever was one.
 
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