eBay/Craigslist eBay Tractor Scams

[nephromancer]

I worded my posting specifically to avoid painting everyone with the same brush. I did not say every single tractor, I said every tractor I looked at, and believe me, once I figured out their m.o., it was easy to spot the scams. I gave up after picking 10 in a row. To turn it around let me say that every one of the listings that I guessed were real were in fact

a)associated with a competitive price,
b)often posted by a storefront,
c)did not have any odd restrictions like 24 hour auctions or buyer preapproval,
d)were not located out of the US
e)etc etc

I appreciate all the comments and criticism, I am glad to see I am not the only one who bit on the " too good to be true price". I am certain that most of the people selling tractors on eBay are legit, BUT.....there are those who insist ruining it for the rest of us.

BJ

 

[Bugsy]

Thank you for the additional clarification.

Now the REAL issue: How do we educate everybody before they become "gun-shy". The only effective means I can think of is:

1. Make the points in our listings (but when are we then considered unprofessional?)

2. Keep our website and advertising up-to-date

I truly do not think that EBay cares. They are interested in fees and if nobody complains neither will they. On the other hand, I have had bad experiences when complaining, also.

Proving ourselves to respectable businessmen has always been part of the game but I fear that this "black eye" just makes a set back.

George

 

[Tractors4u]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( They claim they are a Canadian company. They actually are Sentex, in China, registered in Canada but operate from China. )</font>

To make things worse they are offering the same service. Mail forwarding

These scams are not limited to tractors only. In my searching for ATVs, motorcycles, etc I have seen the same thing. 24 hour to 72 hour auctions, pre-approved bidders, etc. Each one I have reported to ebay has been removed. Usually if you click on "ask seller a question" and simply reply with SCAM they remove it themselves. I baited one of the European scammers a while back by acting like I was interested in their product. I had them going good and I dropped the bomb on them that I knew they were a scammer and their reply was, "so what, I make good money and there is nothing you can do".

 

[DaveInColorado]

I was burned once for $2400! I blame myself because I didn't do my homework. Since then I've bought a $19k vehicle from a private party, an $11k tractor - also private party, sold a car, and have been very pleased. I never bid on an expensive item until I've had serious in-depth email with the seller. I talk to them enough to get to know them, then I bid. I also read their feedback and see if people are really describing their experience or just saying A++.

I agree that Ebay doesn't care. The same goes for PayPal! Just try to get someone at PayPal to email you. Try to find a phone number. It can't be done.

I just took a check for the car I sold. I'm safe because the car doesn't leave my driveway until the check clears. For my previous vehicles and tractors I took cash or a bank check. I looked over the vehicle before I handed over the funds. The seller doesn't always know that's what I'm doing. I figure that even though I've won the bid I will still drive away empty handed if the vehicle isn't as described.

The vast majority of people are honest and trustworthy! There. I said it. I stand behind my statement. I will add that even goes for people who look and act like gang members. Get behind the bravado and firewalls and we're all more alike than we are different. Ebay allows people to hide and that brings out their worst side.

 

[KirkMcD]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I just took a check for the car I sold. I'm safe because the car doesn't leave my driveway until the check clears. )</font>

Be careful, even after a check "clears," it can still bounce and the funds will be pulled from your account without warning. The best thing you can do is go to the bank where the check is from and cash it.

 

[Bird]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I was burned once for $2400! )</font>

Ouch; that would hurt. I'm a novice on eBay; sold one item, less than $300 with no problem (he sent a personal check and I shipped the product), and bought one item, less than $40 via PayPal. But last night, I won a bid on a really cheap item ($9.99 plus $4.95 shipping), promptly paid via PayPal, got an e-mail "receipt", however, it still shows that I need to pay. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif So I sent an e-mail to eBay today and got an e-mail back that they're "aware of the situation and currently working to get the data from the PayPal payment posted to your My eBay area as appropriate". /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[OKnewguy]

I have used ebay for both selling and buying for a number of years and have nothing but good experiences. BUT I will say that I quickly learned to watch out for the scams One other scam identifier is when a seller has a history of buying and selling tons of cheap junk, they do this to build good history. A number of the tractor scams, will have dolls and clothing for 60 transactions and then poof a tractor (this is a red flag). I would also recommend using YOUR escrow service. The fees are not that large and it can really cya. This being said I bought my tractor on ebay, but the seller is also a avid poster on tbn.
Dave /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Bird]

On the little item I supposedly bought, the seller's "preferred" method of payment was PayPal, so that's what I did. PayPal now shows that I paid, but in transferring payment to the seller, it is "unclaimed" and the recipient is "unregistered." /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif I hear both good and bad about eBay, but don't think I'd buy anything there for more money than I could afford to throw away. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[aardvark]

Bird, if what you are saying is that the dollar sign on your "my ebay" page isn't highlighting even though you paid, that's pretty common. Sometimes it takes a day or so to highlight when buyers pay for the items I sell, and sometimes it won't highlight at all. It's the same situation when I ship an item through the paypal shipping function. It may take a while for the little box icon to highlight. I don't know why, but it's been that way for as long as I can remember, since ebay started the "my ebay" pages that are currently used. Believe it or not, it is now about 1000% easier to use than before it existed, so I haven't looked the gift horse in the mouth. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Bird]

Jared, I don't know just where the dollar sign is that you're talking about. But on My eBay, under the "Buying Reminders" it shows a dollar sign and "I need to pay for 1 item".