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How do you guys verify that some misc person across state lines who posts pictures and offers stuff even HAS the item that you want to buy?
I can imagine a scam in which someone sets up a paypal account and just collects money.
FWIW, this is a US Audiomart deal. The seller has no "feedback" of any kind.
Follow Ups:
if you're not sure about it then don't do it.
You have a really long time to make a claim and I wouldn't worry. It might be a pain making the claim and waiting for reimbursement. Zero pain compared to losing all your money though.
ET
Edits: 11/10/14
I had just one bad deal - buying a modded new Oppo player. The guy wasn't a scammer, just broke and spent the money on his rent or something, and never got caught up. As he hadn't shipped anything, Paypal got my money back after I pressed the issue for a few days.
It's never a bad idea to get serial numbers, and confirm them with the manufacturer if that's possible. References and feedback can help. The more expensive it is, the bigger your risk.
If it's really expensive, it could be worth it to get on a plane with cash, buy it, and take it to a packnship joint where you can supervise the packing and send it home. (Bonus if it's in a good food/music/art/fun place - make it into a short vacation or long weekend.)
WW
"A man need merely light the filaments of his receiving set and the world's greatest artists will perform for him." Alfred N. Goldsmith, RCA, 1922
because all of these transactions involve a certain element of risk. Or am I missing something here?Interestingly, I just purchased an item on US Audio Mart last week, no picture, no feedback, no nothing. It has yet to ship, but I am not in the least bit worried. I suppose some people have the stomach for these transactions, and some don't.
Edits: 11/09/14
After all these years I FINALLY got a PayPal account this past summer and it works pretty well.
If I'm buying off Audiogon, I stay away from deals that seem too good to be true from sellers with ZERO feedback.
If I'm not certain of the validity of a deal, I will often ask for a phone number to discuss with the seller to get a better idea of his honesty. Does he have feedback from another site like eBay?
If you're curious to know if the seller even has the piece of equipment listed for sale, ask him to send you fresh photos at specific angles, close-ups, bottom of the unit, close-up of the remote control, close up of the display window, photos of shipping materials, close up photo of the serial number, etc. Mainly establish that he does indeed have the piece of gear and didn't just 'harvest' some pictures for his ad over the internet.
PayPal does offer you some protection against fraud and when you are dealing with a PayPal verified seller there is some hope of getting your money back in a dispute, so it's a lot less risky than sending a check or money order.
Ask the seller if they have feedback from Agon or eBay you can refer to. I think there are a lot of former or current Audiogon sellers who are testing the waters on the Audiomart sites, but don't have any feedback there yet.
If the seller really doesn't have any experience buying or selling used audio equipment (may be new to the hobby) then I would proceed with some caution. If the item is expensive, insist on a phone call and ask questions until you are comfortable. I personally avoid buying any really big ticket item from a first-time seller unless I can make the deal in person.
And avoid any deal on a popular item that looks like it's too good to be true.
My experience with paypal is that once the money is trasferred it is gone and not retractible and all i had about the other person was an email address. I wonder if a dealer would be willing to act as the shipper for $50 extra.
Fwiw I am buying some Klh ls50s with stands for $1200. Nothing earth shaking.
My experience with paypal is that once the money is trasferred it is gone and not retractible and all i had about the other person was an email address. I wonder if a dealer would be willing to act as the shipper for $50 extra.
Fwiw I am buying some Klh ls50s with stands for $1200. Nothing earth shaking.
Over the years, I've bought thousands of dollars worth of duck decoys, Japan only SACDs, Japan only CDs and misc items through eBay and paid through Paypal every time. Most of the decoys were bought through dealers I am familiar with, however some came from private sellers. Ditto for the music which has been mainly bought through a couple of Japanese dealers. I've never had a problem with Paypal. If you put a purchase through them, you get an immediate e-mail as to the details of the transaction. You need to be aware of phony e-mails allegedly from Paypal asking for account information or stating something like, "Your Paypal account has been limited; please provide requested information."
I never buy anything from a seller that has no feedback or all the feedback is from one alleged buyer. It's a jungle out there, however I think the problems center around bad sellers, not the method of payment.
I've done deals both as a seller with no feedback, and buying from same. All went very well, but one thing I do insist on is a phone conversation, whether buying or selling. You can get a pretty good impression of who you're dealing with by having one, plus you have a phone number at least. Moreover, the people I was dealing with also seemed reassured by our conversations, so we both felt comfortable moving forward.
No phone conversation = no deal. I figured this out too late, so the lesson was learned the hard way.
Buyer beware indeed. I do not and will not support paypal.
He might get away with it once, or twice. Paypal will boot him as soon as they get that feedback.
They especially monitor new users. They even freeze their first payment for like 30 days or something like that.
I think if someone wanted to be a scammer they wouldn't use Paypal.
But as always, buyer beware.
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