eBay

shooger · ‎12-17-2003

I woke up to this email:

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Hey you,

I did a buy-now on this auction because it seems good. However, I've been cheated by thousands of dollars because people's failure of delivery. I want to try something new before I pay for this product. You must give me a positive rating first & then email me, or else I can't pay you. Once you ++(rate)++ me, I'll immediately pay with Paypal. Like I said before, I can't risk losing any more money. Failure to leave feedback for me first makes me wonder if your auction is a fraud.

my username to rate: usamagic993355 (please rate now)

(just write: waiting for payment 10-15 days from now, good communcation though, leaving a positive feedback: +++) O K ?

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And yes, he purchased the BIN auction. I checked out his feedback profile, and you should, too.

http://cgi2.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback&userid=usamagic993355

His account was started today, and he already has sucked three people into giving him positive feedback! Oh, wait, I just refreshed, and now there's four!

My first impulse was to pull his contact info. His phone number is 8788888. I'm not even going to waste the money to try it. I went to report false contact info, and the form I use tells me "you're not using a browser that supports cookies - download Internet Explorer". Well that's what I use! And it has always worked fine. I need to get this joker NARUd, fast.

Anyone have a scam like this happen to them before? What would YOU do?

I'm thinking about leaving a negative right now, to throw a wrench in his plans. If he retaliates, I'll use the feedback removal system to get it taken off. This is definitely NOT a legitimate operation. It just makes me so mad when someone tries to rip me, and dictate how I run my business!!!

deltone · ‎12-18-2003

I agree Malcolm, it does sound like a nutbal. I've come across a few of them here on ebay through the years. Obviously someone not dealing with a full deck.

zarzuella · ‎12-18-2003

Astonishingly, sellers are still leaving positive feedback as per his demand. Is it April 1st already?
Kudos to you, Shooger, for starting the neg ball rolling.

shooger · ‎12-18-2003

16 positives and 8 negatives. That's disgusting.

What's just about as bad is eBay's lack of response. Good thing this guy probably isn't malicious, just stupid. He could have made off with a lot of money by now. I made three legitimate complaints against his account 24 hours ago (feedback extortion, invalid contact info, and PowerSeller support), and I know at least one other seller made two at the same time. If Support is truly this backlogged, eBay needs to hire more workers. We don't pay our fees just so we can be ripped off and nothing be done. 😕

your-chic-shopper · ‎12-18-2003

This is why the feedback system needs to be changed ..people are leaving positive out of fear

karensvariety · ‎12-18-2003

I can think of a different take on this scam. I don't use auto feedback. Several times someone has bought and then immediately left positive feedback. If I had auto feedback, they would also get positive feedback even though they hadn't been invoiced. There is a risk, of course, that I'll file NPB but let's face it, how many bother.

shooger · ‎12-18-2003

I don't know what you're trying to say, karensvariety.

Anyway, keeping in mind that I've never emailed this guy (all I've done so far is leave negative feedback), here's the email that he just sent (this time, through the eBay "ask seller a question" link):

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What's up?

I am a cynic: I can only pay for product(s) if you follow my New Policy. In the past years I've been duped thousands of dollars. My new rule works and it states that: the seller must leave positive feedback within 24 hours or I'll have to go look for other items on ebay and leave seller negative rating. It's up to you. There is no disputing my new rule. It prevents seller hoaxes like you and gives me confidence so that I can buy more. I've never lost a single penny since then, it works perfectly for me.

If you defer my new rules, I'll promptly mail payments no later than 15 days from the time a positive feedback is given. If you cannot provide positive feedback first, I'll be deranged and deride your auctions. If you honor my request, I'll consider to leave a positive feedback for you as well, and Vice Versa!! I'm poor; i have lost every penny last year to auction scams like these ones, so I gotta be more prudent. Please adhere to my new rules so we can conduct business the facile way. My method is the Only way you can gain my trust.

my username: usamagic993355 ... please rate me +++(Positively)+++ and I'll be kind to you. I just don't want to be embroiled in losing any more money, you understand? (just write this down: great buyer, waiting for payment 10-15 days from now, A+++) O K ? Thank you so much!!!

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The other seller I'm in contact with has told me she's getting an email every 4-5 hours from this guy. All variations of the same thing, even continuing after she left him negative.

Keep in mind I only accept immediate PayPal payments, and this email says he'll send payment 15 days after receiving the positive feedback.

The attitude in the emails is aggravating! He writes as though I'm a fraud, and that I need to follow his demands or I'll be punished. ARG! Why won't eBay do anything about this account?

itrecovery · ‎12-18-2003

This is mental case. Somebody has installed PC in a madhouse or this is just a kid(s) having fun by teasing people around...

amberwoodottawa · ‎12-18-2003

Block him from your email list and add him to your blocked buyers list with eBay.

This guy is plain and simply nuts. Send your recent emails from him to eBay as well as there are rules dealing with using feedback as a tool to force a buyer or seller to do something against their normal policy.

Take a look at what this guy is buying and tell me that he isnt off the wall.

(It is interesting for the rest of us though in a sick and demented sort of way)

Malcolm

shooger · ‎12-19-2003

"Block him from your email list and add him to your blocked buyers list with eBay."

BAD idea. That would just allow him to keep thinking he's getting through to me, but meanwhile I'm in the dark as to what he's saying.

Like I said above, I blocked him within minutes of getting his email.

"This guy is plain and simply nuts."

I don't think so! This happens all the time. He'll be selling Plasma TVs in no time. Well, not with this account, but with a similar account he started recently. It's probably part of a well organized fraud team. You don't see this stuff because all you sell is $200 violins! 😛 They buy up small BIN items by the hundreds, and build up crazy amounts of feedback in 24 hours.

"Send your recent emails from him to eBay as well as there are rules dealing with using feedback as a tool to force a buyer or seller to do something against their normal policy."

That's the definition of feedback extortion, which is what I reported him for, as I said above.

"Take a look at what this guy is buying and tell me that he isnt off the wall."

He isn't off the wall. Magic the Gathering cards (what I deal in) are like cash at any hobby store, gamer convention, high school, or college. Magic is the #1 card game in the world, and one of Hasbro's biggest products for the past 10 years. He's NOT off the wall. If any seller is stupid enough to send before receiving payment, it's an added bonus for this creep.

amberwoodottawa · ‎12-19-2003

shooger
I will soon be selling comics and gaming cards as well. I have available to me an inventory of over 500,000 comics and just as many gaming cards so please dont make assumptions about what I do and what I may know or not know just because I have built my eBay business selling musical instruments in year one.

I am not about to debate you over what this guy is doing and why as neither you nor I know for certain, we both have our opinions and they clearly differ.

You were smart enough and quick enough to not get caught in sending him a $.48 item and not giving him feedback. You reported him to eBay and to other people he was trying to buy from.

I personally wouldnt waste anymore time. If eBay isnt interested in shutting him down and investigating him further, why should you?

As you said, you believe that he and his fraud team have other ID's set up and is using them or going to use them to sell plasma TVs. Be careful buying plasma tvs.

In terms of you personally, how much worse is he than a NPB whom you add to your blocked bidder's list?

Malcolm

itrecovery · ‎12-19-2003

Actually some of negs are quite funny...

ospreylinks · ‎12-19-2003

Actually, I can't believe this guy hasn't been NARU'd by Ebay. Evidently Ebay is famous for measuring every aspect of their sites, and I am sure they would have some system in place to review new accounts with suspecious activity. Heck, even credit card companies warn card holders when excessive or weird activity is taking place on their cards, surely Ebay has some sort of monitoring in place.

In my opinion it is important for Ebay to get on this immediately to protect all vendors and potential bidders (not only in this case, but surely to God, similar situations abound).

My two cents....

Jeff