Known scam or not?

[pugdexter]

I've purchased a number of media streamers that are listed well below market price. On all of the sales the seller sold a great number of them.  Then the seller will change the price back to market price. ( 10 times the original price) after they just disappear.  Is this a common scam? 

[mater721]

"I've purchased a number of media streamers that are listed well below market price. On all of the sales the seller sold a great number of them.  Then the seller will change the price back to market price. ( 10 times the original price) after they just disappear."

You might want to clarify this a bit... it's a bit confusing and missing information that others might need to provide advice.

How did you "purchase"?  BIN?

Have you paid through PayPal?

Is the seller changing "back to market price" after you "purchased" at the lower price?

[pugdexter]

Sorry for the confusing information. Yes, I purchased and paid at the low price, but after the seller sells a number of items they ether disappear or just don't reply. I have found a number of this kind of listings

[mater721]

It is a bit odd - but not sure how it would be a scam.

Unless the item you finally receive is complete junk.  I would not buy any more items like that until you see the quality you receive.

More often than not, you get what you pay for.

[pugdexter]

They actually give fake tracking numbers and nothing arrives.  

[pierrelebel]

When did you purchase and pay for your purchase?

"fake" tracking does not really mean anything.  I see that regularly when consolidators are involved.

[pugdexter]

It was the week of Christmas.  I bought two from two different sellers.  I've already contacted PayPal and got a refund on one. But all there recent feedback is from angry buyers.  

[ironchachi]

He is just flooding the material. Up to you...if you yourself are flipping that material I would definitely find info. on the internal hardware. I understand the convenience of the transaction but you don't see the other returns or potential defect rate of these units. Your only as good as the product you sell. I wouldn't touch this with a ten foot pole...there is a lot of vendors around Canada that could set you up with significantly better hardware.

Just my 2 cents...up to you obviously

[femmefan1946]

Open an Item Not Received dispute on the second.

Immediately.

Whatever the product might actually be-- and I suspect the sellers just took photos from a catalogue and never had any stock-- If more than 30 days have passed for delivery from overseas, open the Dispute.

This does allow an honest seller another 20 days to resolve, if he can prove delivery. And that is Delivery and not Shipment.

The disappearance of the seller may be that he has discovered that he cannot access the payments from the buyers he conned thanks to Paypal's 21 Day Hold. If that also is applied to overseas sellers. It certainly is to Canadian sellers, and in a modified form to US sellers.

Which leads me to believe that the seller is also being taken for a ride. One of those schemes like the old 'stuffing envelopes' one from the dear dead days of classified ads in the back of tabloids and pulps.

[femmefan1946]

Are you talking about buying wholesale lots, at a below retail price?

That's .... pretty normal actually.

If the final listings were for singleton items, rather than groups, then the price being full retail also makes sense.

The problem isn't the price.

The problem is that the seller is not shipping or if he is, he is disguising his slow shipping method by supplying a tracking number that does not track to you. (As pierre suggests, he may have tracking to his shipper's plant.)

If you have ordered and paid, but the orders have not arrived, open an Item Not Received Dispute before the 45 day deadline

http://resolutioncenter.ebay.ca/

and get your money back.