Why do these look fishy to me? (1 Viewer)

[Sankar]

This post may not belong here, but am I the only one who is suspicious of the following Link Removed The items are supposed to be brand new and are yet selling for unusually low prices ($963 for a brand new AT1506 is a great price indeed). Note that

• the auctions are all of 3 days duration
• only cashiers cheque and money orders accepted,
• no response to my emails,
• no feedback on the seller for 4 years (last one was in 1998),
• the ads look identical,
• the first two started on March 6 and the next four started soon after the first two ended (about 4 hours later),
• they ALL were started at $250, which is low enough to attract attention, but not so low that they raise suspicions,
• none of the auctions have any reserve price!
• shipping is a flat $20! The AT2505 is a heavy beast, it will cost more to ship that one.

Either we are missing some fantastic deals, or some folks are going to be very sorry ... the trouble is that I cannot decide which is more likely to be the case!!!
What happens if the seller reneges? Is there any recourse? Ebay only protects to $175 .. See here

 

[Juan_R]

They look very strange to, I would not take a chance on them.

 

[Jim A. Banville]

I'm not necessarily suspicious as they are NOT "selling for unusually low prices". The seller simply started low and has no reserve. He probably has done searches on similar items and knows the ballpark that these items will ACTUALLY sell for when the bidding is done. I often start my auctions at $1/no reserve for an item that I feel comfortable will sell for $20. Besides, if for some CRAZY reason the bidding didn't reach where he expected it to, he could always cancel the auction in the last few minutes.

 

[Keith Mickunas]

Shipping isn't really that expensive for businesses. I have had some stuff shipped to me from a store in another state that isn't really into mail order. My salesman only charges the flat shipping fee, and I think my Yamaha RX-V1 cost $15 to ship, and a DVD player cost about $3.

Aside from that, I would be leery of these auctions. IMHO, if it seems to good to be true, it probably is.

 

[Jagan Seshadri]

Stay far away. There are unfortunately a lot of cheats on Ebay.

-JNS

 

[MichaelGomez]

Don't worry about the ebay insurance. Just make sure that you get your money order from the post office. Then you will be backed if you are defrauded.

 

[StevieC]

I recently won an auction on eBay and the seller never sent the goods over $500 and the seller disappeared(unregister from eBay). They did have positive feedback as well :frowning: Just be careful. I had used a money order from the bank and was able to stop payment on the check. phew !!
One thing also fishy about the auction mentioned in the first post is that most if not all of the feedback was from past auctions where they were buyers. They can buy lots of cheap things with good transactions to build up their positive feedback. Just a thought.

 

[Legairre]

Also that payment in 3 days thing sounds like someone wants to get the hell out of dodge with your money pretty quick.

I wouldn't touch this one.

 

[Hank Frankenberg]

I would NEVER pay for an eBay item with a cashier's check or a money order. If they are a legit business, they would take a credit card. If they are an individual temporarily selling, he/she could work a deal with a third party transactor who would take your credit card. Your credit card company would back you up. A cashier's check and a money order may as well be a bundle of cash in the envelope.

 

[StevenK]

Notice that all his comments are over 3 years old? Sounds like a hi-jacked username to me.

 

[Sankar]

Yep, this Money Order/cashier's check thing is downright dangerous. I have always made sure that I use PayPal or Billpoint for ebay transactions -- just gives a little more comfort.
This auction on the other hand does look good, and can be useful for anyone who has a Outlaw 750 or AT1505 and is looking for a good amp for the rears (not me .. I am already all set, waiting for the 950) ..
P.S. in case anyone is wondering ... no I am not connected in any way to the above auction!!! I just happened to come across it while searching for auctions similar to the ones listed at the top!

 

[Sankar]

Ok, ok .. Maybe I am getting a little obsessive about this :b, but here are the closing ebay prices for these amps described as "ITEM ABSOLUTE NEW, IN BOX, WITH FULL WARRANTY" ...
AT1505 : $680 - this amp has a MSRP of $1695 and is on clearance at OneCall for $1100.
AT1506 : $650 (Wow!! Cheaper than the AT1505) - this amp has a MSRP of $2095 .. I have not seen a new one being offered for less than Link Removed.
AT1504 : $471 - MSRP on this one is $1495 ! I bought one used sometime back for $700 (+ $40 shipping) .. and I thought that I had gotten a good deal ... stupid me !!!
AT2505 : $1001 - MSRP is $2695 ... sigh ...
Now, if a week down the road I see feedback like, "Great seller, item exactly as promised, fast shipment, A+++++, will buy again!!", I will feel like kicking myself in the back, side, front, top, bottom and inside for the next eternity ...

 

[Jeff]

StevenK could be right about this. His last post in the usenet was 1999. Looks like he dropped this email address and someone else got a hold of it. Pretty slick if true! In the usenet he went by the name of Tom White. Too bad Sankar didn't get a reply, I'm curious what name he is using.

Jeff