posted on May 29, 2001 07:57:12 PM
I'm new with auctions and would appreciate some advice with a recent auction that I won.
I just won a Casio E-125 PDA from a person who claimed to be from Atlanta, GA. He stated "money order only" in his payment option.
After winning the auction, the seller requested that I send the money order to some other person in the Republic of Moldova. Naturally, I asked this person on the reason I should send payment to a person not related to the auction. He stated that it was his "supplier" and that the E-125 would be shipped to him and then shipped to me. Obviously, this is very suspicious.
What should I do with sellers such as these?
Should I give him negitive feedback?
What should I tell him?
[ edited by agentmxc on May 29, 2001 08:00 PM ]
[ edited by agentmxc on May 29, 2001 08:01 PM ]
posted on May 29, 2001 08:41:18 PM
I think this is one for Safe Harbor. Do not send any money - just forward the email to them. I'll bet if you pull their contact info you will be in for a wee bit of a surprise!
posted on May 29, 2001 08:55:40 PM
Thanks for the help!
This particular user has no rating. Based on your advice, I'll basiclly tell the person to "buzz off".
I've been scanning auction sites for awhile now and it's so sad to see that many of the obviously fake items coming from former Eastern Bloc European countries (Romania, Ukraine, Moldova, etc). Right, like someone really has 25 Compaq Ipaqs in stock for $200
I mean, why are people from these countries the main instigator of online auction fraud or electronic fraud in general?
My advice to others is to stay away from people selling items from these countries. Especially if they request only one form of payment.
posted on May 29, 2001 11:54:30 PM
Go with your gut.
A neg is nothing compared to a rip off.
Zero feedback on a PDA?
Ahem, no offense, but let me sign you up for Capriole's Bidder Defense Course.
First rule of thumb, don't buy any consumer electronics from zero feedback sellers.
Second, get all terms up front and if the Moldova drop ship story isn't in the original Terms Of Service, then you are off the hook.
Email both safeharbor and timesensitive. Timesensitive may give you a different (and better) answer.
(I know some wizened person will say "they are the same person" but I have gotten two different answers and used the time sensitive one to my advantage)
Best of luck. Don't send any money order anywhere...besides, why not pay by cc so you can do a chargeback if there is a hassle?
posted on May 30, 2001 12:08:31 AM
This sounds very suspicious to me. I would proceed with caution. Don't worry if he negs you, he's probably trying to rip you off!
posted on May 30, 2001 02:03:04 AM
Ahhhh, Moldova.
I usually spend my vacations there. There is the most scrumptous seafood buffet every Thursday night at the Moldova Hilton in beautiful downtown Chisinau.
One summer evening about 4 years ago, I was having some fine Moldovan moose tea at a little cafe outside of the main rail terminal and I met the most wonderful young Moldovan lass. She was about 4ft. 9in. with one brown eye and one blue. Soldona was her name.
Interestingly, her father was a big electronics dealer out in a suburb. He would recruit small children from nearby villages to dig up all kinds of electronic parts from the plentiful junkyards which speckle Moldova like beanies on Ebay. Whatever they could find, they would bring to Soldona's father and he would refurbish them using his amazing technical know-how (he was at one time the minister of domestic technologies under a different government).
Her father had the ability to retool any device and alter any part to make it fit the most modern of electronics--from VCR's to scanners, from Camcorders to DVD players. You wouldn't even know that this "new" VCR had parts from an old, cold war era swamp cooler.
I digress.
Sir, I don't know who you are dealing with, but if it is a little man by the name of Chasurek, you may want to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Oh yes, I did recently speak to my friend Soldona. She is doing very well, recently hired as a school teacher for the equivalent of $450 a month. Not bad for a Moldovan girl with 2 Masters degrees.
posted on May 30, 2001 11:20:44 AM
No, it was not the person you speak of.
BTW this particular seller has just received a neg from someone else (he had multiple auctions). I'm pretty sure I'm not going to buy from him now.
Again, thanks to all of you for helping me out!
I did not mean any offense towards anyone from (or have some connection) to the counties I speak of. I'm pretty sure that Moldova or other Europeian countries are beautiful places I hope that they will eventually have better enforement of international (and internet) fraud.
posted on May 30, 2001 11:56:41 AM
I be more than happy to help you out, just sent the payment to me and I see that the other person gets it. Sounds good to me.
posted on May 30, 2001 06:57:24 PM
I have often purchased Moldovan Moose tea on eBay. It is expensive, delicious and well worth the price. The seller I believe is a man named Chasurek. Could there be a connection here.
