DigiNut's points are right on. There is nothing more I could really add other than I've been using Ebay since 1998, having bought and sold hundreds of items, and never once been ripped off. You just have to use your head and be smart about it. I'm sorry that happened to you though.

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Never had any problems, but I only bought on registered users with feedback. A lot of stuff came from germany. Mostly friendly and quick delivery.

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Originally posted by Bedlam-UK I can't believe anyone buying something for cash off ebay, for more than $100 and in a different country would expect to receive their goods. If it's more than $100 then you be a fool not to use paypal.

yes it's crazy i admitt it. i trusted because i have done it before with success, this is the first time things turnout this way. but that was a lesson to myself.

the money is lost (and i'm through it) i started this topic because i know that unfortunately there must be more people doing the same.

i think ebay must restrict to the members with non or low feedback to sell/buy in a small amout of money, until they have some trustable feedback to avoid this situation.

If I were you, I'll try to become friends with someone who lives in the US, once you're sure that your new US friend is a reliable guy, you'd just explain your situation to him and then ask him for the favor.
All your equip would be ship out to his house, and as soon as he gets it, he will ship it to Mexico.

It doesn't get safer than that.

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quote:

Originally posted by DigiNut Take extra care when buying from people in countries with shady governments who are known for lax fraud/bootleg laws (China would be the very first that comes to mind). Really, I just wouldn't buy from any places other than the U.S., Canada, and U.K.

wtf? so norway isnt a good enough country to deal with? we're like one of the richest in the world lol :P and btw, why china? when i think of a country known for fraud Nigeria is the first country that comes to mind..

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quote:

ALFI - BOHICA - DJ MIX (Stream+Dropbox)

NIGERIAN 419 SCAMMER!

I will never forget foker on 419eater.com, the guy who managed to persuade his scamming contact to piss into a kitty litter and take a photo of it in exchange for sex.

But he wasnt nigerian - he looked hispanic...

foker was a sick sick man.

quote:

Originally posted by dj_alfi wtf? so norway isnt a good enough country to deal with? we're like one of the richest in the world lol :P and btw, why china? when i think of a country known for fraud Nigeria is the first country that comes to mind..

If you're in Europe it's probably fine - I wouldn't do it living in Canada or the U.S. It's got nothing to do with economy or industry - people need to look at it from a legal perspective, i.e. how easy is it for people to scam you from certain countries and what recourse is available if they do.

And yes, Nigeria and other West African countries are some of the worst for scams in general, but we're talking specifically about eBay here. China and Korea are huge for eBay scams (bootlegging capitals of the world... haha).

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Some auctions just scream "faud". I'd rather pay few extra dollars to deal with an established seller. Some red flags should have went off right away:

- 1 Day auction listing
- No traceable payment method available
- Seller with no feedback
- Hate to stereotype but... CHINA!

I was looking for Elka Synthex on ebay and found 2 genuine sellers alongside with 4 FAKES!!! One seller (from china) did not even bother to change description or pictures from valid auction!!!! There's even one there now. Search "Elka Synthex" and see fraud in action.

ON a flip side, I wouldn't even sell to buyers in certain countries (again, China comes to mind). Why? High number of incidents involving Credit Card fraud. Paypal will very quickly take away the money it deposited in your account when CC fraud is involved. Your options? NOne. OH, and for those that think that PayPal is safe - think again. To this day, I lost about $1500 to paypal's "buyer protection" (or lack there of) scam.

How? Simple. I buy and pay for the item via PayPal. Seller sends defective item. I contact seller, he says - send it back for full refund. I send it back, seller doesn't refund my money or respond to emails. I launch paypal claim, they come back with "we were able to recover $3.24 from his account - there you go, case closed". No repeat attempts to recover my money, no further options, there you go, good night. Scenario #2. I purchase an item again from different seller, receive DOA item. Seller cannot be reached. Paypal claim is filed. Paypal comes back "Sorry, but our protection does not cover item condition or operability. Case closed, have a great day".

Still convinced paypal is on your side???? If your answer is yes - read some more eye-opening accounts of Paypal justice system on www.paypalsucks.com . I chose not to deal with paypal, where possible because of how useless it is when it comes to risky situation. Make no mistakes - Paypal is not a "risk absorbing" mechanism. It is just as vulnerable to fraud as any other method - so, CAVEAT EMPTOR...

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quote:

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

--Steve Jobs (1955 - 2011)

O YEA, there's another "paypal trick" - gotta love that one. Buy an item from seller who insists on Paypal. I send the money, because of the amount sent (over $3K) - paypal automaticaly freezes seller's account to review validity of transaction. Now, both of us are sitting and waiting for paypal to verify that it is a legitimate transaction for TWO WEEKS!!!!!!!! He then says he got an email saying he needs to ship it to me, send proof of shipment, and I have to confirm that I got it before he gets his money. 3 WEEKS from auction end seller finally gets money and I get my item. And this is all originating/ending in US. He should have opted for check/M.0. or bank transfer.

PayPal is by far the shittiest company next to ebay. ow wait.. .they are both owned by the same company!!! no wonder. I can't wait for Google to launch auction site to kick ebay off its perch FFS!

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quote:

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

--Steve Jobs (1955 - 2011)

quote:

Originally posted by qiushiming this is why i always use paypal (since they offer protection and guarantees)

This is true but they take forever to do anything. Different departments don't seem to liase with one another so you have to repeat yourself endlessly via email and over the phone to get anything done. Most of the technical support staff are useless and unhelpful. Oh, and I haven't spoken to a single person who's first language is English.

quote:

Originally posted by emc^2 PayPal is by far the shittiest company next to ebay. ow wait.. .they are both owned by the same company!!! no wonder.

Ditto

quote:

Originally posted by Aquascape This is true but they take forever to do anything. Different departments don't seem to liase with one another so you have to repeat yourself endlessly via email and over the phone to get anything done. Most of the technical support staff are useless and unhelpful. Oh, and I haven't spoken to a single person who's first language is English. Ditto

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quote:

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

--Steve Jobs (1955 - 2011)