eBay's New Scam is Making Me Mad!
11-07-04, 03:02 PM
#1
DVD Talk Hero
Thread Starter
eBay's New Scam is Making Me Mad!
Anyone run into the new scam on eBay? Nope, not fake e-mails. Nope, not "we are in Nigeria, and would like the item shipped there", then you get a fake Western Union email.
NOPE. Now, we have people buying 3K+ auctions, and using Buy it Now on ALL of them. They just go down the list, and use "buy it now" on everything they see. THEN, they e-mail the Nigerian bullshit. I have a relatively small amount of items listed, and have had this happen twice now. Same with my partner. Now, easy enough ... I get back my eBay CLOSING FEES. But what about the $10-$15 that I spent RELISTING those auctions? As of now, eBay is not reimburstings us at all. And it really pisses me off.
They're doing this on $1k+ items. Most are $3k+. They just go down the list, and use "buy it now" on everything they see. And eBay is currently profiting off of it. That's about 3mil to pay closing fees on. In the past week, I've run into six different usernames that are doing this. That's about 20000 items, and about $18mil to pay closing fees on That's $360,000 in actual fees. Let's say that 5% of people don't worry about getting their fees back. That's $18k. PLUS, all of us have to pay to RELIST our auctions!!! And we're looking at $7-$12 PER AUCTION! Say, even at $5 per auction (which is what it costs to list a good $300 auction), that's $90,000. PLUS, Who's to say that they're not more than six cases in the last week? There's just six usernames that us TWO people have run into.
I've contacted eBay about it (as I'm sure hundreds, thousands have). Something surely needs to be done. They're not going to catch these guys anytime soon. They'll just move onto a different scam. But this one REALLY pisses me off. Fake e-mails are annoying, but easy to delete. But this stuff is fucking with my own income. And that makes me angry.
I'm thinking that they're going to HAVE to pay for everyone's relisting fees. I can't imagine that they'd make the sellers responsible for such a wide-spread problem. But they need to make a decision, and start giving refunds, like, now.
Thanks. Just needed to vent.
NOPE. Now, we have people buying 3K+ auctions, and using Buy it Now on ALL of them. They just go down the list, and use "buy it now" on everything they see. THEN, they e-mail the Nigerian bullshit. I have a relatively small amount of items listed, and have had this happen twice now. Same with my partner. Now, easy enough ... I get back my eBay CLOSING FEES. But what about the $10-$15 that I spent RELISTING those auctions? As of now, eBay is not reimburstings us at all. And it really pisses me off.
They're doing this on $1k+ items. Most are $3k+. They just go down the list, and use "buy it now" on everything they see. And eBay is currently profiting off of it. That's about 3mil to pay closing fees on. In the past week, I've run into six different usernames that are doing this. That's about 20000 items, and about $18mil to pay closing fees on That's $360,000 in actual fees. Let's say that 5% of people don't worry about getting their fees back. That's $18k. PLUS, all of us have to pay to RELIST our auctions!!! And we're looking at $7-$12 PER AUCTION! Say, even at $5 per auction (which is what it costs to list a good $300 auction), that's $90,000. PLUS, Who's to say that they're not more than six cases in the last week? There's just six usernames that us TWO people have run into.
I've contacted eBay about it (as I'm sure hundreds, thousands have). Something surely needs to be done. They're not going to catch these guys anytime soon. They'll just move onto a different scam. But this one REALLY pisses me off. Fake e-mails are annoying, but easy to delete. But this stuff is fucking with my own income. And that makes me angry.
I'm thinking that they're going to HAVE to pay for everyone's relisting fees. I can't imagine that they'd make the sellers responsible for such a wide-spread problem. But they need to make a decision, and start giving refunds, like, now.
Thanks. Just needed to vent.
11-07-04, 04:01 PM
#2
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
I recommend you start a class action suit now against ebay. Seriously, get yourself a lawyer friend to draft a letter saying that you are considering such actions and see how quick your money comes back.
Or hell, call one of those lawyers on TV and actually go through with it.
Or hell, call one of those lawyers on TV and actually go through with it.
11-07-04, 04:59 PM
#3
DVD Talk Hero
Thread Starter
Well, I'm assuming that they're going to refund everyone's fees. I think they would have already thought of the consequences. They're going to have a LOT of pissed of people if they don't do something. And these are Powersellers ... people with eBay Reps, and phone #'s to reach anyone there. If they don't do something about it, they're going to get a lot of phone calls with raving mad people.
I feel bad for eBay. I feel worse for the sellers out there that are oblivious to this sort of stuff. But I'd be very surprised if even ONE of the people followed through with the Nigerian crap. They're buying expensive stuff from people who know what they're doing. I have a feeling that the scammers are just trying to piss off eBay for ruining their 'business'.
What REALLY caught me off guard is that they're buying test, plc, measurement, restaurant, etc. equipment. Not just the regular higher-end consumer electronics. That's why we never really ran into these people. Kind of like someone who would rob our warehouse. They'd probably just break down the doors, questions "what is this garbage", and leave.
Hehe. I was all excited to see that we had three large purchases Friday evening and Saturday. Then I saw the conditions. Shucks.
I feel bad for eBay. I feel worse for the sellers out there that are oblivious to this sort of stuff. But I'd be very surprised if even ONE of the people followed through with the Nigerian crap. They're buying expensive stuff from people who know what they're doing. I have a feeling that the scammers are just trying to piss off eBay for ruining their 'business'.
What REALLY caught me off guard is that they're buying test, plc, measurement, restaurant, etc. equipment. Not just the regular higher-end consumer electronics. That's why we never really ran into these people. Kind of like someone who would rob our warehouse. They'd probably just break down the doors, questions "what is this garbage", and leave.
Hehe. I was all excited to see that we had three large purchases Friday evening and Saturday. Then I saw the conditions. Shucks.
11-08-04, 05:54 AM
#4
DVD Talk Hero
They don't allow sellers who use buy-it-now to reject certain bidders, or the option the option to "cancel" the BIN bid?
That's just asking for trouble. A disgruntled bidder could target a certain seller, and run up their fee charges by BINing all of the BIN auctions.
That's just asking for trouble. A disgruntled bidder could target a certain seller, and run up their fee charges by BINing all of the BIN auctions.
11-08-04, 12:47 PM
#5
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not related the problem you are having troystiffler, but I just saw this and figured I'd put it here anyways even though it's unrelated..I would definately do what BigPete suggested ...could have some sort of effect..
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp..._phony_bidding
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp..._phony_bidding
11-08-04, 07:18 PM
#7
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Thread Starter
Originally posted by RevLiver
Doesn't eBay refund the relisting fees if the item sells? I thought that's what their rules said.
Doesn't eBay refund the relisting fees if the item sells? I thought that's what their rules said.
11-12-04, 06:04 PM
#9
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Thread Starter
Originally posted by DVDKrayzie
they have an option that buy it now will only work if payment is made right then
they have an option that buy it now will only work if payment is made right then
11-15-04, 07:56 AM
#10
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Okay ladies--
As a hardcore eBay seller, who in the past week alone scored 11 cents over the $1,000 dollar mark, I can tell you this. I've yet to have a shady Nigerian attempt to purchase anything from one of my auctions and more so this "Out of Africa" scam is such old news. 6 months ago, we were all getting these e-mails from Zama Kumba in South Africa the sainted slave who's family had been oppressed by the whites and now after all these years, he had emailed.. "YOU"-- Yes you, to go to South Africa and end apartheid and walk into a bank and pick up $151 million dollars.
You're whining over some jacked up ass buying a couple el crapo items off the bay? 2 of my friends rolled right into Johannesburg after $2800 dollar flights a pop, and found no Zama Kumba and about 50 other morons all from the DC Metro/NYC Metro area, coming to help spend those millions.
As always-- I stand by eBay to the fullest and I can tell you, give it another few days and they'll clean that mess up something fierce. You can't even sell a fake Louis Vuitton bag without them canning your listing and e-mailing you on the regulations for it, whatever bored pathetic bastards who are attempting to import faux crap to their 3rd world nation, will be stopped! But that's just my opinion!
A few quick safety nets:
ONLY ACCEPT PAYPAL, Let folks know you aren't doing any of this I have no/or a crap load of negative feedbacks when coming to purchase and if it's that incredibly upsetting? Go set up a stand at your local flea market better yet farmers market and peddle whatever insanity you were paying minimally 60 cents a listing for unless you like myself and a few others have a storefront which is cheaper. Oh also noted haha cause I read up a few more times.. YOU CAN ALWAYS HIT RELIST RIGHT AWAY on items and whoever paid or whatever, resend them the money or in some cases DENY payment and your mess is relisted, simply hit the link for it and the spastic bidder is reported. I've done it before, it took me all of 10 seconds to redo the entire thing and I went on my way. Oh and as for suing them? I actually have eBay's telephone number, as in the ONLY WAY TO CONTACT THEM BESIDES THE INTERNET (if someone wants it) and I assure you, that a lawsuit, these people would eat the forum and about 150,000 other folks before it even felt the effects of some lawsuit about a bunch of crapped ass 3rd world natives who are most likely in Missouri (no offense to anyone) laughing their ass off and getting off on causing some trouble to a few folks shuffling their shit on the bay!
As a hardcore eBay seller, who in the past week alone scored 11 cents over the $1,000 dollar mark, I can tell you this. I've yet to have a shady Nigerian attempt to purchase anything from one of my auctions and more so this "Out of Africa" scam is such old news. 6 months ago, we were all getting these e-mails from Zama Kumba in South Africa the sainted slave who's family had been oppressed by the whites and now after all these years, he had emailed.. "YOU"-- Yes you, to go to South Africa and end apartheid and walk into a bank and pick up $151 million dollars.
You're whining over some jacked up ass buying a couple el crapo items off the bay? 2 of my friends rolled right into Johannesburg after $2800 dollar flights a pop, and found no Zama Kumba and about 50 other morons all from the DC Metro/NYC Metro area, coming to help spend those millions.
As always-- I stand by eBay to the fullest and I can tell you, give it another few days and they'll clean that mess up something fierce. You can't even sell a fake Louis Vuitton bag without them canning your listing and e-mailing you on the regulations for it, whatever bored pathetic bastards who are attempting to import faux crap to their 3rd world nation, will be stopped! But that's just my opinion!
A few quick safety nets:
ONLY ACCEPT PAYPAL, Let folks know you aren't doing any of this I have no/or a crap load of negative feedbacks when coming to purchase and if it's that incredibly upsetting? Go set up a stand at your local flea market better yet farmers market and peddle whatever insanity you were paying minimally 60 cents a listing for unless you like myself and a few others have a storefront which is cheaper. Oh also noted haha cause I read up a few more times.. YOU CAN ALWAYS HIT RELIST RIGHT AWAY on items and whoever paid or whatever, resend them the money or in some cases DENY payment and your mess is relisted, simply hit the link for it and the spastic bidder is reported. I've done it before, it took me all of 10 seconds to redo the entire thing and I went on my way. Oh and as for suing them? I actually have eBay's telephone number, as in the ONLY WAY TO CONTACT THEM BESIDES THE INTERNET (if someone wants it) and I assure you, that a lawsuit, these people would eat the forum and about 150,000 other folks before it even felt the effects of some lawsuit about a bunch of crapped ass 3rd world natives who are most likely in Missouri (no offense to anyone) laughing their ass off and getting off on causing some trouble to a few folks shuffling their shit on the bay!
11-15-04, 01:35 PM
#11
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Doesn't ebay have a feature that you can set that only allows people from certain areas bid on your auctions? Of course they just have to set their accout to say their location is in the US.
11-15-04, 05:13 PM
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11-22-04, 08:58 AM
#14
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Originally posted by Abob Teff
Take my easy approach that I started years ago: Avoid eBay altogether.
Take my easy approach that I started years ago: Avoid eBay altogether.
05-09-05, 06:45 PM
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Someone tried to get me on the nigerian net scam, but I recognized it. ebay refunded the final value fees, but not the original fees. It was impossible for me to relist it free, because I had listed it during an ebay promotion & now it would have cost me twice as much. I thought that was bad until I saw your story. That's horrible.
05-09-05, 09:43 PM
#16
Originally Posted by BigPete
I recommend you start a class action suit now against ebay. Seriously, get yourself a lawyer friend to draft a letter saying that you are considering such actions and see how quick your money comes back.
Or hell, call one of those lawyers on TV and actually go through with it.
Or hell, call one of those lawyers on TV and actually go through with it.
PLEASE DO!
It sounds to me you have enough money wrapped up in Ebay on this to make it worth your while. Ebay pisses all over sellers all the time, and especially the small time sellers on there, who just do not have the money to fight it, and the amount they lose on things like this may not be as much as what you have lost, but still hurts the pocket in the bottom line.
This really is something that I think you could actually get a lot of support from. You could even raise your legal fees on Ebay itself! Auction off the right to be included in the lawsuit, and you will raise your legal fees quick. That would be the type of thing to make prime time MSNBC and CNN and Fox news.
05-09-05, 09:49 PM
#17
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Do what I do. Don't allow bidders without a Paypal account, who aren't in the US and who have less than a -2 feedback rating. That filters out 99% of the scammers. Sure it also may limit bidders, but honestly, I don't want bidders without those criteria. Since I've changed, I haven't gone more than two days past an auction end without getting paid.
