does this sound like a scam to you guys...? August 01, 2005, 12:06:33 PM hey guys... i was eyeballing something on ebay the other day and emailed the seller about it. i got a reply but then noticed the thingie was pulled off for some reason. anywhoo, the deal sounded pretty good so i said instead of shipping the item i will come pick it up myself. this is the response i got:QuoteHello, The unit can only be shipped because we are distributors and we havecontracts with the street stores in our area. So we cannot allowpickups at our location UNDER ANY CIRspoogesTANCES, or else we could goto court and lose money if we don't follow the rules in the contracts.We will be using eBay as the secure third party in this transaction,as they are accredited for this. Let me know if that is OK with you.For payment, we should use eBay purchase protection system. eBaywill act like a secure third party between us. We don't know eachother yet, so we need a safe way to complete our first businesstogether.IF YOU WANT TO USE PURCHASE PROTECTION UNDER EBAY, PLEASE CONFIRM.eBay will give you exact instructions on what you need to do so youcan stay safe in this transaction. I will need your name and shippingaddress. If you want to give me these details after the transactionwas approved, this works too. By the way, my name is Paul Jackson.Please be patient while I set up the transaction under eBay's system.eBay will contact you when everything is ready and you got thepurchase protection for our business deal.Just to let you know, these are the usual steps to follow (I quotefrom eBay's instructions of previously completed transactions):1. Buyer and seller agree on the transaction terms and the sellingprice. Seller contacts eBay with the transaction details;2. eBay buttstuffyzes the transaction and accepts or declines it. If thetransaction is approved, eBay offers full purchase protection to thebuyer. If the transaction is declined, no further action is requiredfrom either the buyer or the seller;3. The buyer sends the payment according to the instructions fromeBay. The seller then has three business days to ship the merchandise.If the delivery doesn't take place within this time frame, the amountinsured is sent back to the buyer within 3 business days;4. Buyer receives the merchandise and inspects it. If it is aspreviously described by the seller, the buyer has to accept themerchandise and the seller is paid by eBay within 3 business days. Ifit is not as described, the buyer can either cancel the transaction ornegotiate a lower price with the seller. If the transaction iscancelled, the amount insured is sent back to the buyer within 3business days.Let me know ASAP, thanks !!also, this is the first email that i responded to about picking it up myself.QuoteCheck the pictures, these pictures show exactly what you get,nothing more or nothing less. Everything is guaranteed to workproperly. It is located in NY city.How about $4000 for everything ? Please let me know about the price,it is negotiable.You can see and check the item before paying for it. We do offer asafe transaction, so we get paid after you inspected and decided tokeep the item. Otherwise we get no money. We will use a trusted thirdparty and you will place the money in their account until you confirmyou keep the merchandise. If you don't keep it, you get your moneyback, no strings attached, no questions asked. Also, we do guaranteeyour satisfaction after the sale. That's why every item we sell isbacked with a complete 30 day Money Back Warranty, no question asked.Let me know ASAP, thanks !, so what do you think. alot of money would be at stake. i get the feeling its a scam...its a good enough deal whereas if i could somehow protect myself id pull the trigger right now. let me know what you guys thing...thanks for your time...john Quote Selected
Re: does this sound like a scam to you guys...? Reply #1 – August 01, 2005, 02:04:12 PM What the heck are you buying??? Anyhoo, for $4K if I had any indication that this was a shady deal I would walk away. But that's just me. :) Quote Selected
Re: does this sound like a scam to you guys...? Reply #2 – August 01, 2005, 02:38:54 PM It isnt and should never be that complicated...run away as fast as you can! Quote Selected
Re: does this sound like a scam to you guys...? Reply #3 – August 01, 2005, 03:46:01 PM yeah, im getting that feeling fron this guy. if it was a matter of handing the dude some cash and taking dilivery id be alright. its a shame though....imho, its either a bs scam altogether or its stolen.....03 cobra motor btw..long block with the eaton. :D :eek: :rolleyes:although im not 100% ready for the swap i couldnt pass it up if its the real deal.... Quote Selected
Re: does this sound like a scam to you guys...? Reply #4 – August 01, 2005, 04:11:59 PM Ya know what they say...if its too good to be true, then it probably is! Quote Selected
Re: does this sound like a scam to you guys...? Reply #5 – August 01, 2005, 04:32:52 PM ask for the vin number on the block/valve cover. this will tell you if it's stolen or not for starters. Quote Selected
Re: does this sound like a scam to you guys...? Reply #6 – August 01, 2005, 04:42:25 PM Never heard of eBay acting as an escrow agent... You'd send payment to them and not the seller anyway. A long block is too big for Fedex overnight... I'd bet truck freight would take at least a week in most cases.I want to know more about these "street stores" in NYC that sell Cobra motors...imo - Scammer. Quote Selected
Re: does this sound like a scam to you guys...? Reply #7 – August 01, 2005, 07:18:59 PM Quote03 cobra motor btw..long block with the eatonI've seen them for that price, but they are usually beat on really badly or from a wreck that possibly compromised the motor in some way. Skip over it. Seems like bull-caca Quote Selected