Multiple "sales" of EAR 324?

audiogon isn't media i want to sell or buy products. by all possible means i may use audiogon as craigslist and contact seller personally and get it locally only at the same time offering lower amount since he wouldn't have to deal with fees, shipping etc. i have no support to the site driven by amateur software crew since feel very defensive to my funds.

Congrats on the refund.

Now you are learning how to play "Spot the Scamster" here on Audiogon. Report them when you find them. Audiogon normally clears them out pretty quickly once spotted.

Or you could buy it here!

http://www.audio-markt.de/_markt/item.php?id=5215386443&audioauktion=9953053e5815efb0e929039e114a93c2

Well, it took two weeks, but Paypal credited my account the full amount, saying they had recovered the money from the seller. Now I know what to look for. Speaking of which, there is a new listing for an SME V Magnesium for $1100, the buyer having become an Audiogon member as of 4-25-15.

Thanks Ray. You can't request a reimbursement (after having already filed a claim with Paypal) until five days after the Paypal transaction, to give Paypal a chance to contact the seller for a response. I'll do that tomorrow.

Bdp24,Hope you get your money back soon! I can't imagine the let down you must have felt!

That was quick Al! I did report that listing, but I did not expect such quick action by Audiogon, especially on a weekend.

There have been a rash of these ads on Audiogon just in 2015. I'm sure Audiogon is working overtime just trying to keep pace with these crooks. Good job Audiogon!!

Thanks Al, the Paypal reimbursement claim has already been filed, it will just take a while to get the dough. I'll just have to struggle by with my ARC phono amp!

04-10-15: Bdp24
The guy picks the EAR 324 Phono Amp, a pretty esoteric item, as his bait. How would a guy like this even know about an item like the EAR?!

Because he copied an ad that had previously appeared elsewhere.

A technique that can be useful in assessing whether or not a questionable ad is fraudulent is to Google phrases from the ad, enclosing the phrases in quotes.

For example, although the fraudulent EAR 324 ad which is the subject of this thread has been deleted, I was able to find it in Google's cache. By Googling a phrase from its text, I found that the ad was copied from an offering that was made at a different audio-related site in 2011. The asking price at that time, by the way (the piece being described as 6 years old at that point), was 3500 Canadian dollars, roughly double the US$ price asked by the fraudulent seller.

Also, A'gon has already deleted the fraudulent ad for an Allnic H-1500 that was mentioned by John just above. I found, however, that the photos used in that ad are identical to some of the photos used in a German-language ad currently running at the well known auction site (and they do not appear to be stock photos).

I'll mention also that I recall some time ago noticing a couple of ads here for some VERY expensive vintage Marantz tube equipment, which I readily determined had been copied from listings that had appeared several months earlier at the well known auction site. I'm sure those cases were not unique.

Bdp24, good luck. I'm sure it will work out ok in the end.

Regards,
-- Al

They happen every day. Here is another fraud listing. Seller just joined Audiogon today, no feedback, and he's selling a $5000 Allnic Audio H-1500 II SE phono stage for $1250. I'm sure he will accept $1000 for it too, since it does not exist.

Buyer beware!!!

He was new Ray, no feedback. I didn't notice, and I'm not sure that would have stopped me, lusting as I was for a 324. Having had over fifteen years on ebay with not a single scam, I wasn't aware this kind of activity was being perpetrated. As the old expression goes, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is!

Bdp24,Sorry to hear about this. Hope you get your money back quickly. Was he a long standing member with great feedback,,or a newbee with little or no feedback ?

It's too bad Audiogon doesn't have a way of noticing a member has seven ID's on the same computer until after he does this.

Bpd24, welcome to Audiogon! It didn't used to be like this, but has gotten progressively worse. The last 6-12 months have really seen a huge increase in scammers. I'm glad you used PayPal.

They seem to like the $1000 price range, as it makes them some money, but it's not too much money. Folks are more likely to want to make phone calls and personal contact on $5K, $10K deals, IMHO. $1000 is about the most that folks will just zip off a payment without too much scrutiny.

They throw out the bait, take a half dozen bites, and move on to a new moniker. Figure they get $5000-$8000 for nothing more than the cost of a $4 ad.
Fairly good ROI, enough to keep them posting more ads.

How would a guy like this even know about an item like the EAR?!

Because he heard that there a lots of people on this board who will pay $5K for a power cord????

"High interest pieces" is the thing. The guy picks the EAR 324 Phono Amp, a pretty esoteric item, as his bait. How would a guy like this even know about an item like the EAR?!

"But then again, if they were bright they probably would set their sights higher than $1,000 pieces of hi-fi gear."

I wonder about this. Hard to see how there could be much money in it. At the same time, they know or research enough to pick high interest pieces as bait.

Is it just that the risk of prosecution is so low it is worth a shot, for the criminally inclined?

Josh got back to me today. The seller has seven ID's attached to his computer! Yeah, I won't be seeing the pre-amp. I'll call Paypal again after today, and start the process. I have 935 feedbacks on ebay (as buyer and seller), haven't had a single scam. I'm fairly new to Audiogon, and my cherry has been popped!

PayPal protects the seller, not the buyer. How? permitting these scams.

Jmcgrogan2 =1

No feedback + amazing price = look elsewhere, especially for more expensive and in demand items.

Another tell is short or generic ad text combined with the above.

If you see stuff like this, please do report it. Agon can sort it out if you are wrong.

I sometimes trade with low feedback people; I'm not a heavy trader myself, and everybody has to start somewhere. I do my homework (eg, do the post to threads?), and always try to speak with them on the phone.

Paypal is a PITA, IMO, but seems to be mandatory these days.

Sorry for your trouble!

Been there, done that. He sounds fraudulent to me. I had that same issue, and the seller kept promising to ship and send tracking information, stalling for time so that he could skip out with the cleared cash from PayPal.
It must work, I see a lot of these bogus, red flag items for sale on Audiogon these days. new seller, great price. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

Fortuantely, I used PayPal, and got my money back.

Josh informed me that the seller is indeed definitely "fraudulent", and that his Audiogon membership and access has been revoked. Damn! Yet the seller is still telling me the arm will ship tomorrow (Friday 4-10), and he will email me the tracking number. I guess I'll know for sure tomorrow.

Good luck, dude. What does Audiogon say?

Oops---"the SELLER has promised"!

The seller has contacted me, saying that the first two sales were cancelled by he, the seller, because of Paypal problems with the buyer, the same person for both the earlier sales. The EAR is shipping tomorrow, the buyer has promised. I will be relieved when it arrives!