Advice please...

[jimbob92c]

We've been trying to sell a few things on the net ( not ebay but regular classified ad sites) and it is freaky.
Has anyone here posted items for sale this way? I'm not quite sure how to handle some of the logistics or payment methods.
We've had our sailboat on a site for about three weeks and we keep getting these urgent offers to buy from people in (supposedly) Africa. They are all under different names but use the same verbage, upper case writing and misspellings. Red flags are up. I feel that they all originate from the same source, they won't divulge any personal info but want to know mine ( which I will not give). Kind of scarey. I'm deleting them but they come back again under another guise. I'm thinking of pulling all the ads from the net.
Anyone know of scams or had a similiar experience?
I suppose I sound naive, but have never had this experience before.
Any sage advice?
Jim

[Big-Foot]

Jim, I have bought and sold a LOT of things on eBay (including my beloved BigFoot).. I have been disappointed a couple of times but luckily never ripped off.

There are Electronic Escrow services available for online purchases and sales as well. You may want to check into them.

Rules of thumb that I use are these:

1) Never do business outside the USA - sorry, but that includes Canada.
2) Involve the US Postal service in the transaction in some way - even if it is to just buy a Money order there. This way, you can get the Postmaster General involved if there is a case of Fraud.
3) Never - ever - send funds of any type to a PO box.
4) Whenever possible - pay with a Credit Card.
5) If it looks, talks and walks like a duck - it's probably a duck.

Check-out Traderonline at:
http://www.traderonline.com

They have a good service and have tips for sellers and buyers.

[sks700]

Hi Jim, I saw a report about a couple that was selling a car ( don't remember if it was e-bay or not). The buyer was located out of the country. The person that ended up agreeing to buy it asked the couple if he could send them a larger check and have them write a check for the difference to a shipping company to cover the shipping costs. The shipping company was a sham and the cashiers check that the "buyer" sent was a fake, but by the time it all came out, the check that they had written had already cleared. That being said, I have bought (never sold) many items on e-bay and have never had a problem (except a small one I am dealing with now). If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is.

Lee

[Choirguy]

I've had limited dealings selling on the Internet, but so far they've been okay.

Most of the time, I'm dealing with small-time purchases (less than $100), and PayPal has been pretty good for me. I know some people are wary about it, and I suppose I had better learn why. Lee, if you figure anything out, let me know.

By the way, Lee, on your purchase, I believe that eBay may recompensate you for your purchase if it doesn't arrive. I have noticed that some individuals take significantly longer to ship items than others, and quite honestly, that's what neutral or negative feedback is for.

I've had two dealings with overseas sales. One was to a guy in Canada that I sold a helmet to. He sent a money order, and I shipped it to Seattle (lived in Vancouver). That saved him money. The other was "Manfred" in Germany who is rebuilding a prototype Vic into a runner (not sure how it made it there). I sold him my stock side covers (I have chrome), and that worked out fine...and he payed me through PayPal. I hate losing a percentage of a purchase through PayPal, but that is what Credit Cards have always done, isn't it?

I only had one jerk who didn't follow through on an auction...I tried to sell a cell phone, and after winning, he just abandoned the purchase. eBay did not charge me for the sale (they also get their percentage, of course), and eventually I donated the phone to a battered women's charity (they can all dial 911 regardless of service).

In terms of selling things, I've sold both my previous bikes (well, my most recent) over the Internet through cycletrader.com, as did a friend who sold a bike that way, too. And it was all free, and I was pleased with the purchase price.

[quickvictory]

Hey Jim,

I sold a commercial trailer on an online truck classified site. A guy came all the way from Alaska to MN for it. I had him send a money order downpayment and he brought the remainder when he picked the trailer up. Transaction went smooth. Didn't have any offers from out of the country though!

Randy

[SidecarMike]

Real common scam! Check http://www.tecrime.com/llartW03.htm for one example. I've sold a lot over the internet, both through ads and ebay. So far, no problems, but I agree "If it quacks like a duck...."

[jimbob92c]

Thanks for all of the advice.
We've had no hits on anything other than the "Africa" connection.

I'm busy working on my resume in hopes of finding a situation which will nip the selling in the bud. I hate this resume stuff....it's hard to explain that you're a jackpine savage jack-of-all-trades in an eloquent manner. (I'll bet Sparky Bill can help me write it up!)

If the weather is nice this weekend I'm riding the Vic back to the cities. I hope to get in on some local rides....I'm actually beginning to understand the road layout now. Well, sort of.....

Anyway, we haven't left the Victory fold and hope we don't have to.

Jimbob

[Sparky_Bill]

Originally posted by jimbob92c
I'm busy working on my resume in hopes of finding a situation which will nip the selling in the bud. I hate this resume stuff....it's hard to explain that you're a jackpine savage jack-of-all-trades in an eloquent manner. (I'll bet Sparky Bill can help me write it up!)

Jimbob

Well, no more resume writing for JimBob. We went into business and it should take off like wild fire. Ya know how Jim likes fires. Here is what we developed.

Jack Pine Savage (http://www.victorymotorcycle.org/vicpicimages/75_3077.jpg) will be our salvation. :crazy:

[jimbob92c]

Unfortunately the fire usually hits right after I get up in the morning!
But then again, we're just in the testing phase of the proper recipe....

Hopefully we'll branch out (hee hee) to other products such as
JackPine Savage liniment, chain lube, wine, and anti-knock steak sauce. Powerful stuff...!:eek:


Jimbob