Don't know who else to ask really apart from you guys.

Scenario: I posted details of a bass amp I want to sell on a site called friday-ad.o.uk

I received an email from this guy who said he was interested, whether it was still for sale, what the asking price was (this was clearly visible in the Advert)

Anyway, today, I get this from him:

I will buy it. Please remove the ad or put it as sold. I will pay by cheque. I will take care of the shipping and its cost; I bought some other goods that I will be shipping with it. I already have a shipping agent that will collect it from you. The collection will be done after you have cashed the cheque. The amount I will be sending you will include extra money for the shipper that will pick up from you.
send me your details as below; Name, Address, city, code,
Phone number, Agreed Price, Now I'm no expert when it comes to selling stuff via the Internet, but this just doesn't sound right to me.

Am I just being ever so slightly more paranoid than usual, or does this sound bogus to you?


Cheers, Jonesey

If he is from overseas it may well cost more in shipping a bass amp (very heavy) than the amp is worth,  so adding it to an existing consignment would make sense.  However, having an existing consignment just as you post your amp for sale could be seen as too much coincedence...  you have to decide that one.

If you give him your name and address so he can send you a cheque that's no more info than he could get from a phone book (unless you're unlisted of course).

Pay in the cheque and make sure it clears before you tell him he can collect. Allow extra day or so to ensure the cheque can't be stopped and transaction reversed.  If it's a scam he'll try to have the amp collected before the cheque clears, saying the courier can't wait...

One advantage of cheques is you don't give out any private info to the person paying you,  unlike a bank transfer where you have to give your bank details.

you don't have to sell it to anyone you're uncomfortable with.  and I would not mark it as sold until I had money in hand - AFTER the cheque has cleared the bank!  (and I would not accept a cheque anyway - a money order or paypal only!).

tell him YOUR terms and if he can't agree to that - sell it to someone else!

Sounds like the typical Friday-Ad kind of customer to me.
 
Following Karyn's advice you can't go wrong.

THIS IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST SCAMS IN THE BOOK...
"You deposit the check into your account and wire the money to the contact (the employer, shipper, cyber-soulmate, businessman, etc.) when the funds are posted to your bank account. Few consumers realize that, while banks are required to post checks within a matter of days, it generally takes weeks for a check to clear. Weeks later the bank notifies you that the check was counterfeit or stolen, and you are responsible for the full value of the deposited check."

http://www.askdavetaylor.com/craigslist_ebay_buyer_pay_via_money_order_scam.html

Hey BJ,
after your done sorting this out would you be interested in buying a bridge as well....lol???
 
i know you guys might not sell things on line but this is biggest growing trend for scams right now.
i had one guy i played with so bad i desided to tell him,he was such a nice guy i wanted to just give it to him..he got so mad demanding he pay for it..so i gave him the address of the local police station.
a few days later he was asking me if i had got it...i said no..so he sent another one..finaly i let him in on..i knew what was going on.
 
what is sad is some people got taken big for this a few years back when the scam was new.
even teenagers asking their parents to deposit the check,then their parents get stuck with the damage of losing big.
 
 
PS-i posted a thread on this a while back.
http://forum.cakewalk.com/tm.aspx?m=2266935&high=craigslist

chuckebaby


THIS IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST SCAMS IN THE BOOK...
"You deposit the check into your account and wire the money to the contact (the employer, shipper, cyber-soulmate, businessman, etc.) when the funds are posted to your bank account. Few consumers realize that, while banks are required to post checks within a matter of days, it generally takes weeks for a check to clear. Weeks later the bank notifies you that the check was counterfeit or stolen, and you are responsible for the full value of the deposited check." 

Cunning!

Glyn Barnes

chuckebaby


THIS IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST SCAMS IN THE BOOK...
"You deposit the check into your account and wire the money to the contact (the employer, shipper, cyber-soulmate, businessman, etc.) when the funds are posted to your bank account. Few consumers realize that, while banks are required to post checks within a matter of days, it generally takes weeks for a check to clear. Weeks later the bank notifies you that the check was counterfeit or stolen, and you are responsible for the full value of the deposited check." 

Cunning!

Most banks show "account balance" - What you think you have, and "Available Balance" - Funds you've paid in that have actually cleared.  Once a cheque has gone though the clearing process, which usually involves physically posting it to the issuing bank for checking, the funds are yours and can't be taken back.
If a cheque 'bounces' or is stopped before it has cleared then it never shows in Available Balance.
 
The scams only work if you don't allow time for the cheque to go through the system fully.
Cheques are pretty safe as long as you use them correctly,  ie. ensure they have cleared before you spend the money or release goods.

paypal is much safer, IMO.  no credit card information is available to either party.  no worries about the check clearing.

Karyn

Glyn Barnes

chuckebaby


THIS IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST SCAMS IN THE BOOK...
"You deposit the check into your account and wire the money to the contact (the employer, shipper, cyber-soulmate, businessman, etc.) when the funds are posted to your bank account. Few consumers realize that, while banks are required to post checks within a matter of days, it generally takes weeks for a check to clear. Weeks later the bank notifies you that the check was counterfeit or stolen, and you are responsible for the full value of the deposited check." 

Cunning!

Most banks show "account balance" - What you think you have, and "Available Balance" - Funds you've paid in that have actually cleared.  Once a cheque has gone though the clearing process, which usually involves physically posting it to the issuing bank for checking, the funds are yours and can't be taken back.
If a cheque 'bounces' or is stopped before it has cleared then it never shows in Available Balance.
 
The scams only work if you don't allow time for the cheque to go through the system fully.
Cheques are pretty safe as long as you use them correctly,  ie. ensure they have cleared before you spend the money or release goods.

moneyorders and checks are two whole different things.
if you put a bogus money order in your bank account and are given money for it upfront(that money is held against your account)
by the time the money order clears and found to be bogus,your left picking up the tab.
 
*sorry i think i misunderstood your post  :)

You know what - I'd rather give the amp for free to someone who's in real need of something to gig/practice with, rather than risk falling foul of some scammer/criminal.

Like someone said - Paypal is the obvious solution in that funds are credited to my account immediately, so why didn't he ask for that?

I'll stick to bona-fide  classifieds from now on.