Very dodgy e.bay sale - beware !

[John]

This one is definitely a scam:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Astrophysics-6-f12-Superplanetary-refractor-on-Losmandy-Celestron-G11-mount-/160961289022?pt=UK_Photography_Telescopes&hash=item257a0a5b3e

The same scope was sold in the US for $5000 not long ago. The pic and description have just been cut and pasted from that sale

[crashtestdummy]

Are you 100% sure?ive cut and pasted for ebay quite a few times when selling things and the seller has 100% positive feedback 500+ times.maybe report to ebay?

[The Sailor]

I have his listings open at the moment and he has 88 itmes for sale and only two "Time ending soon" for the whole lot, also he has free postage on almost everything. The items where postage is required lists the location as the Ukraine

Jim

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

This sounds very very dodgy to me. The Losmandy mount alone would be more than 1200 quid, the frac a lot more. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

[tich]

It's the don't bid & email them first before bidding that has the alarm bells ringing. What's the betting they only accept moneygram? My mate was nearly scammed like this some years ago so I emailed the same seller & got the same moneygram email. Thanks for the heads up John but I'm guessing even though the account has 100% feedback it may have been hacked, it happens unfortunately.

[smudgeball]

Have to agree with John

I'd stay well away.

Obviously avoiding any form of ebay fees by not using the correct buy it now facility and free p&p.

If it stayed at 99p that's all ebay could base the sale on.

If you had to claim on a faulty product, ebay would wash their hands of it.

..........plus it's a frac and they're rubbish compared to a cat

Neil

[John]

Are you 100% sure?ive cut and pasted for ebay quite a few times when selling things and the seller has 100% positive feedback 500+ times.maybe report to ebay?

Have a look at this "Cloudynights" forum thread, particularly the e.bay sale linked to in the 1st post:

http://www.cloudynig...5/o/all/fpart/1

[DirkSteele]

The unfortunate individual may have their 100% track record ruined by this. Probably an account hack. Have seen quite a few examples of that over the last 12 months.

[smudgeball]

If you look at the sellers "other items for sale", just about everything has the same description.

Sell for £1200 GBP email for details

[ronin]

The feedback is good but it is all for scarf's |T-shirts etc not for anything resembling a scope.

Which when the description says This is one item they had as a trade in from a longtime customer, it makes you wonder how many scarf's they bought that matches an Astro Physics scope.

The persons details say "Member since: Aug-23-09 in United States", elsewhere it is United Kingdom and only mentions UK second class mail as the shipping.

Do the US have an Astrofest ? So far never heard of one mentioned, NEEF and several others, and the one here doesn't have the option of doing any viewing, which they claim to have done. In the day and in Kensington isn't a great time or place to go observing. Really sounds as if whoever has thrown in Astrofest without actually knowing the details of the event.

Think there is thread similar on CN, two of these for sale one of which I think I read as being via a known dealer, the other one is somewhat like this and very dubious.

[jarralad]

item no longer available/

[crashtestdummy]

Only asked because im mobile so could t really check full details but suspected an account hack

[cantab]

Yup, the scammers naturally like to use a hacked account because they know people will see the high feedback and might not consider the possibility it's been hacked,

[John]

Only asked because im mobile so could t really check full details but suspected an account hack

Thats fair enough, no problem in asking

[garethmob]

its gone!

[paul mc c]

And it is now back again . and also a 12'' LX200.

[garethmob]

http://www.ebay.co.u...=item3f216425e6

google dosent know shopuk2001@gmail.com

also with them going around ebays messenger service seems to be the...... leave ebays safty n recording an fees

whos up for a email to them then?

[ronin]

Looks like it is the same attempt as hi-lighted on CN.

It appeared when Hands On Optics had one for sale, someone on CN got that one.

The second one was easily identified as a scam and they just kept notifing ebay until it went, seems that whoever has decided to try the same here.

If you read the CN entry seems that the seller said he was in Texas, unfortunately exactly same place/town as one of the CNer's who then ask to see it, seller suddenly realised he was actually in London at that time and couldn't show the scope to them.

[JB80]

I emailed and he wants your full ebay name and the full name and postal address.

After you have done this then....

You will get an ebay invoice (payment and shipping instructions).Item will be removed from ebay.Your reply will be very apreciated !

Sounds like not only a scam for your money but for your ebay account too.

Maybe I'm wrong but I followed up with a question if I can come and inspect it and possibly pay cash while there.

No response as yet.

[basiltherat]

Good afternoon one and all,

while looking for photography equipment on Ebay i came across this seller. One of my other great passions is guitar (sorry) and they happened to have two very high end PRS models.

And guess what, a starting price of 99p until you read the ad where it states £1200 on receipt of you emailing them to supply your details. So i put these items in my Ebay watch list and the following day somehow they had been erased. So i backtracked my previous days search and found all this sellers items no longer had any images and the seller has gone away. Just to make this clear, these guitars retail at circa £6000 and they want £1200 !

Please be very wary, this is too good to be true and probably is.

Basiltherat.

[E621Keith]

Almost certainly an account hack.