Karl

Hello all,

Quick question for anyone in the know!!

I've won an auction for a new laptop on ebay. It's a private sale and the seller is VERY local to me. (Within 15 minutes drive)

I have asked if I may pick up the product so that I can ensure it is a genuine sale and also check it is perfect as desribed.

The seller has responded that he won't allow ANY visitors to his house and will only accept a postal cheque and then will send me the laptop in the post!

I have replied and offered to meet him somewhere mutually agreeable so as not to disturb him at home (perhaps he has young family) and again he refuses to meet me.

His argument is he has good feedback (60 +ve feedback) and thus is a reputable seller. I've had a look and all the previous items have been in the price range of 50 p to £10 that he has sold so I'm wary of buying a laptop from him!

What are you thoughts on this and would I be foolish to send him a cheque! Am I in the wrong in wanting to check the laptop over before I buy??

Thanks for any replies!!

JamesH

iTrader: (21)

Steer clear IMO, is it really worth the risk ? eBay can be dodgy obviously.... if it's only 15 mins drive and he won't meet you theres gotta be something going on ? unless he's making money on the postage ?

cossiecrew

dont do it mate if your only 15 mins away and he dont want to meet u or let you come round it must be dodgy i sell nuff on ebay ive had people travel from 100+ miles away if you got nothing to hide you let people meet you if they want to sounds dodgy to me mate

Karl

He wants £10 for the postage, but I really can't understand why he won't meet me as he's obviously got to go out to post the laptop anyway!

It's not that valuable that he's scared to meet me incase I donk him on the head and do a runner!!! LOL

Seems suspicous to me, but then all his previous sales has been for hornby model trains so perhaps he's scared to leave his model railway in the attic for fear of entering the real world!! PMSL

cossiecrew

yeah could be aftyer postage costs as i make alot on postage but dont send payment its 2 dodgy imo

RSrussell

Karl, steer clear mate sounds dodgey as fook!

Either the laptop is fooked, in which he can claim the post man broke it or he won't send it out and claim they stole it.

Other than that there isn't no point in what he is saying

Well tell him his about to recieve some very bad feedback

cossiecrew

bit late with that post to behonest it will cost near that anyway so yeah hes dodgy

TIFF

Karl

Sounds a little dodgy to me especially as all his other stuff is so cheap

Where abouts is he??????????????????

Alvyn

iTrader: (1)

Karl, I would be a bit wary about it,seems that there are alot of scams going on Ebay at the moment with people builting the rating up by buying £2.50 items etc! YOUR call really if you don't buy it then he will report you if he's Genuine and you can THEN explain your case to ebay(AND YOU WOULDN'T HAVE LOST ANY MONEY!)

Karl

Birmingham tiff.

TIFF

RSrussell

lmao

Karl

The thing that makes me suspicious is all his previous items have been either pence or a few quid. I keep thinking he's going to be a one hit wonder and do me over on this laptop and then do a runner!! that said he has been an ebay member for over a year!

SPADGE

Karl
I have to say that it does sound a bit iffy to be honest
I would tell him how you feel about it and see what he says!
Good luck mate
Spadge...

TIFF

Karl

You can get his full address and contact number off E-Bay. It is there for everyone to see.

I cant remember exactly how to but i am sure someone will.

Ring him

Karl

Spadge I have explained the situation and this is his reply:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Sorry Karl,

There is no way we want anyone calling at this house for EBay items.

I've done all my business via post previously and if you check my feedback
record, you will find that there have been no problems, all goods have
arrived safely and are as described.

If you cannot comply with the terms of my auction, perhaps we should
mutually agree to end the auction here and now without leaving any negative
feedback for each other!

Have a think about it and let me know. This laptop, believe me, is a
bargain.
Mike."

SPADGE

Ok Karl
Have you a phone number to speak to him as a lot more can be winkled out via the phone than can be gathered on the internet mate!
You can get his full address details and phone number via Ebay by doing a search by the way!!

SPADGE

p.s could you pm me a link to the actual auction by any chance?

SteveB

iTrader: (3)

Karl,

Rob has a good place for recon laptops if you are interested, with next day delivery etc... hes just got 1 that he uses for chipping etc cost about £300 from memory

cossiecrew

LEAVE IT DODGY

James Raby

iTrader: (1)

Karl, stay clear mate
Way too fishy, it's the perfect scam

cossie1

well if you get his full address then it is upto u really, does sound iffy but with a full address if it's only 15 mins away you know where to go to sort it out if it is dodgy

DannyC

Ask for the address for where to send the cheque and then just turn up with the cash

RSCAT

i paid £700 to a coont from leicestershire, same sort of thing, "sorry you cant collect, our baby has just had an operation and things are hectic right now" so with the fact he had over 1000 positive feedbacks (yes 1000 !) i paid through paypal.

Robbed ! little shite was using a dodgy address, just some foreign old woman there who didnt have a clue what was being said.

This was about four months back and ive only just got the money back, had to go through police and they sent off to the phone companies for records and eventually arrested him and siezed his pc stuff. Copper asked me if i got the money back would i be prepared to leave it at that and not take it to court.
Being as im not too flush i had to say yes.

Got a cheque, which cashed ok from either his mam or his missus,
silly bint sent it special delivery and it had the postcode of their real address
on the back

Karl

cossie1, exactly my thoughts, but why then would someone so close, refuse me picking the item up!! Seems very odd!

Karl

RSCAT,

sounds bad, though ebay does seem like a real mecca for ripping people off! glad you got your money back though mate!!

As you've just confirmed, just because this guy has some good history doesnt mean he won't rip me off this time!!

Moose 130

Tell the guy his whole attitude stinks, and either you will collect it or he has to deliver it personally to you.

Or put the money into escrow and release it once the laptop has been checked out. But thats hassle.

Personally I have had a couple of non payers and time wasters, but the majority have been A1 people.

Karl

For me its the principle of checking the laptop over to ensure it all works correctly. I don't think thats unreasonable when I live close by.

DOO

Karl TBH i won`t want anyone to come around my house i did not know there some right fooking werdo`s about.he may think your going to rob him.
whats your feedback like if it was low i could prob understand him be funny about it but if you feedback is high then i could not see a prob with you meeting etc..

Stu.H

no dont do it karl

there are plenty more "bargain" laptops to be had

i won my laptop for £550 and i met the chap at a pub by my work

why wont he meet you? if it was cos of being scared, he would take 3 cars full to meet u

end it mutually and go elsewhere I say

Kev.H

i think i would steer clear aswell just not worth the risk and 10 squid says its stolen property

Dell and the like are doing such cheap deals treat ya self to a brand new in the box

or if no one else comes up with the goods drop me a PM. Im away next week but if u havent found anything and r still looking let me know one of my team at work has a mate who sells recon laptops for a living she sold a couple to lawyers at work as private home machines and they look good kit I can put you in touch with them

RSCAT

so many scamming fookers around its untrue, ive been selling stuff worldwide for along time now so didnt think id get caught as i can usually spot dodgy stuff.

i would defo give this the bodyswerve if i were you mate, why would anyone want to hang around waiting for a cheque to clear when they could have the cash in hand right away!

Karl

I only have 3 feedbacks as thats all I've ever bought off ebay, and all are positive comments saying excellent ebayer collected goods in person!

I do however appreciate some people are very private and don't want visitors, hence why I asked to meet him somewhere he's happy with. It's not an expensive laptop anyway, so its unlikely he'd expect someone to rob him for this value!

RSCAT

i dont think its unreasonable for the buyer of any electrical equipment to come and check the thing works ok id welcome it myself

Kev.H

ebay is just an online bootsale its either shit or stolen

NUTS RuS

iTrader: (35)

Did he specifically lay out NO Callers in his auction terms ?

If not he has no right to refuse you as he is altering the contract of agreement upon the closure of the auction between you and him. He is allowed to change any postage fees upto a reasonable amount but not AFAIK refuse callers if he didn't state it.

I'd ignore all his mails call round with a cheque, check the item out, and if your happy with it call round in a further 5 days to collect it once it has cleared. If your not happy with the item on your way home call into bank and cancel your cheque. Job sorted.

Stu.H

nah ive had some GOOD buys and some GOOD sales

example: rsoc official seat covers, £30 from official merchandise on www.rsownersclub.co.uk

my auction: here

Karl

Nuts,

No it does not say "no callers" in his auction.

I planned on paying cash anyway so that if it checked out ok, I'd take the laptop there and then.

Rolls

iTrader: (2)

tell him in the politest possible way to stick it where the sun don't shine!
as has been said, not worth the risk!

Weevil

er, so you bid on a laptop and assumed that the seller would let you visit him at home to inspect it before deciding whether to pay? That's not how Ebay works. Your winning bid is a legal contract. Pay the man. If the laptop is fooked or nicked you will have to sue him.

If you are not content with the way Ebay works then you shouldn't have bid.