Buyer Beware


Audiogon has seen a number of fake accounts trying to rip off members. If you come across an item that seems very low in price and advertised by a brand new member the chances are it is a fake account trying to rip you off. My suggestion is to not attempt to buy from any of these accounts.

 

They have figured out how to get bogus tracking accounts from USPS, which look like an item was delivered to your house. Until you can prove that nothing was delivered, which can take time, you are out of your money. In some cases, the more that time passes the less likely you can prove this.

 

I’m not sure why Audiogon can not do a better job of filtering these scammers out but there are a number of ads up now that are most definitely scams.

raymonda

Showing 5 responses by riaa_award_collectors_on_facebook

USPS Postal Money order is NOT a safe option.  Somebody can buy a Post Office Money Order and then much like a Check CANCEL it before it ever reaches the person its going to. The Post office also reports to the IRS if somebody buys around 3K worth of money orders.  Because the Post Office doesnt carry hardly any cash (The Clerks only have $100 in their drawer at the start of each day) its HIGHLY unlikely you can cash the Money Order at the Post office because almost everybody uses a Credit Card these days to pay for their NON Money Order purchases.  So you have to deposit the USPS Money Orders at your banks if they are for large amounts.  The Post Office is Overseen by the US Government in terms of the raising of prices on stamps etc BUT they dont have much else to do with it.  Your Tax Dollars arent Funding the Employees at USPS.  If you think "The Fed" has your back in terms of USPS Postal Money Orders your delusional.   I retired from USPS in 2009

I got scammed by one of these here on Audiogon. Right after I made the purchase and paid they RE-LISTED the same item and BLOCKED me. I immediately called up my Credit Card Company and they took care of it. Not sure how the OP paid but thats all you need to do. Forget about contacting Paypal cause that will take forever. Even after I made the claim with my CC company the "seller" went into Paypal and put a Tracking # from FEDEX. Little did he know but I have a FEDEX account that notifies me about all incoming packages days ahead of time. So I got an Email from PAYPAL saying the package was delivered to my house. Called up FEDEX and they said a package was sent EXPRESS MAIL to another address in my town with THAT tracking number the scammer supplied to Paypal. So they arent entirely stupid scammers cause they found a way to work the system. Just pay with your Credit Card and NEVER file a claim with Paypal unless you want to wait forever and your money will be locked up.

If using a Credit Card THRU Paypal it isnt risky at all Provided if something goes wrong you contact your CC company and NOT Paypal.  Your CC Company has your back completely. Paypal is trying to please 2 people at the same time and doesnt have your best interest at heart. They also "Investigate" everything which takes a LONG time whereas your CC Company will (Should) Credit your account IMMEDIATELY once the claim is made.

Your CC Company has legal precedence over any transaction using a Credit Card.    Once you open up a dispute with your CC Company PAYPAL can do NOTHING.  Paypal will send you an email stating something to the effect that a dispute was opened with the CC Company and they cant do anything further.   So the lesson to be learned is when using Paypal ALWAYS use a Credit Card and always contact your CC company if something goes wrong.

As somebody who retired from USPS your dead wrong. First of all the Post Office Insurance is a Joke. The individual post offices no longer handle claims. You have to call a 1-800 number which will take MANY MONTHS to resolve.  There are also very strict SIZE and WEIGHT restrictions at the post office so you can forget about sending larger speakers or Amps. There are also Insurance limits at the Post Office. Have you done any homework???

EBAY and Paypal now report to the IRS so the Seller of an expensive piece of gear is going to get a 1099 Form the following year.  Why would the seller want to lose 10-15% to EBAY Fees anyway???

The Post Office has also closed more than 100 Distribution Centers since I retired. Priority Mail packages can still take 1-2 weeks to arrive as Opposed to FEDEX or UPS whose Ground service only takes 5-7 days to go from the East Coast to the West Coast.  So it gets to its destination FASTER and CHEAPER using those alternatives.   Everything about your scenario is wrong from a practical business standpoint (and safety)

Actually if you are a seller you should ALWAYS ask for a Friend/Family payment so that you dont have to worry about the IRS sending you a 1099 Form the following year.  Lots of Rookies around here that are clueless.

Kordzik71......Thats what happens when you dont give your mailman a tip at Christmas every year  :)