Follow up from my post saying bank wire transfer only. we have received a few fake cashiers checks and money orders. They actually cleared and we received the money and shipped the items. However 6 months later on one of the checks Wells Fargo took the money back out of my account. It was $6,000. I called them to see what the heck happened and they said they found that the check was fake. It took 6 months for them to figure this out. I was out $6,000 plus lost the speakers. This check came from a Canadian bank. When I tried to get my money back. Wells Fargo told me that originally the Canadian bank paid them which allowed the check to clear on my end. But 6 months later the Canadian bank realized the check was not real. So Wells Fargo gave them the money back and then took it from me. It was horrible. Then Wells Fargo told me I had to deal with the Canadian bank myself it was HSBC out of Canada. Be careful not to make the same mistake we did. These checks even has seals on them and faked all of us out they look so real. Personal checks are actually safer these days because they are not counterfeited. Just make sure they clear first. Sorry to scare you but 0 feedback scares me. I feel a little better if it's a local guy and we talk on the phone.
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Ditto the above counterfeit check (personal) experience of Audio Limits. Look, these crooks are getting so sophisticated that banks say they've cleared...and yes, the bank lobbyists have written into laws that even up to a year later the bank can seek recourse, send your account off to collection agency and the nightmare of that haggle! It happened to my son - and I told him just to make sure it cleared. That bank assured him it had cleared at both banks and it still happened. Just like in the movie, "Catch me if you can", there are still problems in the checking system. Crooks are gaining the upper hand again in the "game". Online is their latest exploit. So, I second audio limits in saying bank transfer only!!! Oh, and you'll find shipping speakers internationally is way too expensive to make any sense. Insist on speaking with the person and you'll figure out pretty quickly if he has a clue about hi-end audio. Never use the "buy", instead use, "make an offer" so you can choose whom to sell to. There are lots of scammers online now....even on audiogon. |
audio_limits
I was out $6,000 plus lost the speakers. First things first.... sorry to hear about your experience. But how can you be out 6 grand and the speakers? The speakers I understand, they are gone. But the money.... Wells Fargo gave you 6K and then later took it back so it looks to me like it's a wash. OP. Selling stuff online is a risk for someone. Either you have to be willing to accept the risk or the guy buying from you has to accept the risk. In my world.... it's gonna be the other guy taking the risk. I know I'm honest. |
Personal checks are actually safer these days because they are not counterfeited. Just make sure they clear first. The only problem that I have with that is that no bank that I have dealt with, Chase, Wells Fargo, or TD Bank, can tell me anymore when a check actually clears. Most banks will make the funds available to you within 1-3 days, but all of these banks have told me that it could take 30 days or more for the checks to actually CLEAR. There is NO way to transfer money that is 100% safe. Even cash and carry deals can be carried out with counterfeit cash. The worse the global economy gets, the more sharks there are in the water. |
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