Great thread. I had two buyers, one in Canada and another in Europe, in the last two weeks, back out of deals on a $7k+ purchase because of this. One suggested I use UPS and declare it "repair" or "sample" so he could get it through customs without taxes/duty. If it's seized, I lose the gear (though I would have his money) and I am also probably subject to some form of fraud prosecution. Since he doesn't actually receive it, he'd probably expect his money back as he never took delivery. The buyer has nothing at risk at least in terms of criminal act. Of course I said no way.
The other guy bangs me up on low offers for a week, which I finally move up enough to accept, then he wakes up and figures out he doesn't have enough money to cover GST/PST's and shipping/brokerage fees to go across the border. Seems like you'd know that before making an offer, right?
Lately it seems to be much more common to encounter these guys. Both had very low or non-existent feedback numbers so I was wary to begin with. Unfortunately there's really no way to warn others about them. I guess they're just wasting our time to see if we'll weaken and go for it.
The other guy bangs me up on low offers for a week, which I finally move up enough to accept, then he wakes up and figures out he doesn't have enough money to cover GST/PST's and shipping/brokerage fees to go across the border. Seems like you'd know that before making an offer, right?
Lately it seems to be much more common to encounter these guys. Both had very low or non-existent feedback numbers so I was wary to begin with. Unfortunately there's really no way to warn others about them. I guess they're just wasting our time to see if we'll weaken and go for it.