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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
phantom_av
313 posts
 

Even paypal can be risky, Scammers find a way to lodge complaints to get funds back.

dinov's avatar
dinov
788 posts
 

“Very low price” should tip you off! 

riaa_award_collectors_on_facebook's avatar
riaa_award_collectors_on_facebook
979 posts
 

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.

parnelligq
25 posts
 

I feel PayPal is best. If possible have the seller set up a private auction on ebay. The auction link is sent to you. You get both eBay and PayPal buyer protection. You also get eBay guaranteed delivery. Also use insurance. Have the seller send via USPS with signed delivery confirmation AT the local post office. The extra expense is well worth the security. Also when you package arrives at the local post office, you get a notification in your mail box. Then you pick up at your convenience. No having to take vacation to wait for delivery. No chasing trucks. And no fear of porch pirates. Security and peace of mind for all.

riaa_award_collectors_on_facebook's avatar
riaa_award_collectors_on_facebook
979 posts
 

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)

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