craftineaudio - beware

Yikes?

It’s crazy. The same guy tried to scam me on the exact same speakers. The deal just kept getting better and better. At first, he declined my offer, but after I completely backed out, suddenly the price dropped significantly. Then he even offered to pay the import fees and tariffs. At that point the deal was simply too good to be true. To be fair, he was consistent on one thing: he would only accept wire transfers. That’s what the ad stated from the beginning. I started digging deeper. He sent me a bunch of pictures by email, which in itself was a red flag. If you’re listing $15,000 speakers in an online store, but don’t have time to upload actual photos to the listing, that doesn’t make much sense.  So, I asked for proof. I requested a video of him standing next to the speakers. I asked for very specific photos, including ones showing his face and certain words written on a piece of paper. I also asked for the business phone number and address since he was presenting himself as a business. None of that was ever provided. He/ She has gone mute. At that point I was convinced it was a scam. One thing people should be aware of is a newer scam where sellers advertise “cash only” and “local pickup only.” That makes them sound legitimate because you assume you can inspect the item in person. Then, later in the negotiation, they suddenly offer to ship it. By then your guard is down, you send the money, and they disappear. It’s becoming pretty common.

I did notify Audiogon, and hopefully they’ll take the listing down. My suspicion is that someone may be using the Crafting Audio name to scam people. Crafting Audio itself may very well be a legitimate business. 

@butros791 - thanks for the heads-up, though I wouldn't necessarily be suspicious  of ads that say 'Local Pickup Only' along with 'Cash Only', especially for heavy electronic gear or speakers. That's the only way I'll sell items like this, and they've always come by, cash in hand or already paid via Paypal/credit card, and taken the items home with them.

But yes, if they suddenly offered to ship it after they told you local pickup only, that would raise a red flag because it would make no sense for large, heavy items for which there was a reason for a local pickup to begin with. If it was something like a pair of headphones or relatively small, light electronics, that would be different.  

Agreed. You have to look at the totality of the circumstances, but that was exactly my point. Skilled scammers use those same circumstances to build trust and make their operation appear legitimate.For example, they'll initially insist on meeting in person, encourage the buyer to inspect the item, and state that they accept cash only. Those are all things that normally reduce suspicion. Then, once the negotiation is underway and you've become comfortable that they're legitimate, they suddenly offer to ship the item instead. They may even say you don't have to pay for the item until it arrives, which sounds reassuring. However, they'll ask you to split or cover the shipping costs upfront. That's where the scam happens and where you end up losing your money.It's actually a pretty clever scam because it relies on gradually lowering the buyer's guard rather than pressuring them from the start.