Fake listings on auction sites

Disgraceful isn't it. I can't believe anyone would part with that kind of cash based on that advert. Not having a criminal brain what would happen if I rocked up with cash, would I get mugged?

On a related note if you have a serial number how do you check it out, is it as simple as calling Naim?

Gary

Surely "cash on collection" would indicate a genuine sale? Serial nos are stated as well. I know there are a lot of fake listings but this one seems ok and serial nos could be checked at HQ?

it only takes one to make it worthwhile

Would you really take that amount of cash along to meet a complete unknown?  Bear in mind the well publicised case of the "hifi muggers" that was in the news recently.  As always, caveat emptor..

Google-Maps is an invaluable took with cases like this.

One case I looked at, a 552 was being sold from a small flat address in the outskirts of London, which was above an off-licence. Now let me think.....

I hope it isn't genuine as I just sent him/her a sarcastic message through eBay

Gary

I'm new to the e bay thingy and it puzzles I why people will pay much more in a live auction than a buy it now deal for what appears to be the same model of ..well..anything, never mind naim tackle.  leads me to great levels of on line buying apprehension and subsequent did'nt win disappointments.

Perhaps I'm just tight!

I once found a super dodgy ad for an excessively cheap XPS-2 in the far east. The guy (a professional hoaxer, it turned out) published a (stolen) pic showing the serial.

I asked Steven Hopkins with an email. He quickly informed me about the real destination of the unit.

It was as simple as that.

I must say, though - and I really hope I am not offending anyone, because I don't mean to - that such preventive mistrust towards a seller seems to me to go side by side with an exponentially increasing tendency I see in some UK sellers on the same auction site not to ship abroad. A tendency apparently not shared by other foreign sellers.

The world is a nasty place, I admit it; but closing the doors of the island is not a solution I think.
Respectfully. 

"Mint condition and just serviced" 2006 year. Yeah, right!

I do frequentlly sell items on that website and do request cash payment(up to £2000), or bank tranfers(if above) if collected,  to avoid being duped twice by the "same" co. Always collection, and it also gives the buyers the chance to hear and decide for themselves if the item will suit their needs. I am NOT a dealer  and it's just a hobby where meeting people is part of the fun. I have actually made some very good friends. 

I hope this may help:

1) Ask loads of questions, service,  bills,  upgrade, serial numbers,etc. Anyone interested in selling their stuff will be more than happy in being helpful.

2) Ask to have a listen "in situ" prior to buying.

3) Bring a friend along so you both  can see the item working.

4) Use your ears; if it does not sound right, walk away!

3) |Ultimatley, use an authorised Naim dealer for peace of mind although, (if you check the web these days) there's seems to be  the hell of a lot of "authorized" ones.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of dodgy deals out there but there are also some decent people trying to sell their stuff and have some fun along the way.

Just use common sense.

KR

Tony

Also wonder how many bids there are from sellers 'friends' on auctions of specialist items which aren't yet quite high enough?

The fees get me. They're really having a laugh. Sellers lap it up as it appears things sell high until you get the invoice and realise the net amount to you after all the fees including separate ones for paypal.

If you are risk-averse, buying s/h from a Naim dealer is your best bet.

Engelbert

Dear, Engelbert.

Agree  100%,  if you want to play safe. But, then again,  there are some decent s/h gear previously owned by Naim owners  who are  willing to sell their gear on these web sites rather than losing 20% or 30%  on trading in prices.

KR

Tony

There have been a few instances here N.Ireland of  Naim being for sale on Gumtree, were the buyer has been mugged!

You're not joking. I sold a hi-end (£3k) Sony CD player to a buyer in Poland for £800. He paid with Paypal, I shipped it, he said it doesn't work & instantly opened a Paypal dispute, I agreed to a return, parcel arrives from Poland, I sign for it.  So Paypal has all it needs to refund buyer.  I open parcel and... no Sony CD player, instead an old broken surround amp complete with not only Polish labels but also cobwebs (to add insult to injury!).

Paypal didn't want to know about any photos I'd taken, but eventually caved in to a police report from me. BUT police unable to do anything other than record my complaint because buyer was outside UK.

ALL my listings are now UK only !     At least a UK villain can be prosecuted if you can find them.

There are some very nasty folks out there who prey on our human frailty - we do love a bargain. don't we !  

my missis took 22k cash in a bag for a car, then again she is half scouse half italian.......

I am sorry for you. I have sold and bought a lot abroad and never had a problem so far. And yes, I have sold and bought inside Italy, too.

As for the hint in the last sentence - second hand market is obviously not a justification for all the thieves around but also my wish to do a bargain is not even partly responsible for the thief's ill will.

Otherwise, next a raped girl will be partly responsible for what's happened because she was wearing a mini skirt, and I wouldn't follow you on this ground.

Again, respectfully.

M.

Meaning..?

she loves opera and football.......

It's been withdrawn now - answers to questions re wrong Burndies weren't reassuring.

I don't know the facts here but the reassuring "cash on collection" option becomes less convincing if you claim a location far, far, far away.

Do NOT underestimate the more ingenious scammers.

I was once selling a watch for a friend and got an off-the-radar approach from a "woman" who offered more than the 'buy it now' price. To reassure me she insisted we use an escrow account she had used in the past.

Putting the URL into, I think, WhoIs told me that the Dutch escrow account of long standing was based in the US and had been set up 4 hours earlier. It had all the logos and some internal links and functionality.

It was down the next day.

I just have to ask.....did it all go OK ????  DO let us all know

Mista H

yes! she came back with the car,i felt sorry for the bloke she collected it from she scares me to death......

Sad story.

I think one safe way to avoid such misfortune would be to not only route the money through eBay/PayPal but also the parcels.

I.e. the seller sends the parcel to eBay, eBay checks the content (photo), routes the parcel to the buyer. The returned parcel also goes via eBay who then can check the content again.

But this is of course unrealistic, because this would be enormous work for eBay, double the transport costs and still would make it possible for a nasty or stupid buyer to damage an item internally.

Personally I've purchased 3 or 4 Naim items via eBay and sold one. Purchases were from UK and Germany, the sale to Germany, I'm living in Germany. Never had a problem, always very nice contacts, instant delivery and excellent condition of the goods. Perhaps because Naim, compared to Sony e.g., is so little known that there are not so many crooked or stupid people out there that deal with these things.

KR

Jochen

I think the best advice is caveat emptor - or in this case caveat venditor!

ebay, craigslist and gumtree are havens for fraudsters catching out the unaware.  The way I detected a similar fraud was by attempting to chat to the other party about their system. It was immediately clear that the "seller" (of a supercap in this case - "from the Orkneys") had no idea about what it was for.   The bank account in Leicester was a bit of a give away too