Is this a Scam?

[ttaylor508]

Has he came to look at the bike? I would say if he has not expressed an interest in looking at the bike or test riding it then it is probably a scam. Since most craislist buyers are local to the area you post they want to see before they agree to buy. We just had DH's old mountatin bike posted on Craigslist in Seattle and this is the first reply I got:
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Hi,
I've just gone through your ad and I'm interested in buying. I'm presently in NY on an assignment but I can arrange your payment from here and It will only take 3 business days before the payment will get to you. I will be adding $20 extra for you to keep in my favour. Money Order is the only means I can pay you with at the moment. If this is acceptable by you, Please send me your full name and address where the payment will be sent to, so I can send your payment. I will make arrangement for the pick-up once you receive payment
Thanks
Tara
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I knew this was not legit so I never even responded. The second response was a legit buyer who wanted to come look at and test ride the bike.

[rij73]

In my opinion, the whole point of Craigslist is that it's local. I would only ever sell something in person for cash only. In all transactions that take place long distance over the internet, I believe it should be "buyer beware" not "seller beware"! So, as the seller of such a high cost item, you have every right to expect full payment up front via Paypal. The guy sounds like a scam artist for sure...

[makbike]

Thanks guys, maybe I need to add some information. First, this is not a response to my Craigslist ad but to one I recently posted on one of the recumbent forums. I have exchanged a few emails with this guy (he is in Utach and I'm in Kentucky) regarding the bike and he has appeared to be interested in making the purchase.

I stopped by the post office in town this morning and spoke with one of the clerks there regarding money orders. Her advise was to make sure any potential buyer pays with a USPS money order for they have a machine they will run the money order through to check to see if it is a real one or counterfeit. If it comes out as a fraudlent check they will prosecute the sender. I'm really torn on this one for according to his email he is willing to send the $500 as a nonrefundable holding fee and the bike is not to be shipped until the remaining balance is payed (via USPS money order). What to do what to do?

[ttaylor508]

Did he bargain with you at all with the price? I just think it is kind of weird that someone from states away would buy something sight-unseen, and be willing to pay shipping on top of that. Do you have it priced so far under what it is worth that it is a steal. Also the fact that he has "money burning a hole in his pocket" yet he doesn't have enough to pay for it in full. On ebay at least you have a little bit of backing from them if a deal goes bad. I would be really careful.....

[mimitabby]

well, you have two things we didn't know about
1; the post office. take his check (he's far away) and take it to the post office
2; the community of recumbent folks. Talk to others; is he new? do they know him?

go for it. you don't ship the bike until you get all your money.
and if the PO will guarantee the checks are good or bad; no worries.

good luck

[Tuckervill]

Nope, I still say don't do it. If he wants it (sight unseen?), he'll cough up the cash.

If you think people don't hang out in obscure places ('bent forum) looking for a mark, let me tell you about something that happened to me way back in the '80s. I had a crib and other baby items for sale in the paper. I got a phone call about the ad from a woman. She started talking about her baby, and asked me about my baby and pretty soon we weren't talking about the items I had for sale, but she was asking me about breastfeeding and then how big my boobs were. I began to suspect a pervert and ended the conversation...but the pervert went a LONG LONG way to get me to talk to her (it was a him, cuz the voice was strange) just so he could talk boobs, but not just any boobs, lactating ones, you know? He was a freak.

It was someone who had to be cruising the baby furniture ads, just so they could talk dirty with some stranger? That's pretty a pretty focused place to be looking.

Also, when I had a foster dog I was trying to get rid of (wasn't selling), I got those scam emails about the dog, and it wasn't even for sale. Rat Terrier forum. Obscure.

Cash, paypal or nothing is what I say.

Karen

[smilingcat]

No don't do it.

Utah has a reputation among the scam artist as a safe haven. The public at large think that, just because it is a very conservative Mormon controlled state that scammers do not reside there. In reality, it has the highest fraud and scam rate in the country.

Have him pay you in full through Paypal. Don't even think about the USPS money order.

Smilingcat

[makbike]

I think I have the bike fairly priced. My recumbent has many upgrades compared to what a factory Giro would have. In fact, most of my components are upgrades with the exception of the brakes. Toss in the extras (kickstand, rack, extra tires/tubes, water bottles, bag) and I think I have a pretty darn good bike. A bike of this sorts would start at $1550 and I would think with the extras and upgrades would have easier cost a buyer close to $1800.

There has been no baragaining on the price. I'm not sure how common it is to purchase a bike sight unseen but would think it does happen through ebay, craigslist, forums etc.

He did just join the recumbent forum. Not sure what this means. Is he a scammer or is he interested in entering the world of bent riders? He has indicated in an email that he wants to try riding a recumbent and that he currently rides a DF.

I did send him a note that simply said if a money order is sent it must be a USPS MO, nothing else will be accepted. If he bulks at this I think it will say a lot about his honesty.

I have no problem holding the bike for him if his "good-faith" money is good and the postal clerk did tell me they would know immediately if is was a fraud.

I guess all I can do is wait and see how he replies to my email.

I appreciate all the ideas that have been shared. As I told a friend today I don't want to take anyone to the cleaners and in return I don't want to be taken to the cleaners over this bike. I simply want to recoup the money I have put into it, turn it around and purchase myself a nice road bike for next season.

[ilima]

Tell him to get a PayPal account and link his bank account. He can deposit the money in his bank account and then pay you. It will only take a couple of days for him to get his account 'verified' and linked.

If he blanches, you know it's a scam, which is what it sounds like to me.

[onimity]

He wants to *try* riding a recumbent and he is going to send a valid money order across the country for a bike he hasn't even seen? How does he know that it is a good fit for him? I *guess* the cash is burning a hole in his pocket!

If he can't pay you via PayPal, I wouldn't do business with him. You never know what he has up his sleeve but everything about this situation screams *beware*! Honestly, I wouldn't give the guy my address to send the money order to...maybe I'm overly suspicious, but you really know nothing about this guy. He could tell you anything. He could be a thief looking for high ticket bikes in your area. I would accept *nothing* other than paypal, or cash from someone local to your area.

I bought a bike off of craigslist. I had a lot of questions, asked for more detailed photos. I wanted to test ride it. I wanted proof that the guy acquired it legally. I paid him cash.

My two cents.

Anne