How to avoid getting ripped off on the internet

#181
alangoldstein said:
i also am upset that people on TB do not trust anything other then paypal.
how do you make people trust you on here?
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Alan, that is a horrible story indeed. Nobody really likes the bay and paypal forcing you to use their services. I guess it is something we simply must learn to live with.
A lot of TB'ers are really great guys and some might accept other payment forms other than Paypal if they see you are serious. And I guess if you explain them your situation and provide them with that positive feedback history, many of them will trust you.
Time and patience.
Start by buying/selling items that don't cost a fortune.
 
#182
Should I be concerned if a potential buyer requests the serial # of the instrument I am selling? I was imaging that someone could take my serial # and then claim it is "their" stolen instrument. yes? no? I am just being paranoid.
 
#183
lowEndRick said:
Should I be concerned if a potential buyer requests the serial # of the instrument I am selling?
I was imaging that someone could take my serial # and then claim it is "their" stolen instrument. yes? no?
I am just being paranoid.
Click to expand...
just provide the first few numbers ... example : E196*******
that should suffice for any honest buyer .:cool:
 
#184
So I am from St. Petersburg, Russia, and that means belonging to that dreaded "international buyer" category. I've never bought anything from Talkbass, but I intend to.

Here's what I have:

1) Visa Classic card;
2) Confirmed Paypal account tied to that card;
3) USA mail forwarding address in case the seller won't ship outside CONUS (for example, because he/she is afraid of fraudulent "item not received" claims). This address is registered with my Visa card as an alternative one.

The question is: What would make you wary of dealing with me, besides me having no feedback just yet?
 
#185
Temcat said:
So I am from St. Petersburg, Russia, and that means belonging to that dreaded "international buyer" category. I've never bought anything from Talkbass, but I intend to.

Here's what I have:

1) Visa Classic card;
2) Confirmed Paypal account tied to that card;
3) USA mail forwarding address in case the seller won't ship outside CONUS (for example, because he/she is afraid of fraudulent "item not received" claims). This address is registered with my Visa card as an alternative one.

The question is: What would make you wary of dealing with me, besides me having no feedback just yet?
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I would personally have no problem. I've shipped music parts and instruments to probably 50 countries, including Russia. I've not once had a problem with International buyers. They are generally much more proper, courteous and kind. They have a bit less entitlement issues than Domestic customers.
 
#186
I am curious to know what the safety precautions would be about TRADES and TRADINGS (Swapping) of basses on TB. I am kinda a newbie on TB and have yet to do any transactions but have always wondered how that SHOULD work.
 
#187
A case for you to consideration; comments appreciated!

I recently bought a bass from a seller in the classifieds here. As I was considering the bass, I queried for its weight, as that is an issue for me. Via talkbass message, he told me: "I believe the weight for both is around 9.7lbs" (he was selling two basses simultaneously). This sounded fine to me - I expected the bass to be within a few few ounces of that. When it arrived, it felt very heavy. I weighed it on an accurate scale and it came out to 10 lbs 15 oz, 1 oz shy of 11 lbs! This to me was a case of the seller significantly misrepresenting the bass.
I requested a return (w/ my paying for return shipment), but the seller said that he didn't have the money and couldn't do a return. So, the case is now in review by paypal claims.
 
#188
justinmc said:
A case for you to consideration; comments appreciated!

I recently bought a bass from a seller in the classifieds here. As I was considering the bass, I queried for its weight, as that is an issue for me. Via talkbass message, he told me: "I believe the weight for both is around 9.7lbs" (he was selling two basses simultaneously). This sounded fine to me - I expected the bass to be within a few few ounces of that. When it arrived, it felt very heavy. I weighed it on an accurate scale and it came out to 10 lbs 15 oz, 1 oz shy of 11 lbs! This to me was a case of the seller significantly misrepresenting the bass.
I requested a return (w/ my paying for return shipment), but the seller said that he didn't have the money and couldn't do a return. So, the case is now in review by paypal claims.
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That's the route I'd follow. I trust you left negative feedback, as well?

Riis
 
#189
I once saw a consumer reports show where they A/B'ed a bunch of different bathroom scales on the market. Turned out they varied widely in their measurements, and the variations were not consistent across different weight categories.
And being produced primarily for the purposes of weighing people, they're not all that accurate when it comes to weighing things far outside of the normal human weight range (really light things like basses or really heavy things like furniture, elephants, etc.).

I'm not saying I don't sympathize with your situation, because I do, and I hope you can get it worked out as painlessly as possible. But everyone who's concerned about excessive weight should know that bathroom scale measurements are not perfect.

Is it possible that the difference of 1 lb, 2-3 oz. is within that margin of error between the two scales?
 
#190
justinmc said:
A case for you to consideration; comments appreciated!

I recently bought a bass from a seller in the classifieds here. As I was considering the bass, I queried for its weight, as that is an issue for me. Via talkbass message, he told me: "I believe the weight for both is around 9.7lbs" (he was selling two basses simultaneously). This sounded fine to me - I expected the bass to be within a few few ounces of that. When it arrived, it felt very heavy. I weighed it on an accurate scale and it came out to 10 lbs 15 oz, 1 oz shy of 11 lbs! This to me was a case of the seller significantly misrepresenting the bass.
I requested a return (w/ my paying for return shipment), but the seller said that he didn't have the money and couldn't do a return. So, the case is now in review by paypal claims.
Click to expand...

His scale was one pound off. Only. One. Pound. Did you make it clear to the seller that anything over 10 lbs was a deal-killer? Did you tell the seller that accurate, exact weight was critical for you?

This is exactly why I always put a disclaimer with a weight when asked by a potential buyer.
 
#191
Realizing this reply is to some old messages but hoping someone answers: Trevorus said not to use escrows. Is there any reason for this ? Seems safer and cheaper than EPay (& PAYmorePAL).
I want sadly to say good-bye to my Hagstrom F400. This place seems like the best to start. But this method of payment business bothers me alot:crying:
 
#192
I purchased this scale from Amazon. $30, weighs up to 75 pounds, displays in lbs and ounces, Kilograms, grams, etc. I use it to weigh everything I sell here and on EBay and have never had a single box returned for insufficient postage. The bathroom scale method is +/-1 pound accurate AT BEST. Use a postal shipping scale. Rest the bass on the bottom strap button using one finger to keep it upright on the scale. Weigh it three times. Will probably be +/- one or two ounces at MOST. Average the results if you want.

http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Posta...EXXM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1328224138&sr=8-1

Just my two pennies.
 
#193
i have a question about a unique situation:
first, let me say i have had great success both with buying and selling on TB thus far.
what if you have two nearly identical items from two different sellers that are both pricey and both sellers have lots of 100% feedback on TB and ebay, but in all cases, they are from them buying items and not selling anything. a lot of buying too, but no sales.
both seem very legit and honest etc.
the feedback simply says that they sent the money, but obviously cannot indicate them shipping anything.
should i be concerned?
 
#194
joebar said:
i have a question about a unique situation:
first, let me say i have had great success both with buying and selling on TB thus far.
what if you have two nearly identical items from two different sellers that are both pricey and both sellers have lots of 100% feedback on TB and ebay, but in all cases, they are from them buying items and not selling anything. a lot of buying too, but no sales.
both seem very legit and honest etc.
the feedback simply says that they sent the money, but obviously cannot indicate them shipping anything.
should i be concerned?
Click to expand...

I would be.
Are they ready to ship a bass? Do they know how to properly pack it, ship it and insure it? Are they going to wait until after the sale to go out and find a box then figure out how they are going to ship it?
I had a guy mess around for a week and a half and still couldn't get the bass shipped. I got my money back.
I don't have time for rookie sellers.
 
#196
bassundergrace said:
I am in the US, and I have a buyer in Japan, who replies fast, seems legit, and has a 100% (3) rating, but $2500 is alot of cash. Any wisdom before making the deal?
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You're the seller? Can you ship after the cash is in your bank account via verified Paypal address? I dont see any downside if this is the case. I have bought several great basses on TB, I have met several great sellers and I am from the dreaded Far East!
 
#197
I have a Peavey Dyna bass 5 string i would like to sell on here , i have pay pal account (i took my checking account off of it and can only spend the money out of it not get the cash))due to dealing with them before and them locking up my checking account for a month for a item i sold on eBay that the person said they didn't receive even though someone signed for it and i had all necessary proof.It was finally released but it sure caused a whole lot of headaches and bounced check charges.(which they wouldn't reimburse by the way) what would you suggest as the best way to go about selling a bass here.Craigslist is not a venue i care to deal with. I would be a first time seller here.
 
#198
Always:
Check the seller's ebay feedback & selling history
Use a CC (NEVER debit!) and pay with the CC via paypal
You'll have recourse through your a) the CC company, b) paypal and c) ebay
Always been able to work something out in the few instances I've had problems
If none of that works I just call Leo the Leg Breaker...
 
#199
First, hello everybody! This is my first post at TalkBass.com, I have registered just a few minutes ago. My name is Pablo, from Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Well, I have read all this post carefully, as I'm thinking about ordering a new bass, as the instrument prices here are really high and beyond my budget, and the offer is very limited. So, my idea is to learn from your experience, analize the options and make a decission. Believe me that even when I'm experiencied in ordering and buying things from all over the world (I'm a scale modeller, too), the weight, cost and shipping rates for a bass are really daunting, and better don't mention the Argentine customs office, ha!

Unfortunatelly, my budget is limited and that is defining my options... still not really decided, but I'm considering the following options: Ideally, an Ibanez ATK-200 or 90's 300. Second option, a Fender Blacktop P-Bass. Oh, I would really like to find a black Fender Power Jazz Bass some day, but I'm afraid it would not be easy...

That's it... thanks in advance for your help. I'll keep reading this and the other related posts until I make a decission.

Regards,

Pablo
 
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