Should I be suspicious?

EMA747

EMA747

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Andy
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I am still after a 1DmkIV and have seen a few on ebay. I sent the seller of this one a message about buy it now prices. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230611736143&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT
They replied saying they are open to reasonable offers. I then sent one back saying I could go up to £2300 as that's all the spare cash I have left. To my great surprise they said they will consider it and asked how I would pay. I said BT or cash on collection.

This looks fine and I have google the username and it comes back with a user on etsy and another such forum registered to the same city. I am just a little wary of why they would be willing to consider my offer which is way below what it's worth. :thinking: Should I be a bit suspicious or not? They haven't accepted the offer but they will hopefully get back to me this evening and I would need to act fast if I was to get it.
 
1467 with 100% feedback doesn't immediately come across as risky but if you are worried do cash on collection and take a big friend - with the economy as it is some people really need the money!
 
there is an old saying if it looks too good to be true it is, cash on collection and make sure it works oh and find a big rugby player to take along.
 
Whats the worst that you could do, spend £30 on petrol and waste a day to get a bargian.

If you pay COC then at least you get to look at it and walk away if it's not up to scratch.

Like to know how they found out the shutter count though because I thought only Canon could do that ?
 
ChrisH said:
Whats the worst that you could do, spend £30 on petrol and waste a day to get a bargian.

If you pay COC then at least you get to look at it and walk away if it's not up to scratch.

Like to know how they found out the shutter count though because I thought only Canon could do that ?
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If hes the original owner and has never reset the file counter the file number will be the shutter count but of course he could have rattled off 100,000 images and then reset the counter and then have just shot 1700 images since resetting, theres no way you as a buyer can do anything to check this unless you send it to Canon
 
Thats what I thought, I'm going to ask for the shutter count on my 1D3 when it goes back to Canon this week for it's severe case of chicken pox on the sensor :o)
 
Well the seller says they have owned the camera since new bought in Sept 2010. They also say they would include the receipt for warranty purposes.

Looks like it could either be the bargain of the year or a chance I could lose £2300! Hmmmm.
 
ChrisH said:
Like to know how they found out the shutter count though because I thought only Canon could do that ?
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there's software arround (like "Can count" and "1Dcount" ) which can give you total actuations on a 1D or 1DS series by reading hidden exif info in a raw file from the camera.

on the OPs question it depends how badly you need the 2300 notes - if you can afford to loose it - or dont mind the risk the go for it , on the other hand if its the last cash you have in the world and loss would be a catastrophe then my advice is dont do it
 
What if I paid by paypal. Then I would have the paypal protection right? I could do something like this quote from ebay website
"However, you are permitted to end a listing early and sell the item to the high bidder (via the eBay website). Ask the member to place a bid at the amount they offered to you, then go to the End My Listing Early form and select "Sell to the high bidder". "
 
I would'nt get your hopes up there are 15 hours left and it will hit around£2750 it's already close to what you are offering
Regards
Richard
 
lost said:
I would'nt get your hopes up there are 15 hours left and it will hit around£2750 it's already close to what you are offering
Regards
Richard
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The seller seems like they would accept an offer before the end. The main reason for my suspicion is why they would accept an offer quite a bit below what these cameras go for. Especially given it's only got a day to go.

Sent from my iPhone using TP Forums
 
If you do buy it, they say you want to see the camera, and check that it works. If it is all OK, you will then go to the bank, withdraw the cash (don't forget to notify the local branch of you bank and take all you will need to remove the cash). That way you can go and check it out, without fear of being mugged. If the seller is genuine, they will not object, but it is another filter that a dodgy seller would not be too keen on. It will also give you chance to check it works with lenses, and also take a note of the serial number to than check whether the camera is stolen or not.
 
EMA747 said:
The main reason for my suspicion is why they would accept an offer quite a bit below what these cameras go for.
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Avoidance of eBay and PayPal fees? Avoidance of any comeback from you if you pay by BT or with cash?
 
There are bargains to be had, depends on how desperate the seller is for the money, especially in these times. It may be the person works in the public sector and has just been given their redundancy notice for example.

If it's offered it's got to be worth a look. I'd avoid paypal though. I've found disputes by them are never resolved well and take ages
 
lawrie29 said:
If you do buy it, they say you want to see the camera, and check that it works. If it is all OK, you will then go to the bank, withdraw the cash (don't forget to notify the local branch of you bank and take all you will need to remove the cash). That way you can go and check it out, without fear of being mugged. If the seller is genuine, they will not object, but it is another filter that a dodgy seller would not be too keen on. It will also give you chance to check it works with lenses, and also take a note of the serial number to than check whether the camera is stolen or not.
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Totally agree with this approach - you can't go too far wrong doing this. What about the warranty?
 
I just can't see anyone taking less than £2500 for this camera if it is a honest thread secondhand ones go like hot cakes and most sold on E-bay go round the £2800 mark even with the fees taken out it's still going to be well over £2300.
I would be tempted to drive and have a look though it can't hurt
Regards
Richard
 
I bought a cs5 off the bay because I was sick of pirate ones crashing. I really did ask questions and from the picture looked the real deal.It came all sealed I dare anyone to tell it was a fake loaded it and worked a treat, but when I registered it OMG shut me down, phoned them up they told me it was a copy £400 copy ouch. Went to contact the seller he shut his account down, next step paypal . Explained within 10 mins the £400 quid was back in my account.
If I buy anything of value I always use paypal.
 
If it was only bought at the end of 2010 why hasnt it got the original box, maybe something and nothing but just seems a bit strange
 
Hmmm, cash on collection only so that you can inspect the goods. If you do BT you have no comeback.

I'd be a bit wary simply because the ebay account hasn't been used, for selling or buying, since January but this weekend has been used to list four high end items.
 
EMA747 said:
What if I paid by paypal. Then I would have the paypal protection right? I could do something like this quote from ebay website
"However, you are permitted to end a listing early and sell the item to the high bidder (via the eBay website). Ask the member to place a bid at the amount they offered to you, then go to the End My Listing Early form and select "Sell to the high bidder". "
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If it's genuine, I'm sure that's not what the seller is intending. I suspect that the idea behind accepting your offer is that they will just cancel the ebay listing and then trade off-ebay. That way they will avoid the 10% ebay final value fee. In those cases, you have no buyer protection.
 
Account not used for ages, mentions the dreaded Bank Transfer and "no returns accepted".

Remember that some people who run a business on ebay if they then sell the business sometimes sell the ebay ID too.

Unless you can drive, see the item, test it I wouldn't touch it.

There are a lot of mixed reports on Paypal protection so if you did go this route you would be in their hands which I would not like to be.
 
Might be nothing at all, but all the photos of the four items being sold appear to have different backgrounds, most people when taking photographs tend to use the same area.............

As said above the seller probably wants to trade off ebay, if you are collecting and paying cash you can reassure yourself of the camera's condition by inspection.
 
Is the serial number under the barcode in the 2nd picture?
 
pmcgsmurf said:
Account not used for ages, mentions the dreaded Bank Transfer and "no returns accepted".

Remember that some people who run a business on ebay if they then sell the business sometimes sell the ebay ID too.

Unless you can drive, see the item, test it I wouldn't touch it.

There are a lot of mixed reports on Paypal protection so if you did go this route you would be in their hands which I would not like to be.
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Whenever I sell something on ebay I always sell it as "No returns accepted". I personally use PayPal, but my understanding is the protection it gives is worth very little, it's just convenient.

I recently bought a laptop that was on ebay, but didn't complete the transaction through ebay. It worked out well for everyone, the seller got more than he was expecting due to no ebay fees and I got a discount.

I'd be tempted to have a look at it, but I wouldn't say I wholly trust him :|
 
rssmrry said:
Whenever I sell something on ebay I always sell it as "No returns accepted". I personally use PayPal, but my understanding is the protection it gives is worth very little, it's just convenient.
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Yes, guess it's not that unusual.
I think the Bank Transfer & the other high value items that have just completed would make me highly suspicious.

Only way to go for me is arrange to meet to view the item and taking all the usual precautions when arranging/doing this.
 
rssmrry said:
Whenever I sell something on ebay I always sell it as "No returns accepted". I personally use PayPal, but my understanding is the protection it gives is worth very little, it's just convenient.
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Paypal covers you, as a buyer, for items not as described (if you go about it the right way) and for items not received.

The fact that you state in the listing that you don't accept returns doesn't make it so in the real world though.
 
As the auction is now at £2650, it's all a bit academic!
 
I'll be interested to see what feedback he gets. Hope for the winner's sake he's genuine.
 
The seller hasn't left any feedback yet for the other 2 high value items they have sold.

Let's hope it genuine or at the very least the winner does their homework before paying.
 
Maybe just a slip up, but I did notice that on the iPad 2 they sold a few days ago the listing said:

"I could go on to list all the technical details but I guess if you are seriously considering getting this camera then you probably know enough about it already."

?
 
is it worth asking for the serial number and can it be checked to see if the camera has been stolen?
too many things don't add up as they say
 
Needless to say they didn't accept my offer, they never actually got back to me. It went for £2850.
I wouldn't have risked it after thinking about it carefully. I think it's the old too good to be true think that you have to take account of.
 
I got a message from the seller this morning saying:
"Hi sir, the person who won the camera has shown me signs that they can not pay which means the camera is back on sale. Are you still interested? If yes, please get back to me a.s.a.p. I'm looking for a quick sale as I am travelling next week. Thank you"

I think I was right to stay out of this one! Sounds awfully suspicious to me!
 
EMA747 said:
I got a message from the seller this morning saying:
"Hi sir, the person who won the camera has shown me signs that they can not pay which means the camera is back on sale. Are you still interested? If yes, please get back to me a.s.a.p. I'm looking for a quick sale as I am travelling next week. Thank you"

I think I was right to stay out of this one! Sounds awfully suspicious to me!
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If he's suggesting you complete the sale outside ebay (which I've done before but for a lower value item) you could report him to ebay to protect other (less wise) buyers.
 
That sounds like a huge scam to me - the last message seems to give it away. It would be too early to suggest someone was "showing signs" of not being able to pay. Plus the short deadline before travelling makes me think scam.

Added to which, anyone who uses the title "Sir" at the beginning of an email message is almost certainly scamming you !!:D:D
 
rssmrry said:
If he's suggesting you complete the sale outside ebay (which I've done before but for a lower value item) you could report him to ebay to protect other (less wise) buyers.
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How would I do that? If he is scamming I would like to try and protect others because it's a hell of a lot of money to lose.

Why would they not just sell it to the next highest bidder? :thinking: That's allowed by ebay rules right?


The slightly strange thing is the username is the same one used by a woman on etsy who lives in the same town as the ebay one. Her etsy and myspace pages both mention photography as a hobby. Those sites both give the impression of someone who is very unlikely to be a scammer. It could all be above board or some elaborate scam. Either way I'm not going to risk it myself.
 
EMA747 said:
How would I do that? If he is scamming I would like to try and protect others because it's a hell of a lot of money to lose.

Why would they not just sell it to the next highest bidder? :thinking: That's allowed by ebay rules right?


The slightly strange thing is the username is the same one used by a woman on etsy who lives in the same town as the ebay one. Her etsy and myspace pages both mention photography as a hobby. Those sites both give the impression of someone who is very unlikely to be a scammer. It could all be above board or some elaborate scam. Either way I'm not going to risk it myself.
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http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/rfe-spam-non-ebay-sale.html

I'm pretty sure as a seller there's the option to make a second chance offer (to whom I'm not sure, the logical choice would be the second highest bidder) so I'd have thought that's how a seller should proceed.
 
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