Weird *Super Cheap*

[steoll]

During eBay searches I've come across some impossibly cheap items (smartphones). First time I tried to buy one, then shortly after, before paying, ebay had removed the listing saying it was from a compromised account or something. Later I've been seeing more and more of this. I'm wondering what is the point? What could those responsible have to gain?

[steoll]

Guess I should add that I'm talking about flagship phones that cost $500+ priced around $30. Not generally cheap phones or china copies or anything.

[missjen831 · Accepted solution]

Those are obvious scams and the scammers prey on the foolish and the greedy. The too good to be true price lures in the greedy who let greed cloud their judgement & who hope to take advantage of a huge pricing error, as well as the foolish who really think these kind of crazy deals exist here and that a legit person really has large quantities available. In a lot of cases, the scammer comes away with nothing, it's been said that some wait just long enough to confirm their PayPal accounts & then take the money and run. A lot of the time the buyers payment will be pending because the seller hasn't confirmed their account. For the payments that aren't pending, the scammer probably takes the money and runs unless he's subject to PayPals 21 day hold but even then they probably still get money out of it if the buyers don't file a case before then or the scam isn't caught.

[hafoster]

The seller is counting on the majority of the 100 buyers --

not opening a case at all, or opening the wrong type of case --

when some hair arrives with a tracking number.

[annadryl]

Yes ebay got wind of the hacked account and froze it or shut it down. Maybe the bots picked up something fishy, maybe it was reported. It's almost always iphones, samsungs and macbooks cuz that what's popular.

Your Mom told ya, if it looks to good to be true, it is. Stuff doesn't magically become super cheap just because it's online.

At least you don't have to wait for the refund 

[steoll]

What was the point of your post? It didn't add anything, or answer my question, except for making me feel awkward at the implications you bring.

[vossw103]

Been noticing a lot of scams lately with vintage musical equipment. One user's account got hacked and almost two dozen phony listings put up. In future:

1) Insist on some sort of account confirmations from a potentially scumbag "seller" upfront. Get as much information as you can, including a viable address — mostly so you can trace them and report them to their local police if the too-good-to-be-true deal goes South.

2) NEVER pay with cash on Paypal; ALWAYS USE YOUR CREDIT CARD, particularly if it offers 100 percent buyer protection. I had a case where a phony seller in France, Souad Laraviere, tried to scam me via Paypal, saying she couldn't access the money in her account for 30 days, blah blah. I used my CC via Paypal, and CC issued me a credit. PP indicated the CC issued a chargeback. Let them sort it out if the deal goes bad.