Scammed on Ebay for $5200

This is long but hopefully it saves someone else from getting scammed.

I went from bagging to my wife (who rolls her eyes at my coin hobby) that i was the smartest guy in the world, to having to admit to that that I am a dummy

I've been saving for a 1995 W silver eagle for a couple years and finally decided to pull the trigger. They've gone up lately, so I started looking at buying the entire 10th anniversary set instead. Most were selling for $6500 to $7400 on ebay, with random sales at $5200. Well, on 6/2 a "buy it now" showed up for $5200. Seller had pefect feedback and over 13000 sales. So I pulled the trigger. Paid immediately, and got a fast response from seller saying he would be shipping insured/signature required within a day or so. He also upload tracking number immediately. I knew it was quite a bargain, but ahead, I found similar sales going back a few months, so it didn't set off any alarms.

Three days later, still no package associated with the tracking number, so I emailed the seller. The next day, he replied with a new tracking number, this time UPS, and sent from Phoenix, AZ (as opposed to LA). He apologized and said he had a family issue and had to leave town for a day but that he had shipped the package. Sure enough, tracking number showed a package en route to my city, so I breathed a little easier.

On the day the package was to arrive, I took the day off work so I would miss the UPS truck. Nothing. I checked that stupid tracking number a 100 times an finally assumed it wasn't coming that day. Around 8pm, I check tracking number again, and it showed "Package delivered, left on porch." at which point I pretty much freaked....as in flashlight on all the neighbors front porch and knocking on every door on my street to see if they had received it. We live on a cul de sac and were outside with the kids at 7pm and there was sure as heck no UPS truck at that time.

To make an already long story short, it appears the scammer hijacked an established ebay account, then actually sent a package so I wouldn't get suspicious (I assume to give the CC time to clear). Paypal to be honest, didn't seem to think a whole lot about it, and simply said if the package wasn't insured or sent signature required, they would refund my money in a week or so.

Looking back, I bought from a highly regarded, established seller....but i never checked his actual sales........it was all paperback books under $10. I also should have killed the transaction after the original tracking number fizzled out, but seeing UPS had sent a package, put me at ease.

re: the package that was sent, I got a hold of UPS and they gave me the ship-to address, and I went out to interview the homeowner. The ship-to name and address matched the name of the housewife who lived there, and she said she receives FedEx/UPS all the time from amazon, ebay, etc. but didn't get any coins or a package that matched the time/tracking number of my package. Very odd.

 

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Sad indeed. I feel for you brother, but i would never buy such a coin from that venue......

 

I just seen another one posted on ebay for $5200 and now is listed as sold, I wonder if its the same person, seems like quite the coincidence.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1995-W-5-Co...54?pt=Coins_US_Individual&hash=item1c33d83eca

You got your money back right?

 

WOW! I really feel your pain. I think if I ever bought something that expensive I would check the seller out ten ways from Sunday and definitely give him a telephone call.

 

This is why I always use cc when using paypal. Too many scammers in life. Also, i usually never buy well into four figures online if I can help it.

 

Shoot Chris, 4 figures? You speakin' 'Greek' to me.........

 

yes. Always use credit card when using paypal. it adds another level of protection. Ebay/paypal is always trying to link my checking account, but I wont make payments through my checking

 

I used my USAA CC......they scared me when it first happened; USAA kept telling me they don't consider this fraud because I authorized the transaction. I did battle with them for quite awhile on their definition of fraud. I called back and spoke to a supervisor and she explained that in their eyes, I did authorize the transaction - to pay pal to fund my account - and paypal then paid the fraudster. USAA did say they would back me up if paypal refused to refund and could not show them proof the package was delivered. As I said though, paypal has been pretty good about it so far.

Tinpot - the one you posted fits the same profile; look at the sellers history, all random lower price items.

 

I'm trying to make sense of this but just can't get my head wrapped around it. Taribor stated shipping was supposed to be from LA but whatever was sent came from Arizona. There is a recent closed auction for $5,200 with stated shipping from Pittsburg. There is also a scam report on the closed auction page with a receiving point of Boulder but this was back in April. Just can't figure this out.

 

Curious as to what would have happened in the same scenario had he used his checking account through paypal? Wouldn't he still be covered under paypal and ebay buyer protection?

 

The Arizona shipping didn't stand out since the seller emailed me upfront as to why. Ebay deleted the posting within two days of me reporting it (it looks like they caught it as well, but unfortunately it was after I paid). I googled "1995 W ebay scam" and found that this is apparently a common scam.

Edit: fyi here is what ebay now shows for the listing:

uscla*** 13218 | 100.0%
Sale date: 06/02/13
Tracking number: 1Z78V45XYW71311664
Delivered: Tue. Jun. 11
13218 | 100.0%






Sale date: 06/02/13
Tracking number: 1Z78V45XYW71311664
Delivered: Tue. Jun. 11This listing was removed by eBay. If you already paid for the item, we recommend that you wait 10 days from the expected delivery date to see if the item arrives. If you did not pay,you are no longer obligated to pay for this item. If you have a problem with the purchase, you can resolve the problem by filing a claim through our resolution center.
[TABLE="class: my_itl-iT"]
[TR="class: my_itl-itR"]
[TD="class: dt-alignLft my_itl-alT"][/TD]
[TD="class: dt-alignLft my_itl-alT"][/TD]
[/TR]
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Paypal told me that if the package was sent uninsured and no signature required, then it is on the seller to show documented proof of delivery, so I get the impression I would have been covered (though sleeping on the couch).

 

yes, its still covered, however when you use a credit card, as a last resort you can protest the charges

 

Ouch. I probably would have fallen into that trap as well. 13,000+ sales and perfect feedback is hard to ignore. =/

 

Check this out. Someone was trying to warn others-

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SCAM-1995-W...55?pt=Coins_US_Individual&hash=item5d3fe906c3

 

I just lowered my limit to $500 for eBay purchases. I had a similar problem with a coin delivery being delivered with a tracking number to my home. But Buyer's Protection did reverse a decision against me and honored my claim. I had a letter of non-delivery from the postmaster at my facility and I would suggest you do the same. They can verify that the package went to another homeowner and not you. Doesn't your payment address on your CC have to agree with your shipping address? If so, I can't see how eBay wouldn't give you a refund if the seller shipped to another location.

 

You can also protest the charges with most checking accounts as well.

 

Yeah, but in the meantime you are out the money. This is why I never use debit cards. I would rather be in the position of not paying a charge which I am disputing, rather than be out the money however long the bank wishes to take investigating my dispute.

Good point though Guy.

OP, I do feel for you man. Situations like that sure do make you feel uneasy buying online.

 

If you actually use it, it can help. Like the original poster said, even with 100% positive feedback you can look for patterns. What do they normally sell? How recently and frequently have they sold? Are their recent feedbacks better (or worse) than older feedbacks? Just looking at the number doesn't tell you the entire story. Noticing that the prior feedbacks were all for books rather than coins likely would have been enough to stop this transaction.