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Just Us Bears Jan 3, 2006

I was interested to find the email below in my inbox this morning. It was on an official "Question from ebay member" layout...only difference was that their id wasn't in the from line like it usually is...it just said member@ebay.com...which is different to normal. I have sent it to spoof@ebay.com

Hello,

I recently placed a bid on item #5590717206 being a wheelchair for me that i really need do to my age (78 years old) and it seems that i can not find the auction anymore...May i please know if you are the seller of the item above?

Regards,
Gretta.

I haven't listed anything on ebay for ages.
I clicked on "Respond Now" to tell this person that no, it wasn't me.....but the ebay page it took me to had smaller text than usual and just made me a little suspicious. So I pasted her user id into the search box and there is no such member.
So what does a person like this hope to achieve? I have no idea about the marvellously tricky stuff some hackers can do...maybe they just needed confirmation that they had picked a valid email address or maybe they were trying to steal my ebay id. Who knows...but I'm having none of it, so I just thought it may be well to warn others to check id's before replying if someone asks you an irrelevant question. It always pays to be suspicious!

Incidently, my last ebay dealing was when my 14 year old son won a Playstation game right before Christmas. We thought it was taking a while to arrive due to the stack up of postal items over Christmas. Nope. We received an email from another ebay member that we are one of 300 people and counting that has been duped by this person, who is no longer a registered user. If I had paid by CC or Paypal, I probably could have got my money back, but I paid by direct deposit (which I will NOT DO AGAIN for this reason!) so my money is gone. I have joined the other group of people who were 'had' by this same seller but by doing this and filing an "Item not received' dispute with ebay...if the money is recouped...ebay gets to retain $25.00 of my $60.00 as a handling fee! So forgive me for thinking this is unfair....but ebay actually makes even more profit from someone who is frauded!  :twisted:
So not only did they earn the original lising fees from the fraudster...but $25.00 for chasing him up as well. So why would ebay care about deterring fraudsters when they make a killing from the followup???  I also followed the links to obtain this fraudsters info.....which also means my details are sent to him. Wherever the space was for his info....there are 00000000000.....whereas in my info...he has access to my phone number, email address and postal address. So how does someone sign up without even having to give accurate contact info? There is no protection there! I'll tell you now, I've had it with ebay! :twisted:  :twisted:  :twisted:

Incidently...there is a new auction site on the net, based in Australia and in direct opposition to ebay. It's called Oztion.com.au and I think they are worth a try...especially for Aussies. There is no listing fees, only final value fees.  The highest is 3% you would pay depending on the total value.   A friend emailed them last night and suggested that they need a category called artist bears and bearmaking supplies under the doll/bear category.  It was done that instant so we're very impressed.

Ebay will continue on the way it is until it feels a threat from competition...but that won't happen unless the competition gets our support.

Of the have a strong coffee and calm down. GRRRRRR!!!!!! :twisted:  :twisted:

SueAnn Help Advisor, Banner SponsorJan 3, 2006

Oh gosh, Hayley . . . I'm sooooo sorry!           If it's not one thing, it's another with ebay.  They've just really become too big for their britches and it doesn't seem like they protect the legitimate buyers/sellers well enough.  I hope something comes out in your favor from this incident.  :hug:   :hug:

Daphne Jan 3, 2006

I don't know what to say about the latest email you got, Hayley, Sorry!

I checked out Oztion..... looks like a great Ozzie alternative to eBay though I see no international listings. No artist bears either.    I wish someone would have the money and resources to come up with an alternative to eBay for us here in the states. eBay needs to have a bit of competition but all that takes to be even half as big as eBay.... I can't imagine too many being able to do it.

Judi Jan 3, 2006

UGH, Hayley how frustrating for you and such a headache too!  It is very discouraging to hear things like this.  I hope you find satisfaction somewhere from this mess.  Thank you for sharing it with us.  I think we all need to be aware.

So sorry! :hug:  :hug:  :hug:  :hug:

Judi Jan 3, 2006

...ps...I hope the fraudster gets CC (if you rememeber what this stands for) !!!!

bearlyart Jan 3, 2006

I was really hoping Overstock.com would give eBay a run for its money when it first launched its auction services.  Unfortunately, their site was badly designed and riddled with problems, which drove all of the hopeful people that tried it away again.  If they'd just done their homework ahead of time, who knows what would have been the case!  How frustrating.  EBay is essentially a monopoly and REALLY needs some solid competition.

Cheers,
Kelly

kbonsall Jan 3, 2006

...ps...I hope the fraudster gets CC (if you rememeber what this stands for) !!!!

LMAO I know what it stands for! HA!

arent hermie crabs scary lookin?

Hayley, I am soo sorry that happened to you....  :hug:   It is a shame

Laura Lynn Banner SponsorJan 3, 2006

Oh Hayley, I am so sorry to hear about what happened with the Playstation :(

And I got the same "wheelchair" email as you did.  I knew is was fake because I have multiple email addresses that I use... but I do NOT use this particular email address for eBay.

Also, just as a tip for future use.... when I just hold the mouse over the Respond Now link (without clicking) and look at the bottom of the screen... the web address that shows up (which is where you will go IF you click the button) is NOT an ebay website.

Sandi.S. Jan 3, 2006

So sorry to hear about your trouble with the game and ebay.

I haven't got the exact email before, but one similar. I got an email from someone asking how much shipping was...uh, hello, plainly stated in the listing...so I was wary. Then I realized it was for an item I was NOT selling. So I did what Laura did and hovered over the link. Sure enough, it was NOT an ebay link. I get spoof on a regular basis so I am pretty aware of what is legit and what is not.

Hee hee...okay, five minutes later and I just got Judi's joke! 

Just Us Bears Jan 3, 2006

Okay so I'm blonde   (but then again..so is Judi...hmmm)  and I obviously should know what CC is...but I don't WAHHHHH!!!  Somebody tell me! Kimmy's clue helped...but that only takes care of one C. Oh well, at least you took my mind of my woes. :hug:  And I hope he gets CCCCCCCCCCCC's!!!!!    
Thankyou all for the empathy....and I say empathy rather than sympathy because I think most of us who have dealt with ebay have been stung in some way or other. :twisted:
You are right of course Daph, in that this smaller auction place is no match for ebay...but wouldn't it be great if ebay really did get it's comeuppance! Surely ebay started off small and grew though?
I didn't expect there to be any bears available in Oztion yet....they only added that section yesterday. Hopefully they will add an internationa; section too.
I would love to be the first to list a bear on the site, but alas, I have no bears for sale yet (except for my Christmas "Alf") which did not sell at the shop before Christmas.    He may need to be reincarnated as something else.
LL...thanks for the tip about hovering the mouse...will do that next time.