So, I admit, this is a little bit of a venting thread, however I do think this is a case worth discussing.

I have encountered a scenario 3 times in a row that I haven't encountered before at this level. It involves the Tudor Black Bay Heritage I have for sale.

I posted the sale here and later on on eBay. The moment it hit Ebay it got an amazing amount of offers, watchers and views.

So, a gentleman (hlac33 in case you happen to encounter him) enters PM conversations. Asks for pics of this, info on that, hassles a little for the price, all usual and expected stuff. The he finally decides to buy. After purchase he disappears...no payment. Now I reviewed his profile so was not surprised and since I am not shipping before funds I'm ok...then I cancel the sale and post it again...and he comes back!! My father in law dies, I was busy etc etc. So I take it down from the site and ask him to process payment. "thank you thank you thank you!!" and then no payment. I have his phone so we're texting back and forth...."I'm on my way to posting, I am paying tonight...sorry got caught in a meeting about the will"....and then nothing again. So I repost.

This exact scenario has repeated itself 3 times already with this same watch. The last time involving a "My debit card has issues with paypal and am waiting for a new one, but I can pay through Google Wallet". Then the payment goes through "transaction pending" and then it get's canceled and returned....but communication is still ongoing with this guy and he is like "no wait, I have my are card in the post!, I am re-posting today...I contacted Google and they're just doing security checks and will be clear on 24 hours!"

Now, to be clear, no one is asking me for my banking information, nor are they asking me to ship until funds go through (no that I would). So I can only guess:

1- The Scam is to hope I will ship before funds go through and they're just willing to spend the time trying without asking in case I do it
2- Someone else is selling a Tudor and he or she is hijacking my sale to take down competition. Ion other words, forcing my sale off the market by buying, not paying, and then having me have to go back and forth on cancelations before posting again.
3- Tudor Black bay is the favorite watch of irresponsible buyers that have extreme cases of buyers remorse.

Current status is I'll wait the rest of the day to see if this guy process payment but I have no hope for it. I am leaving town for a week so there's not that much harm by waiting. My main issue is that buyers that keep seeing my post on eBay being re-posted over an over again will red flag it as "something has to be wrong with this watch"

What am I missing?

Unrelated but since there is a "pictures or it didn't happen" tradition here, and there is no picture to reflect this thread I am just adding a picture of a Money (MONET!!!!!) painting that I like.

 

Option number 1, for the scammers there is nothing lost by trying as many times as you repost the watch. Or they are trying to steal your photos to create a ghost listing to rope in some other poor guy that will send them a bank wire. Never ending cycle it seems like, and eBay doesn't care at all as long as their fees are paid.

 

Number 1 seems most likely to me. He's been on eBay less than a month and has never bought or sold anything.

 

Bummer, Sergio. I have no experience selling and thus no advice. But if I had $10k lying around I'd buy your Daytona in a heartbeat; I get stars in my eyes every time I see a photo of your watch. I just looked at it again.

 

I'd go with number 1 as well.

Also, it's Monet.

 

If you have no Monet though, you are completely Baroque...

 

option #3. I get flakers all the time. ALL THE TIME. 80% of my buyers who "commit" to buying a watch DO NOT PAY (although very few flakers in the forums)

option #1 & #2 take too much effort to be a viable scam.

When buyers flake on Ebay. Open an unpaid item case so you get your listing fees back. NEVER CANCEL A TRANSACTION because it gives your buyer an opening to leave negative feedback. In what universe should a buyer who has not received a watch yet and refuses to pay be allowed to leave negative feedback?

This has happened to me before. Buyer buys watch, doesn't pay and gets very very abusive and profane. Leaves negative feedback. Unpaid item case opens and resolves itself. Buyer gets unpaid item ding on his account, I get my listing fees back, and negative feedback is automatically removed.

 

+1, sounds like a flaker who just can't pull the trigger.

The scam I've encountered most on ebay is the 'I'm buying for my cousin in <insert far away country here>'".

 

YES...IT IS. Apple autocorrect doesn't know that though.

 

Yeah, any of the options seems viable. The other 2 buyers that didn't pay also have limited feedback, although more than the first one. We'll see what happens.

It is just odd that this happens with the Tudor and has not happened with any other watch I've ever sold. I suppose the Tudor is a nice watch.

 

If you are confident that people want this watch, put it on an open auction starting at 0.99 whatever your local currency is and let the market decide (don't go for a "Wanker's Reserve", most people hate that as it is usually at the top end of where bidding would end up) You can block the time-waster from bidding.

 

The Scam I have seen a couple of times now, is where the buyer engages via PM on Ebay. Tells me to send him a request to pay via Paypal. sends me his Paypal email contact. Then miraculously the buyer tells me to check my SPAM email. Where sits an email from PayPal stating that funds will clear once item is shipped.

Happened to me twice now on the last sales effort.
It does tend to question as to why one would sell on Ebay with all the hassles associated with it. Compelled not to go there again.

You've received a payment – Send now
Dear XXX,

You've received a payment of 700.00 GBP from XXX

Important Note: This PayPal® payment has been deducted from the buyer's account and has been"APPROVED"but will not be credited into your account until the shipment Bar/tracking number is sent to us for verification so as to secure both the buyer and the seller. Below are the necessary information requested before your account will be credited. Send tracking number to us or email us through this mail. Contact the PayPal representative who handled this transaction on +44 703 193 7636 or at [email protected] immediately with the shipment reference number so we can credit your account.
***PLEASE NOTE***
Once item has been shipped and the tracking number sent to us. You will receive a "CONFIRMATION EMAIL" from PayPal® Team informing you that the Funds has been credited.
Buyer

 

Yep. Agreed. Clearly someone sadly falls for the scam. Even 1 in a 100 makes it worthwhile right.

 

1 in 1000 makes it worthwhile. Emails cost nothing to send.

 

Kind of like they guy who will ask 100 women at the club to go home with him, as he's seen a 1% success rate.

 

Ah yes.
Then just when you think you have pulled, she may have been the one that has stollen all your watches?
https://omegaforums.net/threads/stolen.43671/

 

Too true, like swiping right for everyone on Tinder; although like everything else out there an automated option exists:

Sergio definitely got taken by the "buy it now" bot.

 

Yea , this im very familiar with