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Orinoco111 · Apr 25, 2021

Hi all

I was looking to buy a piece on eBay and found what I thought was a good deal. I made an offer which was accepted and seller asked me to pay.

Obviously buying anything on eBay is a risk, let alone a £10k+ watch. So I asked the seller to send me some id and proof of address and that I would do the same. I have done this twice in the recent past with no issues.

The seller refused to send any id so I have backed out of the deal. Seller has taken huge umbrage at this....calling me a time-waster etc.

Do you think I was fair to ask the seller for id in the first place? And is it fair I pulled out of the deal?

thoughts?

gnuyork · Apr 25, 2021

Nope, and if you asked me, I would never provide it.

Orinoco111 · Apr 25, 2021

gnuyork
Nope, and if you asked me, I would never provide it.

Interesting. Like i say, have done it twice recently, both times I was the seller and buyers asked for id which I was happy to provide and on the condition they also provided id. Neither time was this an issue for either party. Am I being naive?

Dan S · Apr 25, 2021

Never heard of a buyer doing something like this on eBay. Time-waster is a fair characterization.

tpatta · Apr 25, 2021

The sellers feedback ratings should be enough for you to decide if you should do business with them. If that isn't enough for you then spending 10K on ebay might not be wise. The info on a drivers license or a passport makes it way too easy to steal one's identity.
I don't know about the UK but in the US your name, address, date of birth and photo are all right there.

Orinoco111 · Apr 25, 2021

tpatta
The sellers feedback ratings should be enough for you to decide if you should do business with them. If that isn't enough for you then spending 10K on ebay might not be wise. The info on a drivers license or a passport makes it way too easy to steal one's identity.
I don't know about the UK but in the US your name, address, date of birth and photo are all right there.

Same info in UK.

Syrte · Apr 25, 2021

I think different people have their idea of what’s fair or not. I think that with the number of scams on Ebay it’s not a bad idea to ask for an exchange of IDs when it’s a big ticket item. There are some countries where identity theft is a big problem though.

Then again from other members reactions it’s clear it’s not customary - and personally I would never buy such an expensive item off Ebay unless it was visible the seller was an established seller whose reputation I already knew.
But to each their own - I know a US based collector who bought a 24K pilot watch from a dealer in Germany and the goddamn thing got shipped and then stuck at customs for a while.
I would never put such high value item in the mail.

STANDY · Apr 25, 2021

$10k on EBay 😲 ....... not me...

Andy K · Apr 25, 2021

We all have different ways of getting comfortable with a buyer or seller before a transaction. I understand that. How ever I think you asking for a ID was more of a red flag than the seller not providing it. And especially asking for ID after you submitted an offer was poor form IMO, so I agree that is time-wasting.

I think the protection on EBay is tilted heavily in the buyer's direction anyway. If this was Craigslist or something, I can see the trepidation but usually asking for a phone conversation first is enough. People are rightly skeptical about sharing their ID.

Orinoco111 · Apr 25, 2021

All fair comments. Sad isn’t it that we have to worry first about getting scammed and then again about having an identity stolen.

Zephyr550 · Apr 25, 2021

You should discuss it with seller before making the offer. If you make an offer then you shall finish the deal.

timoss · Apr 25, 2021

People knock the eBay authenticity guarantee, but this is exactly why some appreciate it and why it is (I think) here to stay, assuming the fear was related to authenticity of the watch...

Dan S · Apr 25, 2021

Andy K
I think the protection on EBay is tilted heavily in the buyer's direction anyway. If this was Craigslist or something, I can see the trepidation but usually asking for a phone conversation first is enough. People are rightly skeptical about sharing their ID.

Exactly. I'd like to know exactly how the OP thought he was going to be scammed if he buys a watch on eBay and follows eBay rules. It's virtually impossible these days. The seller has much more to worry about in any eBay transaction, and that is only exacerbated when the buyer does something suspicious.

NorthLaw · Apr 25, 2021

Zephyr550
You should discuss it with seller before making the offer. If you make an offer then you shall finish the deal.

These are my thoughts exactly. The offer was not contingent upon the production of identification.

Orinoco111 · Apr 25, 2021

Dan S
Exactly. I'd like to know exactly how the OP thought he was going to be scammed if he buys a watch on eBay and follows eBay rules. It's virtually impossible these days. The seller has much more to worry about in any eBay transaction, and that is only exacerbated when the buyer does something suspicious.

Impossible to get scammed on eBay? Really?

Orinoco111 · Apr 25, 2021

NorthLaw
These are my thoughts exactly. The offer was not contingent upon the production of identification.

I don’t quite see it like that. As in business, diligence doesn’t have to be done 100% before making an offer that is accepted....everyone is entitled to do more checks before concluding a deal.

mrbreen · Apr 25, 2021

Andy K
If this was Craigslist or something, I can see the trepidation but usually asking for a phone conversation first is enough. People are rightly skeptical about sharing their ID.

Even on Craigslist, where I have been both a buyer and seller with similar $amounts at stake, if another party asked me to send a picture of my ID, I would ghost them and immediately move on.

Engee · Apr 25, 2021

It seems to me that the eBay scammers are the buyers, I’m a victim of that. Sellers get hardly any protection. That said. I still find it amazing that people would buy anything of such a high value on eBay. I assume sellers use it for advertising rather than in the hope of actually selling, given how risky it is.

Orinoco111 · Apr 25, 2021

Thanks all. Seems I am, at best, naive!

Dan S · Apr 25, 2021

Engee
It seems to me that the eBay scammers are the buyers, I’m a victim of that. Sellers get hardly any protection. That said. I still find it amazing that people would buy anything of such a high value on eBay. I assume sellers use it for advertising rather than in the hope of actually selling, given how risky it is.

FWIW, despite its other faults, the watch authentication program does provide some seller protection. I suspect it will be rolled out internationally at some point.

Sharing id

Orinoco111

gnuyork

Orinoco111

Dan S

tpatta

Orinoco111

Syrte

STANDY

Andy K

Orinoco111

Zephyr550

timoss

Dan S

NorthLaw

Orinoco111

Orinoco111

mrbreen

Engee

Orinoco111

Dan S

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