Thought a 145.022-69 SW was incoming, got burned instead....

wagudc

Thank you for sharing your story @OneTwo. It may save someone else from making the same mistake. I hope that you are able to recover your funds.

BlackTalon

Sad story. Out of curiosity, did you do a Google image search on the FS pics he had posted on FB?

The main flag for me would have been that 'he needed money' yet was readily willing to sell for a lot less than the actual value. That kind of defeats the purpose of selling things to get money. I would think a seller would take the info "you know, it's worth more than you are asking" and immediately research and relist for a higher amount.

Dan S

Scammers often try to find an asking price that seems like a bargain, but isn't too good to be true.

Scarecrow Boat

If I may ask, what was the price?

Jonathan40

It’s great that your sharing your experience but please share the username that the seller was/is using on market place so no one here even begins the journey.

asrnj77

I know you said the credit card company will cover it but until that’s totally resolved I wouldn’t be satisfied. I’ve heard stories in the past of credit companies rejecting claims paid via PayPal friends and family because that’s not a “purchase”. They’ll also want you to file a claim with the payment provider (Venmo, PP, etc) to see if they can recoup the money first. In the end you’re in a good place if the credit card company eats it. So many horror stories of people wiring $17,000 and it’s gone forever.

OneTwo

The ultimate red flag of this whole debacle, was that as soon as the item arrived and my concerns were realized I went right to FB messenger to get back to the listing. Listing deleted, no longer marked sold, and the profile "John Howard" was also deleted with a "There's nothing here" page from FB when trying to get to the profile. I had checked it an hour earlier to verify so I know the deletion of listing a profile closely aligned with the package being delivered. No further proof need that I allowed myself to get taken for a ride. Immediately contacted the CC servicer and P2P servicer to report the issue.

The Father

Seriously, Facebook marketplace?

Aroxx

Sorry to hear about your troubles. I’ll just say I sold a couple of cheaper quartz watches on Facebook Marketplace and it was smooth and easy. Somebody placed the order and paid and I shipped them out. No interaction required. I’ve sold things locally there as well. Some riff raff but overall better than Craigslist.

OneTwo

Thanks, fund recovery is already in the works with the CC servicer.

To your first question, yes and I touch on that in what I wrote. No matching images from the listing came up. Had the seller send me a photo of the watch with my name and date on a piece of paper, had them set the watch to a certain time (no where near what it was in the photos) then send me a photo, even got photos of the item being packed. Granted on this the photos only showed the watch at all items inclueded in the sale, and then the original omega box placed in a sipping box with packing paper around it.

Agreed on the flag of "needing the money", again I knew better to be rushed but with everything taken into account it seemed like it was legit. The story they told was that they went to some local pawn shops and were only offered $1000 for it so they were okay with what they had for an asking price and didn't want the hassle of having to deal with it any longer. In hindsight definitely a red flag to which I should have paid more attention. And maybe a part of me just wanted it to be legit but that's why I shared my story, this all could have been avoided if I followed rule #1: Buy the seller.



Agreed @Dan S. The price was $1900 usd @Scarecrow Boat so not wildly crazy low but definitely a bargain. Even still I should have known better that it was too good to be true.