Ebay seller.. iffy??

[sara3]

I've been after a particular Ikea tv stand for a long time, it's about £190 instore. I don't have a store near me so have been looking out on Ebay.

so, some guy is selling 3, new and packaged, £130 each, Buy It Now or Best Offer. I sent him an offer of £100 last night and this is his reply, "£115 is lowest I can go and it would have to be done outside of eBay".

he has 100% positive feedback (130+) and it's virtually all Ikea stuff. I can't imagine how he's come by so much Ikea stuff, and I just can't see why this would have to be done "outside of Ebay".

any thoughts, please?

[MarkRae]

So that he bypasses eBay's fees. This is STRICTLY against the eBay seller agreement. You should complain to eBay about this seller, forwarding the relevant correspondence, and avoid...

[sara3]

it's a bit obvious, isn't it? how can he get away with openly selling it?

and MarkRae.. I want the tv stand :o(

[bravejordy]

It sounds like he's trying to save on eBay's final value fees. Personally, if I were you, I'd insist on doing it through eBay otherwise you won't have buyer protection.

[albaqwerty]

You're having doubts Sara, so follow your gut instinct and avoid. x

[MarkRae]

Sara, you may want the TV stand, but I would suggest that you also want to read up on the law surrounding receiving stolen goods...

[sara3]

I'd rather pay by Paypal. if he's up to something iffy I don't want to give him my credit card details.

he's also offering pick up from 2 places.. it's just a bit odd.

but I do want one!

[sara3]

I don't know that it's stolen. would Ebay allow something like that?

[cathfromsaron]

he works there?? lol!

or its their rejected stock?

[venator]

Would he tell eBay he's selling stolen goods?

There's a lot of fake stuff on eBay - I bought a set of Global knives worth about £200 for a bid of £45, and they were fakes - the "engraving" washed off!

The eBay people know about it, but can't do much.

[cathfromsaron]

you should never be encouraged to buy 'off the site' and should report him, by forwarding emails!

[bravejordy]

Mark, I think it's a bit presumptuous to jump to the conclusion they're stolen goods. Somehow I don't think he'd reach 130+ feedback if he were dealing in such. Besides, only a complete idiot would offer stolen goods on eBay. Yes, I'm sure it does happen but chances are this seller is genuine and his only failing is he wants to save a few bob on eBay (can't say I blame him, the way ebays fees have rapidly increased of late). I was merely advising Sara to exercise caution if thinking about dealing outside of eBay.

[ummmm]

It could also be returns, or cancelled orders.

[sara3]

okay, 1) I won't buy it off-site. but 2) if they're stolen, he's taking a huge risk offering pick-up.

venator, that's a bit crap :o/

ummmm.. he's selling a "lot" of stuff that's still current stock.

[boxtops]

sara, as an eBayer of long standing, it is strictly against the rules to buy "off eBay", particularly if the item is still listed. I have done it a couple of times a few days after an item has finished, if someone has messaged me and asked if the item is still available, can they come and collect it and pay on the spot - that's probably against the rules too, but IMO it's better than the alternative, which is taking the thing to the charity shop.

I'd advise you to do a Buy It Now for £130, then it has to go through EBay and you can pay by PayPal - but check first that he is offering PayPal as a payment option!

He's only got 130 feedbacks so presumably he's fairly new, 130 isn't many - if you click on his feedback number, you can see when he started trading on eBay and look too at other people's feedback - always worth doing if you are not sure.

That's what I'd do!



How much

[boxtops]

^^ I was going to add.... is it pick-up only, or how much is he charging for despatch?

[venator]

sara3 - glad you;re doing the right thing - When i fell for those knives, I reported the seller to eBay and Trading Standards in the area he said he came from. eBay removed him shortly afterwards.

Actually, the knives were probably worth what I paid - they went to Uni with my daughter, when I wouldn't have risked sending the real thing!

[sara3]

morning Boxy.. he's offering free delivery, or pick up from 2 areas. he registered in April this year.

[boxtops]

Perhaps those are places he can easily get to - is he far away from you? (as long as it's not the loading bay of IKEA Croydon, e.g!)

Did you check if he will accept PayPal payment? I wouldn't pay any other way.