Tell Me If You Think This Sounds Fishy?

MDSPHOTO

MDSPHOTO

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Saw a cue on fleabay from a private seller who listed the condition as "Barely Used", but had a stock photo of the cue in the listing. I ask the seller if he has any actual images of the cue for sale. Seller does not send pics, but instead sends me a buy now offer at a $25 discount from the list price if I make the purchase within 48-hours. Of course I say, thanks for the offer, but without actual images of the cue I would not be interested.

Next day I get 3 cell phone pics of the cue. Pics are blurry, grainy and can't make out any condition of the cue other than it looks a little more than "Barely Used", but it could just be the crappy pics. I write it off and move on.

Two days later I log back onto the bay and find seller now has the cue listed twice. Once as the original listing and then a new listing with the cell phone pics and the $25 price drop he offered me.

Today I get e-mail from seller that stated "the lowest I can go on the cue is another $75 off" and goes on about "what a great deal it is and how happy I will be to make the purchase."

I respond back thanks, but no thanks, I would only be interested in this cue if I could see it in person and our distance makes that impossible so best of luck with your sale.

Message back from seller- lowest I can go is another $35 bucks off the listing price. Now please note that I never once asked him to reduce his price yet he has offered to reduce the price of the stick by a total of $135!

So I ask you? Does this sound fishy?
 
Hard to say if he's out to rob you, he's probably just an idiot.

Look you can buy anything safely using paypal funded by a credit card. I've bought big cue packages off Craigslist using this way. If you get into a jam you just file a chargeback with your credit card company. They pull the money from Paypal, who in turn pulls it from the seller. If the item is never shipped you are out nothing. If the item arrived screwed up you are out no money and have the cue...then the seller will have a story to tell about the damage, but you'll be in charge. Only twice have I charged back and both times I prevailed and the seller or nondescribed damaged cues was SOL.
 
Sounds fishy or someone desperate to sell. If he is that motivated to sell, better pictures shouldnt be that difficult. But paypal is your friend. Might be worth testing the waters
 
I've had times I needed to raise money and I offered people a deal (on computers I usually deal with) if bought soon, if they were not interested I'd take off a bit more if I could to see if they would take it. Chances are it's just an inexperienced seller as much as a scam.
 
Guy has 425 sales on the bay so I'm pretty sure he knows what he's doing. There are 3 other similar cues going for near retail so his price was already aggressive. After reading some of the stories here about cues not arriving in the "as described" condition I am going to pass on this too good to be true deal.
 
Run as fast as you can in the opposite direction from this seller.........not worth even discussing....RUN FAST!
 
MDSPHOTO said:
Saw a cue on fleabay from a private seller who listed the condition as "Barely Used", but had a stock photo of the cue in the listing. I ask the seller if he has any actual images of the cue for sale. Seller does not send pics, but instead sends me a buy now offer at a $25 discount from the list price if I make the purchase within 48-hours. Of course I say, thanks for the offer, but without actual images of the cue I would not be interested.

Next day I get 3 cell phone pics of the cue. Pics are blurry, grainy and can't make out any condition of the cue other than it looks a little more than "Barely Used", but it could just be the crappy pics. I write it off and move on.

Two days later I log back onto the bay and find seller now has the cue listed twice. Once as the original listing and then a new listing with the cell phone pics and the $25 price drop he offered me.

Today I get e-mail from seller that stated "the lowest I can go on the cue is another $75 off" and goes on about "what a great deal it is and how happy I will be to make the purchase."

I respond back thanks, but no thanks, I would only be interested in this cue if I could see it in person and our distance makes that impossible so best of luck with your sale.

Message back from seller- lowest I can go is another $35 bucks off the listing price. Now please note that I never once asked him to reduce his price yet he has offered to reduce the price of the stick by a total of $135!

So I ask you? Does this sound fishy?
Click to expand...

Where is the seller located?
 
MDSPHOTO said:
Guy has 425 sales on the bay so I'm pretty sure he knows what he's doing. There are 3 other similar cues going for near retail so his price was already aggressive. After reading some of the stories here about cues not arriving in the "as described" condition I am going to pass on this too good to be true deal.
Click to expand...

Definitely smells from fish. Where there is doubt...there's doubt.
 
MDSPHOTO said:
Saw a cue on fleabay from a private seller who listed the condition as "Barely Used", but had a stock photo of the cue in the listing. I ask the seller if he has any actual images of the cue for sale. Seller does not send pics, but instead sends me a buy now offer at a $25 discount from the list price if I make the purchase within 48-hours. Of course I say, thanks for the offer, but without actual images of the cue I would not be interested.

Next day I get 3 cell phone pics of the cue. Pics are blurry, grainy and can't make out any condition of the cue other than it looks a little more than "Barely Used", but it could just be the crappy pics. I write it off and move on.

Two days later I log back onto the bay and find seller now has the cue listed twice. Once as the original listing and then a new listing with the cell phone pics and the $25 price drop he offered me.

Today I get e-mail from seller that stated "the lowest I can go on the cue is another $75 off" and goes on about "what a great deal it is and how happy I will be to make the purchase."

I respond back thanks, but no thanks, I would only be interested in this cue if I could see it in person and our distance makes that impossible so best of luck with your sale.

Message back from seller- lowest I can go is another $35 bucks off the listing price. Now please note that I never once asked him to reduce his price yet he has offered to reduce the price of the stick by a total of $135!

So I ask you? Does this sound fishy?
Click to expand...

There is no shortage of cues that would make you do anything you felt uncomfortable with. Just forget about it.
 
MDSPHOTO said:
Saw a cue on fleabay from a private seller who listed the condition as "Barely Used", but had a stock photo of the cue in the listing. I ask the seller if he has any actual images of the cue for sale. Seller does not send pics, but instead sends me a buy now offer at a $25 discount from the list price if I make the purchase within 48-hours. Of course I say, thanks for the offer, but without actual images of the cue I would not be interested.

Next day I get 3 cell phone pics of the cue. Pics are blurry, grainy and can't make out any condition of the cue other than it looks a little more than "Barely Used", but it could just be the crappy pics. I write it off and move on.

Two days later I log back onto the bay and find seller now has the cue listed twice. Once as the original listing and then a new listing with the cell phone pics and the $25 price drop he offered me.

Today I get e-mail from seller that stated "the lowest I can go on the cue is another $75 off" and goes on about "what a great deal it is and how happy I will be to make the purchase."

I respond back thanks, but no thanks, I would only be interested in this cue if I could see it in person and our distance makes that impossible so best of luck with your sale.

Message back from seller- lowest I can go is another $35 bucks off the listing price. Now please note that I never once asked him to reduce his price yet he has offered to reduce the price of the stick by a total of $135!

So I ask you? Does this sound fishy?
Click to expand...


Yes, of course it's a scam.......lol
 
There was an early Rock n' Roll hit by Del Shannon...........really popular song.......it tells you exactly what to do with this seller..........

I'm a walkin' in the rain
Tears are fallin' and I feel a pain
A wishin' you were here by me
To end this misery....

And I wonder, I wa wa wa wa wonder
Why a why why why why why
She ran away
And I wonder where she will stay
My little runaway
My run run run run runaway
 
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MDSPHOTO said:
Saw a cue on fleabay from a private seller who listed the condition as "Barely Used", but had a stock photo of the cue in the listing. I ask the seller if he has any actual images of the cue for sale. Seller does not send pics, but instead sends me a buy now offer at a $25 discount from the list price if I make the purchase within 48-hours. Of course I say, thanks for the offer, but without actual images of the cue I would not be interested.

Next day I get 3 cell phone pics of the cue. Pics are blurry, grainy and can't make out any condition of the cue other than it looks a little more than "Barely Used", but it could just be the crappy pics. I write it off and move on.

Two days later I log back onto the bay and find seller now has the cue listed twice. Once as the original listing and then a new listing with the cell phone pics and the $25 price drop he offered me.

Today I get e-mail from seller that stated "the lowest I can go on the cue is another $75 off" and goes on about "what a great deal it is and how happy I will be to make the purchase."

I respond back thanks, but no thanks, I would only be interested in this cue if I could see it in person and our distance makes that impossible so best of luck with your sale.

Message back from seller- lowest I can go is another $35 bucks off the listing price. Now please note that I never once asked him to reduce his price yet he has offered to reduce the price of the stick by a total of $135!

So I ask you? Does this sound fishy?
Click to expand...


:banghead:


Why don't you just give the item number or at least the seller's name?

No...doesn't sound fishy. Ebay and Paypal will usually always protect the buyer.

If you use your credit card to pay through Palpay, then you are protected twice.


And maybe, the cue wasn't used at all but the seller needs to advertise as used

because he doesn't want to violate a MAP price.


:shocked: Just stay away from bestbathtubfinish on Ebay. The seller should be in prison.




.
 
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scam

Walk away good buddy. We posted a slide in camper on Craig's List yesterday. A guy from Vegas called me today and said his company can sell it faster and for more money, what a deal. I told him I am in Alaska and if he shows up with 9,500.00 cash in the next hour he can have it, other wise loose my number. Geeze, are people that stupid?
 
I don't think its a traditional 'scam' as most people think - it's probably just a garage sale flipper that found a cue somewhere, saw the retail on it and tried to charge too much for it. He's just trying to sell it as quickly as possible. On the flip side of that...the cue is probably nowhere near 'perfect' - just like if I described a classic car for sale as perfect, and a car guy came and crucified the condition - everyone looks for different things.
Either way...you probably won't be happy with the cue unless you get it at a bargain basement price.
 
MDSPHOTO said:
Next day I get 3 cell phone pics of the cue. Pics are blurry, grainy and can't make out any condition of the cue other than it looks a little more than "Barely Used"
Click to expand...

Judging from the frequency of those sort of pictures even here, I'd be at least initially inclined to attribute them to their camera skills.

It's particularly frustrating when you ask for a closeup, and the seller takes a picture that's indeed closer...but closer to the cue than their camera's minimum focus distance and you end up with a picture worse than the original.
 
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