Buyer on Gumtree Not Negotiating and Willing to Pay Large Amount for Shipping

agentsho on 21/06/2019 - 09:58
Last edited 21/06/2019 - 10:16 by 1 other user

Hi everyone,

I am selling an item on gumtree and I put it for a bit higher than what I am expecting (as I am open to negotiation). Pretty quickly, someone replied saying that they will purchase it for the price that I put however due to "due to the nature of my work I won't be able to come over to pick it up,Because I'm on Business trip at this moment,Concerning the shipping, I will add $100 for the shipping fees".

So in short, if they pay me by Paypal, am I in any risk? And if so, can you please explain your thoughts and why.

Cheers

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Comments

  • neo on 21/06/2019 - 10:03
    +49

    Typical scam, stay away.

    • agentsho on 21/06/2019 - 10:07
      -8

      Aren't scams the other way round (you pay and lose your money)? What risk if I receive the money?

      • follow on 21/06/2019 - 10:24
        +12

        they will send you a fake PayPal invoice to your email address, even if it's not tied to a PayPal account.

        • steven6 on 21/06/2019 - 10:46
          +12

          Correct, and then they ask you to pay the fake shipping costs via western union. End result is you end up $100 poorer and haven't sold your item

          • jellykingdom on 21/06/2019 - 11:25
            +2

            @steven6: Double correct. It's happened to me about 7x (i've never actually fallen for it though)

  • holdenmg on 21/06/2019 - 10:09
    +7

    Just, Noooooooooooooo.

    • agentsho on 21/06/2019 - 10:12
      -8

      ha, but please explain why…

  • John Kimble on 21/06/2019 - 10:14
    +3

    Yes

    • agentsho on 21/06/2019 - 10:16
      -1

      and why is that?

      • John Kimble on 21/06/2019 - 10:17

        You will lose the money

        • agentsho on 21/06/2019 - 10:18
          +1

          They will open a case on PayPal and request a refund? and they will win it?

          • Quantumcat on 21/06/2019 - 18:13

            @agentsho: They won't ever send you any money, just a fake email looking like it is a PayPal notification. Or, they'll use a stolen credit card which will be charged back with nothing you can do about it.

  • Seraphin7 on 21/06/2019 - 10:22
    +2

    Classic scam.

  • Domingo on 21/06/2019 - 10:23
    +5

    I believe the way this scam works is that:

    • They pay you with a stolen credit card via PayPal
    • Owner of the stolen credit card reports fraudulent transaction
    • Credit card company reverses the payment to PayPal
    • PayPal reverse the payment to you

    So basically:

    • You end up with no item and no money for it
    • Scammer gets the item for nothing
    • Credit card owner eventually gets their money back but has a potentially stressful experience
    • noone on 21/06/2019 - 11:06
      +2

      What I don't get is, if this is the case, why bother with individuals on gumtree? They can go nuts on eBay and get plenty of stuff there and pay with stolen credit card via PayPal?

      Or even general online shopping that accepts PayPal

      • Domingo on 21/06/2019 - 11:30

        A lot of eBay sellers won't sell to a buyer with 0 feedback to avoid stuff like this - no such issues with Gumtree.

        • Illian on 21/06/2019 - 12:27
          +1

          Well that sucks for people getting their first ebay accounts considering we aren't all born with one. Took me 10 years just to get over 150 feedback.

    • jnewau on 21/06/2019 - 11:08
      +3

      No

      The scammer doesnt care what the item is and doesn't want it. They are most likely not even in Australia. THey only want your money.

      They will send a fake PayPal notification for an amount for far more than the item value.

      The follow up email from the scammer will be a request for funds to enable some sort of fake goods release/tax/processing fee from the "courier" they will claim to be using. To the victim, this shouldn't be a problem right? They got extra money out of this sale.

      The scammer wants the victim to send the funds via Western Union - which is non refundable. This is the sting, and where the victim loses out

      • Domingo on 21/06/2019 - 11:29

        There is more than one type of scam going around. The fake PayPal notification is much easier to pick up and protect yourself against than the stolen credit card details scam.

        • jnewau on 21/06/2019 - 11:59

          Absolutely, you're right there and thats a definite scam too.

          But those scams typically don't require the oil rig/offshore worker story and additional funds story because there's no need with a stolen card.

          Essentially the oil rig story is to determine a victim's gullibility to fall for such a thing. If they bite then the scammers knows they have a live one.

  • Jeaso on 21/06/2019 - 10:25
    +1

    Its a typical scam you tend to get, I've had a few as well where they want to pay via Paypal the moment I upload my ad.
    A simple Google would show you that you're not the only one:
    https://www.paypal-community.com/t5/Disputes-and-Limitations…

    Just don't go for it, Gumtree 101; if it's too good to be true, then it usually is.

    • Ozpit on 22/06/2019 - 10:31
      +1

      I always thought Gumtree 101 is: collect/check goods in person; if happy, pay cash.

      And that…

      If it’s too good to be true, it usually is, is: Life 101.

  • foxmulder on 21/06/2019 - 10:35

    Unless you sell furniture that worht $100 I n postage if you sell smartphone or tablet, it's a scam if buyer willing to pay $100.

  • ProBoDoBo on 21/06/2019 - 10:37

    Request a bank transfer simple or use AusPost Cash on delivery service

    • salmon123 on 21/06/2019 - 10:49
      +1

      AusPost Cash on delivery service

      Take a look at how much you're out of pocket, if the buyer doesn't collect the item. Not to mention the waste of time and possibly damage to the item, while its back in transit to you.

      I would never use cash on delivery (AusPost or otherwise).

    • ThithLord on 21/06/2019 - 11:54
      +1

      I'm almost certain OzB asks if you're sure there aren't any duplicates/asked before, before you post … hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

  • carlJack on 21/06/2019 - 10:44
    +7

    Gumtree is always cash and pickup.

  • dcep on 21/06/2019 - 10:46

    use a burner bank account , ask them transfer into it, withdraw cash out and stuck into your pants, then only post item

  • GG57 on 21/06/2019 - 10:57
    +1

    Is the offer too good to be true?

    • agentsho on 21/06/2019 - 11:00
      -1

      Not really, just the price that I put plus $100 for shipping

      • GG57 on 21/06/2019 - 11:02
        +1

        But you inflated the asking price?
        Is $100 for shipping reasonable for the item, or is it also over what is reasonable?

        • agentsho on 21/06/2019 - 11:03

          Inflated by a tiny amount. I say shipping would cost $50

          • GG57 on 21/06/2019 - 11:08
            +5

            @agentsho: That sounds to me like a "too good" offer.
            If it wasn't, why did you raise this post?

            The potential buyer could have negotiated the price down, and then negotiated the shipping down, and you probably would have been happy.

  • Ocker on 21/06/2019 - 11:29

    Use Western Union for the payment, or tell the buyer you are happy to store the goods until they return and that will save them $100

  • Almost Banned on 21/06/2019 - 11:50
    +5

    If you don't recognise this scam you must not be on this site very often.

    • ronnknee on 21/06/2019 - 14:04
      +3

      Member since 2009 as well. Terrible.

  • josetann on 21/06/2019 - 11:54
    +2

    The wording alone, I'd ignore it. Except Gumtree now shows prospective buyers your response rate. Mine was a bit low, so now I have to actually respond with "No scams." Same with all the emails asking for your email, I just respond "This is my email" with nothing else (i.e., I don't include my email in the message); if they just want to email me they can do so using Gumtree's messaging system. Gumtree doesn't monitor response rate to texts, so I'm able to ignore all the ones asking to email them back (good thing too, since most literally can't be replied to anyway).

    If a buyer sounds legit and they want it posted, I'll tell them how much, that I'll hold the item once I get a screenshot of the bank transfer, and will post once the funds have cleared. I give them a bank account that's only used for transactions such as these, then transfer to my "real" account as soon as the funds hit. If anything feels a bit off, I don't proceed.

    So far I haven't been burned, but I've probably lost out on some "possibly legitimate" sales.

  • siawkia on 21/06/2019 - 11:55
    -1

    Just give it a try, you wont have anything to lose. If you don't receive money in your bank account, then no need to ship out, pretty sure you will be able to spot fake receipt.

    But most likely (99.99%) it is a scam, happens just too many times, can google "gumtree scam".

  • JD9151 on 21/06/2019 - 12:06
    +2

    Classic scam, they send you a fake invoice and then ask that you send them money to assist with the courier cost.

  • spiff on 21/06/2019 - 12:53
    +4

    The title of the thread already screams "scam"

  • GoldenDragon888 on 21/06/2019 - 16:26
    +2

    Some people seem so eager to be scammed.

  • altomic on 21/06/2019 - 17:15
    +2

    I work on an oil rig and it is so hard to buy my son (who goes to a leading sydney university) a car as a gift for his graduation.

    I keep offering people more cash than what they are asking but i get nowhere.

  • hasher22 on 21/06/2019 - 19:28

    If someone is in another state offering more money to ship or whatever or stating they want to buy it for someone else, it's a scam.

  • 1bug on 22/06/2019 - 01:58

    Is it a Scam?

    If it's listed on Gumtree and you're not sure if it's a scam, it's a scam.

    If the buyer is out of state/country (eg. stationed overseas, on business trip) and wants the item shipped to them, it's a scam.

    If the buyer offers MORE than the asking price for any reason, it's a scam.

    If the buyer wants to involve an agent or third party for transportation or insurance, it's a scam.

    If the buyer makes an overpayment and then asks you to refund the excess amount, it's a scam.

    If the buyer asks you to immediately remove/close the listing, it's a scam.

    Inspired by this Reddit post

  • mlbrooke on 22/06/2019 - 07:45
    +1

    OP some of your comments would indicate that you are considering or at least defending the ‘buyers’ offer. It is a scam, you have the collective OzBargain audience telling you this, I am a plus one. I have had this approach on every large item I have tried to sell on Gumtree.

    Gumtree has no protection to the seller and there are no reviews or feedback and this is why scammers use it.

    You will lose your money if you pursue this so please do not give them any money :)

  • 13 on 22/06/2019 - 08:39
    -1

    Looks legit but tread carefully

  • digitalbargain on 22/06/2019 - 09:02

    What if I told you I was a nigerian prince.. I'm desperately needing help smuggling wealth out of my country..can you help

  • Never Pay RRP on 22/06/2019 - 17:49

    As others have said, it's definitely a scam.
    But if I were you, I would respond as if you are selling them the item, and string them along. Bear in mind any payment evidence they send you will be fake, so go ahead and continue to sell the item to someone else as usual, but try to waste as much of the scammers time as possible

  • HeWhoKnows on 22/06/2019 - 22:43

    Smells like a scam to me

    Dont forget that PayPal offers BUYER PROTECTION, not seller protection.

    The buyer just needs to make a claim to PayPal and you are stuffed

  • rave75 on 27/06/2019 - 15:05

    "due to the nature of my work", that should ring the scam bell.

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