So apparently embroidery/sewing machine eBay auctions are ripe with fraud/scammers

[Queasy]

My wife has been wanting a sewing/embroidery machine and started looking around for deals and starts browsing around on eBay the last couple of days for one. She starts noticing that there are a lot of auctions where the auction says to contact the seller at a different e-mail address than the one associated with the listing ID.

eBay starts pulling these left and right.

Wife finds one she thinks is legit (doesn't have a different email addy) and contacts the person. They live near us and even gave my wife their zip code. Wife loses that auction but receives a 2nd Chance Offer but it isn't from the same email address of the person she was talking to earlier. This new email address wants our phone number, address, etc but won't give out any information. Obvious scam.

Just weird. Embroidery/Sewing machines can be expensive ($2000+) but who knew the scammers would be all over it like this. Just about every auction my wife has come across has been some kind of scam.

Guess they are just trying to prey on clueless women. Fortunately, my wife isn't one of them.

 

[mrrman]

yup...it takes all kinds

 

[rstrohkirch]

happens all the time on motorcycle auctions as well
bid on a couple and got 3-4 fake emails for every one of them

 

[MichaelD]

Wow...who'd have thought that heartless scammers would be "all over" embroidery machine auctions! :| Bastards are everywhere, unfortunately. It's good that your wife has YOU to look out for her. You're doing your job very well. :thumbsup:

 

[Toonces]

I wonder if more people are scammed through these types of auctions than those of more computer-savvy people (electronics, laptops, etc...)

My step-mom was contacted once about her art she had on ebay: "I'd like to purchase your picture for my son in Lagos, Nigeria....":roll:

 

[Garet Jax]

Makes sense. high value item and a high proportion of female buyers.

 

[Barfo]

pics of the wife?