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Bricklink scam?

SprinkleOtterSprinkleOtter Member Posts: 2,724
edited September 2016 in Buying & Selling Topics
I just bought a high value item on Bricklink. It is ~$150, from a seller with 3 buyer feedback, from last month and earlier this year. They have this item and one Ultra Agents minifigure for sale from their store. They say that shipping on this set will be $5, which is the main reason I am suspicious.

I know new sellers sometimes price things a bit below market value- this set isn't a spectacular deal, but now with all this, I feel a bit on edge. What are the chances that this is a scam?

Comments

  • DadsAFOLDadsAFOL USAMember Posts: 612
    Before you pay, ask the seller to send you a photo with your user name written on a piece of paper in the frame with the set you are buying.
    SprinkleOtterhewmankiki180703bobabricksDontcopythatfloppySumoLegoJackad7IceCreamClone
  • ryjayryjay Member Posts: 979
    I'm confused on what you are concerned about, what is the "but now with all this" part?...is it $5 shipping, or the set is valued much higher then $150, but they are only charging $150?  To me, nothing you said raises a red flag.
    sid3windr
  • SprinkleOtterSprinkleOtter Member Posts: 2,724
    ryjay said:
    I'm confused on what you are concerned about, what is the "but now with all this" part?...is it $5 shipping, or the set is valued much higher then $150, but they are only charging $150?  To me, nothing you said raises a red flag.
    It is a high value item, listed about 30% below market. And it will cost much more than $5 to ship.
    kiki180703
  • ryjayryjay Member Posts: 979
    edited September 2016
    Ok.   I'd still be ok with it, but my expectation of great/perfect set just fell a bit.  
     
    For a reference point I usually charge $5 to ship most sets, and I give the customer a custom outer box, too.  Although I'm never the cheapest on the block either, & I take pride in being on the higher end so s/h cost are covered
  • RedbullgivesuwindRedbullgivesuwind Brickset's Secret HeadquatersMember Posts: 1,723
    Or you could give the new seller two weeks to send out the item. And if they don't ship it just claim your money back through PayPal or whatever. It might be someone who just wants the sets gone. Or someone who is trying it out. The costs are hardly worrying. Now if it was 50% off and free postage I would be concerned.
  • joel4motionjoel4motion United KingdomMember Posts: 959
    As its a new seller with low feedback id only take a risk buying if the price was great, I'd go with someone with decent feedback unless the price was 20% less. As a new seller, he simply might not know shipping costs and took a guess. With paypal protection it's always work a punt.
  • ecmo47ecmo47 North CarolinaMember Posts: 2,085
    DadsAFOL is the best suggestions. If they send the requested photo, then you should be good to go. Also if you pay via Paypal, you will get your money back if it turns out to be a scam. 

    I recently ordered a batch of parts from a new seller that appeared to be parting out 
    a CC. After a few promises to send my stuff and no shipping info, I filed a claim with Paypal and got my money back. It took about a month but I didnt have a prove much with Paypal. 

    http://www.bricklink.com/feedback.asp?u=travcole


    CCCkiki180703SprinkleOtterbobabricksDontcopythatfloppyIceCreamClone
  • luckyrussluckyruss UKMember Posts: 871
    ^ that seems like quite a common scam, a new store parts out several "rare" sets, looking like they have good inventory, prices are competitive but not always noticeably cheap, and then nothing turns up - it's always worth checking if they have most of the GG, CC and MF parts to try to catch them out.
    SprinkleOtterkiki180703stlux
  • ecmo47ecmo47 North CarolinaMember Posts: 2,085
    When scams happen, I always wonder if Paypal actually recovered the money or if they are taking it in the shorts.
  • AstrobricksAstrobricks Minnesota, USMember Posts: 2,238
    edited February 2017
    What about BrickLink sellers who seem to keep listing a high value item, like the SSD for a very reasonable price frequently, but don't have many sales and no feedback? I am signed up to get notifications when someone adds an SSD to their store, and I keep seeing a couple sellers that seem to do this. Sometimes I get two notifications for the same seller on the same day. Are they running a scam, or purposely reposting an item to generate notification emails, or what? It just seems fishy to me.
  • CCCCCC UKMember Posts: 17,416
    ^ Highly likely to be a scam.
    SumoLego
  • AstrobricksAstrobricks Minnesota, USMember Posts: 2,238
    ^^ So I routinely report these scam sellers nowadays, and the MO is so obvious that I can't believe Bricklink doesn't do something about it. It's gotten really bad again this week and I feel like I'm just wasting my time since BL doesn't seem to care.
  • DawnDawn GoldMember Posts: 247
    Yesterday or the day before, a serial scammer (same pattern, creating one or two account every day and selling $400 #10179, etc) even posted on the BL forum bragging about it...
  • SprinkleOtterSprinkleOtter Member Posts: 2,724
    In conclusion to my initial post, the set came just fine. They even threw in a whole new version of one of the figs, because it came missing the hair.
    sid3windrJackad7sklambricecakeMegtheCatIceCreamClone
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