Layout:
Home > Craigslist Shenanigans

Craigslist Shenanigans

February 16th, 2014 at 03:22 am

So in preparation for my move to NE, I have been searching all avenues for a possible job. One avenue I've been pursuing is creating some income from eBay. I have already started a little bit towards that end by purchasing some merchandise from a liquidator (need to get it listed still!) Another avenue that I was interested in was found in an ad in the local area's Craigslist.

A man claimed to be a crew leader for a moving company and that he was looking for someone with a 100% feedback rating of at least 29 or more to work with him. He would provide photos of items that people left behind and descriptions. You would then post them on your eBay account, pay the eBay and PayPal fees, take an 11% cut, and send the remainder to him.

In the ad he mentions that he nets 10k a month selling stuff on Amazon, and the reason he's looking for someone is that the woman he'd worked with previously got a new job and didn't have time.

--
This interested me at first. I had NE look it over to see if he thought it was legit, and he thought maybe it was. So, I sent the guy an email today. I told him I was interested, and I told him my ebay username so he could verify that I fit his qualifications. But then I told him that I needed him to give me some information as well, so that I could feel comfortable dealing with him and putting my ebay account at risk. I asked him for his Amazon username/company name, the name of his moving company, and the ebay username of the woman he'd previously worked with.

I really didn't think I was asking for too much. He sure did! He basically responded with a reprimand telling me that he has dozens of people lined up willing to make the sacrifices for the income. And that he couldn't believe I'd ask these kinds of questions of a potential employer.

I responded and told him that maybe I hadn't phrased my questions in the best way, but that trust is an earned commodity. And that I don't care to risk my ebay rep carelessly.

Anyway, we went back and forth a couple times. He kept going back to all the people who had no choice but to trust him and who were willing to make the sacrifices necessary.

I told him good luck with that. Smile

--
The more I thought about the whole thing, especially considering how defensive he got and how un forthcoming - I figured out what probably his game is.

He gets the person to list the item using their account. The item sells, the fees are charged to that persons account, the person takes their 11% cut, and sends the remainder off to the guy. Only there never was really any item. So the buyer files a complaint that they never received their item, and the person who listed the item is now responsible for refunding the purchase price. Out of their own pocket - because of course at this point MovingTruck guy is long gone.

I think I dodged a bullet here by asking questions. It would be nice to find a situation like this that was for real though. Smile

--
Almost forgot! I was wondering if anyone has heard of the Klondike:Gold Rush mini-series running on Discovery channel. I saw it advertised on Swagbucks a couple days ago, and found a similar program on Hulu (free) but was wondering if anyone knows where I could see these episodes? (legally of course!)

12 Responses to “Craigslist Shenanigans”

  1. creditcardfree Says:
    1392521288

    Yep, that sounds like a bullet dodged! I think you have his game nailed, too. I would only sell for someone if I had possession of the item and full control of the listing. Good luck finding your side gigs!

  2. FrugalTexan75 Says:
    1392521595

    Yep, I knew it sounded too good to be true. Not having to deal with the shipping or doing the research on the item, etc. It just took me awhile to figure out WHY it was too good to be true.

    Thanks! Smile

  3. wisewoman Says:
    1392522671

    No kidding. Kudos to you for due diligence. There are so many scams out there. A big warning flag when someone is defensive providing basic information.

  4. scfr Says:
    1392524577

    Scary - Why wouldn't he just sell the items himself?

  5. FrugalTexan75 Says:
    1392527052

    Wisewoman - exactly! The fact of him not wanting to provide the most basic info raised major red flags.

    Scfr - He said he didn't want to bother with getting an ebay account himself and building up enough feedback.

  6. scfr Says:
    1392555425

    His reason for not wanting to sell on eBay himself is so very fishy ... glad you dodged that bullet!

  7. ThriftoRama Says:
    1392564298

    You should flag that guy on Craigslist. You don't want anyone else to fall for that.

  8. bluesfemme Says:
    1392572328

    Good on you for scam-spotting!

    It could also be a variation of the money mule scam - externally it looks like a genuine exchange of money in a transaction but how do you know the items even exist? The point could be just to get money channelled through someone who is otherwise uninvolved, through their e-bay linked account.
    www.banksafeonline.org.uk/common-scams/money-mules/money-mules-explained

  9. FrugalTexan75 Says:
    1392576506

    Thrift - Yep, both NE and I flagged it.

    blue - That actually was another scenario I'd pictured

    Scfr - me too!

  10. Looking Forward Says:
    1392584422

    As I was reading I was thinking - SCAM! SCAM! - I've got to comment "Don't do it!"
    Glad you didn't! Smile
    We watched Klondike on TV.. it was pretty good (could've been better, slow spots, loose ends..). The locations were breathtaking and Richard Madden is nice to look at. Don't know where you could see the episodes though, sorry.


  11. Joan.of.the.Arch Says:
    1392604077

    Your scammer story is really interesting. Isn't it weird how some scammers turn around and abuse the person who they thought they could take advantage of? I've run into that, too.

  12. FrugalTexan75 Says:
    1392608389

    Thanks LF - will just have to wait til it comes on dvd or something.

    Joan - Yep, very weird. I think I made the guy ticked off at me because I wasn't being intimidated. I'm honestly surprised he wrote me back more than twice. Smile

Leave a Reply

(Note: If you were logged in, we could automatically fill in these fields for you.)
*
Will not be published.
   

* Please spell out the number 4.  [ Why? ]

vB Code: You can use these tags: [b] [i] [u] [url] [email]