Just a quick note to ask if anyone knows “Leeman” from this forum or has had any experience dealing with him.

I know there may well be a perfectly reasonably explanation and I don’t mean to jump to any unfair conclusions, but he emailed me in a response to a wanted ad a couple of weeks ago, which resulted in me sending him £250 via paypal for some forks.

Since then however – just over a week – I’ve not heard anything from him or had any response to my emails (which have been very polite – just asking for an update as he said he’d send the forks last Tuesday morning).

I’m still hoping that something’s just happened and the forks are/ or will be on their way. However, my husband wanted me to post a thread just in case he is a bit dodgy and he’s emailing other people and potentially taking their money while I’m just sitting waiting for a reply. So for the reason of trying to protect anyone else from potentially being ripped off, I just thought I’d start this thread to see if anyone knows him personally.

He seemed like a very nice guy over email and as a result I didn’t check him out as I should have, and totally accept it is largely my fault for being naive and not checking his forum contributions beforehand – as looking at them now, seeing that he’s only been on for a week and has only used the classifieds to sell things, I’m more worried than I’d normally be.

I’m hoping this isn’t a costly mistake on my part, but just in case it is, I thought I’d flag it and hopefully save anyone else from potentially being ripped off.

Of course, if anyone knows him and knows if something’s happened or he’s just not too good at replying to emails or sending things on time, then I’d be delighted to hear from you!

Cheers.

I don’t know the fella but he was on last week selling a 2010 Enduro frame for £400. Seemed dirt cheap to me. He said he lived Carlisle way and as I was up in the north lakes at the weekend, I was going to drive up and have a look but ultimately never got time. As you say though, in email correspondence, he seemed right enough…

Ad here

http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/2010-specialized-enduro-expert-frame-large

Edit: hope it works out.

Bregante – yeah, I noticed that when I looked through his posts after not hearing back. Thanks, I hope it works out too.

tell me it wasn’t Paypal gift?

tell us it wasn’t Paypal gift?

FTFY

Ohhhh how I wish it wasn’t! I never ask for paypal gifts anymore and nearly always insist on sending money as goods (even if I have to pay extra), but this time… well, this time I was a moron, and it may well have cost me dear 😥

Hmm 2 week old member flogging stuff? Not looking good is it. Hope you get a result, but i doubt it.

Is there no way the mods can set up a system where new users cant post in the classifieds until they’ve reached a certain amount of posts, say 100. Not foolproof but should ward off random scammers.

It just needs people to use a bit on sense ( sorry MountainMonkey ) Don’t use paypal gift unless really sure of the person and that they have some real life existence, don’t send lots of money to folk with hardly a post.

Has he made any other sales from his ads? someone might have a real address for him

I agree with TJ and BB. Be careful when buying things. But also some sort of system like that would help a lot, and I can’t imagine it would be hard to set up. Unless it would just turn scammers into spammers as well.

http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/profile/leeman

i only buy off regulars. no matter how much i want something.

No offense taken TJ – you’re completely right and I totally agree with you. Was completely my fault for not checking him out first.

The annoying thing is that a) I don’t normally buy off people who haven’t posted in the bike forum and b) I never normally do paypal gift! Why this time? I guess I just got excited about a bargain, but really was very foolish on my part.

I’m thoroughly kicking myself now – my husband is being very supportive and gracious, but it is a bit gutting having a mtb with no forks and no money to buy any! 😥

Ah well, I have to say, up until this point I’ve never had any major problems on the classifieds and most people I’ve dealt with have been great. I guess you live and learn, but this was a very costly mistake… 🙁

What other information do you have on the seller apart from email address?

Nothing. Just email address and vague area of the country where he ‘says’ he’s from. Not great it is.

mountainmonkey – want a cheapo set of forks? email me. dead cheapo.

Thanks TJ – you’re very kind! Will do!

See if Raysmith has a number

have you tried typing his email into google to see if anything turns up?

what is the best way of doing a payment? I’m going to sell something soon so if PP gift isn’t a good idea what is?

Paypal as goods, that way paypal take a cut for using their service and the buyer/seller gets the protection.

depends how how well you know the seller, I’ve bought stuff before and paid by normal PP and paid the fees myself.

If in doubt walk away, which I have done previously. I always try to post next day recorded (for my protection as well as the buyers) I’ll also link to my ebay id as well if a buyer asks more about me.

I have never had a problems with buying on here, hopefully everyone who has bought off me has been happy. It just pays sometimes to do a bit of research before you part with your cash.

B

Any word on the forks yet?

Hi Mountainmonkey, your thread got my attention as a similar thing happened to me not long ago , luckily I paid normal pp and got my money back , what interests me most though is in his spesh enduro ad he says he’s from Cumbria , same area as the t**t that tried to rip me off ( pete Armstrong ) what was his email address he used? Sounds like it could be the same to**er.

Madman40ATinDOT.com

Hi bregante, not the same but a bit of a coincidence he’s from the same area.

I had much the same worries a few weeks back. New poster, selling decent-priced kit.

I explained why I was worried, and got him to do a ‘half now, half later’ arrangement with him.

Fair play to him, he was excellent throughout, and I’d buy from him again.