If you call the shop, point out that you’d prefer not to go to the police if they can help you solve the problem?

Makes you question is this person doing the same with PS3’s Xbox’s etc… buying broken ones for pittence then pulling a switch scam.

It’s pretty clever… but also damn annoying.

I’d involve the police myself as you don’t know how much else of this has been reported.

Any update on this?

*strokes pitchfork*

Awaiting his reply to my questions. Will update when/if I get an answer.

EDIT: just checked my ebay account and the message has been bounced back, so I have no way of contacting the buyer/returner.

I’ve also checked the bike shop’s website and they specialise in second-hand/refurbed bike parts. This is getting very fishy now.

Time to contact the shop, linking to this thread methinks?

do they have the same fork for sale on the site?

find the shop and smash it up. cheeky ba****ds

Name and shame.

Mate had this with a Pug 206 ABS unit . Sold it on Ebay to someone needing one for £60 odd . Marked it very carefully to ensure that the swap scam didnt happen , and lo and behold a week later email saying dodgy part / not working etc and got the pump returned.
Different pump as no little mark in the secret place. Ebay / Paypal not interested .

Problem for the scammer is my mate has his address and knows he drives a 206. Revenge will be dealt in spades at some point in the future and will cost the scammer way more then £60.

Ebay / Paypal not interested .

That is the shit thing. Even if you take measures to protect yourself, chances are eBay/Paypal won’t give a toss.

I don’t sell anything over £10-20 via eBay, unless it’s a item to be collected and paid for via cash on collection anymore.

Milky, can you let us have the eBay username so that we can cancel a sale if he wins. Feel v.angry for you. What a sh1t!! Hope you can find a solution soon. I’m sure there are more than enough people on here that can help, whereabouts in the country is the shop?

Hmm, my money was on it being Dave Hinde right up until you said they sell refurbed / second hand gear. Would have resulted in some epic STW pitchforkery had it been Mr Hinde. 😆

I won’t name any user/shop until I’ve had a reply from the shop.

It could be a rogue employee doing stuff without the owner knowing and the seller ID could be a shop one used by multiple people. It does have a large amount of activity on it! It would be wrong to tar someone’s name without giving them the right of reply at least.

I’ve linked to this thread and one I have running elsewhere so they should read this. I would like to just get this resolved but if I cannot it is only right to inform people of my experience.

I have been in the reverse situation a couple of times where I have bought items sold as new and on receipt found them to be clearly used and even faulty.

And have won my dispute each time luckily as I always notified seller straight away with pics.
Each time it was the seller trying it on but I don’t see how eBay could have known for sure either way, so I am guessing your are more protected as a buyer than you are a seller.

I would like to know the sellers name also so as to avoid, the shop too.

Chip.

The problem with evilBay is that it sides with the buyer at the drop of a hat, no questions asked. Sellers are treated with utter contempt due to the few scammers that have tarred everyone with the same brush. I only ever buy on there now. Selling is too much hassle.

I am guessing your are more protected as a buyer than you are a seller.

You could say that…

http://www.theguardian.com/money/2013/dec/09/seller-beware-listing-ebay

Definitely sounds like a scam – go with your gut on this one – I’d be mad as hell- I’d talk to the Gaffa at the bike shop and tell him you want/need a resolution asap – otherwise you’ll be turning up at the shop with the forks – and if he tries to say its nothing to do with him tell him it is pertaining to the use the shop’s account being involved in the transaction – better yet find out when the scammer in question is working – f#@k the softly softly approach..

“I am guessing your are more protected as a buyer than you are a seller”

This sums ebay up these days.

I had a scammer after a bike I had listed a few years ago.

The Ebay user id was part of the name of a BBC country file presenter, the buyer bid on my bike then contacted me to make arrangements to meet up and collect once the aution ended. At first all seemed ok but then a freind of the presenter got involved as “she was not very good at buying things on ebay”? I was asking if I would meet the presenter freind with the bike, at this point he would transfet the over to me via PayPal.
After a number of emails back and too, the buyer retracked the bids made. Once the bid had retracked I found out that the bidder had a max bid higher than the bike coykdhave been purchased new!

The bone of the scam is you meet up with buyer and you get the cash in your acount “great”. But a few days later a dispute is raised for non shipment of goods. As paypal/ebay favour the buyer you have lost you bike/goods and they then issue the buyer a refund which they then chase you for.

The bone of the scam is you meet up with buyer and you get the cash in your acount “great”. But a few days later a dispute is raised for non shipment of goods. As paypal/ebay favour the buyer you have lost you bike/goods and they then issue the buyer a refund which they then chase you for.

Like most dealings before eBay maybe best to get a signature on collection

ebay don’t count the signature unless it has gone through a third party courier. Even then it needs to be one they “recognise” rather than a man with a van delivery service.

Personally, I’ve asked to take a picture of the buyer holding/stood next to their new purchase. No-one has ever been funny about it. However if they scammed me, I’d be posting their mug all over the place.

However if they scammed me, I’d be posting their mug all over the place.

No, you always start with the fingers, 😀

Never, ever PayPal on collection. That’s the oldest one in the book. Cash on collection only.

I’ve done a car a long time ago. The guy paid a deposit via PayPal to secure it. Turned up with the full amount in cash, I then refund the PayPal.

I have been in contact with both the shop who handled the postage back and the person who bought the forks.

I doubt anything untoward has gone on from their side whatsoever. Both have been quick to get in contact, the purchaser has chatted to me over the phone about what state the forks were in upon him receiving them and I can only put it down to them being damaged in transit. Unfortunately the purchaser didn’t spot anything untoward with the packaging when he received them so I am no wiser as to what has happened to them.

Ebay on the other hand can go swivel. They were no help whatsoever, sticking to classifieds and local sales from now on!! Far less hassle (and fees!!)

All I’ve got to do now is decide what to do with them 😐

An odd incident. :/

Surely if all the oil had leaked out in transit there would have been fluid everywhere when they opened them up?

Clearly Royal Mail nicked the fork oil and sold it at auction… Doesn’t really add up from what you’ve told us.

Before and after pics…

Pics would be pointless.

All I know is that the forks had fresh oil and worked when I sent them. By the time they reached their destination they no longer worked. I received them back and there was no oil in them and had a few extra marks. Those are the facts. The company checks out as legit (no reports of bad practice, dodgy sales etc) and the buyer has been forthcoming in talking about the problem.

Sometimes bad luck strikes, I’ll leave it at that.

Unless you used ipa or meths in your forks instead of oil, you’re being taken for a mug.

I’ll give you a tenner for them and won’t complain…

Something doesn’t sound right here. OP was sure his internals had been swapped now after chatting with buyer accepts it as damaged in transit.

Losing all the oil and having extra marks does not sound like damage whilst in transit.

Wonder if some deal has been agreed and both parties want to go quietly.

Even though there has been no public outcome to this it will certainly make me more vigilant on fleabay.

I can only put it down to them being damaged in transit. Unfortunately the purchaser didn’t spot anything untoward with the packaging when he received them so I am no wiser as to what has happened to them.

No offence but how does the box remain undamaged and the internal fork workings are broken

Its does not add up at all and that ignores the tool marks

I do hope its a secret deal that has been done or you have been done

seriously……. Thats total BS

You have been scammed! Time to **** shit up!

No offence but how does the box remain undamaged and the internal fork workings are broken

Schrödinger’s Forks.

No secret deal, the forks are still sat here broken.

It all comes down to this: I cannot prove that the forks have been tampered with whilst out of my possession, despite me knowing the marks were not there before and the forks were in working order. The other parties concerned have been forthcoming in making contact with me and have been willing to talk about the situation. It definitely seemed dodgy in the beginning but there is nothing more I can do without solid proof, which I do not have.

Innocent until proven guilty applies and I can find no reports of the company or person being dodgy whatsoever (unlike lots of other companies). It would be totally wrong to name and shame an innocent party. I am upset about the situation but there is nothing I can do.

Now please can everyone put their swords back in their keyboards.

Thank the company by name on this thread for their transparent behaviour, then reccomend them for the Gulf of Mexico clean up.

And if you do nothing the next person they con will not find any reports of the company or person being dodgy either.

If you believe you’re forks were tampered with you can say so.
X bought them, I posted them to x via y where they arrived were broken and were subsequently returned.
Simple you have not accused anyone of anything.

I cannot prove that the forks have been tampered with whilst out of my possession, despite me knowing the marks were not there before and the forks were in working order.

This is it. You know you have been screwed, that fully-functioning forks did not spontaneously discharge all their oil in transit miraculously leaving no trace in the packaging. Just because you can’t prove it doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.

So, was it the shop itself that you were getting turned over by doing business with? It’s a pity you’re on dodgy ground naming it.

It’s a pretty neat scam, really. I guess the message to people on here is to avoid Ebay like the plague for the sale of items like this.

for the sale of items like this.

I would say for the sale of most things, unless buyer collects and pays cash.

All the systems that have ben put into place to protect people from buying via long distance, are now perfectly set up to allow rampant fraud against sellers.

I only use ebay for buying new items from shops now.

I don’t sell anything through it.

As the used bike bits shop has shown such a high degree of customer service, you ought to name and praise them on here. No-one could fault that.