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Darwin · 28-04-2012, 20:23

Hi, I won an auction on ebay.de for a laptop and in my haste (to bid) did not see that the seller accepts bank transfer or cash on collection only. Obviously the latter is not an option for me, but my transaction is a couple of hundred euro and there is no buyer protection for paying by bank transfer. The seller looks ok on the face of it - ebay member since 2008, registered as a business seller, nearly 100% feedback, nearly 2000 transactions. However all of the transactions have been for low value gaming accessories in the region of 10 to 30 euro. Now the seller has lots of Apple laptops for sale, all the listings have stock photos none of the actual items. On the plus side, the listing itself looks plausible in that it describes the used condition of the items and he gives his own address and email contact on the listing. Also, why would he offer cash on collection if it was a scam? All his laptop sales so far have attracted lots of bids.
On the other hand the listings are completely out of character with his previous sales and it is not impossible a sellers account could have been hacked.

I could ask for a photograph of the actual item, along with his ebay name written on a piece of paper beside it, or maybe the sensible thing is to leave it? Any other ideas? Thanks

allthedoyles · 28-04-2012, 22:25

Sensible thing - leave it

Germans don't like Paypal anyway .

There was a thread here lately where someone bought a Laptop in Allemagne and it had the Deutsch keyboard .

The high number of bids could be due to shill-bidding

jor el · 29-04-2012, 02:04

Bank transfer is pretty standard for German sellers, so nothing really out of the ordinary about it. That doesn't mean there aren't scam sellers in Germany though, as I'm sure there, just like everywhere else. However, what you say about the description and feedback would indicate that this is a reliable seller. It's up to you though, either go for it or back out.

Check his feedback for laptop sales, and see if they are positive. That would indicate that he is now selling laptops, and that his account has not been hacked, and that you shouldn't worry about that much anyway.

Darwin · 29-04-2012, 14:51

He has only just started selling IT equipment, so I will have to wait for someone to pay and leave feedback. The odd thing is he accepted paypal for the low value gaming accessories. I've sent a message asking for a photo and enquiring about paypal, so I'll sit tight in the meantime.

jor el · 29-04-2012, 15:29

The fees on high value items would be more though, hence maybe not wanting to take money by Paypal.

tatranska · 29-04-2012, 22:13

happened me once and i just contacted the seller and backed out.
got negative feedback on it but it was a small price to pay.

28-04-2012, 20:23	#1
Darwin Registered User Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Co. Laois Posts: 1,434 Adverts \| Friends	Ebay.de: paying by bank transfer Hi, I won an auction on ebay.de for a laptop and in my haste (to bid) did not see that the seller accepts bank transfer or cash on collection only. Obviously the latter is not an option for me, but my transaction is a couple of hundred euro and there is no buyer protection for paying by bank transfer. The seller looks ok on the face of it - ebay member since 2008, registered as a business seller, nearly 100% feedback, nearly 2000 transactions. However all of the transactions have been for low value gaming accessories in the region of 10 to 30 euro. Now the seller has lots of Apple laptops for sale, all the listings have stock photos none of the actual items. On the plus side, the listing itself looks plausible in that it describes the used condition of the items and he gives his own address and email contact on the listing. Also, why would he offer cash on collection if it was a scam? All his laptop sales so far have attracted lots of bids. On the other hand the listings are completely out of character with his previous sales and it is not impossible a sellers account could have been hacked. I could ask for a photograph of the actual item, along with his ebay name written on a piece of paper beside it, or maybe the sensible thing is to leave it? Any other ideas? Thanks Last edited by Darwin; 28-04-2012 at 20:31.

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28-04-2012, 22:25	#2
allthedoyles Registered User Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Ireland Posts: 3,312 Adverts \| Friends	Sensible thing - leave it Germans don't like Paypal anyway . There was a thread here lately where someone bought a Laptop in Allemagne and it had the Deutsch keyboard . The high number of bids could be due to shill-bidding

29-04-2012, 02:04	#3
jor el Closed Account Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 16,421 Adverts \| Friends	Bank transfer is pretty standard for German sellers, so nothing really out of the ordinary about it. That doesn't mean there aren't scam sellers in Germany though, as I'm sure there, just like everywhere else. However, what you say about the description and feedback would indicate that this is a reliable seller. It's up to you though, either go for it or back out. Check his feedback for laptop sales, and see if they are positive. That would indicate that he is now selling laptops, and that his account has not been hacked, and that you shouldn't worry about that much anyway.

29-04-2012, 14:51	#4
Darwin Registered User Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Co. Laois Posts: 1,434 Adverts \| Friends	He has only just started selling IT equipment, so I will have to wait for someone to pay and leave feedback. The odd thing is he accepted paypal for the low value gaming accessories. I've sent a message asking for a photo and enquiring about paypal, so I'll sit tight in the meantime.

29-04-2012, 15:29	#5
jor el Closed Account Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 16,421 Adverts \| Friends	The fees on high value items would be more though, hence maybe not wanting to take money by Paypal.

29-04-2012, 22:13	#6
tatranska Registered User Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 2,340 Adverts \| Friends	happened me once and i just contacted the seller and backed out. got negative feedback on it but it was a small price to pay.