Hello

While I have had great luck buying and selling on e-bay, I thought it wise to share this info with the forum.

About a week ago I wrote Bob Gelman and told him of a Tyros "package" which included speakers and stand with a buy it now for $2200. I emailed the seller to ask the normal questions like why are you selling it, is there something wrong with it etc. They never answered. However, I did receive an email from the person that found out somebody hacked into there user information. In other words, somehow this guy used another persons user name and "credentials" such as the real user had perfect user feedback. The auction was reported to ebay for fraud, and this user had his user ID changed.

Today I am looking under Tyros at ebay and they have the exact same package, the same pictures, the same description, price etc. The only thing different was the users name. This person had all good feedback also. I got in touch with the first user to verify if I was correct. I was. The only type of payment they would accept was money order or cashiers check. Pretty easy to cash and be done with it.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2516273914&category=38091

So in all things, use your common sense. If it sounds too good to be true it probably is. Check out the feedback of the seller. If they don't answer emails keep your eyes open, but it may be ok. I had that happen when I bought some JBL Eons at half price. But I did talk to him on the phone.

In a nutshell, ebay is great. But as in all else, keep your eyes and ears open.

Scott Langholff

Our Tyros Group Purchase price is $2,300.
We have many satisfied customers; just ask for our "feedback" here, or at any of the Yamaha PSR forums.... Why look further ????

Bob Gelman

annelyse@worldnet.att.net

Also FYI: before the Tyros had been released anywhere at all last year, a Tyros showed up on eBay (you can search for the topic here). The seller was willing to accept an escrow payment - which means the escrow company holds the funds until you verify that you are satisfied with the product and then you release the funds. The catch was that you had to use the escrow the seller picked. Of course, the seller had setup a phony escrow company and this was an attempted rip-off.

Hello

It looks like the hacker has placed his auction for the third time as
far as I've seen. It's the exact same ad as the first two people,
but with a different user name, again with all positive feedback. I
suggest ignoring anyone that will only accept a cashiers check or
money order.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?
ViewItem&item=2518492351&category=38091

I have had great success with eBay, and very little hassle, and I only accept USPS money orders, or I wait till checks clear before shipping.
It's all about trust - sometimes you get burned, but if you communicate with the other party, and the deal is fair and logical ..... your odds for success are as good as any other merchant.
I even mailed a keyboard to a guy before i got his payment. That was an exception, but I had a good feeling about it, and I wanted to believe in people. Sometimes you get let down, but it's better than not trusting at all. If you use your head, and stay away from "amazing deals" that are rarely legit .... you'll be ok most of the time.

This is why I've decided to stay away from Ebay. I know there are some good people selling there, but there are so many who are also ripping people off. I remember seeing an ad on Ebay some time ago for the New Yamaha Motif Rack.. However the seller didn't realize that he posted his ad two weeks before the actual release date of the item. I emailed him and asked him how he managed to get his hands on this unit, and less than 24 hours later he pulled the ad.. This was just one of the dumb rip off's... There are some really clever ones out there..

Squeak

I bid on Ebay, but only after checking the price of the product from retail dealers. I have seen people bid more for an item than they would have to pay for a new, warranteed item from a manufacturer or dealer. People need to check this out before bidding. Many people charge way too much for shipping and handling. If the item is bought from a dealer, sometimes shipping is free. The price, warranty, and shipping should all be considered when bidding. Also, one should check out the seller first. It is good to see that synthzone members do this. I am also glad that members take the time to post these items. Thanks to all.

Peter

Peter,
You're absolutely right... People need to check a lot further into the auctions.. People will nail you in shipping quite often.. I've noticed dealers there doing the same thing.. It'll have a great "buy it now" price, but when you scroll down and add the shipping to the actual cost you'll notice that it exceeds what everyone else is selling it for.. Here's a good example.. I almost bought my Zoom MRS-4 online from a dealer at Ebay.. He had it on the "buy it now" option for $200.00 Now keep in mind everyone else is selling them for $219.00, so the $200.00 sounded good.. Then when I scrolled down to the bottom and added the shipping price I found that the dealer was in fact getting the $219.00 price for the unit. He had a rather large shipping price so he could get the full $219.00 So it wasn't a good deal. Check the history of the sellers, contact them, generally if it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is...

Squeak

[This message has been edited by squeak_D (edited 03-25-2003).]

FYI-
A good way to protect yourself, is to use U.S. Post Office money orders made out to the seller.
If the seller commits fraud, it becomes a FEDERAL OFFENSE - mail fraud.
The FBI will investigate.
And you can bet that the Post Office will insist on I.D.
Shucks, they want two sets of I.D., proof of address, and a valid Telephone just to rent a box, now!

Would you believe this guy is at it again, at this very moment? The fourth time at least that I know of. Ebay is looking into it.

Scott
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=38091&item=2520388046&rd=1