Ecrater Scam Buyers

[stardust]

So.  Here I sit. Suffering from armchair elbow, and stiff mouse-click fingers, and freezing toes from the refrigrated air blowing in behind my desk.  Watching my more-than-4-feet-long string of post-it notes stuck to my windowsill in front of me blowing in the same breeze.  Playing Snipe.  That's Finger Billiards for you folks in Rio Linda.

Borrrrrrrrrinnnnnnnnnnng .....  >

Contemplating my experiences thus far on the web.  Off-ebay.  Not counting BidVille  or Understuffed. 

Out on my own.  It's just so wonderful!! 

Advertised our like-new beautiful 2-ton truck, with 18' box and only 18K miles, last October.  For $15K (we'd've taken less).  On Craigslist.  First response was a scammer from Nigeria who wanted to send me a MO for $32,000 and I send him the balance -- all the time threatening that the truck better be a good one or else. Or something like that.  Second response was a guy in Anaheim, CA, who had a truck just like it -- worn out, of course -- insisting that it was only worth about $2grand, and I should be happy to sell it for that -- and would we pay his air fare if he came and got it.    Phil is not thrilled with the web.

Decided to open the ArtShoppe store on e-crater several weeks ago since IronChick and xpp said they sold some widgets from there.  After all, it's free.  Thought I'd see if anyone could find our widgits if we were on a different *established* site.  You know -- googling and all.  After about the 10th item listed, BINGO!!  noresponse@ecrater.kom says I have a buyer.  I run off excitedly to the other end of the house to scream "SUCCESS!!" at Phil.  Two minutes later, BINGO again!!  noaresponse@ecrater.kom says I have another buyer!  For the SAME widget!!  From the same city!!  20 blocks down the same Main street!!  So, I email second buyer with the looks-like-an-Indian-name-but-is-all-consonants-with-no-vowels-but-who-am-I-to-judge that he's two minutes too late, but please stand by.  Then, first buyer's email ends up being a dead one.  Prolly a blonde.  I decide to do nothing further.  Doesn't feel right, what with neither buyer having 'hit on' the widget again, and having not heard anything further from either wannabebuyer...  Decide it's an attempted scam of some sort.  Not worth the piddly $49 price for the widget, but some sort of weak fraud move anyway.....  Prolly the same person with both *Buys*.  Powerbuyer congratulates me on my first eCrater sale.  I reply with only a toopid sheepish grin.    Phil is not thrilled with the web.

Two weeks later (several days ago), I decide to open a second eCrater store, the SSGallery, that will carry the higher-priced widgets.  Yesterday evening I listed a particularly colorful widget, and 30 minutes later:  BINGO!!  noresponse@ecrater.kom tells me I have a buyer!!  I run excitedly to the other end of the house to tell Phil and then run back to my desk that has the chair with the rough arms that's destroying my elbows to email the person back that his payment by MO is acceptable.  However, upon studying the *shipping address* I begin to get suspicious.  Here it is:

Order No: 12478
Order Date: 2006-07-17/23:40:03

Ship to:
viv** Danej***
Webminds Infotech
Nr Linkin Rd
New San, New York, 10031
United States
91-9881323232
viv**danej***@gmail.com

There's no street number.  Does Nr mean North?  Is there such a town as New San?  Sounds more like some place that orange-striped *Bob* would frequent on the sly.  And what's the long number starting with 91-?  Hmmm....looking it up in the phone book...international exchange for India .  Hmmm.... looks like a badly spelled Indian name.  Gee.  My *other* two-minutes-too-late second buyer had a badlyspelled Indian-looking name, too...  And 10031 is a NYC zip code, and my 1972 Atlas doesn't show a New San town in the state of NY.  Hmmmm.....  *sigh*

I email BBH with suspicions, since BBH is an experienced seller and all, apologizing for my obvious idjitness, but....  Then, deciding to play with this a bit, I email the futz that his phone number out of India is a problem for FedEx, and I will need a shipping address where 'he' can sign for the widgit upon delivery.    Meanwhile, USPS website confirms there's no such town as New San, NY. (sorry, Bob)  BBH confirms same -- no such street, either.  I decide it's the same friggin' scammer as my last one two weeks ago, working eCrater sellers.    Don't expect to hear back via email.  Might get an MO in the mail, tho, asking me to send the overpayment balance in cash when I send the widgit.    I'll frame it.  Phil is not thrilled with the web.

So.  There you have it.  My wonderful out-on-my-own, get-your-own-website experiences. 

P P B B B B B T T T !!!

It's all ironchick's and xpp's fault that Phil is not thrilled with the web.


PS:
Just a final, fleeting thought...  Order #12478?  I don't know how long eCrater has been in business, but 12,478 *sales* isn't much -- considering all the widgets listed there...

[iron_chick]

Sorry.  :-(

I get a higher rate of NPBs at eCrater than elsewhere, but it's not a big deal since it's free so there are no fees, etc.  I haven't had any scam issues, but I am selling lower priced widgets in my eCrater stores.

Tell Phil . . . well, tell Phil something.  I don't have a clue! 

[amy]

I get a higher rate of NPBs at eCrater than elsewhere,

iOffer was always our worst.  NPB's were close to 25% for us.