[Bilavideo]

I recently got a great deal on a headphone, a much cheaper price than the price I paid for a recent acquisition.  But when I and the seller got together after the deal, he wanted me to pay in check or money order only and to not leave him feedback (as he did not intend to officially acknowledge the sale).  Should I be worried?

 

[choka]

Sounds very fishy to me.

 

[TheMarchingMule]

Yes. Check and money order leave little to trace on, which is why money order is never recommended; you can't file a claim for it if something goes south.

 

[Young Spade]

I wouldn't go through with it. Looks like he's trying to cover his tracks :/

 

[savagekabbage]

A lot of credit card/account thieves will use this tactic to turn stolen accounts into cash. I probably wouldn't go through with the deal if I were you.

 

[choka]

It sounds like a classic scam. Money order / check is never good. Unless you can check the goods before paying, I'd say don't fall for it.
 
On the feedback, I don't know what to think of it. I've bought a few things on the forum but everyone refuses to open a feedback thread for me, even after repeated requests (and they kept saying yes they will leave it for me). I just tend to think people don't like feed backs here, or I am buying from some really weird people.

 

[momomo6789]

Quote:

It sounds like a classic scam. Money order / check is never good. Unless you can check the goods before paying, I'd say don't fall for it.
 
On the feedback, I don't know what to think of it. I've bought a few things on the forum but everyone refuses to open a feedback thread for me, even after repeated requests (and they kept saying yes they will leave it for me). I just tend to think people don't like feed backs here, or I am buying from some really weird people.

haha feedback my 5 pages would be 5x that if people left feedback =/ you ever want to buy something from me i will start one for you
 
 
i would worry a lot.

 

[Bilavideo]

This happened over at Audiogon.  The price offered was a dream come true, but perhaps just too good to be true.  The check would not have even been made out to a specific person but to a store in the Midwest.
 
My father always said, "You can't cheat an honest man."  Con games often involve the promise of something for nothing, only to become nothing for something.  They always seem to draw you in by saying this is a special deal - because it's a crooked deal.  It reminds of a CB Radio fraud conducted in the Seventies.  People were told they were buying stolen CB radios.  They were buying them out of a van, all boxed up.  When they got their "hot" CB radios home, they discovered they'd paid a premium for a phone book.
 
I'm not saying this guy is a fraudster, just that the guts of the deal match the modus operandi of a fraud in progress.  As much as I'd like to get an expensive headphone for a song, I can't afford to get taken.  There's no protection for the deal, so I'm not going for it.  Sometimes in life, living with a little less is better than taking a big loss.

 

[warubozu]

You've made the right choice, better to be safe than sorry. As mentioned earlier, money order isn't the way to go especially if you don't know the person you're sending to. Once the money order has been cashed, it's difficult and a hassle to try and recover your loss.

 

[rawrster]

IMO if you  ever have to question if something is legit or not that's a sign to not do the transaction. I think you made a good decision as it is better safe than sorry.