HT_USMC
Registered
Alright, I'm trying to sell my quad core machine for what I feel is fair market value via Craigslist. Now, I've purchased gobs of stuff off of Craigslist but never sold a thing. So I toss the machine and it's specs up on the site and begin to wait.
Within 30 minutes I get the first call, hotdamn! Unfortunately this joker thinks his 4 year old laptop that is selling on eBay (worth $200 on a good day) should make me drop my price by $500. The guy calls a few times and each time he sounds like he just got done running a marathon and pounded back four energy drinks just before the call. He's out of breath but talking like Speedy Gonzales. Move along, nothing to see here.
An hour later I get an email asking if I'd trade it for some electric remote control trucks worth a reported $2000. No, I'm trying to buy a laptop to replace the desktop I'm selling. Thanks but no thanks. I chalk this one up as odd but polite and pleasant.
Finally I get an email from "Sanchez". Good ol' Sanchez. He speaks broken English but says he's willing to pick it up and pay 95% of my asking price. Super! He states that he's concerned about the safety of his money. I offer to meet him in a public place to make the swap as I'm not fond of giving out my home address. Agreed. Good stuff! Then I get this email and I'm stumped...
All he needed to tell me was that he was a Nigerian Prince and I would have believed that too.???
So, I responded with "Sure send the money via western union" and I'll ship the machine where you want it to go and I'll insure it as well. I gave him the address to the store that he needed to send the western union as well as my name.
Now, my question to you all is this. Does this sound like a scam to you? If it does and it turns out to be, he's got to be the worst scam artist I've seen. He's offering to send money first, if I read that correctly. So, if he sends the cash and I send the machine is there anything I need to be careful of after the fact? The way I look at it is that if I have cash in hand - the deal is as good as done - send the computer. Do you agree?
Within 30 minutes I get the first call, hotdamn! Unfortunately this joker thinks his 4 year old laptop that is selling on eBay (worth $200 on a good day) should make me drop my price by $500. The guy calls a few times and each time he sounds like he just got done running a marathon and pounded back four energy drinks just before the call. He's out of breath but talking like Speedy Gonzales. Move along, nothing to see here.
An hour later I get an email asking if I'd trade it for some electric remote control trucks worth a reported $2000. No, I'm trying to buy a laptop to replace the desktop I'm selling. Thanks but no thanks. I chalk this one up as odd but polite and pleasant.
Finally I get an email from "Sanchez". Good ol' Sanchez. He speaks broken English but says he's willing to pick it up and pay 95% of my asking price. Super! He states that he's concerned about the safety of his money. I offer to meet him in a public place to make the swap as I'm not fond of giving out my home address. Agreed. Good stuff! Then I get this email and I'm stumped...
All he needed to tell me was that he was a Nigerian Prince and I would have believed that too.???
So, I responded with "Sure send the money via western union" and I'll ship the machine where you want it to go and I'll insure it as well. I gave him the address to the store that he needed to send the western union as well as my name.
Now, my question to you all is this. Does this sound like a scam to you? If it does and it turns out to be, he's got to be the worst scam artist I've seen. He's offering to send money first, if I read that correctly. So, if he sends the cash and I send the machine is there anything I need to be careful of after the fact? The way I look at it is that if I have cash in hand - the deal is as good as done - send the computer. Do you agree?
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