Beware of scam listings - users now have positive feedback.

This was another one that posted today, which now looks sold. I sure hope it was legit, but I have a feeling it was not. 

https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lisajdh2-b-w-bowers-wilkins-803-d3-speaker

I have reported very questionable listings to Audiogon in the past and each time they have taken the ads down. Having said that sometimes people need to make a quick sale or they don’t research used pricing. You can protect yourself with PayPal as long as you don’t use the friends and family option.

Not accepting local pickup is a bright red flag.

tough to have a conversation with them when Agon tries to prevent phone# exchange.

Thanks for the new scam warning. 

@sbank , don't get me started on no phone communication allowed. I think everyone would like to talk when involved in a big ticket sale.

I clicked on those links and just got taken to the Agon home page....

The scam listings were removed.

@sbank ,

Good point. I know Audiogon wants to keep things on their site, but sometimes buyers/sellers need to contact each other directly.

B

@sbank If there is ever any doubt on a listing, I believe someone can click the “Buy it Now” button but not necessarily have to pay immediately. I could be wrong about this. But if so, contact info should be shareable at that point, and a buyer should be able to contact a seller to finalize transaction details. If the buyer senses the transaction is a scam, they should not have to pay and should report the listing to Audiogon. 

I’m not certain this is the way it works, but if not, it ought to work this way. 

Thank You for the Info

Good eye Juan!

Thanks for posting regarding these scam artists!

I'm not certain, but I thought if you clicked on "buy it now" and didn't follow through, the seller could leave you negative feedback. At least that's how I thought it had worked in the past.

@ozzy62 Fair point, but if it was indeed a scam listing they probably wouldn’t and if they did you could report it to customer service and they’d likely delete it. It’s not something I’m condoning as regular practice, but one I encourage if there is ever any doubt in the integrity of the listing. A proper exchange with the seller should relinquish doubts in completing the transaction, resulting in a payment and chances of a smooth remainder of the transaction moving forward. 

THANX!

@blisshifi I agree about contacting the seller. For high dollar purchases from a stranger, a phone call goes a long way to giving you a "warm fuzzy" about the deal. Too bad Agon frowns upon that.

I just unintentional bought from a  scammer two weeks ago. He had sales history as well as information about the unit. Purchased and sent messages and it seemed legit. He called me the next day but from NJ and the listing was from Washington. He asked me to send him a screenshot of the PayPal transaction from my side. I declined and reported to Audiogon, PayPal and my credit card issuer. It was resolved in about a week. Tammy was super on top of it and responded instantly, even on a Sunday. I googled the ARC 40th Anniversary and saw where he got the pictures from which is what corroborated everything and is when I knew I had been had. Keep close watch folks!

@blisshifi I, quite frankly, don't care what AGON thinks about that. There are far too many "opportunists" out there looking for ways to get "money for nothin" (Dire Straights pun intended). If they were really concerned about their members they would either allow the communications, or do a far better job at screening and monitoring. Since they really can't do the latter, I'll do whatever it takes to insure the safety of both my funds and my personal interests. We live in a time when "anything goes" and there are too few boundaries/consequences

SO for those of you that have had the misfortune of dealing with these scam artists or common thieves, please post their user names so others do not fall prey to their flimflam. 

I got in a tiff with a seller that tried to force me into a purchase and even threatened me. After contacting Agon they rectified the situation rapidly. Now it may have been a legit sale as it was a local pick-up, but I only wanted to show that Agon does listen and try to step in when possible.