Hey Gang

Check this one out. Tyros with a Buy it Now for $1250??

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2563212006&category=38091&rd=1

Hmmmm. Something seem a little fishy to you? I can't wait to hear the full story on this one.

I emailed the guy and asked if this was brand new then you must be an authorized Yamaha dealer and it comes with full warranty. I asked if everything thats in the pic comes with it. I also asked what condition it was in and why this price? Do you suppose with an email like this I will be on the pre-approved bidders list? haha

Should we take a vote and see how many of us would feel comfortable bidding on this one?

Do you actually suppose this could be legit?

Scott Langholff

[This message has been edited by Scott Langholff (edited 10-06-2003).]

I have it set up when I email someone on ebay that I get a copy of it in my mailbox. Interesting, this hasn't happened here. Maybe its just slow tonight, but in the past I get a copy almost immediately.

For what it's worth department.

Scott

Scott,

Tread carefully my friend. I've checked these auctions in the past. This is a restricted auction. Meaning you must contact the seller to get "Verified". I actually contacted one of these people. They are actually based out of Spain or some other Latin American country with a front on Ebay. Although this particular auction says Jackson, Michigan I wouldn't believe it. I would do some sort of Escrow or 3rd Party verification with this guy.

No body on Ebay is there to be Charitable, they are all there to make money and a $1250 Tyros doesn't ring of a fair price to me.

FWIW.
Al

Further warnings: before the Tyros was even available anywhere somebody in Canada was advertising one for sale on eBay. Reportedly the seller was willing to do an escrow payment, but the catch was that he wanted a specific escrow company used - a fake one. It turned out that he had created a fraudulant escrow company and this was a ripoff attempt. Don't know if anyone got burned or not.

More tidbits: In the auction it gives Jackson, Michigan USA as the location. Their answer states they are in Madrid, Spain. It also gives the buy it now at $1250. In my email the buy it now is $1550. Hmmmmmm. Does it seem like a slight discrepency here?

I'm thinking they may need to be reported to ebay.

Here's my original email to them with their answer:

Hi,
Before any bidding takes place you must know that I
am currently in
Madrid, Spain where me and my partner supplied
capital for the purchase
of a bankrupt store stock. Now we are trying to
sell the remaining stock. The buy now price would be $1550. This is preaproved auction,that
means that you are not allowed to bid or buy the
item until payment is confirmed. I have preffered this special type of auction because of the
multiple problems I've had in the past with
non-paying bidders.
The units are brand new still in their original
package factory sealed.
They ship with all the accessories provided by the
manufacturer and have international warranty . All the manuals and the original
documentation are in English language.
As soon as we agree upon the trasaction terms I
will make the S&H arrangements and schedule a pickup with DHL. You will receive your package in 4 working days at most. We ship all packages having written
on them "display unit, no comercial value" or as a
gift so you don't have to pay any additional taxes like customs or dutys.
As a payment method we have chosen WesternUnion's
services because they always served our interests in a professional manner and helped us
gain buyers. We consider promptitude a vital
condition on the modern eCommerce markets and a guarantee of quality. Here are the main
advantages WesternUnion provides over other payment
solutions:
- years of experience in the Money Transfer business
- locations worldwide in more than 186 countries
- transfer fee may be charged to the receiver
- always local currency (usually cash)
- easy - no bank accounts or lengthy procedures
- reliable - proven track record
- convenient - open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day,
364 days of the year
- high level of security - authorized users only
We cover the shiping fees + insurance if you cover
the western union fees.
Let me know asap about your decision.
Thanks.

langholf@bellsouth.net wrote:
Hello

So, if this is Brand new Tyros, then you must be an authorized Yamaha dealer, and comes with full warranty?
Does everything in the picture come with it? As in the speakers, and the keyboard stand? What's the deal with this price? Is there something wrong with it?
Inquiring minds want to know. Thanx Scott

[This message has been edited by Scott Langholff (edited 10-06-2003).]

[This message has been edited by Scott Langholff (edited 10-06-2003).]

I smell a rat and a big one at that. It could be legit but I doubt it. Reporting this to Ebay sounds like a good idea but let me share a little story with you first. I had bid on a 9000 PRO and won the auction when I got the directions to pay it was from a different state and a different name. I contacted the "seller" via email (no phone number) telling him I needed to talk to him. the next day the item went up again on ebay in fact it got listed several more times. What I haven't said yet is I contacted Ebay about possible fraud with all the details. I did get a stock response but no real checking into this seller and situation. I went to the Ebay chat room and asked about this situation and they certainly said no way for this kind of deal. The bottom line is Ebay does not check these things out till affter the fact then it's too late. I could be mistaken but so far that my impression.

Jerry

What a crock. It's as bad as the emails I get to transfer $1,000,000 into my bank accnt for a "small" fee of a few thousand bucks. Mean people suck. Don't get taken in by the crap.

Hello

I sent the following to the ebay fraud department. I don't think there is any question among us that this is fraud in the making.


Message: Hello

I believe you have a fraud situation on ebay. Please see the following thread where we are discussing it. It contains a link to the auction in question.
http://www.synthzone.com/ubbs/Forum37/HTML/007370.html

Thank You
Scott Langholff

Here is ebays initial reply:

Thank you for taking the time to write to eBay's SafeHarbor department
to report the problems you have experienced contacting your trading
partner.

We understand how important it is that every eBay user has valid contact
information and we will investigate your report fully. In some instances
the member may have forgotten to update his or her information after a
move or change of phone number. The member may also be experiencing
temporary email address problems. We will work closely with the member
you are reporting to ensure the matter is brought to his or her
attention.

If you've been unable to reach the member through email and you have not
done so already, you may want to call and speak to your trading partner
in person. You can request another member's phone number by going to the
following web form and filling out the "Contact Info" section:
http://cgi3.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?MemberSearchShow

In the meantime, we will investigate the member's email address and/or
contact information. Investigations of this nature usually take 1-2
days. If we are unable to obtain valid information for the account, the
member may be suspended from using our site. If no action has been taken
after this time, you can assume the information has been updated.

Please keep in mind that due to our privacy policy you will not receive
a specific report of action, but we assure you that we will apply our
guidelines fairly.

If you are a seller and your winning bidder becomes suspended as a
result of having invalid contact information, your best course of action
would be to file a Non Paying Bidder (NPB) report
and a Final Value Fee Credit Request Form. Information about our Non
Paying Bidder Program can be found at the following location:
http://pages.ebay.com/help/community/npb.html

If you are a bidder and your seller is suspended as a result of invalid
contact information after payment has been sent, you will receive a
follow-up email from the SafeHarbor Team with additional suggestions
about how to resolve the situation.

You can review the status of another member's account by looking at
their feedback page. To review a member's feedback profile, enter the
User ID into the "Feedback Profile" section of the following web page:
http://cgi3.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?MemberSearchShow

The words "Not a Registered User" will appear on a suspended member's
feedback page.

**Please do not respond to this email as your reply will not be
received.

We know your time is valuable and we appreciate you taking a moment to
contact us. Thank you for helping to keep eBay a safe and reputable
forum in which to conduct business.

Regards,

The eBay SafeHarbor Team

Beware!
There is no Yamaha international warranty. If you bought a product from an authorized dealer in Spain (which this is not), your warranty would only be honored in Spain. Definitely "too good to be true".

------------------
Steve Deming
Assistant Manager
Customer Support Dept.
Pro Audio & Combo Division
Yamaha Corporation of America