Craigslist Thailand is full of scammers? What happened to real people?

[muratremix]

So you put an ad, somebody contact you via email nicely. What they do is ask item condition like a real seller (which is shown / explained in Ad itself but they don't read?!). Sometimes they agree how much you ask for, sometimes they ask very little discount and after a few emails they ask if you can ship it out of Thailand (which I said no in Ad again, but who reads right?)

So as far as I understand, they'll either pay after you sent post or they'll buy it with paypal and then open a dispute to take their money back.

Of course they won't contact if you sell something can't be shipped (6 foot bed? Something big?). I used to sell other stuff in both here and in CL before, I never contacted by scammers persistently like this before.

Either new visa regulations scare some farangs and farang population in decline or people don't spend money on consumer electronics anymore?

[kurnell]

I was asked to ship something to Nigeria via Craigslist. He didn't even ask for the price. Those Nigerians must have a lot of money

[umbanda]

Internet scammers are "working" with every site now, even Paypal and E-Bay. Also many online retailers paid in advance never delivers the goods...That's probably the reason why Lazada was created, receiving the payment just on deliver. Wonderful marketing!

Edited July 19, 2014 by metisdead
Bold font removed again. Please stop using bold font when posting.

[muratremix]

Internet scammers are "working" with every site now, even Paypal and E-Bay. Also many online retailers paid in advance never delivers the goods...That's probably the reason why Lazada was created, receiving the payment just on deliver. Wonderful marketing!

Lazada only sells brand new items with some sort of invoice / warranty.

People still need a safe place to sell unused or second hand items. However, buyers are in decline or scammers more active than real buyers.

I want to know if anybody (naive enough) buying this scam? Especially after CL warning on every page (Deal locally, don't transfer any money etc)

[umbanda]

Internet scammers are "working" with every site now, even Paypal and E-Bay. Also many online retailers paid in advance never delivers the goods...That's probably the reason why Lazada was created, receiving the payment just on deliver. Wonderful marketing!

Lazada only sells brand new items with some sort of invoice / warranty.

People still need a safe place to sell unused or second hand items. However, buyers are in decline or scammers more active than real buyers.

I want to know if anybody (naive enough) buying this scam? Especially after CL warning on every page (Deal locally, don't transfer any money etc)

New or used stuff...if you pay in advance without knowing the seller reputation is a risk not only because the seller or buyer....I was selling a watch in E-bay few years ago. The potential buyer placed an order for my asking price in E-bay. I didn't accepted, I didn't invoiced, I did nothing because I decided to withdraw my posting. E-bay deducted the sale commision from my bank account, $150 US. No way to get the money back. Recently a friend with a retail business was scammed by a buyer using Paypal. The buyer got the goods, but canceled the payment. No money or merchandise back from Paypal. It is a lot of complaints on the Internet from people paying in advance to online companies and never getting the merchandise or money back. Internet scams are a big business now...A full time job for many computer savvy people. Do you check the very small debts in your credit cards or bank statements every month? Most don't do it. You may be a scammer's monthly "client" without knowing....One of hundreds.........

I was...and many of my friends....

Edited July 19, 2014 by metisdead

[Chicog]

Same reason AliExpress are booming - they make sure you don't get ripped off on AliBaba.

[thrilled]

Craigslist even in the US is causing problems.Many fake ads.If I advertised something on CL and was in Thailand.

If someone asked about shipping to A different country.I would disconnect .

[bendejo]

I was asked to ship something to Nigeria via Craigslist. He didn't even ask for the price. Those Nigerians must have a lot of money

Similar thing happened to me when I tried sell a pair of shoes (new!) on the marketplace here at TV.

No questions, just "I will buy them." Essential question would be "how new is new ?" at least.

If I bit, I anticipated the response would be "I will pay for them when the money arrives. You see, my father was an administrator..."

[BKKSnowBird]

Craigslist? You should check out the personals section if you need a good laugh!!

[kurnell]

Craigslist? You should check out the personals section if you need a good laugh!!

Examples please

[ezzra]

Unfortunately, this world become full schemers, fraudsters, chitters and thieves, all vying for

a quick buck an your expenses, Caveat Emptor...

[Johnsy]

It's certainly been my experience that that's what people do....lie, cheat, steal and deceive, I don't know how they live with themselves

[spidermike007]

Usually, I get three of four offers to purchase on CL, for every real buyer. Most of the time it is the same tired old approach. Just last week I received a message supposedly from paypal, that I had been paid. I simply log into my account, and check the funds. Usually, they are not there as specified. Just a scam letter, to get you to think you have been paid. Most of these scams are very simple minded, and very unsophisticated. Usually they want you to ship without a real payment having been made. Sometimes they want you to pay some fees. Usually they use a "shipping agent". Many from Nigeria (talk about a desperate place) but I think many others too. When they inquire about an item, and seem to know nothing about that item, it is a sign of trouble. "I am interested in purchasing your item", for instance. No mention of the car, or the boat, or the iPhone, etc. Just a general inquiry. These people are desperate, unsophisticated, simple minded petty thieves. The kind of scum you find in the toilet of an outhouse. Vermin, preying on society, because they are too weak, too feeble, and too self serving to want to work and be productive members of society. It has nothing to do with thailand, or the US. They send these messages worldwide. They are desperados.

[Pralaad]

I have bought an Audi , few months old for 300 000 shipped from UK, after I made a deposit of 100 000 baht .

Do not get excited, it was a scam and I am not that stupid. But I did have fun with him/her for a few weeks.

I even went as far as make up a deposit slip

[dddave]

Same reason AliExpress are booming - they make sure you don't get ripped off on AliBaba.

Not exactly: I ordered a smartphone through AliExp. to be delivered in Bkk. After a week they notified me order was cancelled because of supplier problem. Then I got a notice from supplier that item had been shipped. Ali then resubmitted the payment. Phone never arrived but Ali has yet to credit my account...3 months of back and forth messages.

[Suradit69]

Internet scammers are "working" with every site now, even Paypal and E-Bay. Also many online retailers paid in advance never delivers the goods...That's probably the reason why Lazada was created, receiving the payment just on deliver. Wonderful marketing!

Lazada only sells brand new items with some sort of invoice / warranty.

People still need a safe place to sell unused or second hand items. However, buyers are in decline or scammers more active than real buyers.

I want to know if anybody (naive enough) buying this scam? Especially after CL warning on every page (Deal locally, don't transfer any money etc)

New or used stuff...if you pay in advance without knowing the seller reputation is a risk not only because the seller or buyer....I was selling a watch in E-bay few years ago. The potential buyer placed an order for my asking price in E-bay. I didn't accepted, I didn't invoiced, I did nothing because I decided to withdraw my posting. E-bay deducted the sale commision from my bank account, $150 US. No way to get the money back. Recently a friend with a retail business was scammed by a buyer using Paypal. The buyer got the goods, but canceled the payment. No money or merchandise back from Paypal. It is a lot of complaints on the Internet from people paying in advance to online companies and never getting the merchandise or money back. Internet scams are a big business now...A full time job for many computer savvy people. Do you check the very small debts in your credit cards or bank statements every month? Most don't do it. You may be a scammer's monthly "client" without knowing....One of hundreds.........

I was...and many of my friends....

"I decided to withdraw my posting. E-bay deducted the sale commision from my bank account, $150 US."

They do warn you about that. Usually they let you get away with it once without charge, but obviously people could connect with a buyer, withdraw the item from eBay and then do the deal outside of eBay without paying a commission if eBay didn't have some penalty for withdrawing items.

I've bought & sold nearly 400 relatively expensive "collectible" items as a hobby not a business. Never been scammed so far, never lost money from a sale since I always send things EMS and have tracking info to prove the item arrived. Never lost anything sent or received through Thai Post Office. Had a couple of things misdirected BEFORE they reached Thailand but they eventually showed up after taking the "road less travelled."

I figure I've been extremely lucky and the odds are that something has to go wrong once, but so far nothing bad has happened ... knock on wood.

Both eBay and PayPal can be major pains in the derriere, but despite that and their high charges ( or maybe because of them) they have kept me safe ... so far. Certainly some of the listings I've seen were dubious so I steered clear and I know some sellers are afraid to send things to me in Thailand because of their fear of things from faraway places with strange sounding names, aka xenophobia.

Edited July 19, 2014 by metisdead

[NoshowJones]

It's certainly been my experience that that's what people do....lie, cheat, steal and deceive, I don't know how they live with themselves

If people lie, cheat, steal and deceive like most businesses do, then you do the same back if you get the chance, but people who do that to the ordinary working class are nothing more than scum.

[dddave]

Women who list on DATE in ASIA get some really elaborate scams. A guy will send a whole series of ardent letters spelling out his whole tragic life along with promises of eternal love. He declares he is coming to Thailand to marry her. He goes on to say that he has sent a her package by a special air courier company with all sorts of phones, cameras and hidden money. He also sends an email with a very authentic looking shipping invoice including a tracking number that actually shows up. (because 200 other women are getting the same tracking number)

The target "sees" the package as it goes say from Frankfurt to Dubai on it's way to BKK...than an emergency call or message: the flight was diverted to Malaysia because of engine problems and customs is holding the package demanding $1500 to release it.

"Darling, I'm in transit to come marry you so I can not get the money...please pay this to this account # and I will pay you back double!!!"

Out of 200 or more...several will fall for this....an acquaintance almost did.

[ukguyinthai]

Most scammers are not very good and are obvious. But this industry is only young really. It will develop and become more professional.(Just like the banks…legal con artists)Soon you will not be able to tell the difference between real and fake.

There are many examples of eBay, Ali sites, PayPal and the rest, working for their own fees and agendas, not your safety. They have devised some very complicated complaint procedures taking months to sort out. Locking you into a road to nowhere, in the pretence they are protecting you. Most of the “star ratings “and 97.4% customer satisfaction on these sites is pure fabrication. Remember, this is there job. This is what they do for a living. They make time to create the illusion.

The simple process of buying and selling has been turned into a person needing to take courses on it to learn how to do it. Why do they complicate everything? It’s not for our benefit.

These sites police themselves; they are the world internet online police force. They will judge the situation, and if you ticked the I AGREE without reading it, because its 99 pages long .Then they will keep your money, if you complain further they will close your account.

The first person to work out how to do this with equal safety for buyers and sellers will be rich. Let’s start a think tank

[glassdude007]

Internet scammers are "working" with every site now, even Paypal and E-Bay. Also many online retailers paid in advance never delivers the goods...That's probably the reason why Lazada was created, receiving the payment just on deliver. Wonderful marketing!

Yes Lazada is great pay upon delivery wonderful. have used them a couple times already.

Just wish there web sight had more English language translated pages ...

Edited July 19, 2014 by metisdead

[steelepulse]

I listed a property in Koh Lanta, and a few days later an "international brokerage" says they'll sell it for only 10% commission, and by the way, they can help with visas to America!

>>

We are looking to sell your business and/or property to perspective customers in the United States and also give you opportunities to purchase businesses/properties here in the United States or around the world.

EB 3,4,5,6 Visa can be achieved through our company and help you get your move done successfully.

All Real Estate commissions are at 10% for selling your property and all other charges are set in a “as needed” scale.

[keeniau96]

+1 on AliExpress. I have had six very satisfactory purchases from them, ranging in value from US$16- to US$450. All shipping from China (HK, Shenzen) to Phuket. Never a problem. If you are not familiar with them it is really simple: usual registration and use of shopping cart. Make you purchase, choose shipping method, credit card verification. Excellent email followup re invoice and shipping info. I used my Thai bank card, which did usual thing including phone verification. Arrived in Phuket generally 3-4 weeks after order (mostly China Mail airmail, can also use DHL, TNT, etc). The best part of the whole thing is that the actual vendor does not get paid until you send Aliexpress an email that all is OK with the order. There is a dispute mechanism but I never had to use it. Take careful note of the satisfaction rating for the specific vendor your are buying from; I only use the top-rated ones.

[dotpoom]

Internet scammers are "working" with every site now, even Paypal and E-Bay. Also many online retailers paid in advance never delivers the goods...That's probably the reason why Lazada was created, receiving the payment just on deliver. Wonderful marketing!

Lazada only sells brand new items with some sort of invoice / warranty.

People still need a safe place to sell unused or second hand items. However, buyers are in decline or scammers more active than real buyers.

I want to know if anybody (naive enough) buying this scam? Especially after CL warning on every page (Deal locally, don't transfer any money etc)

Bottom paragraph....."..I want to know if anybody (naive enough) buying this scam? Especially after CL warning on every page (Deal locally, don't transfer any money etc)" Why do you want to know? ............................Some get caught and most don't.

[Friendly Stranger]

Craigslist? You should check out the personals section if you need a good laugh!!

Examples please

You're asking for examples, come on, the fun of it is just going though them. Yeah, it seems like every single site has trolls and scammers.

A guy on cl said he was living in Phil's and wanted to rent his appt in toronto and it was a good price but he wanted me to western union the money then he'll courier the keys lmfao. He balked when I told him my buddy about 40 miles away from him will personally hand him the money in exchange for the keys.

Edited July 16, 2014 by Friendly Stranger

[ianf]

Internet scammers are "working" with every site now, even Paypal and E-Bay. Also many online retailers paid in advance never delivers the goods...That's probably the reason why Lazada was created, receiving the payment just on deliver. Wonderful marketing!

Yes Lazada is great pay upon delivery wonderful. have used them a couple times already.

Just wish there web sight had more English language translated pages ...

Oh dear GlassDude. Try "their web site". Hope this helps.

[ianf]

Many people here recommending AliExpress/Baba.

They are scammers too.

How can they get away so blatantly selling fake products?

As a cyclist I looked for wheels/frames etc:

Fake Campagnolo; Fake Cippollini; Fake Pinarello etc etc etc.

All I can say is thank God I'm not a manufacturer and researcher watching these thieves steal my name, designs and work.

Absolutely b"""""y disgusting.

[kerrysum]

Craigslist has always been a scam.... Never use them and never will....

[muratremix]

Craigslist has always been a scam.... Never use them and never will....

How do you sell your used products here in Thailand then?

For tech enthusiasts like me, it is a must (otherwise house is full of barely used consumer electronics).

[somchaismith]

Facebook seems to have its share too.

[kurnell]

Craigslist? You should check out the personals section if you need a good laugh!!

Examples please

You're asking for examples, come on, the fun of it is just going though them. Yeah, it seems like every single site has trolls and scammers.

A guy on cl said he was living in Phil's and wanted to rent his appt in toronto and it was a good price but he wanted me to western union the money then he'll courier the keys lmfao. He balked when I told him my buddy about 40 miles away from him will personally hand him the money in exchange for the keys.

And what happened?