New segway Junkie Due to Epcot 2 hour tour

[memgrove]

Hello all , I am just home from Epcot where I was able to take the two hour tour around the world! I live in Elkhart In ( north border to Michigan) and am now in the market! I have found an I 167 on the "Craigs list for Chicago" For CHEAP!! After sending an E-mail to the lister it was removed from the listing! I said that I had a sister there and she would bring cash and be able to pick it up at their convience. And this is what I got in response.

Hello,

I am selling the Segway I167 HumanPersonal Transporter for $650.The price including shipping.Because i am located in Arizona, Phoenix i would like to do this transaction trough eBay.You will be sending the money to an eBay agent. eBay will send the funds to me ONLY AFTER you will receive the Segway I167 HumanPersonal Transporter and agree to keep it.If you are not agree to keep it you will get a full refund.In order to start the transaction i will need your full name, address and your eBay id.They will send you an invoice with all the informations you need. I will send the Segway I167 HumanPersonal Transporter via UPS.

I will wait your reply.

Thank You.
:::

I then sent another email asking for a serail # and aproximate miles and got this response:


hello, I put in the mail all the pictures that I have, serial number 032131002385, Segway I67 is in very good condition I have come to him only 22 miles and I am the owner. Segway I67 is made in 2003 and I bought him again last year in March! Expect an email from you urgently to take out the business! Thanks


As soon as I can post the pictures I will. I am not comfortable with this transaction as I feel it is fraudulant. ( I think the pictures are from an E-bay add, that was from a dealer on the east coast)

I was just courious if this sounds familiar to any one here? And if there was some one here that would help figure this out.


Thanks for your time, Mike

[Mr_Laurenzano]

650.00

Wont even buy you a handlebat replacement. Either this guy is hurting for cash or this is the killerest gen1 sale ever.

Crash

[Lily Kerns]

It's a scam. The fractured English is a giveaway. You would think they would figure that out after while... And you are very wise to be cautious about anything that looks too good to be true.

[Bob.Kerns]

Originally Posted by Lily Kerns

It's a scam. The fractured English is a giveaway. You would think they would figure that out after while... And you are very wise to be cautious about anything that looks too good to be true.

Fractured English doesn't make it a scam. Sometimes it's just fractured English.

What really flags it as a scam for me is that he's pressuring you to close the deal quickly.

The basic plan SOUNDS good -- money held in escrow by an "ebay agent" until you're satisfied, with the seller taking all the risk.

But "ebay agent" is pretty vague. I bet you'd end up directed to a bogus entity.

There IS such a thing as escrow, and it's a good idea to use it on eBay.

[Mr_Laurenzano]

Originally Posted by Lily Kerns

It's a scam. The fractured English is a giveaway. You would think they would figure that out after while... And you are very wise to be cautious about anything that looks too good to be true.

True...
have him/her call you and start it up and shut it down with the phone on the HB put the phone next to it.

~bet they can't.

You could also call segway and see if the name matches the owner.

[Bob.Kerns]

Originally Posted by Bob.Kerns

Fractured English doesn't make it a scam. Sometimes it's just fractured English.

What really flags it as a scam for me is that he's pressuring you to close the deal quickly.

The basic plan SOUNDS good -- money held in escrow by an "ebay agent" until you're satisfied, with the seller taking all the risk.

But "ebay agent" is pretty vague. I bet you'd end up directed to a bogus entity.

There IS such a thing as escrow, and it's a good idea to use it on eBay.

Actually, it's the constellation of four factors that really convince me:

The low price, the rush to close the deal despite the low price, suggest an inexperienced seller, yet the desire to do it through what appears to be escrow suggests a seller who ought to be looking for the best offer.

The fourth factor is the apparent desire to conceal the seller's location. This can be prudence, if he fears theft, but it's a big flag in a situation like this.

But check out the serial number with INC. Check out the "eBay agent" with eBay. If it's an actual escrow situation, with an actual machine, legitimately owned, and which has never been in for service (the low mileage), you might have yourself a deal.

But it's a deal that doesn't make any sense to me except as a scam, so I doubt it.

[Bob.Kerns]

Originally Posted by Mr_Laurenzano

True...
have him/her call you and start it up and shut it down with the phone on the HB put the phone next to it.

~bet they can't.

You could also call segway and see if the name matches the owner.

That's a good idea about putting the Segway itself on the phone!

But don't just check the owner -- check the service record for any conflict with the mileage. At that mileage, I expect there should be NO service record, but with that age? It would likely have been sent in for the recall, in which case there'd be a record of a mileage higher than what's stated, so there's a potential place for the story to break down.

[memgrove]

Thanks for the heads up Gang! I Know that the price is so low it just screams SCAM!! The diferent city thing SCAM!! Posted on Craigs list then "sell through E-bay" SCAM!! Hurry ... SCAM!! I wish I could get the pictures that the seller to load here so you all could see them. I swear that I saw them on E-bay recently from a dealer on the east coast! The I 167 is sitting in a work area with White cabnets that are so close together that there is only about six inches of clearence between the upper set and counter top which is "blond" wood. There is also a second generation in the back of one picture and what look like luggage racks on the counter top. Also a new segway box in the corner. I have seen pictures from this room before!! I am just tring to be careful to not get Ripped off!!
Mike

[ViperGTS]

sounds like scam...

[bentbiker]

Originally Posted by ViperGTS

sounds like scam...

Yeah, not many people advertise in Craig's List Chicago for an item in AZ, and then announce processing via Ebay. If it sounds too good to be true . . .