chris_harley1 Posted August 28, 2006 Share Posted August 28, 2006 Just something to watch on ebay. Who's brave enough to bid for this ?If I was in the US I might try and collect personally. Anyway someone might be interested. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Minolta-Telephoto-AF-600mm-f-4-0-APO-G-Autofocus-Lens_W0QQitemZ250023526782QQihZ015QQcategoryZ138QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael R Freeman Posted August 28, 2006 Share Posted August 28, 2006 DON'T!! It's a SCAM auction (and not a very original one at that), posted from a HIJACKED account. All the signs are there to see for anyone who has seen these before (i.e. "Contact me first", ridiculous opening bid, etc, etc) ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert_paul1 Posted August 28, 2006 Share Posted August 28, 2006 Chris, I agree with Michael, this is a SCAM. I've seen this being run for years. Normally, the listing has an opening bid of $1 with no reserve. Who in their right mind is going to risk selling a lens with a MSRP of $6000 for $1? If you watch this item, you'll soon see that the lens will soon be gone from eBay, as it will be reported and ebay will cancel the auction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill_thorlin Posted August 29, 2006 Share Posted August 29, 2006 Consigned to Hades where it belongs. However I seem to remember someone asking about a 200mm f2.8 the otherday and there is one on fleabay-UK item number - 150027113362. This seems kosher and perhaps of interest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nate_macdonald Posted August 29, 2006 Share Posted August 29, 2006 You're right, the auction is gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmphoto1 Posted August 29, 2006 Share Posted August 29, 2006 Robert, I have heard this specific logic before and it was as much of a mischaracterization of the dark side of eBay then as it is now. There is actually an entire legit eBay sub-industry based on selling items, even expensive ones, starting at $1. There are a HUGE slew of hijacked accounts right now. It is very easy to spot these: They want you to contact them directly via an email address they provide in the listing, and specifically state that they do not use the Contact The Seller link. They will list an outrageously good Buy It Now price for a sought after expensive item in the body of the listing (not as part of the pricing section of the listing) trying to get you to react quickly without putting too much thought into it. They will require that you pay with Western Union or some other means of cash. The currency does not match the item's location (item is located in the US but the price is in Pounds Sterling, etc) The first three points are a stone-cold lock in identifying a hijacked account. You might ask how accounts get hijacked. It is pretty simple. Never done it myself, but so you can watch out for it: Send you an email that is made to look like it is from eBay or PayPal. The email asks you to click on a link to log into your account. The link opens a page that looks like the eBay or PayPal log in page. When you enter your account info to "log in", the scammer has your info. I have seen some VERY, VERY good ones. ALWAYS log in directly to the site, NEVER from a link provided by an email. Hope this helps. chad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert_paul1 Posted August 29, 2006 Share Posted August 29, 2006 Chad, thanks for the info. I think one of my early email addresses got hijacked and is now circling around the internet. However, the scam on the 600mm f/4.0 has been going on for some time now, and it probably is to get either your email address, or to mine personal info from you. The scam I'm talking about is for a K/M 600mm f/4.0 which is brand new. The opening bid is $1 with no reserve. In most cases, the seller has a '0' rating. The item disappears after a day and eBay says the item number is no longer in the system. Then a few days or weeks later, the item appears being sold by another zero rating seller. The description is exactly the same. Some times I see a Maxxum 9Ti for sale under the same condition. I once emailed the seller, and asked what the serial number was. The seller didn't reply and the item disappeared, only to re-surface under a new zero rating seller. The auction for the 9Ti was suspect because the description didn't mention that the camera was a limited edition model. Sometimes the seller has other items for sale, like a Canon EOS-1D Mark II and other high end goods all with zero reserve. All these auctions disappear in a day or two. There are a number of scams on ebay, so it is a case of buyer beware. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill_thorlin Posted August 30, 2006 Share Posted August 30, 2006 Dear old fleabay and payuppal - they are aware of the problems and although no business likes to highlight it's problem areas they do, to be fair, face up to them. Go to the front page and there is a section called "Safety Centre". Click on that and there are a multitude of options for people to research including "phishing and spoofing". They also send out constant reminders to their "members" about problems to watch out for. Anyone who acts quickly and carelessly where their money and personal details are involved is asking for trouble. They must do their research, after all "a fool and his money are soon parted". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_harley1 Posted August 30, 2006 Author Share Posted August 30, 2006 Like I said who's brave enough? The basic rules of trade apply to any offer. If it's too good to be true it's false. Personally I would never buy an item above a value I was willing to lose from a non-shop seller.I would rather pay more and collect an item personally and inspect it.That said I have bought lenses from ebay before but always from large 'shops' with thousands of feedback.Still it was educational at least! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmphoto1 Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 Another one listed this morning. 400mm f4.5 for 650 pounds. 1 - "NO BIDS ! CONTACT ME FIRST" folled by an email address. Check 2 - 650 pounds listed in the body of the auction, not in the pricing section for a 400mm G. Check. 3 - Item was located in the USA but the sales prices was listed in Pounds Sterling. Check. Three strikes, stolen acount. chad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill_thorlin Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 "Where there's muck there's money" - sadly money like muck attracts blowflies and other undesirables. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert_paul1 Posted September 2, 2006 Share Posted September 2, 2006 I see that there's a Canon 600mm f/4, as well as a Minolta 600mm f/4 for sale on eBay. As usual, that tell you to email them. There are a couple of other 600mm's that look legit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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