Offer received via email

[gjm 3258]

It's a sad fact that Mrs Ms Baur is for sale. Been on TM for a while, which was expected

Received an email today. Fair enough - there is a button on the listing inviting interested parties to email the seller, and I have said that if someone would like to make an offer, please email using that button.

The offer is obviously some way below the asking price. This is expected.

However..

The person using this option is registered on TM with an ihug email address. For those that don't know, these haven't worked for a few years.
By the powers of tenacity vested in me, I have ascertained this person has no active listings, no recent purchases or sales, a total feedback score of 10 (with 2 stars) and a feedback percentage of 80-something. So not perfect, and hasn't bought or sold anything for some time.

This person has included a pone number in the email I have received.

Is this an occasional person who has found something on TM they like, or a calculating individual using an old untraceable account to initiate something unpleasant?

[Twistee 453]

If it looks like a duck.... Shoot it. Put a comment on your listing about how contact should be correctly made. It's hard enough to sell a car without some a$$hat trying to pull a fast one.

[gjm 3258]

7 minutes ago, Twistee said:

If it looks like a duck.... Shoot it. Put a comment on your listing about how contact should be correctly made. It's hard enough to sell a car without some a$$hat trying to pull a fast one.

Contact has been made correctly, but I can't reply to the email (bounce back, address not found), only phone (or text) the person. The email won't have worked for a few years.

[jon dee 500]

Sounds a bit like the person has not updated the email address they registered with TM back in the day when ihug was a thing. This opinion assumes that the email you received was sent by TM and contained the enquirers registered email address for your reply. 

Cheers...

 

[gjm 3258]

14 minutes ago, jon dee said:

Sounds a bit like the person has not updated the email address they registered with TM back in the day when ihug was a thing. This opinion assumes that the email you received was sent by TM and contained the enquirers registered email address for your reply. 

Cheers...

The email source is good - I've checked the headers.
Seems odd that someone would be using a years-dead address.

[Bandit 194]

1 hour ago, gjm said:

This person has included a pone number in the email I have received.

Is this an occasional person who has found something on TM they like, or a calculating individual using an old untraceable account to initiate something unpleasant?

Seems quite simple to me, call the phone number.  If you feel it is something "unpleasant" use your judgement and walk away. Unless we've missed something?

As an aside we recently sold a  high value item off TradeMe.  The buyers account was registered in 2017, and this was the first trade. 

Your guy may be bonafide, and simply as suggested not kept the contact details up to date.

Amazingly a larger percentage of the population than we think have very limited technical skills. Even in 2022 .😀

 

Edited August 21, 2022 by Bandit

[poggle112233 2]

Sounds somewhat suspicious. I was recently emailed in response to a TM listing for my E36. There was a valid email address but the correspondence with the interested party threw up a number of flags; wanted to make payment through PayPal without inspection, wanted to send a “courier” to pick up the car (would take a lot of tickets🤣) and was based “off shore” so couldn’t ring and talk to me. Disengaged with them pretty quickly and instead sold to a lovely human being with a phone number who was prepared to meet me in person. 😉 Be careful would be my advice 

[Twistee 453]

One of the annoying professional hats I wear is information security and while I would love to believe in humanity, I'm with @poggle112233.

I hope a phone call later it will all be great and you will have cash in hand.

[gjm 3258]

12 minutes ago, Twistee said:

One of the annoying professional hats I wear is information security...

Annoying, frustrating, time-consuming, awkward...

Yup - been there.

[tawa 150]

1 hour ago, Twistee said:

If it looks like a duck.... Shoot it. Put a comment on your listing about how contact should be correctly made. It's hard enough to sell a car without some a$$hat trying to pull a fast one.

But if the duck has the $$$, give him the car!

I think just go straight to setting criteria for the cash in hand, buyer to seller meet, it's a real quick way to let scammers know it isn't worth their time...

[C-130 Hercules 571]

Call, from a public phone... 

[jon dee 500]

Put on aluminum foil hat and Groucho glasses/nose/moustache combo... 

[gjm 3258]

1 hour ago, C-130 Hercules said:

Call, from a public phone... 

One teensy prolem.

What is this 'public phone' of which you speak?

Withholding my number does seem appropriate. Of course, I may not get an answer...

[KwS 2425]

3 hours ago, poggle112233 said:

Sounds somewhat suspicious. I was recently emailed in response to a TM listing for my E36. There was a valid email address but the correspondence with the interested party threw up a number of flags; wanted to make payment through PayPal without inspection, wanted to send a “courier” to pick up the car (would take a lot of tickets🤣) and was based “off shore” so couldn’t ring and talk to me. Disengaged with them pretty quickly and instead sold to a lovely human being with a phone number who was prepared to meet me in person. 😉 Be careful would be my advice 

Overseas "buyers" are a completely different case. Most are a well known scam.

I've sold some cars via weird or sketchy communication. Just give them a call, they probably just dont know how to computer but are genuine buyers. Buy a disposable 2degrees sim if you're worried.

[C-130 Hercules 571]

1 hour ago, gjm said:

What is this 'public phone' of which you speak?

I mean one of the pay phones on the street. 

[gjm 3258]

9 hours ago, C-130 Hercules said:

I mean one of the pay phones on the street. 

I was kinda kidding. Not sure I've seen one hereabouts!

[treone 648]

Pay phone booths with free wifi? 🤣

[Blackie 510]

Doing a Google search, ihug email addresses were only terminated at the end of 2019. That's not that long ago. An older non-tech person (lets face it older people go for soft tops) that doesn't need email address may not have registered a new once since.

[qube 3570]

I dont think its too suspicious, also since the listing is for a baur, i would imagine it could be an older person who is interested which may explain the dated(ish) email address and lack of trade history. Not everyone is constantly buying and selling on fb, they could have been referred the listing from a friend and have only used tm for a few transactions in the past etc.

As others have said, give them a call and talk in person.

Anything that suggests overseas or paypal then obviously stay away.

[gjm 3258]

33 minutes ago, qube said:

I dont think its too suspicious, also since the listing is for a baur, i would imagine it could be an older person who is interested which may explain the dated(ish) email address and lack of trade history. Not everyone is constantly buying and selling on fb, they could have been referred the listing from a friend and have only used tm for a few transactions in the past etc.

As others have said, give them a call and talk in person.

Anything that suggests overseas or paypal then obviously stay away.

Profile suggests North Shore of Auckland.