Need help quickly!

[Fender868]

I apologize for writing with such an urgent tone, but i have two offers made on my Jackson that i put up on sale and both of them seem a little bizarre. I will post the emails and ask if anyone could tell me whether they are scams or not. The language used and the method of payment in one of them seems a little weird. Is it possible that people would want my address for something other than sending money ?

Here are the messages.

I'm interested in buying your items listed on craigslist.org. Please email me at your earliest convenience if the items still available for sale,kindly list the items available for sale with thier prices also tell me thier condition of selling the items.
N:B...Send your reply to chrisinegary_01@hotmail.com for me to reply to your response immediately.

Look forward to read from you

I then replied...

he wrote this...

Sound good,i will make the payment via cashier check and i will offer you $600 for the item because i don't want you to sell the item for another buyer,you will receive the cashier check through Ups,if you agree with my offer kindly get back to me with your full name and contact address including your phone number for me to make the payment immediately.

You don't need to worry your self about the shipping of the item because i have a shipper that will handle it from your base dawn to where i want it,the item location address needed for the pick up.

Look forward to hear from you

I asked for more information and asked about why he or she kept refering to the guitar as the "item". I've sold things before over the internet and they had more of a human touch than this. Either i am dealing with two people with a broken english or i am in the process of being scanned.

Now then, the next fellow...

Hello
I saw your ads concerning your item you listed for sale and I would like to purchase it, please i will like to ask you this question as followed...
(1) what is the condition of the item?
(2) I will like to see the picture of the item(If available)
(3)What is the final asking price of it?
(4) Do you accept (check or money order)?
(5) Did you agree that my shipper should come to you for the pick up?
(6) Will you be able to send the excess fund to the shipping company for the pick up? because shipping cost will be added to the payment sending to you.
So please get back to me so that i can make the payment in timely manner in other to sealed our transaction in normal manner Please, let me hear from you as soon as possible.
Regards
Larry.....

So i wrote back and he wrote this

Thanks for the information you forwarded after an exhaustive discussion. The Payment will get to you in a Money Order of $2500 , there will be a little delay of about three to four days to get to you, because this is a refund payment expected from a company ,it has to go through their usual official documentations and approvals before the refund is issued out to you.Please you have to bear with me,financial matters like this has to go through the right process, though the payment will get to you as soon as possible.I advice that you remove your ad from the internet to avoid further complications, since your payment has already been confirmed.After you have received the check you will deduct the cost of your ($550 ) and keep the remaining funds for my client's Shipping agent who will be coming for the pre-shipment inspection and subsequent Shipment for offsetting shipping fees and other expenses,while title papers and other necessary documents will be sent by you via courier serivce to my client,I will keep you posted on all the necessary arrangements.
Furnish me with the following details for the payment to be send over to you ;

1.Full name
2.Full Address
3.Telephone Number

Please confirm this mail and get back to me via email as soon as possible with the necessary informations required from you for onward delivery of the payment to you as soon as possible.Nice doing business with you.
Regards,

This all seems a little out of place. Maybe i am just too new at this ? Either way, am in harm of anything ? Say i receive a check anyways, and the money doesn't bounce and i send the item with the remaining money, am i in any legal danger since the money didn't belong to him either ?

[Fender868]

News break i just got this from the first guy.

the response still seems to be lacking the questions i asked.

I won't give any information until i can determine whether this is safe or not. I don't want to be frauded...

My name is Willimas Maurice my address is 245 bellwood avenue,bellwood,il,60104.Since you have agree with my offer kindly get back to me with your information for me to make the payment.

Regard

Also it seems just a tad bit weird that both these guys asked me to repeat the sum of money for "the item" and "the condition" - when all of that was firmly and clearly addressed in my adds. I've been wanting to sell this guitar in ages, but **** i don't want to get screwed..


help :S

[Rich]

Payment scams.

[LuredMaul]

sounds buckety to me man.........

[Fender868]

Originally Posted by Rich

Payment scams.

Are these scams for sure ?

Thanks for the quick information. It's really ticking me off since i was getting hope of selling her relatively soon. The only real human response i got from them was from a 14 year old stoner who offered me a half sanded down Ibanez Gio with the pieces (because i'd still be tempted to accept it...) along with some cheap stompboxes, ipod gear (i assume he meant earphones, an itunes cd , a car cassette and a charger or some useless crap).

Anyways, i guess il have to be patient...

[bammbamm]

Don't waste your time...
The guy's address is an apt complex 25 miles from my place.
See if he'll allow someone to pick up the CASH only and deliver the guitars... say you have a friend that works at Loyola Univ. and they can drop off the guitar and get the cash, only. See what he says then...

[uberthrall]

Originally Posted by bammbamm

Don't waste your time...
The guy's address is an apt complex 25 miles from my place.
See if he'll allow someone to pick up the CASH only and deliver the guitars... say you have a friend that works at Loyola Univ. and they can drop off the guitar and get the cash, only. See what he says then...

That's a great idea. I'd be willing to bet the farm that you'd never hear
from him again. Definitely sounds like a scammer to me.

[Rich]

You first intincts were the correct ones. Nobody buying a guitar calls it an item, or a product. These idiots just copy and paste the same con attempt into as many add emails a day looking for somebody to take the bait. Don't even waste your time, it's bogus plain and simple.

[Fender868]

Originally Posted by uberthrall

That's a great idea. I'd be willing to bet the farm that you'd never hear
from him again. Definitely sounds like a scammer to me.

Tried it and it hasn't worked. Same with the other bozo. I asked him to describe my item. Then he didn't respond so fast anymore. So i invited to kiss my item, well not the guitar anyways

[shredmaster]

i'm glad you didn't sell to them. always trust your instincts! always. when in doubt, don't! you would think scammers would use better language and not give themselves away so easily. idiots.

[Fender868]

I got two more this morning and god they were even funnier. One of them said "i look at your glorious item and i like it so much i want now". They could almost add "Me love you long time" and i am sure it would help them scam more :P

[supermau]

Those are scams FOR SURE. I've been through these numerous times trying to sell everything from guitars to my van. In fact I have a record of over 20 of these type of replies for my van alone. This is one of the most common scams around. The language of the letters give it away immediately.

Check this link for some insight...http://www.419eater.com/

[crevis]

Scams. NO doubt about it, the second one is especially common.

I only except PayPal or Direct Deposit, you can't go wrong then.

[microdmitry]

Try to find out their real addresses and contact their local authorities.

[Ayrton]

Originally Posted by Rich

Payment scams.

No kidding, I can't believe people still fall for this.