How to Avoid being taken by scam GPS Auctions

Perform a search today on eBay for most high end electronics, and you will find a plethora of seemingly simple auctions for the very item that you are looking for!

At last! you may be able to get that item, and as all of us are aware, on occasion we save money in doing so.

For some of the higher end GPS units though, we'll be close to market value, and many scammers have began trying to lure you out of your money in your quest to obtain the latest and greatist GPS manufacturers have to offer.

How to tell ...

Our example will be a Garmin 396, a moving map GPS that is one of the very best in Aviation, Automotive and Marine modes. MRP of $2700, can be bought through most pilot shops for $2400.

1. First off, the auction in question will have some very low price as the start, a dollar, 50 dollars, etc. Obviously this is not what a true seller would be likely starting off his auction for, as (for example) a garmin 396 (I have one) goes for about $2450 at most pilot shops. It is a waste of your time and mine even if your first bid could be substantially lower than that.

The big tip off comes when you go into the auction ...

You go in, and at the outset you are informed:

For dealing with me in safe and quick mode please mail before takeing any auctions at:

Email Address Here

I will give you a fast answer to all your questions.

ONLY 500 USD

You can see that this person is violating eBay rules right off, soliciting you to contact them by email. they will list all sorts of reasons that you need to do this, but a legitamate seller will have no issues with you contacting them thru eBay's links for doing so, that is why it is there. as a side note, notice that their spelling may not be correct in their requests as well.

Curious? Email the seller ...

2. Let's say you have emailed them, just to see what is going on. you will receive a quick answer, and if you emailed several just out of curiosity, all of them answer with the same typical canned answer:

First I want to tell you that all my units are brand new and comes with The Manufacturer's International Warranty(2 years).All accesories included.
 I'm selling them for 500 USD . Is very important for me to protect my clients. I have 5 units available .I have big discounts for buying more than one unit.The transaction will be made thru Western Union with the ebay protection.
To be 100% protected we will make this deal under ebay and if something goes wrong, you will receive all your money back including western
union fees. Shipping will be made from Europe by UPS and in 40 hours you will have it. I will pay the shipping and handling fees.
Do not bid on it because I have more units available and I do not want to make
more listings and pay more fees to eBay. So if you want to make a 100% protected deal under ebay, with feedback let me know.
 If you are not satisfied about my product, you have 15 days to send it to me back as I will send you all your money back (15 days refund policy).If you are interesed let me
 know asap .
 

Let's pick apart their answer:

1. "Every Garmin GPS product is warranted to be free from defects in materials or workmanship for one year from the date of purchase." This is from the Garmin website itself, so his claim of a 2 year warrenty is invalid!

2. "The transaction will be made thru Western Union with the ebay protection."

This is your biggest tipoff that this is a scam!

Western Union is wire transfer. eBay specifically states that this is not a supported method of payment, not recommended and certainly not covered by ANY protection, despite claims by the seller.

Simply put: You wire them the money, they never answer, and you are out $$$$. not even Western Union will be able to get your money back.

3. "To be 100% protected we will make this deal under ebay and if something goes wrong, you will receive all your money back including western union fees. "

Refer back to #2, enough said, there is no protection for you if you use Western Union to wire $$$.

Incidentally, they may even state that they do not use Paypal because they do not wish to incurr the fees from credit card use, in actuality this would be the most protective way for you to purchase, as paypal disputes can proceed after they have received the money. and they intend to keep your money, not have Paypal yank it back.

There are Legatimate Auctions  ...

There are legit auctions on eBay for the equipment you are seeking, in my example of a garmin 396 at the time of this guide, there was an auction for one and the current price was $2227.00.

This is still a bargain from $2400, the seller took paypal, and you may contact them thru eBay, no worries there.

A Last Word ...

Please don't fall victim to the scammers out there if you are in the market for a GPS, if my guide satisfied your curiosity as to what happens if you email these people, then I'm happy. I myself never bought one for $500, but I would not wish to see anyone taken for much more than that.