ZachasaurusRex

I found a 2012 Specialized Venge Pro on Cragislist for $500, after contacting the guy he sent me this and a few pictures of the bike. Do you guys think this is a scam or a great deal?

Here's the email,

I will do my best to walk you through the process. As I told you in my first email, I recently got divorced and moved back
to my hometown in Omaha, Nebraska to start a new life , new job . The bike is already at the shipping company, ready
to be delivered to its future new owner. The deal is handled by eBay so I don't have much to do about it. Using eBay`s
Buyer Protection , you get free shipping, at your place in 2-3 days. In addition, you get 5 days to try it out before
buying it, and if you don't like it, you can send it back at my expense. The 5 days inspection period begin upon delivery
at your location.
If you would like to receive the email from eBay with all the transaction information, please reply with your complete
name, shipping address ( street, zip code ) and phone # and they will contact you right away.
Thank you,

ph0rk

Sounds fishy to me. I'd look elsewhere.

elmore leonard

If you buy it through ebay and through paypal I think you have protection? No! What is his reputation on ebay? Ask him for the ebay listing number. Or tell him to list it on ebay if he has not done so with a Buy it now price.

70sSanO

Yep!

Can't buy through craigslist and get ebay protection.

John

ZachasaurusRex

Thank you all for answering

Squeeze

It seems suspicious to me. Craigslist is for face-to-face cash and carry transactions.

RPK79

3 year old bike with a $6,400 MSRP for $500 via questionable payment and shipment methods? Sounds legit. Nice find!!

Agent Cooper

This is a scam, it's a very common internet scam. It's always a very high end item for sale for a ridiculously low price, and they always say they aren't handling anything, there's always a "local agent" or "Shipping company" handling the deal.

Telling you that you can try it out for free and return at no charge is also very common in these scam offers.

If you say yes, they will send you a spoof email that looks like an official Ebay email. It's not.

If you send any money to this guy you'll never see it again.

Don't respond and report it to Craigslist.

fietsbob

they using CL to direct you to their Ebay auction/Buy it now site?

Saddle Up

Sounds legit. Most people starting over from scratch don't need money so $500 for a $6400 bike sounds about right, NOT!

Send him the address and phone number from your local Police depts. fraud unit and move on.

CliffordK

Something is definitely off with that one.

Use normal E-Bay, or do Cash on Craigslist.

exmechanic89

^This is correct imo, has all the earmarks of a scam. Anytime you see something very expensive being sold for a ridiculously low amount you can be sure be it isnt legitimate.

There a lot of different versions of this scam, and they tend to evolve as they're brought to light. The latest twist is the supposed middleman handling the transaction, to allay the buyer's concern he'll be ripped off. Just another twist in a common scam. The thing to remember is: unbelievably low price on a high end item = scam.

SpeshulEd 

Scam. Do a google image search and you see that bike tied to several other craigslist posts:
Google Image Search

hueyhoolihan

if the money is not sent by me via my Paypal account through Ebay, i wouldn't touch it, unless it was a face to face transaction, and even then i would want to meet in a public place and i would take a beefy friend or two along if i was carrying the cash.

you can only be assured of a legit deal if the guy wants a ridiculous amount for a used bike.

veganbikes

Maybe he can throw in a nice bridge which you can ride across. In general if it is too good to be true, it isn't true. Sometimes you can find some decent stuff on CL but it is always a risk. If you do buy or sell have them meet you at a police station parking lot (not that I generally like the police) and if they say no, don't do business with them and if they are willing you have a better chance of being slightly more protected, maybe!

WizardOfBoz

A bike that goes for $1500-3000 on ebay, and routinely is listed for 2000-4000 on ebay, all for $500? Clearly, you've found a true bargain - better snap it up quick!

C'mon, man. You know the answer. You want the fantasy to be true, and you desperately want someone here to tell you "hey, this might be legit". Given that the pics appear to be from a bike that was just sold on ebay (see here), and was listed as being in Vancouver, BC, I think you might be disappointed if you send the "seller" your personal information. I mean, really, who would move from Vancouver to Omaha? Is that even remotely credible?

You should flag this on CL.

WizardOfBoz

By the way, I have an opportunity with Prince Owenko in Nigeria. Turns out he's trying to get his late father's fortune out of the country, but some corrupt ministers are blocking his bank access. He is looking for an honest American partner to help him bypass those corrupt officials, and he's noted that you have a good reputation. If you will send him your address, phone number, SS number, and bank account number, he will transfer no less than 10 million currencies to your account. The downside: you have to give him 9 million back. A great deal, right?

You should help him. I understand he's moving to Omaha to start a new life.

C'mon, Man!

CliffordK

On the C&V market, prices are absolutely all over the place.

But, I agree, even if that bike was local, I'd be very careful about it being stolen. Just too odd of a price/listing.

spdracr39

I hope this question is sarcasm.

exmechanic89

lolz..

frisky99

Scam , seen the same with cars on Craigslist.

exmechanic89

I've seen LOTS of versions of this routine..

JohnDThompson 

Seems appropriate for this discussion:

To Catch a Counterfeiter: The Sketchy World of Fake Bike Gear | Bicycling

thin_concrete

Yep - cars, skis, bikes, etc. Walk away.

Ghazmh

Sweet! what is the link to this post?