If something seems too good to be true

[wilro15]

... then maybe it is?

This week I saw an auction on eBay for a new Naim SuperNait mark 2. I placed a bid and waited. The auction ended and I won with a bid of just under £1300! Free postage too. This was on Thursday lunchtime.

I have paid by PayPal. I contacted seller to ask how he can sell a £2850 item at less than half price and he said he was hoping for more.

The seller has no feedback yet - an eBay rating of zero.

When the item arrives (if it does) I am planning to first check it is actually an mark2, not a mark1. Then I will check it is actually brand new. Finally I will open it up and make sure it is Naim on the inside.

Scam or bargain of the year?

 

[DocG]

I really, really hope it's been your lucky day, wilro. If not, at least you used Paypal!

So far, the bargains I found on auction sites (Beolab 9, Wilson Duette, Conrad Johnson amp, Pathos Endorphin CDP, ...) have all been fake. So I stopped looking there...

Will he send you the original invoice and original packaging too? When in doubt, you can always check the serial number with Naim.

 

[rainsoothe]

if the seller is cotle_cotle, that would be me - and I ended the auction early since I found another buyer on another site. I explained this in a private message to all my bidders, AND to all others that have contacted me with questions. In the meantime, I have also sold my Rotel RA 1520 on the bay as well, and I got 100% positive feedback, and if you want to exchange emails, I can also send you a printscreen of my "SOLD" page, to see that there's only 1 item that's actually been sold - the Rotel. The SN2 is in the "Unsold" sectoin. If it was another SN2 and another seller, disregard this message, and just consider it a sample of my paranoia )

EDIT: oh, nvm, you said "under" 1300 pounds, my bidder was at exactly 1300 quid

 

[expat_mike]

I hope that when he told you that he was hoping for more, he wasn't trying to indicate that the auction had not reached the reserve price, and therefore there was to be no sale.

 

[matthewpiano]

DocG's advice to check the serial number with Naim is excellent and much more sensible than opening the unit up to check the internals are Naim.

 

[wilro15]

So the guy has cancelled the eBay transaction claiming that a fire in his storage location has damaged the goods. I'm pretty sure he never had a SuperNait to sell.

I wonder if it is some sort of scam whereby he benefits from having my money for a day or two before having to return it.

I knew it was too good to be true. *wacko*

 

[Gazzip]

I suspect he may have either sold it elsewhere or £1300 was less than he was hoping to get for it. Presumably it was an auction? If yes then I bet his "burnt" item will show back up on eBay in the next month or so. Happens all the time unfortunately.....

 

[wilro15]

Yeah it was an auction. That was one of the dodgy things about it, why auction a new item with no reserve. Anyway, back to bargain hunting!

 

[drummerman]

Brave to buy such an expensive item from someone with zero rating ...

 

[Gazzip]

Brave to buy such an expensive item from someone with zero rating ...

Indeed!

 

[Frank Harvey]

On the one hand, I'd say that there are probably a lot of new ebay members out there trying to build themselves up a bit of feedback in order to be trusted. We've all been there. On the other hand, ask yourself a few questions about the item they're selling for such a low price - would you sell one for that price if it was yours? Most people would want a decent return. I can't see anyone wanting any less than £2k for a SuperNait 2, unless they themselves bought it used and are willing to sell at a bit of a loss.

Stories about why the item is no longer for sale though are extremely dubious. That'll either be because they've sold it elsewhere for the sort of money they were looking for originally, or because they think that the bidding won't reach the figure they want.

 

[wilro15]

Brave to buy such an expensive item from someone with zero rating ...

Indeed!

No risk as money is protected by eBay and PayPal Buyer Guarantee. It was worth a punt just in case.