Am I Crazy?

[ThreadLocker]

I am seeing quite a few Member Rep Sales from members with less than ten posts.....They claim to be long running members of RWG or RG......They also claim to be new here, or only lurk here......Doesn't this look like a FRAUD ready to happen?

Quote from a guy offering a Franken Omega for $900....he has 5 posts:

"Sorry about the double paragraph. As my post count indicates, I am of course new here and new to posting so please excuse my noobness. I will try and take better photos and post them (if successful) soon. I took a close look at the crystal and do not see a scratch. It is one of the scratch-proof crystals anyway but I will take better pics (hopefully).

Thanks!

thanks for the links to better photos..i will read, retake and re-post...thank you!

and thanks for the typo fix"

Seriously, or am I just paranoid and crazy?

Please offer your opinions........

Either way, I will never, I repeat never, buy a watch from a member with a very low post count..........In my opinion, sub 100 posts is an absolute no-no

 

[JC7]

Agree 100% but hesitant to say anything due to my sub 100 thread count.

 

[tommy_boy]

"Buyer Beware", as before. A slime ball with 500 posts could scam us, sadly.

The controversy surrounding the policy change was well documented.

I have not noticed a rash of problems since the change. Maybe I missed something.

Knock on wood!

 

[ThreadLocker]

"Buyer Beware", as before. A slime ball with 500 posts could scam us, sadly.

The controversy surrounding the policy change was well documented.

I have not noticed a rash of problems since the change. Maybe I missed something.

Knock on wood!

Who is BrianSW510? Did not notice him? I fully understand "Buyer Beware", but I feel that some people, especially new people will automatically trust everyone here, because this is the haven that saves rep buyers from scammers.....would suck if their first contact was with Brian or the like.........

 

[Vert]

BrianSW510 is a douche bag of the highest order. Unfortunately he lives across the pond. I hear what you're saying about new members but I'm of the opinion you do what you feel comfortable with. Paying $900 to a complete stranger with absolutely nobody to vouch for him most likely ain't gonna happen in my play book but then again that's just me. I have a technique for dealing with folks that involves an email or two to feel them out. If my instincts are wrong doom on me but they haven't failed me yet. When I had 5 posts I wouldn't dream of selling anything. Buyer beware.

Vert

 

[Time4Direct]

Certainly on RG there has been a few cases of scamming but most have had feedback and been members for some time.
Also I think their rules about posting sales are a little more strict than here so really I am of the opinion that scammers will conform to any rules that let them list.

Although thankfully these cases are rare it is a real possibility and I would myself be extra careful dealing with a new or inactive member.

As think said Noobs could easily be drawn into the scam by assuming it was OK because it was listed here .
I have to feel though that these Noobs on occasion are their own worst enemy and need to use due diligence and read up before they get involved with buying anything.

You would be amazed how many emails and PM's I get from new buyers who have ordered watches with flush cannon pinion/engraved bridges/ and complicated items only to get an email from them saying their 111 stops every 48 hours or the big second hand doesn't move on their Chrono 7750

 

[countit]

You would be amazed how many emails and PM's I get from new buyers who have ordered watches with flush cannon pinion/engraved bridges/ and complicated items only to get an email from them saying their 111 stops every 48 hours or the big second hand doesn't move on their Chrono 7750

Huh? Did you say the flux capacitor is wreaking havoc on the rack and pinion steering?

I'm a noob, and I have no idea what you are saying here. But, I'd love to be educated! Can you explain?

 

[Personicus]

In defense of us low posters,

I feel that folks can get a pretty good idea of the type of "seller" the member is going to be by reading their previous posts. I hope my posts, though few they are, reflect someone with a love of the horologic art rather than some douchey fellow trying to make a quick buck.

 

[deniz21]

hey guys, i totaly understand your oppinions im also new here, i have startet in RWG last year and have more then 1200 posts over there, but from time to time i look over at rwi, cause its a real cool place and from what i read its also a great community
ps also i realy like your avatar thread locker

but to come back to the op. i mean when i want to sell a watch somewhere where i dont have this high post count, i know its difficult to trust me then, i totaly understand, but maybe i also want to share that sale with some of you, maybe not only because of the profit thing, but because of giving a nice guy from here a good deal

so if i sell any watches in the furure i will post then here also, only because i realy like this place and the people and to make it more sure i would include a notice that i am a long time member at RWG and i can proof this..maybe we a PM over there, i think that would be fair

wish you all a nice day

deniz

 

[guanaco]

It's perfectly normal to feel paranoid about buying from very new members, or members with a very low post count... but sometimes members with high post count can scam people, they just have to build some trust and pounce on their victim... it's a terrible world where we live in where cowards take advantage of good people, but that's the reality of things.

As always, Caveat Emptor... take the proper precautions, look for red flags like PM discussions gone terribly wrong, etc. Also, remember that paying with a Money Order is the worst thing you can do next to bank-to-bank transfer... always use PayPal and if the transaction has somehow gone wrong contact an Administrator or Moderator IMMEDIATELY before doing anything so we can get to the bottom of things, we take scammers very seriously! Some members have gone as far as tracking them down to their homes or getting their phone numbers for the sake of scammed members, this is a close community and will not stand idle as one of the members gets scammed!

 

[trailboss99]

BrianSW50 is a perfect example of why it doesn't make a lot of difference.
Yes, he had a low post count here but he met the requirements at both RG and RWGroup before beginning his little scam and because he had a history there he took in even more good folk. Whatever it takes the dedicated scammer will meet the requirements, the steeper the requirements, the more cred the guy has.



Col.

 

[BADWIN BING]

I recently purchased a watch from an RWI member with a low post count.

I asked to use PayPal and the member emailed to say he was having problems with his PP account. Because of this the EU based member shipped the watch without payment. He gave me his bank account details and asked me to pay the money when the watch landed. It was a first class service.

What I'm trying to say here is that some things have to be based on trust.

As in all walks of life you're going to get the good, sometimes the bad and in BrianSW510's case the downright ugly!

As vert said sometimes you've got to trust your instinct. Send a PM, get an email and feel it out. If it doesn't feel right, leave it.....someting else will come up.

 

[trailboss99]

Good advice indeed Bing.


Col.

 

[tommy_boy]

Who is BrianSW510? Did not notice him? I fully understand "Buyer Beware", but I feel that some people, especially new people will automatically trust everyone here, because this is the haven that saves rep buyers from scammers.....would suck if their first contact was with Brian or the like.........

I noticed how much the thief wanted for his watches and said, "Nah, I'll buy a real watch for $900." That's more than halfway to a used Omega!

But seriously, if after a year or so of the new policy there has been no significant increase in the number of problems (remember, we had problems before) then I suppose it's six of one, half a dozen of the other with the two policies. And in the process, we see more watches and stuff available to buy.

Did we post a sticky with some noob buying guidelines?

 

[jmd33]

I've never agreed with the new policy. If it were up to me, only VIP members and Trusted Dealers would be able to sell.

I know I'm in the minority with my thought's on this - so it's just my $.02.

 

[JC7]

bringing this back around I noticed that someone posted a PAM tonight for $600 and changed and supposedly is was sold an hour later to someone who was posting for the 1st time. This is sketchy to me... I know I'm still a "noob" but something funny could be going on.

Have we ever had any cases where someone built a fake reputation for themselves by making it look like they've had several satisfied customers? ..maybe I'm just overly cautious.

 

[skysurfer78]

As I am a new member here with less than 100 posts I will give my feedback too.

I think a new member gets a lot of information here. You made guide´s for those, a new one can read about experiences from other buyers, we have trusted dealers etc...So I thing everything possible is done here. For sure there are some scammers trying to capitalize that. But if I find a selling offer here, for a watch with a value of 900 bucks, and the seller is a new one, my alarms will ring for sure! Surely I will try to found a secure way of payment for me then.

What I am trying to say is that there will always be some guys that will step into those traps because they are basicly to naive.

 

[jmd33]

There's a reason I never joined RG - now it seems to be finding it's way here.

 

[JellyJoe]

I am too scared, I simply don't buy anything. Ever.
The last thing I bought was a Spiderman comic book and that was in 1979.
My TV set is a 18inch black n white and most of the shoes I have are sized 5.5.
They do hurt, yeah, but my wife is in love with a gorilla, I lost my job as a stamp licker and my dog has the strange habit of chewing my furniture obstinately, so at least when I get back home I can take off my damn shoes.

 

[jmd33]

I am too scared, I simply don't buy anything. Ever.
The last thing I bought was a Spiderman comic book and that was in 1979.
My TV set is a 18inch black n white and most of the shoes I have are sized 5.5.
They do hurt, yeah, but my wife is in love with a gorilla, I lost my job as a stamp licker and my dog has the strange habit of chewing my furniture obstinately, so at least when I get back home I can take off my damn shoes.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: