«

Squiggle wrote:
> EMB wrote:
>> ~misfit~ wrote:
>>> Ooops, hit 'send' too soon, meant to cross to nz.gen. Fixed now.
>> Get it onto scambusters too.
>
> Interesting site that one, I didn't realise how widespread the scams
> were on Trademe. Or how crap the Trademe security team were.
>
> As time goes on I can only see Trademe loosing ground to some newcomer,
> the way they keep cranking their fees up, and the usability down.
> The latest stupidity of having to pay a fee to put a reserve on an
> auction is going to see it turn into more of a fixed price classified
> site than auction house.

Already has with start bids well over the retail cost of a new
replacement once you add on the delivery to a lot of things.

On Mon, 08 Dec 2008 12:01:41 +1300, Squiggle <>
wrote:

>EMB wrote:
>> ~misfit~ wrote:
>>> Ooops, hit 'send' too soon, meant to cross to nz.gen. Fixed now.
>>
>> Get it onto scambusters too.
>
>Interesting site that one, I didn't realise how widespread the scams
>were on Trademe. Or how crap the Trademe security team were.
>
>As time goes on I can only see Trademe loosing ground to some newcomer,
>the way they keep cranking their fees up, and the usability down.

Is loosing ground the same as throwing dirt or sand around? I think
you meant losing ground, not loosing ground.

>The latest stupidity of having to pay a fee to put a reserve on an
>auction is going to see it turn into more of a fixed price classified
>site than auction house.

Is that why there is no reserve but a minimum bid on so many auctions
these days?

Somewhere on teh intarwebs "" typed:
> ~misfit~ wrote:
>> Somewhere on teh intarwebs "" typed:
>>> ~misfit~ wrote:
>>>> Ooops, hit 'send' too soon, meant to cross to nz.gen. Fixed now.
>>>>
>>>> Somewhere on teh intarwebs "" typed:
>>>>> Hello gentle readers,
>>>>>
>>>>> I spotted a ThinkPad auction on Trademe the other day that I knew
>>>>> in my gut was wrong. I sent a link the to EMB who said that it
>>>>> looked like an old Celeron machine or similar.
>>>>>
>>>>> However, in the pics could plainly be seen a ''T60" badge and a
>>>>> "Core 2 Duo" and a "Vista" sticker. However, in no way did it look
>>>>> like a T60. The auction said no pickups, bank deposit and free
>>>>> delivery only. So I was watching it and someone bid. I couldn't
>>>>> stand idly by and
>>>>> see someone fleeced of their money so I bid. They had an autobid
>>>>> of $501, something I noticed when my bid of $500 was beaten by $1
>>>>> instead of the usual $5. I bid again and decided that I'd either
>>>>> scored a real bargain or, far more likely, saved someone from
>>>>> being ripped off. Long story short, the seller purported to be a
>>>>> female named "Jane"
>>>>> who'd only been a member of Tradme for this auction. In emails I
>>>>> said that there was no way I was going to send $500 to someone who
>>>>> wasn't address verified, for a laptop that I wasn't sure was what
>>>>> it was supposed to be.
>>>>> "Jane" (with the email address , emails from
>>>>> which account arrived from "Jeff Mart L" but signed "Jane") at
>>>>> some stage morphed into her ex (with whom she was still on good
>>>>> terms)
>>>>> as she had to hit the road this morning, she was working "up
>>>>> north".
>>>>>
>>>>> I insisted on a meet, said I was keen and it was arranged that we
>>>>> would meet at Greenlane MacDonalds at 7:30 this evening (make
>>>>> sure I had the cash!). I enlisted the assistance of a friend
>>>>> who's computer I'd been fixing today, withdrew the money from my
>>>>> credit card (just
>>>>> in case) and headed up there.
>>>>> Low and behold, when "Jeff" finally turned up 25 minutes late the
>>>>> laptop that was produced was a Pentium II /400Mhz 10+ year old
>>>>> machine. Not only had the Core 2 Duo sticker mysteriously vanished
>>>>> but there were no serial numbers on the back. However, there
>>>>> *was* a T60 badge glued onto the machine.
>>>>>
>>>>> At this stage I scratched my head and a camera flash went off.
>>>>>
>>>>> http://test.internet-webmaster.de/upload/1228640360.jpg
>>>>>
>>>>> (Gosh I didn't realise I was getting so bald!. He's the
>>>>> white-haired guy looking like he's been caught in a lie BTW.)
>>>>>
>>>>> "Jeff" looked nervously about but couldn't see anyone with a
>>>>> camera.
>>>>> I asked where the 'Core 2 Duo' sticker went and he said it must
>>>>> have fallen off in the bag so I sadistically made him look for
>>>>> it. <g> I told him he was mistaken that the laptop wasn't worth
>>>>> the gas it'd cost me to get to Greenlane, and he left, not before
>>>>> my friend shadowed him across the half-empty carpark, across the
>>>>> street and another 300 metres to his White 1990 Mitsubishi Eterna
>>>>> (rego number TT5570) and got some pics of him in the car.
>>>>>
>>>>> Oh, the auction:
>>>>> http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/List...x?id=190535781
>>>>> I'll write an email to Trademe when I can be bothered, I'm a bit
>>>>> sore right now. I guess Trademe will contact the police?
>>> Congratulations, a lovely sting!
>>
>> Thanks. I simply couldn't sit idly by and see someone fleece another
>> person.
>>
>>> You's doin' de lawd's work in dis wicked world.
>>
>> Hehee! Do you think the de lawd will let me into heaven now? Or at
>> least reimburse me for the petrol, cash advance fee and the latte
>> from MacDonalds?
>>
>> LOL, I better get to the bank soon, having $500 in my pocket is a
>> temptation, even with my relatively good self control.
>>
>> BTW, I've been going through the process of trying to lay a
>> complaint at Trademe. They don't make it easy. Just about every
>> option you click on basically tells you to do something other than
>> contact them. They've removed the old "Report this auction / trader"
>> button. Trademe make it *really* hard to actually lay a complaint.
>> Not surprising really, I checked my account details with them going
>> back to Feb '01 when I joined. I added it up and realised I've paid
>> them $925 (!!!!!) in commision / fees in just under 8 years, and
>> that's just on stuff I've sold! You don't kill the goose that lays
>> the golden eggs.
>>
>
> Yep, the fastest way to get them to do some is to hit the report this
> link, then select the option about trader is trying to avoid paying
> trademe fees (strangely enough its the top option in the list).

Odd that.

> Did that the other day on a trader that was listing lots of items on
> one listing with different prices and got a reply within 5 minutes,
> saying that the auction had been shut down.
>
> Any other time i've tried to contact trademe with queries etc its
> always been 2 or 3 days.

Thanks. Unfortunately the 'report this listing' link vanishes as soon as the
auction closes.

Cheers,
--
Shaun.

Somewhere on teh intarwebs "" typed:
> ~misfit~ wrote:
>> Somewhere on teh intarwebs "" typed:
>>> Hello gentle readers,
>>>> I spotted a ThinkPad auction on Trademe the other day that I knew
>>>> in my gut was wrong. I sent a link the to EMB who said that it
>>>> looked like an old Celeron machine or similar.
>>> I think the mouse-keys instead of a track-pad is bit of a give-away.
>>
>> It's the lack of a touchpad that was odd. Even new ThinkPads still
>> have the 'joystick' as well as a touchpad.
>
> I like that because it means that you get mouse buttons in the logical
> place for them when using the touchpad, rather then at the bottom
> which is all that most computers give you for some reason.
>
>>> Don't think I've seen a "IBM Think-pad" sticker like that for some
>>> time, either (maybe I don't look?).
>>
>> That "IBM ThinkPad" logo was still in use a year ago, perhaps still
>> is? Here's a real T60, a year old:
>>
>> http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/List...x?id=191120305
>
> I think the T60 was the last that was branded IBM, they are all just
> thinkpad now

Yes, I believe you're right. Lenovo bought the rights to 'ThinkPad" but only
had the rights to use "IBM" for a set period, I think 4 years?
--
Shaun.

wrote:
> On Mon, 08 Dec 2008 12:01:41 +1300, Squiggle <>
> wrote:
>>
>> As time goes on I can only see Trademe loosing ground to some newcomer,
>> the way they keep cranking their fees up, and the usability down.
>
> Is loosing ground the same as throwing dirt or sand around? I think
> you meant losing ground, not loosing ground.

Indeed I did, not sure how that one slipped past me, I'm usually pretty
good at proof reading what I type, and I certainly know the difference
between those two.
>
>> The latest stupidity of having to pay a fee to put a reserve on an
>> auction is going to see it turn into more of a fixed price classified
>> site than auction house.
>
> Is that why there is no reserve but a minimum bid on so many auctions
> these days?

Yes, not that trademe minds of course, they must be raking in a few
dollars from those that regret not putting a reserve on and then
withdrawing their auctions (for a $3 fee).

Somewhere on teh intarwebs "" typed:
> PeeCee wrote:
>>>
>> Yay, nice one Shaun, pity Fair Go has finished for the year.
>>
>> Good to put a face to your name as well.
>
> I'm saw a guy who looked very much like your dude, on TV1 news the
> other night - handing out info at the door of a Hanover Finance
> investor meeting.

That *is* him! Bugalugs recognised him from my pic as well and alerted me so
I checked TV on demand, then saw him again on the evening news. (He was
actually putting his vote in the ballot box at the shareholder's meeting.)

<http://test.internet-webmaster.de/upload/1228858930.jpg>

Seems he may have lost access to his money so taken to attempting fraud in
the interim.

Cheers,
--
Shaun.

Somewhere on teh intarwebs "abuse@127.0.0.1" typed:
> "~misfit~" <> wrote in message
> news:ghg3kf$kvu$...
>> Hello gentle readers,
>>
>> I spotted a ThinkPad auction on Trademe the other day that I knew in
>> my gut was wrong. I sent a link the to EMB who said that it looked
>> like an old Celeron machine or similar.
>>
>> However, in the pics could plainly be seen a ''T60" badge and a
>> "Core 2 Duo" and a "Vista" sticker. However, in no way did it look
>> like a T60. The auction said no pickups, bank deposit and free
>> delivery only. So I was watching it and someone bid. I couldn't stand
>> idly by and
>> see someone fleeced of their money so I bid. They had an autobid of
>> $501, something I noticed when my bid of $500 was beaten by $1
>> instead of the usual $5. I bid again and decided that I'd either
>> scored a real bargain or, far more likely, saved someone from being
>> ripped off. Long story short, the seller purported to be a female named
>> "Jane"
>> who'd only been a member of Tradme for this auction. In emails I
>> said that there was no way I was going to send $500 to someone who
>> wasn't address verified, for a laptop that I wasn't sure was what it
>> was supposed to be. "Jane" (with the email address ,
>> emails from which
>> account arrived from "Jeff Mart L" but signed "Jane") at some stage
>> morphed into her ex (with whom she was still on good terms) as she
>> had to hit the road this morning, she was working "up north".
>>
>> I insisted on a meet, said I was keen and it was arranged that we
>> would meet at Greenlane MacDonalds at 7:30 this evening (make sure I
>> had the cash!). I enlisted the assistance of a friend who's computer
>> I'd been fixing today, withdrew the money from my credit card (just
>> in case) and headed up there.
>>
>> Low and behold, when "Jeff" finally turned up 25 minutes late the
>> laptop that was produced was a Pentium II /400Mhz 10+ year old
>> machine. Not only had the Core 2 Duo sticker mysteriously vanished
>> but there were no serial numbers on the back. However, there *was* a
>> T60 badge glued onto the machine.
>>
>> At this stage I scratched my head and a camera flash went off.
>>
>> http://test.internet-webmaster.de/upload/1228640360.jpg
>>
>> (Gosh I didn't realise I was getting so bald!. He's the white-haired
>> guy looking like he's been caught in a lie BTW.)
>>
>> "Jeff" looked nervously about but couldn't see anyone with a camera.
>> I asked where the 'Core 2 Duo' sticker went and he said it must have
>> fallen off in the bag so I sadistically made him look for it. <g> I
>> told him he was mistaken that the laptop wasn't worth the gas it'd
>> cost me to get to Greenlane, and he left, not before my friend
>> shadowed him across the half-empty carpark, across the street and
>> another 300 metres to his White 1990 Mitsubishi Eterna (rego number
>> TT5570) and got some pics of him in the car.
>>
>> Oh, the auction:
>> http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/List...x?id=190535781 I'll write an
>> email to Trademe when I can be bothered, I'm a bit sore
>> right now. I guess Trademe will contact the police?
>
> Yay, nice one Shaun, pity Fair Go has finished for the year.
>
> Good to put a face to your name as well.

Thanks Paul, I appreciate that. Once I twigged to what was going on I
couldn't stand idly by knowing someone was going to be ripped off. What's
that quote? "All that's needed for evil to triumph is for good men to do
nothing"? (Or similar.) Well, I try to be a good man. <g>

Cheers,
--
Shaun.

In article <ghmop9$ill$>,
says...
> Somewhere on teh intarwebs "" typed:
> > PeeCee wrote:
> >>>
> >> Yay, nice one Shaun, pity Fair Go has finished for the year.
> >>
> >> Good to put a face to your name as well.
> >
> > I'm saw a guy who looked very much like your dude, on TV1 news the
> > other night - handing out info at the door of a Hanover Finance
> > investor meeting.
>
> That *is* him! Bugalugs recognised him from my pic as well and alerted me so
> I checked TV on demand, then saw him again on the evening news. (He was
> actually putting his vote in the ballot box at the shareholder's meeting.)
>
> <http://test.internet-webmaster.de/upload/1228858930.jpg>
>
> Seems he may have lost access to his money so taken to attempting fraud in
> the interim.

Small world - NZ

--
Duncan

Somewhere on teh intarwebs "" typed:
> On Wed, 10 Dec 2008 10:47:37 +1300, "~misfit~"
> <> wrote:
>
>> ...
>> Thanks Paul, I appreciate that. Once I twigged to what was going on I
>> couldn't stand idly by knowing someone was going to be ripped off.
>> What's that quote? "All that's needed for evil to triumph is for
>> good men to do nothing"? (Or similar.) Well, I try to be a good man.
>> <g>
>
> I showed the pic to my wife and asked her to choose who was the
> scammer -
> yep , you got it

LOL, me?
--
Shaun.

Somewhere on teh intarwebs "" typed:
> In article <ghmop9$ill$>,
> says...
>> Somewhere on teh intarwebs "" typed:
>>> PeeCee wrote:
>>>>>
>>>> Yay, nice one Shaun, pity Fair Go has finished for the year.
>>>>
>>>> Good to put a face to your name as well.
>>>
>>> I'm saw a guy who looked very much like your dude, on TV1 news the
>>> other night - handing out info at the door of a Hanover Finance
>>> investor meeting.
>>
>> That *is* him! Bugalugs recognised him from my pic as well and
>> alerted me so I checked TV on demand, then saw him again on the
>> evening news. (He was actually putting his vote in the ballot box at
>> the shareholder's meeting.)
>>
>> <http://test.internet-webmaster.de/upload/1228858930.jpg>
>>
>> Seems he may have lost access to his money so taken to attempting
>> fraud in the interim.
>
> Small world - NZ

Indeed. Still, that surprised me.
--
Shaun.