PSA - Avoid buying parts on Gumtree from "Drew"

[Dat Aus]

Just a quick public service announcement. Avoid purchasing any 1 series parts from a bloke on Gumtree who goes by the name of Drew.

2 weeks ago, I found a JB4 listed for $300 saying he was looking for a quick sale. I offered $250 and he accepted. I asked him to get a quote for shipping (I'm in Adelaide, he is in Sydney). He replied instantly with $20. I thought it sounded way too expensive as I had recently sent a set of coilovers (weighing 20 kg) to Sydney for $37. I didn't argue though because I was already getting the JB4 quite cheap. I asked a few questions about it and he always responded to messages via the gumtree app within minutes.

I asked if he had Paypal and he said no. I took the chance anyway and deposited the $270 into his bank account as requested on Sunday the 3rd. He informed me on Tuesday evening that he had sent it that morning and it should take 2-4 days to arrive. Monday evening (the next week) came around and it had still not arrived. On Tuesday, I asked him to verify its whereabouts. He said he called Australia post and it had been marked as returned to sender and he has to return to the post office.

That was the last I heard from him. I messaged him that night asking if he had a chance to get to the post office to send it. No reply. I messaged him the next day asking if he would kindly let me know when he has re-sent it so I would know when to expect it. Still no reply. I sent another message Thursday night saying surely he can understand my frustration and to please send it. Still nothing.

On Friday evening, I sent him another message saying he either needs to refund my money or provide me with a tracking number and proof that he has sent it. I told him that he has until Tuesday evening to do so or I'll be contacting the police. I still have heard nothing. I have just now (Monday - 2 weeks after he received payment) sent him a final message saying that unless I hear from him beforehand, I'll be going to the police tomorrow afternoon.

I like to give people the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps he was just super busy or had a family emergency. But it has now been a week since I last heard from him. It takes all of 1 minute to send a message and let me know what is going on.

He said he was selling it as he was upgrading to a single-turbo setup so was selling a bunch of parts so it's possible he may list more parts online. If you see any N54 parts being sold by someone in the Sydney area by the name of Drew, be wary. He is potentially a thief.

$270 may not seem like a lot. I'm a full-time student and to me it's significant. More than that, it's the principle. It's just a shit thing to do.

His name is Drew McMillan. If anyone happens to know him, please just tell him that I would like what I paid for or a refund of my money.

[vtl]

Never ever send money to people via Gumtree. I only use it for face to face transaction with cash.

A few times people have paid me via bank transfer and I posted it to them, but I still always point it out to them its a bad and they should be more careful in the future.

[Dat Aus]

Yeah I know it was risky and that's why I wanted to go through Paypal but he said he doesn't use it because he had heard too may horror stories. I figured it was worth the risk because I generally believe people are inherently good. He seemed like a fairly genuine bloke and if someone was looking to scam people they wouldn't pick something as niche as a JB4.

I also figured it was worth the risk because where else am I going to find a JB4 for $250?

I've pretty much written off the money. I'll go to the police and see what they say. I'm with Commbank and so is he so I'll speak to them and see if there's anything they can do but it's doubtful. As a law student I know full well that I'm not getting my money back.

[kprocivic]

I'm sorry you seem like a great guy, and sorry this happened to, you but this hag red flags all over it. Lesson learned hopefully your bank will get you your money back.

[Dat Aus]

Originally Posted by kprocivic

I'm sorry you seem like a great guy, and sorry this happened to, you but this hag red flags all over it. Lesson learned hopefully your bank will get you your money back.

I wouldn't really say it has red flags all over it. The price was really the only somewhat suspicious thing but it's not as though it was too good to be true, particularly for someone looking for a quick sale.

He answered all the questions I had about it and even sent me a photo. I ran the photo through a reverse image search and it didn't return any results so it wasn't just a photo that he found online. I've heard the horror stories about Paypal too. It's pretty well known that they will almost always side with the buyer. It's not difficult for buyers to rip off sellers so it's understandable that as a seller he wouldn't want to use it.

Like I said, I knew it was a risk not being able to meet in person for the sale but I figured it was worth it for the price.

Too bad for him that I'm a final-year law student so where most people would think it's not worth going through the whole legal process for the sake of $270, I would actually relish the experience. I'll see what the police and Commbank can do and if they can't or won't do anything, I might well just send him a summons.

[kprocivic]

No paypal is a red flag. That's about as red as it gets.

[Dat Aus]

There are a lot of people who won't use Paypal. It doesn't exactly have the best reputation for dispute resolution. There are countless people whom have been ripped off by Paypal when selling. If you do a search for "Paypal side with buyer" you'll find a plethora of pages about sellers that have been ripped off. I have encountered quite a few people who didn't want to use Paypal but luckily they have all been local so it wasn't necessary.

I remember reading about one guy who sold a violin, then the buyer filed a dispute through paypal saying it wasn't as described. The buyer kept the violin (worth thousands) and sent back a toy violin to the seller. Because the buyer provided proof (shipping receipt) that he had returned a "violin" Paypal just sided with him despite the seller having photographic proof that it was a different violin. They refunded the buyer his money and the seller lost thousands of dollars. There are plenty of other similar stories.

Not to mention that unless the buyer sends the payment as a "gift", the seller has to pay fees just to access their money. Then just to withdraw it from your Paypal account to your bank account can take up to a week. It is a pain in the arse. I put myself in his position and if I was selling something, I would definitely prefer direct bank deposit. In fact, I recently sold a set of Work VS-XX wheels and the buyer in Queensland paid it directly into my bank. If he had insisted on Paypal, I probably would have declined the sale and waited for a local buyer. Not because I'm dishonest but because I wouldn't want to deal with Paypal.

Anyway, this post isn't about whether or not I should have risked the purchase. It's just to warn others that if they see any other parts being sold by this bloke to be cautious so they don't get stung like I did.

[dh58]

270$ for that lesson is cheap. People have way more to learn the same thing!

I hope u get ur money back and this guy pays.

[DR-JEKL]

That sucks dude!

I can relate to both parties not wanting to deal with paypal I've been burnt as a seller and a buyer...

Is the ad still on gumtree? What's his phone number email address?

I must admit when I'm busy at work and I'm selling parts not worth much I'm not too keen to mail ASAP as it's a PITA to bust me arse to get to australia post before it closes at 5pm, but yeah I always respond to the buyer and let them know if its late or once I've sent it...

I recently sold some car parts on gumtree just as you mentioned I gave him my FB details and e90post username details. Not totally reassuring but better then just my 1st name and contact number from the gumtree listing I guess

G/L with it mate I hope you get your JB4 soon! (should have just gone MHD?)

[totti84]

When something seems to good to be true, it normally is! There is a reason why you will never see a JB4 for less than $500.. it doesn't exist!

[vtl]

Originally Posted by Dat Aus

There are a lot of people who won't use Paypal. It doesn't exactly have the best reputation for dispute resolution. There are countless people whom have been ripped off by Paypal when selling. If you do a search for "Paypal side with buyer" you'll find a plethora of pages about sellers that have been ripped off. I have encountered quite a few people who didn't want to use Paypal but luckily they have all been local so it wasn't necessary.

I remember reading about one guy who sold a violin, then the buyer filed a dispute through paypal saying it wasn't as described. The buyer kept the violin (worth thousands) and sent back a toy violin to the seller. Because the buyer provided proof (shipping receipt) that he had returned a "violin" Paypal just sided with him despite the seller having photographic proof that it was a different violin. They refunded the buyer his money and the seller lost thousands of dollars. There are plenty of other similar stories.

Not to mention that unless the buyer sends the payment as a "gift", the seller has to pay fees just to access their money. Then just to withdraw it from your Paypal account to your bank account can take up to a week. It is a pain in the arse. I put myself in his position and if I was selling something, I would definitely prefer direct bank deposit. In fact, I recently sold a set of Work VS-XX wheels and the buyer in Queensland paid it directly into my bank. If he had insisted on Paypal, I probably would have declined the sale and waited for a local buyer. Not because I'm dishonest but because I wouldn't want to deal with Paypal.

Anyway, this post isn't about whether or not I should have risked the purchase. It's just to warn others that if they see any other parts being sold by this bloke to be cautious so they don't get stung like I did.

Yeah I'm the same, if i'm selling something I won't accept Paypal as the payment method as it is way too easy to scam a seller using Paypal. I'd always insist on bank transfer if they wanted me to post, and more than happy to lose a sale to avoid the risk of losing money on a high value item.

[titium]

I always do a Google search as a minimum of the person's mobile number (trying replacing 0 with O also) and always make sure I talk to them on the phone prior.

I had a guy from Perth selling suspension on here. googled his mobile number found a whole bunch of posts on here claiming he is a scammer and also found his original banned account as well as the for sale thread he originally bought the suspension off. - he was claiming to be the first owner with only 7000km on them turns out they had over 60k km.

[Dat Aus]

Originally Posted by DR-JEKL

That sucks dude!

I can relate to both parties not wanting to deal with paypal I've been burnt as a seller and a buyer...

Is the ad still on gumtree? What's his phone number email address?

I must admit when I'm busy at work and I'm selling parts not worth much I'm not too keen to mail ASAP as it's a PITA to bust me arse to get to australia post before it closes at 5pm, but yeah I always respond to the buyer and let them know if its late or once I've sent it...

I recently sold some car parts on gumtree just as you mentioned I gave him my FB details and e90post username details. Not totally reassuring but better then just my 1st name and contact number from the gumtree listing I guess

G/L with it mate I hope you get your JB4 soon! (should have just gone MHD?)

No, he has unfortunately deleted the ad. I don't have his phone number or anything because all of our correspondence was through the Gumtree app. I do have his full name though and his bank details so I certainly have the means for law enforcement to identify him if I decide to pursue it.

I get that sending the item isn't a priority and that things often come up. I intended to ship these wheels on Friday and I still haven't had a chance to do it. I'll be sending them this afternoon but I messaged the buyer on Friday to let him know I wouldn't have time to do it then as intended. Then I messaged him again yesterday to let him know that I'll be sending them today. It literally takes a few seconds to send a message. That's all I wanted.

Originally Posted by dh58

270$ for that lesson is cheap. People have way more to learn the same thing!

I hope u get ur money back and this guy pays.

Yep. Glad it was only for a relatively small amount. If it was much more, I wouldn't have risked the transaction.

Originally Posted by totti84

When something seems to good to be true, it normally is! There is a reason why you will never see a JB4 for less than $500.. it doesn't exist!

Not really. Before buying this one, I had agreed a price of $400 with another seller for an almost new G5. I have seen others listed for around the $400 to $500 mark before too.

Originally Posted by titium

I always do a Google search as a minimum of the person's mobile number (trying replacing 0 with O also) and always make sure I talk to them on the phone prior.

I had a guy from Perth selling suspension on here. googled his mobile number found a whole bunch of posts on here claiming he is a scammer and also found his original banned account as well as the for sale thread he originally bought the suspension off. - he was claiming to be the first owner with only 7000km on them turns out they had over 60k km.

Yeah some people are just shit people. I've bought and sold plenty of things online over the years and have never had a bad experience. I've always found people to be fairly genuine. Some were a tad rude but I never encountered anyone dishonest. Lesson learned. I'll be more careful next time.

I hope this bloke's dog dies.

[Amack]

there is a jb4 on the austrlian 2er forum. ive brought stuff of the seller before and he is fairly active on the forums and in the community. have a look.

[froop]

Originally Posted by titium

I always do a Google search as a minimum of the person's mobile number (trying replacing 0 with O also) and always make sure I talk to them on the phone prior.

I had a guy from Perth selling suspension on here. googled his mobile number found a whole bunch of posts on here claiming he is a scammer and also found his original banned account as well as the for sale thread he originally bought the suspension off. - he was claiming to be the first owner with only 7000km on them turns out they had over 60k km.

Sounds like KD135/KJD/tab135

[titium]

yep banned account is tab135. his new account is questionable (should have known from the name lol) people like him are absolute scum. I've seen him posting around if he PMs you trying to sell you something be warned.

in fairness i might have got the suspension had i followed through but it would have had way more km then he claimed (which was only 7k km) and it would have had two previous owners.

[froop]

Originally Posted by titium

yep banned account is tab135. his new account is questionable (should have known from the name lol) people like him are absolute scum. I've seen him posting around if he PMs you trying to sell you something be warned.

in fairness i might have got the suspension had i followed through but it would have had way more km then he claimed (which was only 7k km) and it would have had two previous owners.

Very good to know. tab135 would be his second banned account that I know of.

[titium]

the account name he PMd me with is "questionable" so that makes 3 accounts.... this one's not banned yet though

[thezone135i]

Are you talking about this guy? Hes quite active here I thought he sounded ok?
I haven't bought anything from him though.

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/searc...rchid=46234809

[froop]

Originally Posted by thezone135i

Are you talking about this guy? Hes quite active here I thought he sounded ok?
I haven't bought anything from him though.

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/searc...rchid=46232184

That search doesn't come up with anything for me when I click on it.

I haven't had any dealings with "questionable" other than him saying he would join in on a group buy and then never replying to any subsequent PMs requesting a name, email and payment.

If it is the same guy, I would stay far far away. I have had previous dealings with him before and I would not sell to him, I would not buy from him, I would not trade with him. There are multiple documented accounts of him scamming people on car forums for many years. Not just on this forum but on others as well. He sounds all nice when you talk to him but the guy is a weasel.

[thezone135i]

Link updated works now. Hmmmm advice noted.

Originally Posted by froop

That search doesn't come up with anything for me when I click on it.

I haven't had any dealings with "questionable" other than him saying he would join in on a group buy and then never replying to any subsequent PMs requesting a name, email and payment.

If it is the same guy, I would stay far far away. I have had previous dealings with him before and I would not sell to him, I would not buy from him, I would not trade with him. There are multiple documented accounts of him scamming people on car forums for many years. Not just on this forum but on others as well. He sounds all nice when you talk to him but the guy is a weasel.

[froop]

Originally Posted by thezone135i

Link updated works now. Hmmmm advice noted.

It's still not working for me for some reason lol