I have a very large 3 foot by 3 foot aquarium with false rock back wall on a fully enclosed stand I have advertised for sale on various places including Gumtree. The thing is in immaculate condition having never been used. I was going to use it for oscars but have too many tanks as it is and cant really afford to run another big one so reluctantly have it up for sale.
Anyway we get this message from a "chick" from the Gumtree ad stating she wants to buy it but she cant do so in person because she lives on a remote mine in the NT. She tells me she will have her own private courier come and pick it up and will pay via PayPal and have it shipped back to her in the NT.
Hmmmm I think. She doesnt quibble at the price of $2500.00 and will ship it all the way to a remote mine where she probably only has a single room. Not right methinks and I know of scams on Gumtree where they pay via PayPal and then put in a reversal stating the condition of the item was poor or they never got it so the seller gets left with no item and no money.
So I send off a nicely worded reply stating that I am not prepared to let an item of that value go sight unseen or take anything other than cash once the buyer or their agent agrees to the purchase after looking at it. I suggest that she gets her "private courier" to act as agent and send him the money so he can inspect the item and pay me for it covering both of us.
Funny she seems to have gone quite on the issue. Wonder how many people these mongrels catch out.