is this a rip off?

I think it is...

I find a notebook listed for local NYC peops on craigs list for $1100 (http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/sys/63502342.html) which is a steal. I email the guy and this is the response I get:

have it available , I am from Sount Cali and I can ship it free inside USA .
if you would like to buy ....
the procedure goes like this :
-i ship the laptop first via http://www.dealshipping.com/;
-you verify with the tracking number that it has been shipped
-you send the money to the shipping company after you verify the tracking #
-they bring the laptop to your door
-you inspect
-after you confirm that you are happy , they pay me .
*in case you are not , you can return the laptop and get your money back .
Thanks

Hmmm... What you guys think?

When I was looking for a laptop through ebay, I limited myself to either well established online retailers or local private parties with the stipulation that I would buy from them face to face (in cash) only, after I could inspect the item. Only about half agreed to consider that.

I would worry that the tracking number would be for a package full of bricks or something, after which there would be no easy way to get your money back.

I usually only buy from far away private parties for something which I can afford to lose out on, should it turn out to be a scam.

That's not the way I ship things.

Usually, it's just money order, or paypal me and presto!;
It's on its way direct to your door if it's in stock, or when I have it.
Should be that simple everytime.

fishy, *very* fishy... unless dealshipping.com is an escrow service...
fishy, *very* fishy...

http://www.dealshipping.com/ is now dead

kinda confirms your question..

Law Enforcement refer to most things sold on Craigs list as stolen property. Lots of shady things go on there.

Not dead, just very suspicious, established 1987 but the domain is less than a month old:


Domain Name.......... dealshipping.com
Creation Date........ 2005-02-27
Registration Date.... 2005-02-27
Expiry Date.......... 2006-02-27
Organisation Name.... Miguel Rodriguez
Organisation Address. Po Box 60442
Organisation Address.
Organisation Address. Bakersfield
Organisation Address. 93386
Organisation Address. CA
Organisation Address. UNITED STATES
Admin Name........... Miguel Rodriguez
Admin Address........ Po Box 60442
Admin Address........
Admin Address........ Bakersfield
Admin Address........ 93386
Admin Address........ CA
Admin Address........ UNITED STATES
Admin Email.......... [email protected]

Admin Phone.......... 1.6618730601
Admin Fax............
Tech Name............ YahooDomains TechContact
Tech Address......... 701 First Ave.
Tech Address.........
Tech Address......... Sunnyvale
Tech Address......... 94089
Tech Address......... CA
Tech Address......... UNITED STATES
Tech Email........... [email protected]

Tech Phone........... 1.6198813096
Tech Fax............. 1.6198813010
Name Server.......... yns1.yahoo.com
Name Server.......... yns2.yahoo.com

Whois from www.samspade.org

Its a fake Escrow site.

Adam

So I took your advice and I also decided to warn fellow new yorkes about the scam. Now this is funny. I make a post (http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/sys/63754278.html)saying not to buy this guys laptops because of his ads being a scam and guess what I find in my mail box:

Hello,
my name is John Garnett , i work as an account in western
union for living i search thru Craigslist and found
your item pasted online .its really in perfect
condition and i would like to buy it for my friend
son in west africa for his up-coming birthday . My
mode of payment is though western union postal money
order through (bidpay)...........
thanks

Jesus I don't have an item for sale. Now is this just another scam like the one with Indonesia credit cards? Man internet is a weird place.

From the looks of the grammar, it seems like it's the same guy who wrote to you from "Sount Cali." I think he's just throwing stuff against the wall to see if anything sticks.
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon8.gif

...if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, sounds like a duck, must be a duck. I didn't get good feelings reading his post as well!! Just didn't feel "right", ya know!?

This is how I deal with >$500 goods. Lets say I find a deal off ebay. I first email the person/seller/buyer for address. No pickup no deal. I see the goods, I am satisfied, I pay. If I am not, I am willing to pay half the listing cost, most people will agree with it.

I don't trust posting/mailing. Your goods might go missing. It may reach you broken. It may even land on your neighbour's porch. So be wise, save yourself abit of trouble from those cheap deals.

So far, cpf has been /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif it's a great community. Till now, I've only lost $15 to a missing /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rant.gif person who managed a groupbuy.

[ QUOTE ]
koala said:
This is how I deal with >$500 goods. Lets say I find a deal off ebay. I first email the person/seller/buyer for address. No pickup no deal. I see the goods, I am satisfied, I pay. If I am not, I am willing to pay half the listing cost, most people will agree with it.

I don't trust posting/mailing. Your goods might go missing. It may reach you broken. It may even land on your neighbour's porch. So be wise, save yourself abit of trouble from those cheap deals.

So far, cpf has been /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif it's a great community. Till now, I've only lost $15 to a missing /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rant.gif person who managed a groupbuy.

[/ QUOTE ]

I had UPS leave a $4500 radio with neighbors porch. I tend to pay with only a credit card, that way if I get scamed I can clam that. Sadly some of the items I like to collect I can only find online, so I guess it's a risk I take some times.

Just an FYI... Looks like the dealshipping web site is up for the moment...

The tracking phone number (in the United Kingdom) "+44 7979-4141-07" when looked up in Google (Cache) is listed for two other (currently dead) web sites:

www.transathlantics.com
www.globalshippingcenter.com

Why somebody in the US would use a company that only can track your deal from the UK does not look good... UK addresses are different between web sites (California domain name registration)???

US address:

DealShipping United States of America Offices
16 Nishuane Road
Montclair,New Jersey
07042
United States of America

Phone Number: :+1 (0)909-266-1314 what is with the (0) in the US phone number??? Not valid???
Fax Number: +1 (0)909-266-1314

Deal Shipping United Kingdom Offices

Level 18
96 coningham road
London
W12 8BH
United Kingdom

Phone Number: + 44 020-87496809
Fax Number: + 44 020-87496809

Using a anonymous domain registor:

www.transathlantics.com = [ ]
Hostway Whois Server Version 1.0
Domain Name: transathlantics.com
Registrar: AAAQ.COM
Whois Server: whois.aaaq.com
Referral URL: http://www.aaaq.com
Name Server: a.dns.hostway.net
Name Server: b.dns.hostway.net
Status: ACTIVE
Updated Date 2004-11-15
Creation Date: 2004-11-12
Expiration Date: 2005-11-12
Registrant:
WhoisProtector Inc. transathlantics.com@whoisprotector.com

1 N. State Suite 1250
Chicago IL 60602
US
312-994-7654 Fax:
Administrative Contact:
WhoisProtector Inc. [email protected]

Server Used: [ whois.melbourneit.com ]

globalshippingcenter.com = [ ]

Domain Name.......... globalshippingcenter.com
Creation Date........ 2004-09-14
Registration Date.... 2004-09-14
Expiry Date.......... 2005-09-14
Organisation Name.... Yuewen Kao
Organisation Address. 23 Huntington
Organisation Address.
Organisation Address. Irvine
Organisation Address. 92620
Organisation Address. CA
Organisation Address. UNITED STATES
Admin Name........... Yuewen Kao
Admin Address........ 23 Huntington
Admin Address........
Admin Address........ Irvine
Admin Address........ 92620
Admin Address........ CA
Admin Address........ UNITED STATES
Admin Email.......... [email protected]

Other addresses listed for phone number "+44 7979-4141-07":

Trans Athlantics Headquarters

Civic Centre Building
157 Station Road Harrow
HA1 2XF
London UK
Europe

Phone Number: +44 7979-4141-07
Fax Number: +44 (0)1234 391 672

Global Shipping Center (US Spelling???):

Civic Centre Building
157 Station Road Harrow
HA1 2XF
London UK
Europe

Phone Number: +44 7979-4141-07
Fax Number: +44 (0)1234 391 672

Company Australia Offices

Level 18
204 Elizabeth St
Sydney South
Sydney
NSW 1235
Australia

Phone Number: + 61 8 8447 1870
Fax Number: + 61 8 8241 5742

Any who... That is about all I could find...

-Bill

Just playing around and searched various search engines (yahoo had the most) for they guy's email address and come up with San Francisco and Boston references (the SF one has apparently been killed by the Admin):

1.
brand new IBM ThinkPad R50p (183223u) PC Notebook Open this result in new window
... Reply to: [email protected]. Date: 2005-01-26, 11:36AM EST ...
boston.craigslist.org/sys/57156679.html
2.
brand new IBM ThinkPad T41 (23737fu) PC Notebook Open this result in new window
... Reply to: [email protected]. Date: 2005-01-26, 11:37AM EST ...
boston.craigslist.org/sys/57158769.html
3.
brand new Panasonic Toughbook 29 (cf-29etpgzkm) PC Notebook Open this result in new window
... Reply to: [email protected]. Date: 2005-01-26, 11:34AM EST ...
boston.craigslist.org/sys/57154722.html
4.
brand new Hewlett Packard Compaq nc8000 (PR015UA) PC Notebook Open this result in new window
... Reply to: [email protected]. Date: 2005-01-26, 11:37AM EST ...
boston.craigslist.org/sys/57157605.html
5.
Sony XS Series KDE-37XS955 37" Widescreen HDTV-Ready Flat-Panel Plasma Open this result in new window
... Reply to: [email protected]. Date: 2005-01-20, 8:49AM PST ...
www.craigslist.org/sfc/ele/56385789.html

-Bill

UK phone code (0)7979 is a mobile, cell, phone.

Adam

matt_j

The 419 scamers run bots against Craigs List that generate offers to people who post there. That is why you got that message.

It doesn't cost them anything to fish for victims so if only one out of 100 people bite they are way ahead.