this guy "sounds" legit... its as if he looks at the pictures, then does internet research and then asks me Q's.

Him

Quote :

"To whom it may concern, I'm interested in the Thunderbird and I have been looking for one for quite some time, I even remember seeing these pictures before you bought it. However, before making up my mind, I would need to know more. You say you have a steering system. Is it a T-helm? Does it need replacing or is it complete? Does it have a toilet or was this one of the patches filled in the hull you mention in the ad? I assume the trailer will be part of the buy as well - no? Also, what's the ballpark figure are you're setting and how quickly should it be picked up? I am serious about this boat but, as I am presently in Europe and do not know when I can get there to look at it, would like to know if you can send me more of the pictures you mentioned you made. Looking forward to your reply. Regards, Michael Demmerle"

me

Quote :

"hi, i am looking for close to $600 for the boat. it does have a steering wheel and controls, i do not know the type. but they are sitting in the little cabin in the front. and yes it does have a toilet in its place. and yes the trailer is part of the deal."

him

Quote :

"OK. Is it possible to see the other pictures as well? And do you have a timeframe for getting it out of the way? Regards, "

me

Quote :

"yes, i can send pictures after work. maybe earlier today, like around noon time. timeframe? well id like it gone, but if i find a motor and seats for it i might just keep it. so it all depends"

him

Quote :

"Great. Looking forward to the pics. Re the controls (throttle control) is it marked with a brand name? Also, is there a key? Re the steering controls, is there a flex cable on the right side of the motor-well, or cabled outlets on both sides? Best,"

me

Quote :

"i believe there was a brand on the controls, but i did not recognize the brand. everything was coiled up and stored under the little rooms. but there are holes (outlets) on the right side of the boat for the lines to run."

him

Quote :

"Fantastic. Thanks. Also (as I'm looking into shipping costs) can you tell me the beam and draft sizes? I assume it weighs about 700-800 lbs... No? Thnx."

me

Quote :

"it is 18' long and maybe 5-6' wide. yea, it weighs around that much. not much more. how do you plan on shipping it?"

him

Quote :

"I'd additionally need to know the: overall height City, state and zip of where it is now located. Again, thanx."

him

Quote :

"Possibly with a transport company which would do door to door service."

him

Quote :

"One other question. Classically, with thunderbirds, the hull is fiberglass and the flooring is plywood, but in the pictures, it looks as though there is more wood which may be fiber glassed over... Is this the case?"

him

Quote :

"The 5-6 feet would be the gunnels though... Right?"

me

Quote :

"yes, its about 5-6 to the gunnels."

then he sends me his info from Luxembourg.

7/23/2008 8:57:49 AM

well not a scammer but why in the hell would he not say straight up? Once I had an ebay auction that I didn't want to do much dicking around with, so I said WILL NOT SHIP OUTSIDE US. Well this guy wins the auction and he is in Australia. I said in the auction that it will be a flat shipping cost, so he argues that. Obviously it would actually cost more to ship outside the US especially half way around the globe. I sent it to him after he agreed to the real shipping cost. Which took about a week. So an extra trip to the post office just to figure that out, then send him the info, then get paid, then baack to the shipping counter to actually ship the thing.

But your guy sounds legit. If he spends more in shipping than the cost of the boat so be it.

[Edited on July 23, 2008 at 9:15 AM. Reason : det de deee]

7/23/2008 9:13:37 AM

the guy sounds serious to me. just dont budge on the price.

7/23/2008 9:15:59 AM

I had the same thing happen to me on something I was selling on eBay...this guy from Germany asked me questions in 3 different emails...too much of a hassle so I cancelled all of his subsequent bids.

7/23/2008 10:00:59 AM

7/23/2008 10:05:19 AM

yeah but i dont understand this

Quote :

"I even remember seeing these pictures before you bought it."

this thing was never online AFAIK (except on here)...

unless this is one of you wolfwebbers trying to be funny

7/23/2008 10:17:18 AM

$600 us dollars bucks i have offered

7/23/2008 10:24:04 AM

Maybe he's thinking of pictures of a similar boat he saw somewhere else. It sounds like he's done his homework too much to be your typical scammer, but I'd be sure to verify the money is legit before handing it over for shipping. Not sure what the best way to do that is...

7/23/2008 10:24:05 AM

first off with ebay just set the auction options so you dont accept bids from people outside the US.

and with this, how does the dude say he's gonna pay u?

7/23/2008 10:26:21 AM

this isnt ebay..
ive only had it on craigslist.

7/23/2008 10:29:57 AM

idk seems somewhat legit. I'd make sure to get the money first before anything. Sometimes hard to do though.

7/23/2008 10:30:33 AM

yeah, it sounds legit to me. just don't be stupid about it and you won't get scammed. tell him you'll take paypal as a payment method and he needs to setup shipping and pay for that shit too. there are companies who will come to you to pick it up and take care of the rest.

7/23/2008 10:41:58 AM

yeah, i mean i agree it sounds legit.

but he is in europe now. maybe he lives in the states.. who cares though.

but yeah.. i need to get legit payment first. then we'll talk.

7/23/2008 10:45:06 AM

^ he lives in Europe, geeezzzz, I wouldn't go through all the trouble.

[Edited on July 23, 2008 at 10:48 AM. Reason : whoops didn't read, he is in UK but has a place here in the states?]

7/23/2008 10:48:16 AM

Quote :

"this isnt ebay.. ive only had it on craigslist."

i know, i was posting that for the people who were talking about ebay

and be careful with paypal payments, those can be fake too...i think it's best to wait on them to clear or whatever, and only ship to the confirmed address associated with the account used for payment. and ensure the account actually has a confirmed address in the first place. otherwise paypal can come back and take the money back if it turns out to be fraudulent.

but yeah, before you go any farther and waste any more time confirm the payment details, and have him pay.

7/23/2008 11:27:56 AM

are you a fucking idiot?

DO NOT ACCEPT PAYPAL FOR THIS!!

Do you have any idea how easy it is for them to get a hold of somebody's paypal account that has a bank account setup? With that they can send however much they want and it takes a day or two to be processed by the bank. It is not verified instantly that they have enough money in the bank to cover the charge--so, it's very easy to use it as a scamming tool because of the delay of actually transferring the funds out of the bank account gives them time to get ppl to ship stuff. Even after they send you money it can take weeks for somebody that doesn't check their bank account regularly before it's noticed. I've seen paypal take the money back even though they supposedly have all this scam protection for sellers blah blah blah bullshit bullshit bullshit. They will take the money back and there will be nothing you can do about it. It has happened to me. Their protection only applies when they pay with a confirmed address and you ship to that confirmed address--and even then sometimes they reverse transactions and just fuck you over.

Western Union, moneygram, waiting for a check to clear or cash are the only ways I would recommend letting ANYONE buy this boat.

Quote :

"yeah, it sounds legit to me. just don't be stupid about it and you won't get scammed. tell him you'll take paypal as a payment method and he needs to setup shipping and pay for that shit too. there are companies who will come to you to pick it up and take care of the rest."

wrong about setting the shipping up too in a way. if baonest sets up the shipping and just uses dudes money to pay for it, he has control over that shipment. if he uses dudes account or whatever that is already setup--the other guy has control of the shipment. that can basically be the difference in whether or not he can get it back after it has been shipped (prior to its arrival obviously). generally the shipper has that authority and not the receiver--but if you're using HIS account, then HE has control and you CANNOT get them to send it back to you

[Edited on July 23, 2008 at 11:57 AM. Reason : asdf]

7/23/2008 11:54:24 AM

no, i dont do paypal when trying to sell something like a car or boat.
its always cash. or a certified check that ill goto his/her bank with them to still make sure its legit.

7/23/2008 12:53:34 PM

oh ps the "fucking idiot" comment was not directed towards you

(nigger)

7/23/2008 3:36:39 PM

Quote :

"its always cash. or a certified check that ill goto his/her bank with them to still make sure its legit."

exactly

and i wouldn't trust money orders either...the fraudsters make pretty heavy use of those too

7/23/2008 3:47:59 PM

^^ haha

i know.. i mean, i do play along with a lot of these scammers just to see what happens.

7/23/2008 4:22:58 PM

i would pay attention to anything ^^^^^ has to say on accepting payment if you decide to take the chance.

this is a little odd, either they're getting smarter or this guy is legit. obviously it happens, it's not like cars/boats never crossed the pond on the used market. i'd still be pretty damn skeptical though.

just take one for the team and let us know what happens.

7/23/2008 8:17:34 PM

I got this boat for 300.. I def want the money.. but im willing to take a ride with this guy to see what's up.

7/23/2008 10:20:10 PM

make him come to America and put cash us dollar bucks in your hand

7/23/2008 10:28:57 PM

Lay him to your swindle!

7/23/2008 10:48:57 PM

Quote :

"i would pay attention to anything ^^^^^ has to say on accepting payment if you decide to take the chance."

YES

7/23/2008 10:59:38 PM

^^im waiting on the right time to use the word swindle.
haha

7/23/2008 11:53:34 PM

ask him to meet you in jersey with half the money in doichmarks

7/23/2008 11:54:56 PM

Quote :

"are you a fucking idiot? "

no, but it appears that you are.

Quote :

"They will take the money back and there will be nothing you can do about it. It has happened to me."

haha

7/24/2008 4:32:49 PM

Well I hadn't shipped the product yet so I didn't LOSE anything per say.. but that was just luck since it was on the second day after I was paid that that happened--had I shipped it immediately I would have lost that product and the money.

paypalsucks.com

read

7/24/2008 4:53:46 PM