someone wants to throw US$997 my way

well, it ain't that rosy though. basically i managed to sell off my site at $997 BIN. here's the PM i received after the bid:

this is the first time i ever deal in something with so much money involved, so i'd like to ask for your advice.

apparently i can remove or raise my BIN so that i can accept higher bids (although personally i think it's unethical, but i may receive higher bids).

what should i do? i've heard horror stories before about site sales. there's no way i could check his legibility. how should i proceed?

 

How is his iTrader, posts, reputation, etc? Any big deals done in the past? If so, talk to those buyers.

If you are still really unsure, use escrow.com. I haven't personally used it but I've heard nothing but good.

 

Yeah, try and use escrow and see if he will split the fees with you. Paypal has a thing where if the item is not tangible (physical object with tracking number), you are not protected. This means that even if he sent you the full $1,000, he can do a chargeback later pretending you never sent him anything. If he insists on paypal, then send a letter with a CD with all the site contents on it. This provides a good tracking number which can be shown to paypal. Might not work though.

 

Well, in as much as you can reject his offer if you cannot agree to his terms but I do not believe you can raise your BIN because someone offers it to you. Yes, it would be unethical and people may remember you for it.

BIN is BUY-It-Now price and it is one you set and if anyone matches that, the entire auction concludes.

Of course, you probably need to do your due deligence to see if what he is. Like Chatmasta said, check his iTrader, posts and reputation. If possible, if he has a signature or an corporate email address, check his website. Check everything you can possibly check.

Escrow definitely will benefit both parties.

 

my site was listed on SP so i can't check iTrader and rep. he is a 0 post buyer (but so am i a 0 post seller ).

that's what i learnt from this forum, too many people got scammed when the transaction involves intangible goods. from what i heard, it's best not to use paypal when the amount exceeds $250.

here i'm thinking of a few possibilities. if i sent him my entire site content on a CD, i still hold control of the domain right? i read from here that the domain is the absolute LAST thing i should let go, and only do so once the money is safely and absolutely in my hands.

is this doable on escrow.com? apparently on escrow.com i'd have to hand over the domain too, before escrow.com would release the funds. how do i prove that i had handed the domain over (suppose he decided to tell escrow that i never gave him anything?)

yea i thought it strange too that SP allows such things. if i BINed for an item, i wouldn't like it if the seller increases the price because then the concept of a BIN is redundant.

well he did provide two websites that he claims to be doing well, and yes they have the same contact info. the contact info on the site matches the whois that i ran on them.

 

You could search his username here and see if it turns up iTrader. Alternatively, just tell him that you won't do the deal in the way he says until you get word from past clients which he refers you to.

 

0 post doesnt mean the buyer is fake.It would be a new player searching for a new site to buy.They can be rich and honest.

Just use escrow,it should be alright.

I have just sold off my sites using escrow.It sure took many days and a pain for both parties but it's secure.

 

did that. no user of that name on DP.

he hasnt said no to my escrow request yet. so it's not fair for me to pre-judge.

i know. i'm a 0 post seller.

anyone able to address my escrow concerns?

 

No offense, but his english seems a bit strange doesn't it?
Maybe ask if he could reference some people that he've paid before? Or does he own any sites or anything himself?

Ask if he's well known on any other site?

If you can screenshot all convos between you and him I can analyze it to see if he could be a potential scammer... or legitimate..

I always thought buyer sends money first... maybe I was wrong ?

 

Something in his language sounds fishy.
Do it with escrow, and tell us how it went.

 

i thought so too. it reminds me so much of those 419s. i'll talk to escrow.com and see what they have to say.

EDIT: I should also mention that he was outbidded twice before he went ahead with the BIN. not sure if it means anything.

EDIT x 2: Also, i've checked the two websites that he gave me. I'm not sure how my content will "nicely complement" those. they're not totally unrelated, but they're not contents that i will put in the same site either.

EDIT x 3 (gahh): one of those websites lists "other websites made by me", and those websites are indeed directly related to mine. and it's a 'she' apparently. ahe's american, with an address in Massachussetts. domain registered 5 years ago, and expires in 2 years.

but then it could always be a scammer pretending to be that lady who owns those websites. =/

 

oh. So maybe he could be a legitimate buyer? Cause let's say he was a typical phisher/hacker... He would have just posted BIN without much questions... Or he could have been waitting for something, or trying to post smaller amounts to build confidence.

Get him to post something on his website to prove that he does in fact own those sites. It may not prove his intent, but it will prove whether he is in fact really interested in your site, and is in fact an owner, and reputatble himself.

Yeah. Call "her" up. It doesn't seem like a female is writing that email. I swear. Anyone here can read that and guess it's a guy.

Copied from my PM:
Hey,
I prefer to pm cause it's hard to keep track with threads, and notifications if anyone posted, and my computer lags, so I keep only one window open.
But I guess you want everyone else to be able to comment on my suggestions. Sure.

Yeah that's a good advice! Thanks for reminding me! Sometimes I feel like rushing, but I get a bad gut feeling, so I try to do everything possible to make sure it's something REALLY GOOD and not a scam (I try to read their itrader+posts)

But sometimes, like in your case, you have nothing to resort to.

I'll tell you right now, I think you have very strong instincts, that you were able to pick that up. Some people aren't even able to have gut feelings like that because, they aren't even aware of the different dangers (like chargebacks).

He doesn't sound like a typical buyer. Maybe try asking him a lot of questions to test his english. If he's a legitimate interested buyer, he shouldn't be worried by the questions. If he gets pissed and stops talking to you, then consider yourself lucky, because he was in fact a scammer (experiences I've had). Don't feel any regret.

Cause even up to 90 days, there could be chargebacks. 2 months later, you may get a chargeback, or he may report that he didn't get anything..

Well, I'll copy and paste this on the thread. I would really appreciate it if you could give me green rep. And I'll continue checking..

 

I decided, it's a scam. don't do it.

Unless, can you post the thread here, from what he's talking about?
(thread of the auction)

Reread his message a couple times. How many buyers actually type like that if they seriously want to buy a site from you?

 

same thing i was thinking.

before you posted this, i asked him to email me from one of his domain to prove that he owns that domain. because if he really owns those domains i'd be less concerned since i have a contact info and everything.

thank you, i appreciate that. i may be a teenager but i've learnt business from my dad and from places. instincts probably one of the best assets to have.

well, i don't really want to pre-judge yet, you see. yes, his PM sounds slightly off, but if i were to even 'suspect' that he may be scamming me, then i won't be able to think objectively.

if i were to pre-judge, then all i'm looking for are loopholes in his words/actions. i *may* be looking for something which is not there. and i might lose a potential sale, you see.

for now, i need to keep an open mind. i need to take note of things that makes him look suspicious and also things that makes him look legitimate.

the only thing he said to me was this PM. nothing in the thread (actually no one said anything. they just bidded).

again as i said, i don't want to go in with an opinion immediately, as this may cloud my judgment. at least not yet. a neutral mind is important. don't go in with the intention of making a sale (you might overlook some important tiny detail), but don't go in thinking he's a scammer immediately too.

 

I don't think you are in so bad place here. As a seller you have some "backup" and it is very reasonable for the buyer to need some security too.

I have used paypal for $3000 with no problems at all (I know this wasn't so wise, but anyway...) if you think that the seller is a scam go for escrow. With escrow there is now way to get scammed.

On the other hand as the buyer wants the passwords, you can give them, and keep the domain until he pay you the whole amount.

Good luck with your sale

 

I would defintely use escrow, it's doesn't mean you or him are scammers, just usefull service to make business.

 

Its times like this when its nice to have your site hosted on your own reseller account or dedicated server. You can hand over the site passwords and he still cant lock you out

 

Just use Escrow.com as mentioned numerous times in this thread.
You're happy, he's happy, we're happy!

 

Same issue i had on SP where i was also new and the buyer of my domain was also new so i cancelled the deal
Just ask him to pay via Escrow, western union or xoom until you get the cash in your hands.
Never accept paypal from a new buyer because who knows he may charge back later.

 

here's the PM that i have:

i asked her to send me an email to an email on my domain and i will reply from there.