How to Avoid Scammers on Pinkbike

[nmrt]

Thankfully, I have not been scammed on a bike/bike part transaction...yet. However, today it was sort of close. I found a groupset on Pinkbike for a good deal. It was about $400 - $600 less than what it would have sold for on ebay. I contacted the seller and it seemed mostly legit but still fishy. Why the low price, I thought. The components according to the seller has less than 15 miles. But it looked more worn than that. These were the sort of red flags.

Anyway, usually scammers take Zelle, or Venmo, or Paypal Friends and Family as payment. Yet, this groupset seller on PB preferred Paypal Goods and Services as Payment. I wanted to buy the groupset knowing that it would be covered by Paypal. Yet, I could not make the transaction because I could not get over why the seller was selling it for $600 less. In the end it turned out that the seller was a scammer according to Pinkbike.

So, here is my question -- why would a scammer take Paypal Goods and Services? What is their angle, and what am I missing?

[vertr]

Maybe it's a stolen paypal account or at the last minute were going to ask you to pay another way.

[Cycling Doc]

Just today, I received a scam attempt on Pinkbike. I had ZIPPs and some bikes listed for sale.
What’s very weird is that the message I was sent through the ZIPP listing but it made reference to a bike, not the wheels.
I responded to their question.
Then I got a response about them paying by bank check for an amount greater than my asking price.
What they wanted to happen next is for movers to pick up the item and I was to hand them the difference of the amount I received.
This happened to me on Craigslist a few months ago.
They sent me a check that looked like a legitimate bank check from a landscaping company.
I decided to deposit the check to find out if it was legitimate.
I checked in with my bank to check the status of the deposit. I was told that they were able to cancel the check.
I never knew it was possible to cancel, or take back the money, from a deposited check. So I cancelled the scam.
Each of the messages I received were weird. They don’t make sense, they include long stories, they’re not specific for the item, and other atypical nonsense.
How is it possible that these guys concoct these goofy scams but can’t write a message that looks legit?
I also saw a listing for a Colnago on Craigslist that looked familiar to me. The pictures and the description were lifted off an existing eBay listing.
Be careful out there!

[paredown]

Originally Posted by Cycling Doc

<snip>
Each of the messages I received were weird. They don’t make sense, they include long stories, they’re not specific for the item, and other atypical nonsense.
How is it possible that these guys concoct these goofy scams but can’t write a message that looks legit?
<snip>

My good friend and former assistant DA used to remind me sarcastically that these people had chosen a life of crime and were typically not the sharpest tool in the shed.

(The story that was being relayed was some guys doing a smash and grab in a stereo store that had visible cameras recording their front window...)

[2000m2]

I also received a message replying to a set of wheels I have for sale on there, but the message was all about a bike. Pass.

[huck*this]

CANCEL PINK BIKE ACCOUNT AND STAY AWAY.

This is what I did a few months ago after being a member for 20yrs.

[nmrt]

This is good advice. As I said, as diligent as I am, scammers are getting smarter. Many of them now know that selling stuff way cheap is a red flag to most buyers. So they have started to sell them a few hundred dollars below they market price suggesting to the buyers that it could be legit. But then they still asked payment by Venmo or Zelle. Heck, no way I am giving them by money this way.

But now if they want Paypal Goods and Services, and sell the items a few hundo cheaper, how is one to know!?

Pinkbike is a mess. Stay away. FBM too. Be aware.

Originally Posted by huck*this

CANCEL PINK BIKE ACCOUNT AND STAY AWAY.

This is what I did a few months ago after being a member for 20yrs.

[RobJ]

That place is hit or miss. I always report an ad when I come across one. Telltale signs are a price that is too good to be true and also with a profile created in the last few days/weeks/months. I have had very good luck buying and selling, just need to be thorough in your messaging to feel them out. Here is my inbox from the last few months - not a positive sign right?

[boomforeal]

Originally Posted by nmrt

So, here is my question -- why would a scammer take Paypal Goods and Services? What is their angle, and what am I missing?

Becuase PayPal takes a while to adjudicate the issue and provide a refund. So the scammer has time to offer to “make it good” by providing, say, an 80% refund. Better than nothing (for them).

[RobJ]

And within minutes of posting my other response, someone on PB reached saying they want to buy my item and email them at a gmail account. Sure enough, their profile was created today!

[Duvivr6]

I know folks have had bad experiences but, I bought a GRX power meter crank on Pinkbike a few weeks back and it all went well. Price was good. I never have a problem covering fees for the sake of both parties. I don't use F&F unless I know you or it's like $20.

So there are still legit sellers out there.

Duvi

[nmrt]

Hah! In my case, on two separate occasions, the accounts of both scammers were more than a decade old on PB.

Originally Posted by RobJ

That place is hit or miss. I always report an ad when I come across one. Telltale signs are a price that is too good to be true and also with a profile created in the last few days/weeks/months. I have had very good luck buying and selling, just need to be thorough in your messaging to feel them out. Here is my inbox from the last few months - not a positive sign right?

[gravelreformist]

Yeah, hacking old accounts and then using them to sell is a common technique as well. So age of accounts is not a reliable metric.