Originally Posted by Tourista I can vouch for lavendarstar, i've bought repeatedly from her on ebay. As a seller, at least, she's been great; quick responses, items arrive fast in usually better than advertised.

okay, thanks. I deleted my above post then. But I'll never buy or sell anything from/to her again. :-/

Originally Posted by imacjenn okay, thanks. I deleted my above post then. But I'll never buy or sell anything from/to her again. :-/

Sorry you had a bad experience with her :/

I'd mail you popsicles or something to make you feel better, but in this heat you'd end up getting tiny individually bagged juices :( You could still build a fort out of the sticks if you've got glue though!

Wow! thank you for the info on Sarah Allen!
It appears she is doing the same thing as deal-dude (Shawn Cowger)
Damn, what are the chances with my couple dozen listings, both of these scammers choose me to buy from? lol

AMAZON

Originally Posted by donut Wow! thank you for the info on Sarah Allen! It appears she is doing the same thing as deal-dude (Shawn Cowger) Damn, what are the chances with my couple dozen listings, both of these scammers choose me to buy from? lol

Through which site did they try to hit you?

Shoot, I'm hoping Slowdive can update the OP with the last year's worth of scammers/problem buyers/sellers.

I'm always trying to "vett" people via this thread, along with google. But what do you all usually search for - just their name, or name + address? I search this thread for the zip code, street name, and the name usually...

The stories on here make me not want to sell on Amazon ever. Of course, I bought something through one of their resellers and complained that it wasn't the version I ordered, and instead of sending me the right version Amazon gave me a refund and let me keep it for free! I felt really bad about it until I found out on CAG that this seller likes to sell used items as new.

In all my years of selling on Half and eBay, for the longest time I never used delivery confirmation or anything like that, and have never had a problem. Only one person person gave me negative feedback for not receiving his item, but he never contacted me about it and I wonder if someone stole it or the post office lost it.

I might've been scammed by one lady who bought a cheap NES game from me and left me feedback without having received the game. So I sent her another game but she didn't claim that one to be lost.

One person who bought an item from Half from me claimed to have never received the item, but when I mentioned the delivery confirmation number to her and asked if she wanted the USPS to look into it, I never heard back.

Originally Posted by Tourista I can vouch for lavendarstar, i've bought repeatedly from her on ebay. As a seller, at least, she's been great; quick responses, items arrive fast in usually better than advertised.

I've never bought from lavendarstar, but that account has bought from me a few times, all to different names and addresses. I'm guessing it's sort of like an eBay broker site for people who don't know how to use the internet?

To echo previous statements, selling on amazon is a very risky proposal. I've sold quite a few game via ebay/half/craigslist, and never had a problem of orders not received. Ever. Within the first month I ran into Denise. Here is his/her shipping address, and I would advise any seller on amazon to NEVER accept her orders.

Denise Shacht
19 BRIGHTON AVE APT D
BELLEVILLE, NEW JERSEY 07109-4205

Basically, I sold her a game and didn't use delivery confirmation. At the time, I didn't think it was necessary because of my experiences on other sites. Wrong. She claimed she didn't receive the game, and I'm out $15. She had made this same claim three times within one month against three separate sellers, and I figured that amazon would do something to mitigate fraud. Wrong again. Though I had a receipt, messages from the other two sellers, and her own track record, the a-z claim lasted 2 days before they ruled against me, and I gave my first refund in over 100 video game sales. Since then, out of 7 feedback left, 5 is negative, and her account is still active - ripping people off all the while.

Side note: Though I do use delivery confirmation now, I've still never had another claim of orders not received through ebay or any other online marketplace.

^^ Just print through paypal , confirmation is only 19 cents.

Originally Posted by Rozz Amazon requires signature confirmation, which is way too expensive to purchase for every package. This is especially after the huge amount of fees that Amazon eats up from your profit.

This is exactly true, as I have confirmed with amazon's customer service department. A buyer can claim someone stole the package from their door/mailbox and you are still liable for the cost of the item(s) sold. You end up with $2.35 you'll spend on signature confirmation (not able to be factored into your shipping rates) and 2.34 you'll pay in closing fees and per-item fees, AND 15% commission (with no ceiling where the commission lowers in percentage). How you can consistently make decent money on amazon is beyond me.

Also, it is against policy to sell a disc only/no manual/non-complete game under the normal listing of the game. No one pays attention to it, but someone could easily file claims against those sellers, win and get a refund, and never send the game back to the seller.

Originally Posted by Ichabodplain Also, it is against policy to sell a disc only/no manual/non-complete game under the normal listing of the game. No one pays attention to it, but someone could easily file claims against those sellers, win and get a refund, and never send the game back to the seller.

Where did you read this? According to the item condition guidelines:

Video Games The sale of some items in our Computer & Video Games store is restricted to pre-approved sellers only. Learn more about pre-approved selling. New: Just like it sounds. A brand-new, unused, unopened video game in perfect condition in its original packaging and with all original packaging materials included. Like New: An apparently unopened video game in perfect condition (although it may be out of its original wrapping). The box and item are pristine, with no signs of wear. Suitable for presenting as a gift. Very Good: A well-cared-for video game that has been played but remains in great condition. The game and its original packaging are complete and slightly worn, but unmarked and undamaged. Good: The video game shows wear from consistent use, but remains in good condition. There may be clear external signs of wear and damage to the original packaging or instructions, but the game plays perfectly. The video game may have identification markings from its owner. Acceptable: The video game is fairly worn, but it continues to work perfectly. The box and instructions may be missing or damaged. The video game may have identification markings from its owner. Sellers are required to note whether the box or instructions are missing in the condition notes field for the item. Unacceptable: Video games that are not playable or are incomplete, including shareware and freeware versions, are unacceptable, as are games not published by the original manufacturer, including recopied media in any form. Promotional media is prohibited for sale through Amazon Marketplace as well. Additionally, video games in which essential accompanying material is missing (this does not necessarily include the box or instructions) are not permitted.

If it's missing stuff, it must be listed as "Acceptable," and it must be noted in the description.

Hey all. I have been offline for a week or so. If someone could consolidate the info, I can update the OP. TIA

Hi folks. I found this thread when I googled Denise Schacht's address. Just wanted to add my confirmation -- fraud all the way. She got me a few weeks ago. I am an Amazon seller.

I also recently got a non-arrival inquiry from from a second New Jersey address, just a few miles from hers. Not sure if they are connected, but I thought it would be worth posting just in case. Early detection helps future sellers.

Adrienne Denese
26 CAROL DR
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, NJ 07632-2326

My advice - if possible make people file a claim. It is my understanding that Amazon only allows 5 per account. And they have ways of linking fraudulent accounts. So if enough of us complain and leave a trail instead of just refunding, she and others like her will be stopped.

I have never used DC -- over 2000 orders and only one other non-delivery claim (I think that one was legit). That's $1400 in my pocket (I won't use paypal, hate it on principle). Even if I have to eat a couple a year I still come out ahead. I have had a pretty good amazon experience until this pain in the ass found me...

Good luck in your sales and in dealing with crap like this. Very helpful thread!

Wow, I don't know. I just decided to jump into Amazon awhile ago, and have done pretty well. Had about 45 sales in the last few weeks, but got the dreaded account review notice from them about 2 weeks ago. Therefore, I have not been able to withdraw one cent of my sales income (over $1600, and that's minus all of their 'fees').

I just did a bunch of research today, and have found so many sites and message boards, it's almost scared me off of Amazon all together. I was enticed by the fast sales compared to eBay, but now I have no cash to show for it.

I have had either delivery confirmation or sig. confirmation on every package, and have not had any negative's or chargebacks, but I still haven't seen one dollar; keep in mind that means that I've had to pony up for the shipping on nearly 50 packages.

This, combined with the knowledge of all the scammer buyers, and how Amazon really caters to them has totally got me spooked. All I'm waiting for now is the even more-dreaded 90 day hold on my funds.

Say what you want about eBay, but they give you the money you are paid right up front. It's your responsibility as an honest vendor to get the item out in a timely fashion. Don't get me wrong, I know there are scam buyers on eBay as well, but at least they have to pony up some money first. The Scammers on Amazon can get you without speding a penny!

Originally Posted by sgaldis Wow, I don't know. I just decided to jump into Amazon awhile ago, and have done pretty well. Had about 45 sales in the last few weeks, but got the dreaded account review notice from them about 2 weeks ago. Therefore, I have not been able to withdraw one cent of my sales income (over $1600, and that's minus all of their 'fees'). I just did a bunch of research today, and have found so many sites and message boards, it's almost scared me off of Amazon all together. I was enticed by the fast sales compared to eBay, but now I have no cash to show for it. I have had either delivery confirmation or sig. confirmation on every package, and have not had any negative's or chargebacks, but I still haven't seen one dollar; keep in mind that means that I've had to pony up for the shipping on nearly 50 packages. This, combined with the knowledge of all the scammer buyers, and how Amazon really caters to them has totally got me spooked. All I'm waiting for now is the even more-dreaded 90 day hold on my funds. Say what you want about eBay, but they give you the money you are paid right up front. It's your responsibility as an honest vendor to get the item out in a timely fashion. Don't get me wrong, I know there are scam buyers on eBay as well, but at least they have to pony up some money first. The Scammers on Amazon can get you without speding a penny!

That's a good chunk of change to have in limbo. It sort of sucks that places like amazon and ebay have ways of punishing successful sellers; I've heard those stories too about funds getting locked down so I make sure to get the money in my bank account from paypal or amazon before it becomes anything too substantial. If they do hit you with a 90 day hold it's almost worthwhile threatening them with small claims court; that might change their tune.

This isn't video game related, but is there any course of action that you can take against someone who flat out lies and says what you sold him/her is a bootleg? You don't have the item anymore, it's in their hands now. For all I know, he has a bootleg copy and will claim that's what was sold to him. Or he's such an idiot he doesn't understand when titles get re-released in thinner cases.

He wants to give me negative feedback but he's not trying to get his money back, so I'm not sure what his game is here. If he gives me negative feedback, I'll post his Ebay account on here.

You could take a picture of the disc before shipping it out, or at least write down a lot of the little details like the serial number, etc. Another thing you could do is "brand" the disc with a small identifying mark in permanent marker. That way if they try reselling it on amazon or ebay there'll be some way for the (secondary) buyer to identify that it came from you.

I've had a few problems on eBay recently...

I.E. Selling a game that I played not even 24 hours before sending out... buyer tells me game is damaged and does not work. I say send back for a replacement/refund. Get the game back and one of 2 things is the case; 1) game is mint and buyer changed mind for no reason or 2) game looks like shit and was obviously broken by buyer or swapped out for a bad copy.

Between this, and the fact that 10% of my sales now are by deadbeat bidders, eBay is looking worse & worse every day.

Sure, the 'bay has it's problems, but to me it's starting to feel like a safe haven after the experience I've had with Amazon. eBay has never done anything close to holding over $1600 of my hard-earned money with no real explanation...

Between the deadbeat/scamming buyers, Fleabay, PayAlot, and Scamazon, where does an honest seller go??

I've never had any issues with Half.com, although since they only ask the buyer for media mail costs, selling the bigger heavy stuff (consoles and large game accessories and whatnot) is a serious gamble since video games technically aren't media mail and the post office has the right to search large shipments to make sure you're not trying to rip them off.

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Here goes another on Scamazon:

John T. Bowman
724 Greentree Circle Apt. #202
Chesapeake, VA 23320

Claims the brand new PSP game i sent him with a 1" slit on the side 'contained no disc'. I purchased this came from deep within a display case at Wal Mart. Bought about 10 other copies of the same game from the same place, and no funny business.

As per Amazon's policies, I'm basically ed right now. He gets to steal the game, and I'm out the money, the end.

When/if I ever get my money back from Scamazon, I am going to pull some of these fast ones on the likes of HitGaming and some of Scamazon's other favorite merchants. I suggest you guys all do the same...at least get something back from the scammers.

If you file an AtoZ claim, Scamazon sides with the buyer, almost blindly.