SUCCESS STORY! Got out of an Ebay scam

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sonarrat

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Okay, so I buy this classical CD in an Ebay Store. The user ID is yourmusic_service - the CD is being offered at a pretty attractive price. Looking through the listing for the condition, it says it's brand new from the factory. Let me add that the price wasn't so low that it made me suspicious, but it was definitely the lowest BIN on Ebay.

So I buy the item, and when I go to checkout, it demands that I pay a subscription fee before I can buy the item at that price. So I fire off an email saying I won't pay, and I get this automated response several days later:

yourmusic_service adheres to the eBay Unpaid Item program. If you fail to complete payment using the yourmusic_service checkout site, you may be subject
to account suspension by eBay.
Click to expand...

No shit.

Well, I started looking through the seller terms at http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/listing-ov.html and found that he was in violation on several counts:

[quote name='ebay']Catalog sales - Listings of catalogs from which buyers may directly order are not permitted.[/quote]
[quote name='ebay']Circumvention of Fees - Users may not use systems or techniques to circumvent, or avoid, eBay fees (such as) listings with additional purchases - Listing an item that requires or offers an additional purchase. For example, travel certificates that require the holder to buy or pay for something (such as a hotel room for seven nights) as a condition of receiving the benefit of the coupon (such as free or discounted airfare).[/quote]
[quote name='ebay']Misleading Titles - Sellers are not permitted to create titles for their listings that do not accurately describe the item for sale.[/quote]

So I used Ebay's automated form three times, using the same listing ID for each infraction. Two hours later, I got an email from Ebay notifying me that the listing had been closed. :bouncy: :bouncy: :bouncy:

[edit: didn't get him shut down]
 
way to stick it to the man!

its good to see that you were able to do something. the piracy, bootleggers, and scammers have gotten a bit out of hand on ebay. I try to stay away from it.
 
it's not a scam(at least not the website and probably not the ebay service), yourmusic.com is a great service. you set up a queue like netflix, blockbuster or gamefly and each month they send you one cd from your list for $5.99 + tax(no shipping). Aside from that you can buy additional CDs at $5.99 per disc, and multi disc sets will be at the same price($11.98 for a two disc set, $17.97 for a three disc set and so forth). I guess they try and make money by volume sales, hence the queue. they're owned by BMG/Sony, and a sibling operation of the BMG mail in clubs. The only problem is that their selection is missing titles(but still pretty good) and that their CDs have fine print on them that mention that they were printed for distribution for BMG, but other than that they are exaclty like their retail counterparts. I'd actually recommend you look into the website, it's a very good deal.
 
[quote name='sanjuro']it's not a scam(at least not the website and probably not the ebay service), yourmusic.com is a great service. you set up a queue like netflix, blockbuster or gamefly and each month they send you one cd from your list for $5.99 + tax(no shipping). I guess they try and make money by volume sales, hence the queue. they're owned by BMG/Sony, and a sibling operation of the BMG mail in clubs. The only problem is that their selection is missing titles(but still pretty good) and that their CDs have fine print on them that mention that they were printed for distribution for BMG, but other than that they are exaclty like their retail counterparts. I'd actually recommend you look into the website, it's a very good deal.[/QUOTE]

It may be a good deal, but their Ebay policies are fraudulent. Ebay strictly prohibits any listings that force you to pay an additional fee to get the item at the listed price, because they can't collect fees for the extra revenue. Incidentally, if you buy an item and then only after the fact find out that the shipping fee was outrageous - like $25 for a DVD - you should report that to Ebay too, because that's also a listing violation.
 
but it's not an additional fee though, is it? from what I figure, they just essentially direct you to their website to set up an account there for your CD? After you buy your CD if you don't like the service you can cancel from the site(on the site) right away. either way, I understand that it seemed shady and that's cool that you tried to right a wrong, especially since ebay is full of jerks, but I don't think they should be demonized for what they did.
 
[quote name='sanjuro']but it's not an additional fee though, is it? from what I figure, they just essentially direct you to their website to set up an account there for your CD? After you buy your CD if you don't like the service you can cancel from the site(on the site) right away. either way, I understand that it seemed shady and that's cool that you tried to right a wrong, especially since ebay is full of jerks, but I don't think they should be demonized for what they did.[/QUOTE]

You have to pay to subscribe, and there's no way to just buy the CD.
 
I think for it to work like you wanted you just go to the site and subscribe for $5.99. In the process of registering(or direcly after) you set up your queue and place the CD you bought at the top of the queue as #1. They'll then ship you the CD at the top of your queue CD for free. After you get a shipping confirmation you cancel the service. The problem is I only know this because I've already used their service, they should be more explicit about how to do this in their instructions.
 
Here are their auctions:
http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.d...yourmusic_service&completed=0&sort=3&since=-1

I don't see anywhere where it mentions subscriptions fees. And looking at the auction, I would think I'm getting a CD, not a subscription service, for $5.99. Definitely misleading, poor business practices, IMO.

Edited to add: It guess it does mention fees somewhere in there, but the auction still seems to say that their individual CDs are $5.99, not their service.
 
[quote name='sonarrat']Hmm... the CD was $11.98, because it was a double disc. I don't really see how that would have worked.[/QUOTE]what CD was it? I thought it was this one, which was only $5.99?

http://www.yourmusic.com/browse/alb...rto-56313.html?cname=BROWSE_DISCO_1621_ALBUMS

you are right though, you can't add multi disc sets to your queue so if they 'sold' you that one on ebay, that would be a pretty big F-Up on their part. Some multi disc sets, depending on the content of the second disc, will still be $5.99 though, usually if it's a 'bonus disc' with no real content.
 
[quote name='sanjuro']what CD was it? I thought it was this one, which was only $5.99?

http://www.yourmusic.com/browse/alb...rto-56313.html?cname=BROWSE_DISCO_1621_ALBUMS

you are right though, you can't add multi disc sets to your queue so if they 'sold' you that one on ebay, that would be a pretty big F-Up on their part. Some multi disc sets, depending on the content of the second disc, will still be $5.99 though, usually if it's a 'bonus disc' with no real content.[/QUOTE]

*double-takes*

How the hell did you know I was trying to buy a Brahms CD?!

Anyway, it was this one: http://www.yourmusic.com/browse/alb...tos-Nos.-1--2-27861.html?cname=SEARCH_ARTISTS
 
Uh, all of those auctions say: ALL CDs ONLY $5.99 WHEN YOU SUBSCRIBE TO YOURMUSIC.COM

It seems pretty obvious that you have to subscribe to something there.
 
[quote name='AFStealth']Uh, all of those auctions say: ALL CDs ONLY $5.99 WHEN YOU SUBSCRIBE TO YOURMUSIC.COM

It seems pretty obvious that you have to subscribe to something there.[/QUOTE]

But I saw that - mine was $11.98! I thought I would have an option to buy it without subscribing, and if I did subscribe they'd give me a discount. I didn't realize I would be forced to commit to a subscription just to be able to buy the CD.
 
in that case, that's bullshit on their part, but I don't think they understand what they did, which is a horrible business practice on their part but the motives behind it are probably not to scam or swindle but to get more people to their site, if that makes any sense to you.[quote name='sonarrat']*double-takes*

How the hell did you know I was trying to buy a Brahms CD?!

Anyway, it was this one: http://www.yourmusic.com/browse/alb...tos-Nos.-1--2-27861.html?cname=SEARCH_ARTISTS[/QUOTE]
 
[quote name='AFStealth']Uh, all of those auctions say: ALL CDs ONLY $5.99 WHEN YOU SUBSCRIBE TO YOURMUSIC.COM

It seems pretty obvious that you have to subscribe to something there.[/QUOTE]

Doesn't matter, they are selling subscriptions for a service but under false item titles. All of their listings should be pulled for title spamming because the title in no way relates to what you are actually buying.

And just to add to the deception they list in the description: Album type: Full Length CD, Condition: New. Rather than membership plan.
 
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