I found a great deal on an HC5000, wont post price as that is a no no. But it seems priced way to fair, the seller has a (0) rating. The unit is slightly used but priced well below Ebay prices. Should I be worried about this? He accepts pay-pal so I am pretty sure Im covered right? If this is not the right forum to post this type of question then please move it. Has anyone on here bought anything from videogon? And just to clarify am I covered by paypal if the person never sends me a unit? Thanks. And again if this is inccorectly posted please move accordingly and accept my apologies.

Joe

Audiogon/Videogon are sites I still check for used prices, and I bought several pieces of equipment off people on that site, about 3 years ago.

Coverage in PP is not free, I believe you have to pay a certain amount, but that may be old news.

Joe:

Just like ebay, videogon offers no guarantees to the buyer. The seller could easily close their bank account if you file a complaint at paypal to retrieve your funds for whatever the reason. Some folks have had luck using their Credit Card as the payment method, by filing a claim with their card company if the sale goes south.

If you use the search engine, you'll find other discussions at AVS about paypal, audiogon and videogon. Like society, videogon and audiogon have suffered from more scam artists over the last several years.

Two other suggestions are to get the sellers name, address and phone number. Run a google search on all three. You'll be amazed the number of times scammers use the same contact info...I've found reports on phone number and addresses that have shown up as problems in other forums (golf classifieds etc).

Assume the worst and work your way back from there.

Ron

PS: If the deal sounds too good...it usually is

Yes, you should worry, the con artists are becoming more clever at dangling the bait, and no, paypal won't necessarily protect you if the person is switching identities or has zero feedback. Ask for all identification information up front, name address etc. and use a reliable escrow account that you pick, or a credit card where you can reverse the charges, or you are asking for it. If the seller doesn't agree, then he is looking for a fish.

In guessing even though he has actual pics of the unit and its hour count that still isn't enough to trust on right? I'll ask for his personals in a few. Thanks for the quick response.

Joe

Also keep in mind that all of us sold our first piece of used gear at some point in the past with no feedback. If I am at all suspicious of a seller, I try to have a conversation over the phone - I think you can pretty quickly determine if he/she actually owns the piece. Ask for a serial number or some details about the product. If the seller will not talk to you, pass!

ya that's the way I'm looking at it, we all started somewhere with no rep. My credit card provides a service for refunding my money in the event that the sale goes south. Can anyone reccomend an escrow service. Thanks for the advice. Hc5000 here I come! Cheers.

Joe

I've bought several pieces on Audiogon without any issues.
These are basics I look for:
Home phone and work phone and a work e-mail AND you are able to contact him on all 3.
Definately talk to the guy and size him up.
Don't be shy about asking questions like, why are you selling it so cheap?
Be friendly but remember you are doing him the favor not the other way around.
If you have ANY uneasiness whatsoever, walk away. The downside risk is much greater than the upside risk.
There is always another projector and another deal.
PayPal means nothing.

I've sold loads of used gear on Audiogon and Videogeon. But I have a long and perfect tract record there which any potential buyer can look up and confirm. One must be more than careful forwarding funds to someone with no history there. Sort of like a Western Union money order.

I'd add that I have sold multiple items on both venues (some high priced as well) - I always offer my ebay user id -

Ive sold many times on Audiogon. For some reason people never leave me feedback so I refer them to eBay. I always offer Paypal (confirmed) and COD options as well.

Both are good sights. get all the details in writing.