Buyer Beware: Dan shows us how to spot a scam on eBay

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, who writes:

This is an example of a classic scam - and these are usually seen involving
Watkins-Johnson 8711/A receivers.

The seller puts a photo of what appears to be a good condition WJ up,
with additional photos. But often these photos are faked or taken from
other ended Ebay auctions.

The description is usually, as with this item, in blue letters noting
the item is available only for immediate sale, and not for auction,
despite the fact that the auction is - an AUCTION and has a
starting price.

I make it my business to reports items like this to eBay and eBay has
a pretty good record of recognizing scams and removes them.

I think it's important to point out these items to SWLing readers to
help avoid people being ripped off.

No doubt! Thank you so much for sharing this, Dan. I didn't realize scams like this were prevalent on eBay.

I'm willing to bet this scammer's plan is to get you to outside the boundaries of eBay's protection as soon as possible, luring you with a believable bargain price. This is why they ask for you to message them instead of bidding.

In my opinion, eBay is one of the safest sites for online purchases, but it is certainly not void of scammers. Remember the proverb, "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!"

Thanks again, Dan!