Looks like there may be a new scam hitting the markets. Take a look at this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/SONY-HDR-FX1-HDV-HANDYCAM-CAMCORDER_W0QQitemZ7383099554QQcategoryZ73464QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

There are several other auctions like this out there. And you 'get' free shipping worldwide.

I already have an FX1 and I'm familiar with all the scams and bait-and-switches out there, but this is a new one. Out of pure morbid curiosity I wonder what they are doing.

They say you have to coordinate the sale outside of ebay. Therefore it's a scam.

They say you have to coordinate the sale outside of ebay. Therefore it's a scam.

From the track record of sales, this isn't someone that sells a ton of high end stuff, suddenly there is an entire Ebay store online, might be a highjacked ebay id.

Either way, if in question, report it to Ebay and let them investigate it before someone else gets burned.

And all those high end items in the store end in 19 hours from now. By the time E-bay finds out the auctions are over.

Wow ebay is fast. Listing is Gone!

The thing that struck me about it is how obvious it was. The guy could have at least set a believable price. I guess there are some that will still fall for it.

some of the lesser known mail order houses advertise a very low price.

Then when you order, they call you an hour later and say, we reccomend you get this "accesory pack" which includes the basic battery, manual, power supplie and connector cables.

This accessory pack costs $1200

And you say: Well that's supposed to come with the camera.

They say: No it's an import version.

Of course I wasn't stupid enough to learn this myself. This happened to my friend who wishes to remain annonymous.

I ended up....

er.. um... I mean *my friend* ended up cancelling that order, double checking that it was cancelled with his credit card company, and ordering from BH

It can work the other way too, on EBay at least. I recently listed a Sony DV cam that was worth perhaps $600 and some dude contacted me to say his company needed equipment urgently and was willing to pay me $2600 if I would sell it immediately to him, outside of the normal EBay auction process.

Clues it was a scam? Well .... he said his company was in Nigeria AND HE TYPED A LOT OF THE EMAIL IN CAPITALS.

(D'oh!! - bangs forehead on desk)

I was watching the auctions recently for FX1's and Z1's & saw numerous scams. Obviously, they're targeting these cams.
- usually only 1 day auctions (sometimes 2-3), probably to hook a few fish then drop the auction before ebay gets wind of it.
- said buyers either "had" to email before bidding, or should to get "low buy it now price" (though they weren't official buy it now auctions), with their direct email address listed, and, in small print, a ridiculously low price $1000-1200.
- usually have several available.
- mentioned pmt in money order or bank wire transfer for faster service.
- posted under member ID's that looked good, long term member with lots of good feedback, no hint of problems, though don't usually sell these cams (so, as someone noted above, they had likely stolen a legit member's acct access).
- their English is usually bad, though that in itself means nothing.

When I'ld spot one, I'ld email ebay to warn them, and the auctions were pulled long before they ended.

There is a website dedicated to stopping scams. They post email addresses of ebay scammers alphabetically. I found several there. Not all scammers give their email address, unfortunately. The site is:

http://www.freespaces.com/scamfinders/ebayscammers.htm

I have it bookmarked, and I pop back and forth when I'm checking auctions on ebay that look interesting.
Perhaps this info should be posted somewhere more visible on this site to alert more members who might not see this thread??
Hope this saves others from getting hosed.

^So the demo model $1400 Z1s are a scam! I pity the people who might have fallen for it.

I was just checking out places to send in my new used VX2K to get the drum replaced and found this place!!! I could have had a NEW PD170 for what I paid for this fine used unusable camera of mine...........

http://www.pcandplasma.com/shop/searchresults.asp?ProdManList=ALL&ProdTypeList=3050&ParCat=1000

my criteria: If it's in NYC and it's not B&H, it's a scam.

Read about these guys here! http://www.resellerratings.com/seller7212.html

I was just checking out places to send in my used VX2K to get the drum replacedThere's only one place to send in your VX2K to get the drum replaced, and that's the Sony factory service center in Atlanta, GA.

Shishhhh!!!! I guess I will be shipping it to Atlanta. Thanks for the heads up once again :)

For repairs to Sony consumer cameras (VX-2000, VX-2100, HDR-FX1, etc) use the following web form on their site (you need to enter model number as dcrvx2000 for example):

http://eservice.sony.com/webrma/web/index.do

If you have one of the "pro" cameras (PD-150, PD-170, HVR-Z1, etc) then see the following for service center locations:

http://bssc.sel.sony.com/BroadcastandBusiness/markets/10018/serviceCenters.shtml

and also this:

http://bssc.sel.sony.com/BroadcastandBusiness/markets/10018/repair.shtml

^So the demo model $1400 Z1s are a scam! I pity the people who might have fallen for it.

I didn't see that kind of auction, so I can't speak for it, though the price seems way to cheap. The others I described were scams. I did a lot of searching, any source I could find for weeks, and saw a lot of crooks, very unfortunate.

I wish I'ld found dvinfo wks ago, would have saved a lot of work & aggravation. I joined immediately. I just bought a 2 mo old Z1 in mint condition from a member, John Inman; great deal, great guy to do business with, can't speak too highly of him. After seeing so many cheats, it was reaffirming to find someone honest. Good to see so many genuine people sharing their experience & love of the field with others on this site. I've already learned a lot at the feet of the masters. Thanks to all!