terrible thing that happened to you there man. I hope it works out.

Bill, did you ever find the scumbag who stole your camera?

If not you could probably write off all the expenses and the cost of the camera as a loss on your taxes.

just a few days ago i saw news about a rash of phony u.s. postal money orders, so nothing is safe.

how about paypal or similar? there are also online escrow services??

This has been going on in the Ebay world for quite a while now, I guess it is spreading to all forums now. Alot of people don't know that the money orders don't even have to be fake for you to beware of it, you can cancel a money order the same as a personal check. I sell alot on Ebay and I would NEVER mail anything out without a check or money order clearing first. GO PAYPAL!!

Paypal is no better. I got burned selling a $1,300 mobile DVD player via Paypay. Paypal is NOT you friend. You're still at 100% risk. I sold them the DVD player, they called the CC company and disputed charges (claimed the card was stolen or something). Paypal yanked the funds out of my account. Paypals reply was "Sorry, it happens all the time. Nothing we can do".

I will never use Paypal again.

THere's a site dedicated to Paypal... paypalsucks.com

Paypal is nearly perfect.... if you are the buyer, and only ever pay by credit card, never ever use your bank account, or money that is IN your paypal account.

If you are a seller, it is safer if you have a seperate bank account for it, and withdraw all the money out of it instantly in case of a chargeback. If I was selling big ticket items to total strangers, no, I would not use Paypal, I would ask for a Western Union money transfer!!! :)

cash baby cash...

with all these fancy credit cards and cheques u think u're safe, in control.. the best way to do it. i dont trust any peice of paper.

my advice.. forget aaaaaaaall about cash.. cheques and whatever that comes in papers man.

go for pay me quarters. when i get that bag, weigh it, and turns out to be the exact weight and volume in water as is of the legit money of your country's coins weight.. then heat it, slam into the microwave, hit the coins with a tennis racket... until you are satisfied that.. YES this is real money. then.. only then, send over your stuff.

lol.. ONCE, i didnt trust this guy on ebay.. i was like.. u want it so bad darling (dah-ling) pay me in quarters.. and i waited for two weeks.. and he went away, then he sent me an email after a week.. laughing.. darn man ure good how did you know i was "kiddin" all this time. and i was like =S i got out of ebay and never signed in there again.

two months later I see fed ex with a white bag of quarters, there was a note: i respect you dawg!
and thats how i sold my compaq presario 1700 laptop. =D

What about escrow.
 

Sorry for your loss. I fear that same thing will happen to me. Has anyone tried escrow. From what I've read, it's safe. I've never used it, though.

check this link.. someone scammed the scammer!......

http://www.p-p-p-powerbook.com/

Haha, that's hilarious!

Wow, this is one of the best things that I've seen yet

Fraud via the Net
 

So far, I've been lucky with Internet transactions but I always get to know the seller/buyer before transacting business. Unless the buyer/seller really know one another and have proven their traceable identity, it's too risky for me. Here's a case in point:

Several months ago I was searching Craigslist for a Vinten tripod and found a guy in Las Vegas who had a great deal on the Vinten along with a Canon XL-2, LCD monitor, camera case, and Varizoom. When I politely asked if the party would consider selling the Vinten as a standalone if no one bought the camera, the guy EMAILed me a gruff, terse "no way" response. Fair enough so far...

A week ago I again researched for a Vinten and, low and behold, I again noticed the exact camera, tripod, LCD monitor, Varizoom and case on Craigslist. Suspiciously, this time the package was not only in a different city, but the ad was placed in 3 cities (Miami, Phoenix, and Orange County near LA). See for yourself:

http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/ele/240978526.html
http://miami.craigslist.org/ele/230408870.html
http://phoenix.craigslist.org/ele/231343102.html

Notice in the Miami ad, the guy says he needs the money for taxes. Being the suspicious type, I EMAILed him asking specific questions about the camera, configurations and settings only a videographer could answer. The EMAIL response was from a free anonymous EMAIL saying it was actually his brother's camera who needed the money for travel (so much for the tax bill story). Of course, he ignored my request for his home phone telephone number so I could talk with him.

This example has numerous red flags that would prevent me from taking the bait "hook, line and sinker" despite the great price. While the Bible may have said Love Thy Neighbor, it's not a bad idea to add on "to KNOW me (you) is to love me (you)!"

Regards, Michael