Jump to content
🇩🇪 Neu: Leica SL3 Reporter ×
🇺🇸🇬🇧 New: Leica SL3 Reporter ×

Heads-up on suspicious eBay Noctilux

M9reno

By M9reno
in Leica M Lenses

 Share

Recommended Posts

M9reno

M9reno

Posted
Posted (edited)

Advertisement (gone after registration)

One picture only, avoiding showing the serial number:

 

Further pictures "by request" only,...

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/332374504417

 

Smells a bit fishy. Anybody missing a Noctilux might wish to investigate here.

 

EDIT: On the other hand, the seller has multiple positive feedbacks for Leica items, as well as other lenses listed in the same way as the above. Perhaps I'm a bit paranoid tonight... never mind!

Edited by M9reno
Link to post
Share on other sites
JT07

JT07

Posted
Posted (edited)

M9Reno. At first glance I though you were being a little paranoid as well. But after examining the listing further I would exercise caution with the seller as well. I've done over 25,000 transactions on the bay and have a 100% feedback rating of almost 12,000. What struck me unusual about the listing is that he has only done three transactions in the past year yet he currently has seven listings all of high-end photography equipment. He has two different nocts, .95 and F/1, A contax 645 kit, a canon 400 F 2.8, a hasseblad, and a few others. What struck me as unusual is that there is no consistency to his listing photographs. They have different backgrounds and there is just one photo of each item, all the listing say email for additional photos. Most high-end sellers, have a Photo set up where they photograph all of their items at one time and they usually spend a lot of time making sure the photos are off very high-quality. Having all different backgrounds and various quality of photos may indicate that the photos are not really his nor the items. Perhaps A way to check if you are interested in purchasing this to ask for additional photos that are currently shot. A good way to be safe is to ask for today's newspaper to be included in the photo. This way you know he has the items. I hate to sound suspicious too but as a highly experienced seller i'd recommend high caution too. If you're interested in purchasing you could also email eBay and inquire. Good luck and I think this is a good catch on your part. Also if you are selling items if that value you'd want to include 12 photos (eBay's max allowed) which also moves you further up the search results. Strange to list items this way.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edited by JT07
  • Like 4
Link to post
Share on other sites
luigi bertolotti

luigi bertolotti

Posted
Posted (edited)

Just for the record, I played with the bid for the Nocti f1, resulting in a sort of instant-answer continuos overbidding from what looks to be some automatic system (I have little experience on ebay bidding... so don't know if is a normal tool that a seller can activate). 

Anyway, I stopped after 5 or 6 10$ increments... B)... not a pleasant game... :huh:

Edited by luigi bertolotti
Link to post
Share on other sites
rafikiphoto

rafikiphoto

Posted
Posted

Well, the 0.95 and the f1 both went for meaty prices. Out of curiosity, I requested more photos of the 0.95 from the buyer as he offered, twice. Both times my request went unanswered. How anyone can shell out well over five thousand quid for any lens on a description and a single, out of focus photo (which looks as if the background is some sort of exhibition) is beyond me.

  • Like 2
Link to post
Share on other sites
Simon

Simon

Posted
Posted

Regarding the PayPal guarantee don’t think that is an easy, stress-free route to take. The investigations take time and proving things can be difficult.

 

Please exercise caution and due diligence. Leica is an obvious target for scammers.

Link to post
Share on other sites
Peter Kilmister

Peter Kilmister

Posted
Posted

PayPal might be under suspicion by the FBI, however, casinos have always been the favourite money laundry for decades. Someone goes in with a suitcase of one currency, hands it over in exchange for gambling chips, walks round the casino, and then heads to the cashier, hands in the chips and asks for a cheque in USD, GBP, EUR, or whatever they want. The cheque is from a valid source so will be able to be paid into any bank. Cheapest laundries in the world can be found in Monaco, Switzerland, UK, and probably many other places. 

 

Anyway, back on topic, I bid for a Noctilux and won. Then the seller admitted he didn't have the lens. PayPal refunded me. They involved the UK police and the "seller" lost a small fortune. On another occasion a similar thing happened and PayPal also involve the police. The "seller" had a similar experience. Well done PayPal for your integrity!

 

To finish the tale, I then bought a valid Noctilux via eBay. I hated the thing. It was like having a bunion on one's toe; heavy, huge, blocked the viewfinder, and had poor definition. I swapped it plus some cash for a Summicron 50 APO which is the best lens I have ever known ... small, light, easy to focus.

 

GAS needs to be calmed down by experience. So does blaming people like PayPal. The US government gave money to the Taliban when Russia were in Afghanistan. They then spent multiple times that amount trying to stop the Taliban when they stepped in. Not all you read or see on the TV is true.

 

A pinch of salt time!

  • Like 8
Link to post
Share on other sites
M9reno

M9reno

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Well, the 0.95 and the f1 both went for meaty prices. Out of curiosity, I requested more photos of the 0.95 from the buyer as he offered, twice. Both times my request went unanswered. How anyone can shell out well over five thousand quid for any lens on a description and a single, out of focus photo (which looks as if the background is some sort of exhibition) is beyond me.

Well, despite "selling" the first time, it's back again. And people are still lining up to bid.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/332387752248

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites
rafikiphoto

rafikiphoto

Posted
Posted

Well, despite "selling" the first time, it's back again. And people are still lining up to bid.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/332387752248

 

The f/1 is back there too despite also 'selling' last time. This bloke is very unlucky with his buyers it seems!

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...
james.liam

james.liam

Posted
Posted (edited)

This dude has got to be a bad hombre laundering money. If you look at the comment section, they are transactions that run as high as $33k but dozens of $2000-5000 transactions. Very bad 

Edited by james.liam
Link to post
Share on other sites
FeralCoton

FeralCoton

Posted
Posted

This seller seems very fishy, mostly based on item descriptions and lac of images. I do have to say that when I sell higher end items on eBay I only sell a few per year. The fraudulent buyer problem is outrageous and eBay does nothing about it. Bots can bid up the price. I still sell things, but it is a pain. (I sort of regret that when I sold my 50 cron to get a 50 Lux they buyer was real. Oh well, someone in Santa Barbara is enjoying a great lens).

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...