Is this a Scam?

[cavscout]

I've received an email from a person overseas (UK) who is looking to buy a large quantity of a very common, inexpensive item (a squeeze purse). After giving him a price, he responded with "sounds good" and asked if I could sell him a sample and send it to him. He provided me a link to what is supposed to be his web site and it does not appear to be someone who would typically need a large quantity of these things.

I can't figure how this would be a scam but you know those sneaky, scammers sure can be.....er..sneaky, so I thought I'd check if anyone else has run into this.

Thanks for the insight guys.

[ardchoille]

I've received an email from a person overseas (UK) who is looking to buy a large quantity of a very common, inexpensive item (a squeeze purse). After giving him a price, he responded with "sounds good" and asked if I could sell him a sample and send it to him. He provided me a link to what is supposed to be his web site and it does not appear to be someone who would typically need a large quantity of these things.

I can't figure how this would be a scam but you know those sneaky, scammers sure can be.....er..sneaky, so I thought I'd check if anyone else has run into this.

Thanks for the insight guys.

Hmm.. I'd do a little investigation on my own. Take the url link he gave you and his email domain (the bit after the "@" sign) and do a whois on them both, here are some tools you can use. When you get a name, google that name and the url domain to see if there have been any other complaints. A good way to google is to use something like "domain here"+complain or "domain here"+scam (use the quotes too) and see what google returns. If you feel it is a scam, it's definitely worth checking out before you go any further.

[hallmarktex]

I've heard of this sort of thing. They send you a bank draft (apparently certified) for the merchandise and the cost of shipping, with the understanding that you'll pay the shipping and send the merchandise. The draft is from some foreign source and takes a week or more to clear. Meanwhile you've sent the merchandise and paid to ship it based on being credited the funds (which appear legit). Then the bank finds out that the draft is fraudulent and you're stuck with having to cover the cost of the merchandise and shipping out of your own pocket since the only one any vendor actually dealt with was you.

I'd be very cautious.

[Une]

I've received an email from a person overseas (UK) who is looking to buy a large quantity of a very common, inexpensive item (a squeeze purse). After giving him a price, he responded with "sounds good" and asked if I could sell him a sample and send it to him. He provided me a link to what is supposed to be his web site and it does not appear to be someone who would typically need a large quantity of these things.

I can't figure how this would be a scam but you know those sneaky, scammers sure can be.....er..sneaky, so I thought I'd check if anyone else has run into this.

Thanks for the insight guys.

l would tread very, very, carefully if l were you, there are plenty of scams in the Uk at the moment, & plenty we don't know about.

[cavscout]

Oh, absolutely. Never send merchandise out until the bank note clears! So far everything is leading back to the same guy. There's nothing obvious that this is a scam, it's just an odd request.

I started to refer him to a UK supplier but in my hunting I can't find one that is much cheaper than I am to refer him to Perhaps he's found the same thing

[The Wizard of BC]

Get a friend to go up on his website and try to order one of your purses. Then wait for an answer.

[Archangel]

You said a small, inexpensive item. My friend ran into something similar several years ago. My advice was to go slow and controlled.
The scam is built on building trust. He's good for small amounts. Soon you trust him, and he orders more. When it gets big enough, he cuts and runs.
Right now, you're making money. You're not going to lose at this stage. So, if you want, go for it. He'll respond with another bigger order, cash up front. You're still good and you're making money.
Then he'll try for a COD order, I'll bet it's low enough not to be a risk. It's the one after that that you'll have to make a decision about.
Work out your strategy and risk factor now.

My friend got burned at the hundred dollar mark, scammer was impatient. However, my friend had made three very good deals and still profited. (He's a hard core Dead Head collector.)

Guess what my paternal Granddad did for a living?

[Phil]

I've received an email from a person overseas (UK) who is looking to buy a large quantity of a very common, inexpensive item (a squeeze purse). After giving him a price, he responded with "sounds good" and asked if I could sell him a sample and send it to him. He provided me a link to what is supposed to be his web site and it does not appear to be someone who would typically need a large quantity of these things.

I can't figure how this would be a scam but you know those sneaky, scammers sure can be.....er..sneaky, so I thought I'd check if anyone else has run into this.

Thanks for the insight guys.

Do you have any details? (name, address). Maybe some members over here could snoop around to see if it is legit if he is in their neighbourhood.

[cavscout]

Thanks for the guidance lads.

I don't think I should post his information publicly at this point, but I appreciate the offer.

I did the domain checks and all seemed consistent (traced back to who he said he was). I did however suggest that he may want to find a vendor over there to get a more economical choice.

As I said, nothing has been overtly suspicious, just one of those odd requests that make you wonder.

Thanks again.

[Demonnic]

As long as you stick to the 'nothing goes out without the item having cleared' bit, you should be fine. And by cleared, I don't mean 'credited to your account' but actually come back paid. Lots of people out there right now exploiting the banks crediting your account before the item actually clears.