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April 30, 2008
Laptops for Nigeria!
I sold a laptop on Ebay. Wait, no I didn't. Oh, yes i did.
Ahem, so I thought I sold a laptop on Ebay. I listed it, it was bought about 5 minutes later by a guy in Arizona. A few hours later, I got this:
Subject: MC143 A29 TKO NOTICE: Secure your computer -
Dear (me),We recently learned that someone was using an account to bid on items without the account owner's permission. For this reason, we have canceled all bids on the following listing:
130218859721 - Macbook pro 15" 2.5ghz, 2 gb RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 8600M
All associated fees have been credited to your account. Please note that we're working with the account owner to prevent any additional unauthorized activity.Unfortunately, we're not able to automatically relist the above item for you. To relist the item, you'll need to use either the Sell Your Item process on eBay, or another listing service.
If you have any concerns or questions, you can contact us by clicking "Help" at the top of any eBay page.
I immediately went to ebay to view my message inbox, and this was a legit email. Ugh, they took the listing down, and I'd have to recreate, but whatever.
The next morning, I get this:
From: transaction_verification@AccountantEmail.com Subject: Notice: Administrative Technical ErrorDear (me),
This email is to inform you that our recent notification sent to you from eBay was a technical error.We are sorry for any mix up we might have caused both you and the buyer. We realized that the bid initiated from this account (metscot) was from the true owner.If this person was the winning bidder for the transaction then the transaction in question should be reconsidered and completed. You must end the auction if the item have been re-listed.We therefore urge you to go and ship the item or take the necessary step if the buyer has paid for the item.
Thank you for being an asset to the eBay trading community. We wish you continued success with your transactions on eBay.
Regards,
Customer Support (Trust and Safety Department)
eBay Inc
Obviously ebay has outsourced the email support. So obviously, I sent off the laptop, no questions asked. Right? Right. No. No. No. Actually I didn't.
Then I get this email:
From: makingme03@gmail.com Subject: I won this item on eBay: Macbook pro 15" 2.5ghz, 2 gb RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 8600M 130218859721Dear Seller,i've purchased your item on ebay,i will be sending your payment via paypal shortly.Moreover,i want you to aware that am sending this item to a colleague and i will prefer it mail directly to his location so as to meet the need.Therefore ,i will like to know your shipping option and also its cost to the location provides below :
Name : Adebayo A.S
Address : 58/60 Awolowo Ave
City : Abeokuta
State : Ogun
Zip code : 121101
Country : NigeriaNote : I suggest shipping via USPS Express Mail(EMS),it is cheaper and reliable.
Thanks and get to me ASAP.
to which I responded:
To: makingme03@gmail.com Subject: Re: I won this item on eBay: Macbook pro 15" 2.5ghz, 2 gb RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 8600M 130218859721 Sure.Shipping to Nigeria is 1 million dollars, plus 3,000 ducks, a small bus, two cars and three chickens.
The cars need to be Mercedes Diesel station wagons.
You can freight the above to 123 Main Street, Anytown, CA, 94702.
Thanks!
to which they responded:
From: makingme03@gmail.com Subject: I won this item on eBay: Macbook pro 15" 2.5ghz, 2 gb RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 8600M 130218859721
What is the meaning of this! this is outrageous.
to which I responded:
To: makingme03@gmail.com Subject: Re: I won this item on eBay: Macbook pro 15" 2.5ghz, 2 gb RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 8600M 130218859721 Hey -- have you not read the news? The dollar's value has dropped significantly, and I need hard goods like ducks (ducks don't lose value). And 1 million dollars for shiping is my actual USPS express cost. Things are bad here, man!
Thanks!
I'm wating for the next volley.
Posted by tdotjay at April 30, 2008 2:26 PM
Comments
That's hilarious. I'm hoping the US moves back to the "duck standard" for our basis of our dollar soon.
Posted by: Jeff Boulter at April 30, 2008 4:29 PM
