Refractor on the loose

[Atmos (Colin)]

On late Tuesday afternoon I thought I'd finally managed to sell off my 130mm F/5 refractor (no one through the IIS Classifieds), received a payment receipt and it made its way across to the other side of Melbourne. Yesterday early afternoon I got a phone call from the police informing me that a box of mine had been found at a property that they'd raided.
Long story short, I'd been conned.

A few hours ago I was informed that the telescope wasn't found at the raid so it's been moved on. As it isn't exactly the kind of item that 99% of the population would have any interest in buying at any price, I personally think it's just been moved along the food chain to be sold at a later time.

I guess there are two things to take out of this:

1) The scammers are out there; I think I was one of the last of a large handful to get hit by this mob.
2) If there happens to be a 130mm F/5 Sky Rover for sale in an unusual place, it's probably a bit suss. There are a number scattered around Melbourne but not many.

[LewisM]

If you received funds, then I don’t see the issue. Or did you post before receiving funds????? Sorry but that would be - bluntly - silly.

I am probably missing something here. Not the first or last time

[Atmos (Colin)]

Originally Posted by LewisM

If you received funds, then I don’t see the issue. Or did you post before receiving funds????? Sorry but that would be - bluntly - silly.

I am probably missing something here. Not the first or last time

Sent before receiving funds but after receiving a receipt.
Not the first time I've done this and as a buyer you also don't necessarily want to send funds before receiving an item as once it's sent it's sent. It goes both ways.

[rrussell1962]

Hi Colin, just a thought - did you use PayPal or do the Scammers now have your bank account details?

[gregbradley]

Originally Posted by Atmos

Sent before receiving funds but after receiving a receipt.
Not the first time I've done this and as a buyer you also don't necessarily want to send funds before receiving an item as once it's sent it's sent. It goes both ways.

Internet bank transfer receipts can be easily forged. I had a builder send me a fake internet bank transfer to get me off his case. It was obvious it was fake though.

He paid eventually, he was just going through a tight spot and decided to lie to get time.

Most transactions wait for the $ to land in your account before being shipped.

I guess that is your new policy eh?

I can understand why, who scams getting a telescope? An odd item to scam, not very resaleable.

Greg.

[Wilso]

Sorry to hear about that Colin,
plenty of low life’s out there. I won’t send anything until it’s cleared in my bank account. Hopefully they will come across the scope down the track.
All the best.

[rustigsmed (Russell)]

That sucks Col sorry to hear about that.
Very rare scope however and a tight knit community - I’ll share with the Morn Pen astro society if you like?

[The_bluester (Paul)]

Originally Posted by gregbradley

I can understand why, who scams getting a telescope? An odd item to scam, not very resaleable.

Perhaps easier to resell than normal at the moment, I have heard from a number of different sources that Astro gear is selling itself silly under the pandemic, that being one reason I am ending up with a much dearer mount than I intended to buy, the EQ6-R I would have bought is not expected to be available new for another couple of months yet.

[Camelopardalis (Dunk)]

Sorry to hear of your experience Colin

One thing is for sure though, it’d be pretty easy to spot if it goes for sale online...it’s not like they’re a common garden scope.

[blindman]

Sorry for your loss.
Also it would be good to have feedback on this website for sellers & buyers.
I don't have any bad experience selling and buying through this forum, I must say.
And when website has certificate, it wouldn't show as "not secure".

[multiweb (Marc)]

That's rotten. Sorry to hear that. I'd echo what others said. Money cleared in the bank first. Unless it's a mate and you know where he lives so you can raid his wine cave.

[Nikolas (Nik)]

I'd check the facebook classifieds and ebay and gumtree for starters, that sucks bigtime but i never post anything till the money clears. Crap lesson to learn however sorry to hear Colin.
Which suburb did it go to?

[Atmos (Colin)]

Thanks all, it’s a bit of a sucky thing but what’s done is done.
The silver lining to all this is that guy behind it has been charged with multiple accounts of fraud.

I think the real lesson here is to only sell to people within the astro community, everyone else sucks!

[Slawomir (Suavi)]

I'm sorry about your unpleasant experience Colin. Fingers crossed the scope will be recovered. A life dedicated to robbing other is a tragic one. Some years ago my place on the Gold Coast was targeted by the similar kind that took advantage me being away from home. Lost some personal items that cannot and have not been replaced, and it does make one feel...upset, even if that happened many years ago.

[Nikolas (Nik)]

If the guy has been charged would the police not ask what's happened to the scope?
it;s not exactly a cheap item so they are obliged to follow it up