Apex controller system $675

[bsr2430]

Looks like he just logged in ten minutes ago....... that’s very sketchy.

 

[GoingBroke88]

I don't doubt that these are tough times and some people are hurting. Of course, this can lead to people doing things that they wouldn't otherwise do. However, this may also lead people to get out of the hobby, shut down an extra tank, or sell some things that are surplus, all for a good price.

There are countless examples of things that have been sold at "a better deal" recently. In other words, even more deeply discounted compared to original market price. If you need examples, let me know and I'll be happy to point you in the direction of some honest completed deals.

In this situation, we're talking about a long time member of this forum who has been active. If you look at the activity, he seems to be closing down a tank. Sure, anybody can change at any time, especially if their situation is dire enough. But this situation is still somewhat surprising. It's not like you're talking about someone who just joined a couple weeks ago and is now dumping a ton of high end equipment.

Hindsight is always 20/20. The way that things sell around here basically means that whoever pulls the trigger fastest gets the deal. I've lost out on many items simply because I went to look up the specs, size, item description, etc. There is a reason that forum rules require payment via protected PayPal. That and other steps are in place for protection, and I'd argue that in this case it's worked since there was no money actually exchanged.

My point in posting was several fold. One, to give the seller a chance to respond and to let them know that I was elevating this to the next level. This was after I had already send some PMs and it was obvious that he was logging on but not replying. I felt this was the most fair thing to do rather than instantly jumping to conclusions and contacting the mods. Second, there were multiple other people who were also trying to purchase. This is as much a PSA about what's transpiring here as it would be if I posted about bad customer service from a vendor or a defective product.

What this was not was an attempt to guilt the seller into a good deal. Even after I agreed to pay him his full asking price, I offered to pick up in person (since I live in NJ) to save him some money, and even told him that I didn't need him to pay for expensive shipping (since this is for a 2nd tank and not immediately needed). I would think that any decent person would honor their own price if a customer agreed to it fully.

Nor do I think we need posts about how times are tough and that good deals mean it's too good to be true. These are things that we all know. Hindsight is 20/20, so it's real easy to call out "the deal was too good to be true" when something doesn't work out, yet there are legitimately completed deals that are objectively better than this one. So does that mean nobody should have bought those items? Obviously not.

 

[bsr2430]

The guy was also selling some Radion G4s at a good price and then disappeared again.

Word of warning to people who are eagerly trying to snatch up fantastic deals. There are a crap load of people who have not paid their mortgage/Car Payments/Credit Cards etc in the last 3 months.
A whole lot of people are going to be doing things they never would have done before just so they can survive and most of that does not involve selling what they have for 1/3 the price. It's typically something that is designed to make a show piece generate a lot of cash from multiple sources. So be cautious because PayPal will only bail you out so many times before they also dump you as a customer.

On a side note, in July I had to give two friends $500 a piece. They came to me weeks apart asking for a loan and I said I don't lend money as that kills friendships. So I just gave them what I could afford to. A year ago these guys would never have even of thought about asking for a handout, so I know how bad things must be for them.

Very kind of you to help your friends!!!!
Not many will do that, your 100% right about people doing everything they can to survive.

 

[robbyg]

Nor do I think we need posts about how times are tough and that good deals mean it's too good to be true. These are things that we all know. Hindsight is 20/20, so it's real easy to call out "the deal was too good to be true" when something doesn't work out, yet there are legitimately completed deals that are objectively better than this one. So does that mean nobody should have bought those items? Obviously not.

These are not like any period that any of us have lived through before. The fact that you used normal criteria for establishing trust tells me you have not gotten a real taste of what is going on out there. I buy a good deal of stuff on eBay and I have decided to give it a rest for now simply because it's almost impossible to tell what is a Scam from a Legitimate sale. I was going to give you an example but the story is just to long. Anyway I am sorry if I offended you. Just keep in mind that PayPal is not going to cover you if you fall into more than a couple of landmines. And nobody wants their PayPal account cancelled.

 

[bsr2430]

I don't doubt that these are tough times and some people are hurting. Of course, this can lead to people doing things that they wouldn't otherwise do. However, this may also lead people to get out of the hobby, shut down an extra tank, or sell some things that are surplus, all for a good price.

There are countless examples of things that have been sold at "a better deal" recently. In other words, even more deeply discounted compared to original market price. If you need examples, let me know and I'll be happy to point you in the direction of some honest completed deals.

In this situation, we're talking about a long time member of this forum who has been active. If you look at the activity, he seems to be closing down a tank. Sure, anybody can change at any time, especially if their situation is dire enough. But this situation is still somewhat surprising. It's not like you're talking about someone who just joined a couple weeks ago and is now dumping a ton of high end equipment.

Hindsight is always 20/20. The way that things sell around here basically means that whoever pulls the trigger fastest gets the deal. I've lost out on many items simply because I went to look up the specs, size, item description, etc. There is a reason that forum rules require payment via protected PayPal. That and other steps are in place for protection, and I'd argue that in this case it's worked since there was no money actually exchanged.

My point in posting was several fold. One, to give the seller a chance to respond and to let them know that I was elevating this to the next level. This was after I had already send some PMs and it was obvious that he was logging on but not replying. I felt this was the most fair thing to do rather than instantly jumping to conclusions and contacting the mods. Second, there were multiple other people who were also trying to purchase. This is as much a PSA about what's transpiring here as it would be if I posted about bad customer service from a vendor or a defective product.

What this was not was an attempt to guilt the seller into a good deal. Even after I agreed to pay him his full asking price, I offered to pick up in person (since I live in NJ) to save him some money, and even told him that I didn't need him to pay for expensive shipping (since this is for a 2nd tank and not immediately needed). I would think that any decent person would honor their own price if a customer agreed to it fully.

Nor do I think we need posts about how times are tough and that good deals mean it's too good to be true. These are things that we all know. Hindsight is 20/20, so it's real easy to call out "the deal was too good to be true" when something doesn't work out, yet there are legitimately completed deals that are objectively better than this one. So does that mean nobody should have bought those items? Obviously not.

Here’s my problem with this, it’s simple too!
Give me one good reason why a PayPal account got locked? This account wasn’t hacked too. If you’re thinking how would I know this, well he would simply tell everyone it was hacked and not try sending payment there.
The fact that you said we jumped to getting Mods involved, first off, that’s 100% the right thing to do. If you had the option to stop a potential robbery wouldn’t you?
My point is simple, stop a potential scam before it takes place. If it’s not, he’ll simply message back won’t he? I rest my case.

These are not like any period that any of us have lived through before. The fact that you used normal criteria for establishing trust tells me you have not gotten a real taste of what is going on out there. I buy a good deal of stuff on eBay and I have decided to give it a rest for now simply because it's almost impossible to tell what is a Scam from a Legitimate sale. I was going to give you an example but the story is just to long. Anyway I am sorry if I offended you. Just keep in mind that PayPal is not going to cover you if you fall into more than a couple of landmines. And nobody wants their PayPal account cancelled.

You’re right, I hope I didn’t offend him too, but I do wonder if he’s ever been screwed over yet. Trusting people is almost out the door. I hope he hasn’t be scammed because I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. I also feel what I/we did was the right thing to do.

 

[GoingBroke88]

These are not like any period that any of us have lived through before. The fact that you used normal criteria for establishing trust tells me you have not gotten a real taste of what is going on out there. I buy a good deal of stuff on eBay and I have decided to give it a rest for now simply because it's almost impossible to tell what is a Scam from a Legitimate sale. I was going to give you an example but the story is just to long. Anyway I am sorry if I offended you. Just keep in mind that PayPal is not going to cover you if you fall into more than a couple of landmines. And nobody wants their PayPal account cancelled.

I’m definitely not offended. I’m just trying to point out that it’s real easy to question something after the fact. Predicting is a completely different story.

By your logic, R2R should shut down the Marketplace forum entirely until further notice. Also, when will eBay and R2R be safe to use again, and how will we know? I hope there will be a PSA from the people with the crystal balls.

 

[GoingBroke88]

Here’s my problem with this, it’s simple too!
Give me one good reason why a PayPal account got locked? This account wasn’t hacked too. If you’re thinking how would I know this, well he would simply tell everyone it was hacked and not try sending payment there.
The fact that you said we jumped to getting Mods involved, first off, that’s 100% the right thing to do. If you had the option to stop a potential robbery wouldn’t you?
My point is simple, stop a potential scam before it takes place. If it’s not, he’ll simply message back won’t he? I rest my case.


You’re right, I hope I didn’t offend him too, but I do wonder if he’s ever been screwed over yet. Trusting people is almost out the door. I hope he hasn’t be scammed because I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. I also feel what I/we did was the right thing to do.

Um, somebody's offended here, but it isn't me. At this point, you're putting words in my mouth. I never questioned you getting the mods involved. In fact, I applaud you for doing so. It's the right thing to do eventually. I'm relatively new here, so I'm not sure what the protocols are and I'm not going to call the mod unless I know that it's called for. I left that for someone else to do, and I agree that it makes sense when you eventually did it. You don't need to tell me about the option of stopping a potential robbery. In fact, I literally said that was one of the reasons I was posting.

My response was written to someone who accused me of posting to push the seller to give me a deal. I answered to let him know that that wasn't the case. I was giving the seller a chance to make things right, not jumping to conclusions, and not calling the mods immediately. A couple days later, when he still doesn't answer, and someone who's more familiar with things says "let's get the mods involved," I have no problem.

You're right that times are rough for people. But I'm still loathe to smear someone's reputation without giving them sufficient opportunity to set the record straight first. Maybe it's just me, but if everyone is going to jump on everyone else, this world is gonna be an even rougher place real soon. When I wrote what I did, I was still giving him a chance. It's pretty simple. And if he doesn't answer a couple days later even when people are calling for a reply, well that's a different story. Look - you can help public safety by calling someone dishonest and calling the mods right off the bat. But I also think it's reasonable to let people know "hey, this thing happened and it's kinda weird. Beware."

I'm a medical provider and I see plenty of stuff that's ugly right now. There's no need to lecture about how "the world is a different place." The only way you still keep doing what we're doing is if you keep some faith in humanity. If you think it was that stupid to trust someone here, then I'm not sure what you think of going out there risking your life and treating people that are sick cuz they can't wear a mask and go to parties.

 

[fcmatt]

The original poster accepted my offer of 900. I got a shipping tracking number!


;-)

Seriously let it go. We can tell you really wanted the deal... even with alarms going off.

Let it go......

 

[bsr2430]

I’m definitely not offended. I’m just trying to point out that it’s real easy to question something after the fact. Predicting is a completely different story.

By your logic, R2R should shut down the Marketplace forum entirely until further notice. Also, when will eBay and R2R be safe to use again, and how will we know? I hope there will be a PSA from the people with the crystal balls.

You’re not serious are you....
Because we called out one random person on something sketchy that never happens?You’re saying they basically need to shut R2R down because everyone might be scamming people or lack of trust?
Please correct me if I’m wrong, you’re wanting something to actually happen then what would you say then? I wish someone tried stopping this before it happened? The fact people are willing to speak up should mean something. Or should we silent everyone first or simply let three or more people potentially get scammed?

 

[GoingBroke88]

The original poster accepted my offer of 900. I got a shipping tracking number!


;-)

Seriously let it go. We can tell you really wanted the deal... even with alarms going off.

Let it go......

I'll leave this one to Robby and bsr... Hopefully, they still have some energy left.

 

[bsr2430]

I felt this was the most fair thing to do rather than instantly jumping to conclusions and contacting the mods.

How would you take this? So where are you applauding me? This sentence is why I commented....

 

[bsr2430]

Um, somebody's offended here, but it isn't me. At this point, you're putting words in my mouth. I never questioned you getting the mods involved. In fact, I applaud you for doing so. It's the right thing to do eventually. I'm relatively new here, so I'm not sure what the protocols are and I'm not going to call the mod unless I know that it's called for. I left that for someone else to do, and I agree that it makes sense when you eventually did it. You don't need to tell me about the option of stopping a potential robbery. In fact, I literally said that was one of the reasons I was posting.

My response was written to someone who accused me of posting to push the seller to give me a deal. I answered to let him know that that wasn't the case. I was giving the seller a chance to make things right, not jumping to conclusions, and not calling the mods immediately. A couple days later, when he still doesn't answer, and someone who's more familiar with things says "let's get the mods involved," I have no problem.

You're right that times are rough for people. But I'm still loathe to smear someone's reputation without giving them sufficient opportunity to set the record straight first. Maybe it's just me, but if everyone is going to jump on everyone else, this world is gonna be an even rougher place real soon. When I wrote what I did, I was still giving him a chance. It's pretty simple. And if he doesn't answer a couple days later even when people are calling for a reply, well that's a different story. Look - you can help public safety by calling someone dishonest and calling the mods right off the bat. But I also think it's reasonable to let people know "hey, this thing happened and it's kinda weird. Beware."

I'm a medical provider and I see plenty of stuff that's ugly right now. There's no need to lecture about how "the world is a different place." The only way you still keep doing what we're doing is if you keep some faith in humanity. If you think it was that stupid to trust someone here, then I'm not sure what you think of going out there risking your life and treating people that are sick cuz they can't wear a mask and go to parties.

Actually, you’re right, I’m sorry for acting the way I did! I felt the comment was directed at me and not with me. Sorry again for the miss confusion.

 

[GoingBroke88]

I will say AGAIN, I have no problem with you calling the mods. You are really getting offended. I am happy that you did so. I am new here and don't know the protocol. It was earlier and I was still giving him a chance. I didn't think it was the right thing for me to jump to conclusions and contact the mods. I NEVER said that you were jumping to conclusions when you called the mods LATER. I will tell you again, I do not question you calling the mods.

The issues I have are 1) Someone suggesting that this was about trying to score a deal and 2) Someone else saying that because of the current climate, I should know not to buy things. I am not suggesting that we shut down the forums, but again, you are saying that I did. I'm saying that I think it's ridiculous to use the logic that people should know better than to buy things, because if that's true, then the forums should be shut down (which I do not believe that they should).

 

[bsr2430]

The original poster accepted my offer of 900. I got a shipping tracking number!


;-)

Seriously let it go. We can tell you really wanted the deal... even with alarms going off.
I
Let it go......

The complete opposite actually! I don’t need this, many did want this but it’s way to good to be true. My one goal for things like this, to stop a potential scam that might happen, that’s all.

Saying you have a tracking number might be the smartest thing to do when it comes to things like this! Very smart actually! That’s a good way to close the thread.haha I will do this in the future!

 

[GoingBroke88]

Actually, you’re right, I’m sorry for acting the way I did! I felt the comment was directed at me and not with me. Sorry again for the mI truly mean that. And I don't want to go back and forth with you. Again, I have little idea how things work here as I'm new. Friss confusion.

Listen, I really do appreciate your actions. om what I can tell, people on the site are generally friendly and helpful (which is what I experience in the local reefing communities and LFS as well). I applaud someone more senior coming in and saying "This is messed up and this is how we handle it." I didn't feel it was the right thing for me to do at a specific point in time given my level of experience. But that's not the same as questioning you, your experience, or your actions.

I just thought it was unreasonable for someone to make the accusation that this was just about getting a deal or someone else saying "You should know better than to buy things at a time like this. Let me tell you what a messed up place the world is right now..." Sounds an awful lot like mansplaning.

And I guess now I'm even more amazed at someone coming in AFTER the deal to offer more money and a seller reneging (with no communication or reply) to sell to someone else. That, to be honest, affects my perception of this community more than any of the other stuff.

 

[ddaddy2420]

Here’s my problem with this, it’s simple too!
Give me one good reason why a PayPal account got locked? This account wasn’t hacked too. If you’re thinking how would I know this, well he would simply tell everyone it was hacked and not try sending payment there.
The fact that you said we jumped to getting Mods involved, first off, that’s 100% the right thing to do. If you had the option to stop a potential robbery wouldn’t you?
My point is simple, stop a potential scam before it takes place. If it’s not, he’ll simply message back won’t he? I rest my case.


You’re right, I hope I didn’t offend him too, but I do wonder if he’s ever been screwed over yet. Trusting people is almost out the door. I hope he hasn’t be scammed because I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. I also feel what I/we did was the right thing to do.

Actually paypal Accts do get locked for no good reason. I’ve been using PayPal for as long as it’s been online with never one issue and my acct got locked for an entire week and not 1 person at PayPal could give me a legit reason. Kept saying my latest transaction was flagged by this algorithm and the funds would be available to the seller in 1 week. So it does happen and it happens to people like myself who are 100% legit.

I even had a balance and could cover the transaction. So maybe don’t be so quick to judge someone from a locked PayPal acct.

 

[GoingBroke88]

I was gonna say the same thing. I did not msg because that exact thought went through my head so I simply left a comment. I could have been first since I saw it posted the very minute it went up. That much gear for 675 is not real. Meaning it was either mispriced or whatever shenanigans going on. A blocked PayPal account is plain odd.

Let it go. Not worth the trouble

Well scolding the guy is definitely not a great way to have an awesome deal. I can picture someone here offering 800 and so on and so on.

I would not touch this deal after such behavior and oddity. Alarm bells galore.

The original poster accepted my offer of 900. I got a shipping tracking number!


;-)

Seriously let it go. We can tell you really wanted the deal... even with alarms going off.

Let it go......

Wow, you're really something special. This takes some serious *****! So you first tell me that this is odd behavior and it's either mispriced or there's shenanigans. You advise me to just move on. You then accuse me of "scolding the guy to get an awesome deal." You picture a hypothetical somebody offering $800, but you would never touch this deal after "such behavior and oddity. Alarm bells galore." Then you gloat that you in fact offered $900 and you have a tracking number now!

So are you hypocritical or dishonest, or some special combination of both? I'm wondering why everyone else on R2R doesn't use such amazing tactics... I'm amazed at how much heat I got for (I guess) being naive, yet this is OK? I'm scratching my head about this one.

 

[ddaddy2420]

If I was a betting man, I bet he started getting offers in his PM box and had a bit of a bidding war going on. Then obviously went with highest bidder. Can’t say as I blame him if that was the case, These days $250 extra goes a long ways.

So yea probably best to just let this one go and get the next one that pops up

 

[GoingBroke88]

If I was a betting man, I bet he started getting offers in his PM box and had a bit of a bidding war going on. Then obviously went with highest bidder. Can’t say as I blame him if that was the case, These days $250 extra goes a long ways.

So yea probably best to just let this one go and get the next one that pops up

Agree with you wholeheartedly. I'm sure that's what happened. And yes, obviously I'm letting this one go. And yes, I thought that there might be reasons for people to legitimately have PayPal locked. I'm not a huge user of it, but I do know that they put some restrictions on you if your credit card changes and they have to take a few days to verify it.

But again, I am just really amazed that people jumped on me (including fcmatt) for being naive, yet nobody speaks up about the level of dishonesty and hypocrisy from fcmatt.

 

[fcmatt]

I was joking about the tracking number... if anyone did not pick up on that. Fyi. Lol. I am done with this thread. No point in posting more. The seller blew up his rep over this one.