Spider Scamming on the well known River Site's Marketplace

Steve_Rich

Normally, I try to protect readers of my own website from scams. This time, I myself was caught in one – and found out it’s common but not well known online.

I've tried to raise it with Watchdog and on my own blog, but nobody was listening as it is for such small amounts; but I thought readers of MSE would like to hear about it and hopefully spread the word.


I needed a reference book, and went to a well known site named after a river. They operate a thriving second-hand page, with a list of options from various outlets.


I found a list online (as a new poster, I can't show the graphic or direct you to my blog, alas),


But basically, Seller A said: £1.19. Used Good Condition, Book does not have a dust cover, Ex Library.

Seller B said: £1.52. Used Good Condition. This book is in good condition, clean copy, with light amount of wear. 100% guarantee.

Seller C said: £1.54. Used Good Condition. Former library book, shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. 100% guarantee.

Naturally, I chose to pay “just a few pence” more to “Seller B” for their book, as it was in better condition.

I was quite surprised to get the book in an envelope from “Seller A.”

Of course, it was the “Seller A” copy of the book, exactly as Seller A described it.

Seller B had “Spider Scammed” me.

I also now wonder about Seller C too, as the description vanished from the web simultaneously with the one from B.


Seller B never had the book. Instead, they “spidered” the web, looking for items, then put their own description online on the basis that if anyone bought it, they could buy it later. And if not, they could simply say it was an error… or just not deliver it…

As Seller A confirmed when I traced them (Seller A was very upset about all this), moments after I bought the item, Seller B bought it from him, using another company name. Seller A had, in fact, done 8 transactions with them in a short time… and had to refund 2. Meaning a 25% failure rate – that’s high and unusual, Seller A says.


If seller B hadn’t got A to actually send the order direct to me, and it hadn’t arrived in a seller A envelope with their A branded bookmark in it, I wouldn’t have had the evidence to tell seller B that if they didn’t refund me an amount equivalent to the book’s worth, I would get them charged with “obtaining financial advantage by use of a false instrument.” They did refund me, and seller A have reported them to the well known river site… who didn’t give a ********* despite 2 follow-ups.


BUT, a little online digging, and I discovered a thing at (again, I've spread this out, as I can't post links:


bit
(dot - use a . not the word "dot" to follow it)
ly/
105
fq
fw


For legal reasons, I can’t confirm that they are “seller B” in all this.

I think it is the perfect scam:
1) It trades on human nature – as it did for me.

2) It’s for a small amount, so nobody much bothers to cause a fuss - as I said, it's been totally ignored by those who obviously don't have to watch pennies. However, if you look at the 50,000+ feedbacks they have, those pennies mount up amazingly.

3) It’s hard to prove unless they make a mistake like they did with my order.

4) A big company are quite happy to let it happen, apparently.

5) It costs the scammer nothing but, as the article online says, it makes them £££.

6) They (as the link shows) intimidate buyers into withdrawing bad comments. People like me, with online reputations to protect, won’t comment in public just in case ( I’ve made the link as hard as possible, so it won’t be picked up by a search, for example, and named nobody) - and so it can go on.

I hope I can make others aware of it, and that the scam will end by folk choosing the cheapest item or making sure the seller has it in stock in advance.

That’s the message, and I hope readers find it helpful enough pass it on.

wealdroam

Happens all the time.

People have reported making a purchase on Ebay and the goods being shipped by Amazon.

Here's an example:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3136752

Steve_Rich

Oh yes, I've no doubt - "buying in" is common in my trade too. Very interesting link, thank you


What disgusted me was that the description of the item was misleading. It was deliberately phrased to make out that for a few pence more I could have a book in better condition.


That was the scam, to make me think it was a different item. That's not on, I feel.

bod1467

Happened to me recently too. I bought M3 Power blades (16 off) from eBay but they came in an Amazon carton.

tasticz

U ordered an item and you got it

Why does it matter where it came from? If you're soo keen on saving the lil extra spend extra time doing ur research IMO this is good business and if someone is making extra cash doing this well done to them

PlutoinCapricorn

It took me a while to work out what was going on, but now I get it.

I have bought a lot of second-hand books in the last few years, but never encountered anything like this. I buy mostly from eBay, from the river site if they have a better deal and mostly the cheapest copies.

I will look out for this in the future, I do think that it is not acceptable.
Buying to sell at a profit is one thing. but this is deception.

Steve_Rich

Not afraid of mentioning them, but the book company that scammed me have done some nasty stuff to anyone caught complaining online - the bit link contains a few stories.


Frankly, I don't have the time or wish to be the subject of abuse, but I really did want to try and warn people as best I can.


So, I've posted without leaving the kind of key words that a search engine will pick up and get back to folk on.

Steve_Rich

PlutoinCapricorn wrote: »

It took me a while to work out what was going on, but now I get it.

I have bought a lot of second-hand books in the last few years, but never encountered anything like this. I buy mostly from eBay, from the river site if they have a better deal and mostly the cheapest copies.

I will look out for this in the future, I do think that it is not acceptable.
Buying to sell at a profit is one thing. but this is deception.

EXACTLY the point I was trying to make and the warning I wanted to give. Thank you so much for putting it so much better than I have been able to.


No objection to how a book is sourced, but I do object when I am tricked by a misleading description - particularly when the seller never had the item in the first place.

Steve_Rich

and has twisted the words of an honest seller to make a fast buck for themselves.

PlutoinCapricorn

So someone buys from the unethical seller, who then goes to buy from the seller whose listing he has copied.

What happens if the original seller has just sold his copy?

Takeaway_Addict

PlutoinCapricorn wrote: »

So someone buys from the unethical seller, who then goes to buy from the seller whose listing he has copied.

What happens if the original seller has just sold his copy?

the 'scammer' would either take the hit and order from the more expensive or refund and say its not available I would guess