Got scammed buying parts. What now?

So I got burned for $350 for some used BMW parts for my new to me 1997 BMW 840i. This is my first time and I'm upset, as you could imagine. Below are the details. I could use some insight into what to do next.

A guy on Bimmerforums sold me a used chin spoiler for $60 shipped. I paid him for it via PayPal, it showed up on time and was in the condition advertised. Next, I was looking for "flash to pass" lights, as the car currently has a broken one. I posted a WTB thread within the 8 series section of Bimmerforums, mentioning the same. The same seller replied, telling me he had a pair. We agreed on a price and I paid him, again via PayPal.

That's when the communication started going south. Much time went by, he kept telling me he was waiting on the lights to "clear customs"(?). Eventually he told me they'd arrived and he shipped them. More time went by. I asked him for a tracking number. Nothing. He then tells me that FedEx lost them and is issuing him a refund, at which point he'll refund me. Then tells me that the check arrived and he's waiting for it to clear. I ask him today for an update and got "I paid PayPal. You'll have to take it up with them". Bulle36M3.

Now that I have his cell phone number, I plug it into trusty Google and find other threads on various BMW forums where he's screwed people.

Called PayPal and filed a dispute and escalated it. They said they would communicate with him and that, if he doesn't satisfy it with them, they will issue me a refund. Is it really that easy?

And, regardless, I need to do everything I can to ensure the guy doesn't scam others. How can I best publish his cell phone number so it gets picked up by searches everywhere?

What a piece of trash.

if it's w/in the 30 days or whatever it is and he has money in his paypal you should get it back... bac when I was into paintball I paid for a nice kit and same thing happened... guy fell off the face of the earth... filed a dispute and ended up getting all but $40 back...

Yes it really is that easy... IF paypal sides with you. Paypal just berkeleyed a buyer that got screwed on miataturbo.

As for alerting others, just post up in the feedback sectiom of the forums you're on. Mods will add it to a "beware" thread many forums have.

Thanks guys. I hope it works out. I can't imagine PayPal siding with the guy. He never shipped the parts, or, if he did, couldn't ever produce the tracking number, which is the main thing PayPal told me they look for from the seller.

92CelicaHalfTrac wrote: Yes it really is that easy... IF paypal sides with you. Paypal just berkeleyed a buyer that got screwed on miataturbo. As for alerting others, just post up in the feedback sectiom of the forums you're on. Mods will add it to a "beware" thread many forums have.

I'll wait for the dispute to play out and then alert the world!

I got scammed years ago on a cavalier forum.. we got the guy put in jail!

Pay pal is that easy, for the buyer.

Fit_Is_Slo (ceasarromero) wrote: I got scammed years ago on a cavalier forum.. we got the guy put in jail!

Based on the number of board posts I subsequently discovered that are tied to the same cell phone number, is there some way I can report the guy to some authority? He has a 954 area code cell number, so at least at some point he was in South Florida.

Join AdultFriendFinder, create a profile of a serial killer, attach his address and phone number :)

Should be fine. Clearing up issues on my cavalier. Should be fine being that it is a track car, but if anything turns up hot (and I'm checking) the car goes into the hands of the state and so does he. Doubt it will come to that. I think its all clean, just need to clean the paint off the dash vin.

neon4891 wrote: Pay pal is that easy, for the buyer.

Indeed. That is why I don't use it as a seller unless I know the buyer. There as scammers on both sides and you can ship parts and not get paid pretty easily.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote:

neon4891 wrote: Pay pal is that easy, for the buyer.

Indeed. That is why I don't use it as a seller unless I know the buyer. There as scammers on both sides and you can ship parts and not get paid pretty easily.

Good to know. I didn't realize it was slanted in the buyer's favor. For future reference, how do you handle payments when you are selling?

Same thing happened to me, and several other guys, by a punk on an RC monster truck forum. I gathered everyone's info, got ahold of the PD in his hometown, was referred to a really good detective. This detective took this E36M3 very seriously and paid a visit to the kid's house, with handcuffs ready. The kids parents cried and in short order agreed to pay everyone the kid screwed. The beauty was several were 'trades' so we got to name our 'fair market' price. I love justice.

same thing happened to me PAYPAL backed me up al the way.

As long as you're on honest seller, PayPal will back you up, too. I sold something a few years ago, that ended up in a dispute a couple months after the transaction. I got am email from PP, saying they refunded the money. Buyer claimed she never received the item. I faxed PP copies of the UPS tracking number, delivery receipt, etc. Even sent them a link to the forum thread about said item and her appreciation of the sale. As soon as they got that, boom, the money was back in my account.

mthomson22 wrote: Same thing happened to me, and several other guys, by a punk on an RC monster truck forum. I gathered everyone's info, got ahold of the PD in his hometown, was referred to a really good detective. This detective took this E36M3 very seriously and paid a visit to the kid's house, with handcuffs ready. The kids parents cried and in short order agreed to pay everyone the kid screwed. The beauty was several were 'trades' so we got to name our 'fair market' price. I love justice.

Hmm. This interests me. Thanks for the how-to.

UPDATE: As of today, PayPal refunded my full purchase amount! Very excited to get my $350 back.

I'm also in the process of trying to gather other folks that this guy has scammed, to determine if we have enough information to track him down and turn him in.

Oddly, he seems to mostly scam BMW 8-series owners. Talk about a narrow market!

I thought this was par for the course on bf.c........glad to hear you got you $$$ back.

I wish you all of the luck in the world. Hopefully you get the d-bag.

You guys do know that you can fund Paypal transactions with a credit card, right? That way if you get scammed, you can do a credit card charge back immediately and then let Paypal worry about things on their end.