WARNING EBAY- Change your Category Scam

All-
I have not been around the forum for a while, but I return to bring you all a warning:

I have come to the point where I wanted to sell off some of my CPU collection and placed a couple lots on Ebay. I was taking offers and had turned down many lowballers.

Last night I get a reasonable offer that was potentially a consideration.

About a minute after I get the offer. The potential buyer sends me a message and says the following:

"before you accept my offer please change Category to: Coins & Paper Money > Other Coins & Paper Money"

It raised the SCAM Flag to the top of the flagpole IMMEDIATELY!

First of all I would be unable to change the category Ebay said.

Secondly, after some digging into Paypal and Ebay I found out that Paypal will not give seller protection for "Coins & Paper Money" transactions.

So, with that I promptly shut down and pulled my auctions. I've worked too hard to collect these chips to have a guy enjoy them Free of Charge when he would, no doubt, have filed some type of claim that would have resulted in me with no chips and no money!

Forewarned is Forearmed Folks!

Originally Posted by 406Refining

I'm glad you caught it before any damage was done. Especially since you know ebay would have sided with them even with a mountain of proof that they were scamming you. Is it just me or has the number of scammers on ebay been increasing in recent years?

I had an incident on Ebay a number of years back that I'd prefer not to re-hash. Long story short. Dude scammed me out of a $300 Sun Workstation. I fought it to every level (Ebay, Paypal, Filed a Police Report, Had Computer Forensically tested to disprove his claim of damage and filed with IC3) all for literally lost money on the fight and no resolve. I swore off Ebay at that point.

I gave it a bit of time and had come into a small mountain of brand new toner that I couldn't move any other way but Ebay, so I tried again and all of that went well. So I had some faith in humanity restored.

But this most recent incident has spooked me again. Frankly, it stinks. I could sell the chips for scrap for far less money, I could try to head over to the CPU forum and sell them one by one (but don't want to do that right now because of lack of time.) I miss the old days where you could just sell and item and not have to hold your breath that you may end up being taken for your item(s) AND your money!