I AM DISGUSTED

[wd9fum]

I placed a WTB ad for a FT-902 and sp far all I have received are replies from people who will not submit pictures of the supposed radios for sale and I have placed 2 phone calls to persons whose name and phone numbers match their call signs, only to find out that their calls were obviously hacked. Too many scammers... I'm going back to hamfests

[KA9FOX]

Hi Jude. Sorry for the bad experience. Keep in mind that at a hamfest, you don't (usually) hold up a sign that says "I want an FT-902" and hope someone walks by with one. Rather, you go table to table looking for the radio you want. If you want the hamfest experience, then you should just watch the ads looking for a FT-902, rather than post a "Want to Buy" (WTB) ad. This way, you can set your terms, do some due diligence on the seller and make sure it's the right deal for you.

Unfortunately, when you post a WTB ad, you are saying "who can I send money to?" and you are going to get a lot of bad people saying "send it to me!" -- you may have better luck by just looking through the ads to find an FT-902. Or keep going with the WTB and just realize that some will be scammers.

FYI, at a hamfest, you have almost no protection against a deal gone bad. If the radio is bad, it may not be possible to get your money back. But if you buy on the classifieds and pay with PayPal, there is a good chance that PayPal will protect you.

This article may also help you, if you DO decide to keep looking online: http://chat.qth.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=12

73 - Scott KA9FOX

[wz3o]

Scott
Makes exellant points, when going thru ads there seems to be a WTB ad, then 2 or 3 posts later a FS ad with the item one is seeking......

Solution.... use SEARCH... since I'm one of thoise hams who likes to see whats out there when a bug bites., so do a search with 1 word only, ie: 7200 v/s icom 7200 since it will only give you the exact match. Using the 7200 in this example, you get all ads with 7200n it, then scroll thru til ya find what you WTB.

Maybe its me, but I ignore the ones without pics regardless of reason not posted.

[w0bkr]

Well, I can tell you I have posted an item or two for sale only to have the bulk be high jacked calls. How do I know?...well, they won't reply to questions, won't send pics, ISPs are from another global region, etc. You just have to dig thru it all and do your homework. I doubt a Hamfest will offer 100% ethical behaviour either. I sold an item to an OT on QTH that ended up damaging the item and was out $200 to "make it right" all because I didn't have sufficient documentation on hand to further refute my stance. I elected just to help the LID fix the friggin thing he screwed up because he doesn't understand modern technology.

SO, you get scammers and highjackers on all the swap boards and you get the low lifes that screw you out of money or equipment. Bottom line, do as much research as you can on a call, contact them via the phone and have a one on one, and if they appear to be a scammer, just move on, make a note and you aren't out of equipment or funds. Sad it has come to this but all the swap boards are experiencing this.

GL and hope you find your radio.

[ka7niq]

I placed a WTB ad for a FT-902 and sp far all I have received are replies from people who will not submit pictures of the supposed radios for sale and I have placed 2 phone calls to persons whose name and phone numbers match their call signs, only to find out that their calls were obviously hacked. Too many scammers... I'm going back to hamfests

Scammers READ the wanted ads here, and will often take pics off the Internet to scam you. Never buy anything w/o talking on the phone, to be sure you are really dealing with a fellow Ham, and then always use PayPal. Be sure the radio has a factory box for shipping, and if not, insist it be taken to a UPS Store to be packed and shipped.
Here in Tampa, there are a zillion USP Stores, but insist your seller find and use one to pack and ship your radio, to protect yourself from buying a rock in a box.

[KA9FOX]

Take a look at my posting "Avoiding Scams & Ripoffs":
http://chat.qth.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=12

If you follow these tips, I highly doubt you will be taken.

- Scott KA9FOX