An iPhone Seller's Nightmare on Gumtree

LKnifeEnthusiastBoi on 06/05/2015 - 08:35
Last edited 06/05/2015 - 10:08

Hey guys,

Wasn't sure where was the beat place to post this, a mod can move it somewhere else if they know where.

I had posted an ad to sell my immaculate condition iPhone 5s, and was contacted by a buyer.

We met at a shopping center, but she asked to come to her car because she said she had to keep her car running or else they couldn't start it again.

Already nervous and untrusting, she asked to plug in the phone to the car, and I let her while holding the phone. As soon as she did that, she drove off but I was still holding onto the phone tightly and snatched it back.

Fortunately all I lost was a lightning cable. But I reported it to the police. However when the police contacted her, she said I made her feel uncomfortable so that's why she drove away. Without CCTV and 3rd party witness's, I could not press charges for theft.

I wanted to post this here so that other second hand phone sellers can know about this experience and just be careful.

My tips for avoiding theft,
Go to a public area in daytime and where you will be captured on CCTV
Bring a friend
Ask for bank cheque for amounts over $200 (recently people been laundering fake $50 notes)
Do not budge if the buyer demands you to go to an area where there is limited surveillance. If they do not comply with your demands, just walk away.

I hope that none of you have to go through what I did.

The girl was in her twenties, Caucasian and if you want to know more details you can ask me. She said she was from Croydon, drives a silver 4 door Mazda sedan rego starting with F. DO NOT EVEN NEGOTIATE with this buyer. Just say no

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Comments

        • TheOneWhoKnocks on 08/05/2015 - 18:21
          +1

          Sons of Anarchy: OzBargain Charter?

    • tko6070 on 06/05/2015 - 16:21
      +1

      Yes! I hope I see her on ACA /TT getting chased around the shopping center car park!

    • Miami Mall Alien on 06/05/2015 - 22:40
      +17

      Sounds like the perfect story for ACA as a community warning

      That's definitely what OzBargain needs. A Current Affair special on the community.

      By the end of the program they'll be claiming we sell live children in late night deals, we're stockpiling Eneloops to make fragmentation IEDs for ISIS and we're hacking the Pentagon and manipulating fast food voucher databases for free meals.

      I can picture some chubby guy at DSE being hounded by a camera crew:
      "Why does anyone needs THAT many AA batteries? WHY sir? What have you got to hide?"
      "Do you know how many kids you're forcing to do treble night shifts in Bangladesh for those batteries?!?"

      Dramatic voice-over: "The defiant OzBargainer resisted all attempts at questioning. We spotted him getting into a late model Camry in the parking lot, licence plate "Broden4Eva"; the back seat filled with this week's money sinks for his ever-expanding disposable income. External hard drives, computer mice, expensive headphones; it was obvious to us that there was simply no reasoning with someone this far gone. Now let's speak with a psychologist on the complex mental factors behind these people's insane obsession for price-saving…"

      • UncommonName on 06/05/2015 - 23:50

        Bangladesh has a non-existent battery industry, you meant China/Thailand? But you are right if you are pointing out "Bangladesh's" media value when it comes to child labor at a shitty pay.

      • KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 07/05/2015 - 20:22
        +1

        when people think of the "worst case scenario" for the media, thats basically what TT/ACA do…

        1) take one truth, skew it so far as it is no longer even a truth.

        2) Attempt to make people outraged or judgemental about it.

        I remember seeing an article about someone making his own homemade hydrogen fuel cell powered car, then proceeded to "test" his modified humble ford sedan against an XR6/8 for economy. That was the last article of today tonight i ever saw. After that i thought these guys do anything for a "story"

  • hopper on 06/05/2015 - 16:35

    thanks for share, i shall be on alert

  • T1OOO on 06/05/2015 - 16:55

    pretty stupid to let her go into the carpartk,,, turn on the phone thats it.. end of story or she can go find a park.

  • [Deactivated] on 06/05/2015 - 17:21

    So while she came to meet up with you, her car was running with the key still in the ignition unattended? Surprised it was still there

  • uccoffee on 06/05/2015 - 17:41

    should always do inside a petrol station or macdonalds or police station or inside a bank :D

  • zombie hunter on 06/05/2015 - 17:55
    +1

    Make her mobile number public on this site and hopefully google will pick it with this post for anyone googling the mobile number in the future

    • xuqi on 06/05/2015 - 18:10
      +1

      She has probably done this to others in the past, and gotten away with it…

      • KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 06/05/2015 - 19:08
        +1

        People that i have told this story to have said the same thing. Now that i recount all the "coincidences", i think it was planned:

        The place she chose had limited CCTV coverage
        She had a "witness" in the car with her to back up any lie she would have said.
        She had access to an exit of the carpark to a quiet street.
        She had an excuse that her car wouldnt start if she turned it off.

        • xuqi on 06/05/2015 - 19:29
          +6

          My advice is always to go with your gut instinct. Is something doesn't feel right, abort, no matter how much you want to proceed.

        • KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 06/05/2015 - 19:40
          +1

          @xuqi: I will next time thanks =).

          Next time deals will happen on my own terms. In front of a police station. No show? no go.

        • cycleri3 on 06/05/2015 - 20:57
          +3

          Another good place is inside of a bank. I always arrange meetings at a Bank when I am doing Gumtree deals. They have good CCTV coverage there plus I don't have to carry cash to an unsafe location. When buying off gumtree, I ask them to meet at a bank and after inspecting the item take money out and do the trade in the bank itself.

        • KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 06/05/2015 - 23:41

          @sylon: bank is a very good place to do it. I originally had a reservation that someone would be paying me $500 worth of counterfeit notes. If i had my way i would do it at a bank.

  • ahly92 on 06/05/2015 - 18:33

    Why would someone give their actual suburb…allow you to see their car (numberplate) and give you their real number…i feel like there is actually another side to this story.

    • rompastompa on 06/05/2015 - 18:38

      Perhaps OP was day dreaming, but they just saw a bloke staring at their chest?

      Edit: OP, any chance you have a lazy eye?

      • KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 06/05/2015 - 18:56
        +3

        Oh please. They were caucasian, and i am asian. I dont dig non-asian chicks, thats just my preference.

        Jokes aside, i dont know if she actually lives in croydon, she mentioned she was in the croydon area when i asked if she was in the area in response to her wanting to know if she could "view the phone"

    • KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 06/05/2015 - 19:11
      +5

      Why would someone even bother stealing an iPhone when it can be bricked easily, blocked by the telco, and police can track phones if they've been turned on?

      The only reason i can think of is shes probably done it more than once and gotten away with it. Whatever she does with it after that, is up to her. But even stealing $5000 worth of mobile phones is a poor reward for potentially gaining a criminal record. Not a very bright thief.

      • xuqi on 06/05/2015 - 19:30
        +15

        Crack addicts don't think that far ahead.

    • No on 09/05/2015 - 00:08

      Number plates aren't exactly hard to steal.

  • thedondraper on 06/05/2015 - 18:33

    Just wondering - didn't you get sus when you heard "need to keep my car running or it won't start again"?

    • KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 06/05/2015 - 19:00
      +4

      Well as it started i parked my car and asked to meet in front of aldi. I asked her to come in front of aldi, to which she said "i need to keep my car running or else it wont start".

      Having experience with flat batteries, i know the issue. i did not know that she had someone else with her in the car until she told me to come around the corner to look for her.

      To be honest i was kind of being cautious about whether she was going to pay with counterfeit notes. The place i work at we have been contacted by police for CCTV coverage of the area when they were looking for some guys who used counterfeit $50 to pay for pizza.

      As i said, i didnt think someone would be so dishonest as to try to drive away while having the phone in their possession. Call me naive but i didnt think i would ever encounter a thief such as this.

  • neonlight on 06/05/2015 - 19:08
    +5

    Dude, the same thing happened to my colleague selling iPhone on gumtree. He got robbed and got hurt after the guy drove away pushed him out of the car. He was hurt badly lucky no broken bones just bruises and scratches

    iPhone attract thieves plus there are scammers on gumtree.

    Don't sell phones via Gumtree, do it on eBay instead

    Don't get too friendly with these dodgy buyers asking you to sit in their car,even if the girl is hot don't do it…

    In my workmates case it was worse, the guy pretend to be on crouches and said he is injured. So he was being empathetic and got robbed

    • KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 06/05/2015 - 19:25
      +2

      Good to hear he is okay. Did he report it to the police?
      People got to know they cant continue to get away with shit like this.

      I cant stand people who get the dole and being lazy and whinge to the government, but people who actually go out there and steal is just disgraceful.

      Theft is disgusting. I wish those people would just contribute to society and just get paid for doing so, instead of taking from the community.

      • neonlight on 06/05/2015 - 21:32

        My workmate got the car plate number. Reported to Police but appears not much they could do as the CCTV wasn't working or in place. The thief knew that spot was concealed. The phone was no longer traceable, obviously got wiped. His iPhone was unlocked and the thief said he wanted to test his SIM card on it make sure its unlocked then he sped away.

        His wife also at the scene. The bastard is ruthless and heartless, his wife was just standing beside my colleague when he sat down. He got pushed hard and fall over to his wife as he sped off hit the gas real hard, stole the phone while saying just want to check first before giving cash.

        His wife also received some scratches and cuts.

        After this incident workmate no longer feels safe and think since when Australia turn out like this. He tells me he is not gonna trust or help these people.

        • ankor on 07/05/2015 - 18:14

          That's very sad to hear.
          Not everyone is like this but unfortunately you just have to be way more careful these days.
          If your friend is selling anything like that again, I suggest doing it inside a bank, and bringing a powerbank as suggested by others.
          Or hell, doing it in the lobby of a police station.

      • jackary on 08/05/2015 - 04:51

        What the? How does the dole even come into this?

        • KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 08/05/2015 - 10:33

          just trying to say that thieves are worse than dole bludgers

    • chrismor on 08/05/2015 - 15:27
      +1

      Wow…a few months ago I sold a projector on GT, but before I sold it, some bloke contacted me with a similar story "I'm on crutches, have an injury, my brother has to drive me everywhere", I honestly didn't think of him as a scammer but I told him I was going to text him my address 1 hour before our meeting, he said he'd call back and never did…

  • dd721411 on 06/05/2015 - 19:53
    +2

    Sold 1 phone to a lady at a shopping center, 1 phone to a guy inside my house (with my housemate watching), 1 textbook to a girl at my front gate (she was afraid of my dog) without any problem.
    —> Are NT residents nice people or am I just lucky?

    • KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 06/05/2015 - 19:57
      +7

      Maybe its just wishful thinking, but I'd like to think that majority of people are genuine and generally honest. Especially when it comes to selling things, but then you get the outliers who are just selfish at the expense of others.

      • dd721411 on 06/05/2015 - 20:08
        +1

        Totally agree with you. When meeting strange people if I feel something just not right, I refuse to advance. In worst case they try to rob me that is when some "close combat" courses on Udemy come handy. If, unfortunately, they use weapons then I'm done for sure!

        God bless Australia. This land ain't no USA!

    • pcselect on 06/05/2015 - 22:40
      +3

      Nah I have sold over 20+ items at my house or purchased from others house. Once address provided electronically, the person has to be quite stupid to risk jail to make a few $$.

      You should be really looking out for the individual who insists on some odd way that doesn't make sense, like a carpark transaction when you could do one in the main mall…

      • dd721411 on 07/05/2015 - 12:22

        Some may use fake address and/or mobile numbers to cheat you. (I signed up for new mobile number but its ex-owner is still using it for his Tango account. I'm not sure if he can make calls, via Tango, using my new number but he keeps posting at least one picture every week). Doing online business is still not very safe though.

  • ahly92 on 06/05/2015 - 21:44
    +3

    why was mr_alligator comment removed?…Revealing details of a criminal should not be an offence!

    • whoopdeedoo on 07/05/2015 - 16:52

      maybe this whole story is an elaborate ploy to reek havoc on someone?

  • centrelink on 07/05/2015 - 03:26
    +2

    Thats why I never touch Gumtree and sell through eBay. I rather pay extra fees to avoid bullshit like this.. and boy the police are so useless in this situation.

    F da police

    • KaTst3R on 07/05/2015 - 11:57
      +1

      You read about the other thread about an ebay sale gave the seller the biggest headache right…It is almost as good as losing the goods.

      https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/192878

      • centrelink on 07/05/2015 - 12:44

        I read it and I know about it all too well (as I am a eBay seller as well). But everything is broken and I've included losses like these in my business model so its bound to happen (and happened it has many times over).

        Gumtree, seems alot more unsafe and violent. I rather stay behind a PO BOX than meeting anyone face to face.

    • [Deactivated] on 09/05/2015 - 07:56

      Ebay? A tax-cheat operating out of Switzerland outside the jurisdiction of Australian law is the exact opposite of trustworthy.

      I have had a 100% fraudulent buyer rate for high end electronics on Ebay. 0% on Gumtree with old school buy/sell for cash at home or workplace.

      • centrelink on 09/05/2015 - 17:14
        +1

        you don't like eBay because they are tax cheats? perhaps you shouldn't use gumtree as ebay owns it as well.

  • y on 07/05/2015 - 05:53
    +5

    When buying any used mobile - Make sure to check the IMEI of the phone against the AMTA register of stolen devices:

    http://www.amta.org.au/pages/amta/Check.the.Status.of.your.H…

    When buying iOS devices - Make sure that 'Find my iPhone' / Activation Lock is disabled (some sellers may forget to do this, can be huge hassle to sort out later)

    Activation Lock status can be checked on this Apple website (which annoyingly does not work from mobile browsers):

    https://www.icloud.com/activationlock/

  • jimbo687 on 07/05/2015 - 08:07

    It could be worse, she could have accused you of indecent assault or something !!!

  • zolinger on 07/05/2015 - 08:36
    +2

    I think OP should name and shame. Why do we even bother to protect thieves.

  • elpresidente on 07/05/2015 - 09:27
    +6

    Also don't put your faith in bank cheques. Anyone can cancel a bank cheque after issue and still hand you a worthless piece of paper. Even if you track them down via police they can deny receiving goods, and it can be difficult to get the police involved for small sums of money.

    • [Deactivated] on 07/05/2015 - 12:18

      It's amazing the number of people who think bank cheques are 'as safe as cash' when in fact they are no safer than a personal cheque. You haven't got the funds until the bank cheque clears (which takes the same amount of time as a personal cheque), and even then the funds can be recalled down the line.

      Bank cheques aren't bad, they are just as good as a personal cheque.

      • KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 07/05/2015 - 21:29

        I recently helped a friend buy a second hand car, and the seller made it clear he wanted a bank cheque (not personal) so i just thought it was safer.

      • elpresidente on 08/05/2015 - 09:25
        +1

        Actually they are a tiny bit better in that for the bank cheque to be issued, the issuer must have the funds available, and the funds get "reserved" (can't be spent) until the cheque is cancelled or redeemed.

        Personal cheques can be written with a bank balance of 0, or even a closed bank account if the old cheque book remains.

        The scam for bank cheques as I mentioned is for the issuer to tell the bank the cheque was lost, which then returns the funds to the issuer and leaves them with a nice bit of paper "worth" $.

        • [Deactivated] on 08/05/2015 - 09:56
          +1

          But until it clears after the regular clearing process, the bank cheque could be worthless.

          A guy stole 800 Commonwealth Bank bank cheques while they were in transit, and bought himself four truck engines, two forklifts and a bulldozer. He was arrested after an investigation by Queensland's Identity Crime Unit.

          ABC 7.30 Report, 21/03/2002:
          "according to the banks, until they're cleared, bank cheques are just pieces of paper."

          A guy was paid $32,000 for his bobcat with a stolen bank cheque. That same weekend the same fraudster bought a $16,000 ride-on lawnmower with another stolen cheque. Both cheques were from a batch of 200 St George Bank cheques stolen off the front seat of a private courier van in Melbourne 18 months earlier.

          "As far as the industry is concerned, a bank cheque is worthless until it's cleared and therefore there's no need to transport them under high security."

          "Bank cheques are open to forgery. They're open to being counterfeited. Really they're only a piece of paper with writing on them. There's no real way of verifying the validity of the cheque that you have in front of you."

  • newozbargainermelb on 07/05/2015 - 14:18

    Good that you didn't lose your iPhone. Is it still up for sale? ;) You should've listed it here https://www.ozbargain.com.au/classified

  • Slippery Otter on 07/05/2015 - 16:30

    Posted two items last month. They were nice, deposited money straight into my account. Both were extremely happy :) One was $1,000. I barely do face to face these days.

  • bs0 on 07/05/2015 - 16:34

    I recently sold three headphones and a nexus 5 (all separate buyers). Haven't had any problems except one buyer not showing up. Always meet somewherr open with other people around, never at their home or yours. Make sure they have money before letting them inspect (i only accept cash).just always be cautious and you will be fine.

    • KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 07/05/2015 - 19:00

      Be careful because people have been circulating counterfiet notes. Police rang my workplace asking for CCTV because pizza shop next store received counterfeit 50s

  • aerona on 07/05/2015 - 21:33
    +1

    I've bought gazillion things on Gumtree. Just don't be silly and you'll be fine. I've had at least 300+ sales at my home without problems.. So much paranoia here, I could understand if you're female but to be a male who's worried of such things is silly. People like you and I use Gumtree. Maybe one in a thousand are bad bugs but its all good.

    • KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 08/05/2015 - 10:36
      +1

      id like to think that too. I have bought things from gumtree before, but its that 1% or less that makes it less than savoury experience.

      It only takes one bad experience to ruin it for many people. For example that guy who got robbed. ill bet he never wanted to sell anything on gumtree again

    • tyler.durden on 08/05/2015 - 15:39

      1% could be Ivan milat

  • SydStrand on 07/05/2015 - 23:01
    +1

    I've always been paranoid about selling stuff on Gumtree but I sold an iPhone 6 successfully last year to a really nice lady. I asked to do the transaction in the lobby of a bank, with CCTV, security and so I could immediately deposit the money. Worked just fine. If someone gives a flimsy excuse why they don't want to do it on your terms, it's usually suss.

  • tezza888 on 08/05/2015 - 06:31
    +2

    gumtree - scumtree

  • peterw1 on 08/05/2015 - 10:09
    +1

    why not do the transaction in front of a police station, a court house or even parliament house. There is always additional surveillance in these areas?

  • youbeokay on 08/05/2015 - 10:56
    +1

    I wonder what the story will turn up to be if the "buyer" is super bloody hot

    • dd721411 on 08/05/2015 - 13:46
      +1

      I like your idea, but to me, money first!

  • astr0 on 08/05/2015 - 12:31
    +4

    I wasn't so lucky. Based on the series of events I'm wondering if this is the same group of organised criminals.

    I posted my iPhone 6 Plus on Gumtree and arranged to meet with an individual at a shopping centre. They used a story about not knowing the area and we agreed to meet outside. When I got outside to the agreed location, the individual waved from his car and I gestured for me to meet on the other side of the road. He opened the car door and pointing to crutches suggesting he was injured.

    Of course not expecting him to get out of his car, I went over to the car (partner was with me). He asked me whether the phone was locked. He wanted to check the IMEI number which I thought was reasonable enough. At all times I had the phone held and never gave it to him. It was at that point that my partner noticed that the car was in drive and at that moment pointed to a'scratch' (obviously to distract me) where he grabbed the phone from my hand and pushed me and my partner to the ground and drove off. (we were pretty badly grazed and cut from falling).

    • CCTV was useless. A bus was parked directly behind the car (bus driver was in the drivers seat). Three cameras within 10M of incident. Bad footage or lazy policing (not sure)
    • In this case it was a Caucasian male (late 30's early 40's) but with what I understand to have been an Eastern European accent, a driver and possibly a child in the back seat.
    • Mazda four door hatchback. Dark colour, possibly a current model Mazda 3.
    • Police had the contact number but did nothing with this information (there were phone calls and SMS correspondence)
    • Find my iPhone was switched off and the phone was wiped ready for sale.
    • akastyl13 on 08/05/2015 - 13:33
      +1

      have you tried entering his phone number on facebook?
      This is how I track down fake/scam text numbers from my gumtree's ad and then suddently I reply using their name and they all freak out.

      • astr0 on 08/05/2015 - 13:38

        I did search for the number. Not listed anywhere. I'm pretty sure the number was disposed of or used a limited number of times.

        • KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 08/05/2015 - 15:49

          im sorry to hear that. It seems like I was lucky. Did you manage to get it reimbursed through insurance or something?
          Just goes to show that this kind of thing is more common than we think, and people out there are actually going around doing this.

          Shameful to say the least

  • mcsere on 08/05/2015 - 13:28
    -7

    you seem sort of hyper paranoid? maybe her story to police was legit? just a thought…

    • astr0 on 08/05/2015 - 13:38
      +3

      Have you ever been a victim of crime? It does that to you.

      • mcsere on 08/05/2015 - 13:43

        I was thinking even prior to the attempted theft. But then again I don't know the suburb or look of the person, which makes a big difference.

        • KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 08/05/2015 - 15:48

          Had I not been "paranoid" the person would now be in the possession of my iPhone. That's a truly ridiculous statement. If she felt uncomfortable, why make me walk away from a public entrance of a supermarket with people around, to a corner where there is no CCTV or public traffic? I didn't even see any cash, like as if she never had any intention of paying for it.

          Like people previously have said, when you get warning bells when something suss is going down, you tend to feel a bit paranoid.

  • OldBugger on 08/05/2015 - 16:11
    +3

    You wouldn't have this issue if you stick to a cheap $50 Huawei.

    But seriously, you held onto your phone so well done. Just sell more carefully next time. I've never had a problem with Gummie besides no shows (although I do live rural and could probably do some MadMax hunt down before they hit urban)

    • Ughhh on 08/05/2015 - 16:56
      -5

      Wouldn't have this problem as

      1. You most likely would've smashed the phone on the wall from frustration of the shitty low end phone.
      2. You wouldn't be able to sell it anyway, money made won't even cover the bus ticket.
      • djones145 on 09/05/2015 - 08:29

        you would have 950 bucks left over from not buying the iphone and can buy a ticket to fly to USA and back

        • Ughhh on 09/05/2015 - 10:39

          Never said you can either get an iPhone or a Huawei.

          I wouldn't and have never got an iPhone. But my last two Huawei low end phones where quite a price of crap, unless all you wanted was basic stuff. In that case you might as well stick to your old brick nokia.

          Never spent more than $420 on a phone. You don't have to torture yourself.

        • chill on 10/05/2015 - 21:19

          Would rather spend the $950 and not get shot.

  • smpantsonfire on 08/05/2015 - 16:38

    Train station or Maccas.

  • [Deactivated] on 08/05/2015 - 18:46
    -4

    It's apparent you lack situational awareness so you definitely shouldn't be doing business in a shopping centre car park, let alone give advice on how to successfully conduct a gumtree transaction in a goddamn park with a bank cheque!

  • p1 ama on 08/05/2015 - 23:29
    +2

    Thanks for sharing this! I'm a regular buyer and seller of things on Gumtree, so I found it particularly useful.

    I wish I got in a little earlier, because my post is probably a little further down and not many people would see it. But this is generally my experience when dealing with Gumtree buyers and sellers.

    SELLING SPECIALIST ITEMS (e.g. PC Hardware, Photography Equipment…etc.):
    Selling specialist items (i.e. things that people would only buy if they had the knowledge) is generally the best and easiest. You get a few lowballers (obviously), but generally, you'll always be able to find a buyer who is willing to offer you a reasonable amount for your stuff. Buyers of specialist items are often interested and knowledgeable about what they're buying, so they'll always tend to offer you slightly less than what it's worth, but after negotiations, you'll generally find most transactions are fair value. In terms of safety, it's also great because this sort of stuff doesn't attract thieves and unknowledgeable people - i.e. someone who's looking to steal something isn't likely going to steal a camera lens (for example), when they could steal other things such as an iPhone.

    SELLING GENERAL ITEMS (e.g. iPads, iPhones…etc.):
    I don't like selling general items because ANYBODY can and will buy them. You get hordes of stupid people offering you ridiculous prices, trying to rip you off and thinking you're stupid. Not to mention the issues that OP has.

  • AMLagonda on 09/05/2015 - 00:52

    I will just mention that if I do sell from my house, then it done out the front, I dont let them in.

    • KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 09/05/2015 - 19:19
      +1

      I think like a previous person posted, you want to keep your identity safe. If you happen to deal with a potential robber, they will probably scout your place before they assess whether its worth robbing.

      After talking about my cousins robbery, we thought either they had robbed the house before, or they been staking out the place for awhile.

      She was only out of the house for about 1hr30min to pick up kids from school. Robber was in and out that quickly

  • Hirolol on 09/05/2015 - 02:56

    good on you for going with the gut feeling and holding that phone tight.

  • shtewe on 09/05/2015 - 09:54
    +5

    Just did a gumtree transaction outside a police station because of this thread.

    • KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 09/05/2015 - 10:03
      +1

      If they're not willing to do it in a bank or popo station prob not legit! Hope you feel safer

  • nutsackjake on 09/05/2015 - 13:57
    +1

    She's from Croydon, nuff said.

  • peterw1 on 09/05/2015 - 23:18
    -1

    maybe one should act cash convertor ish and ask for ID before transaction ie licence. No ID no transaction. therefore if the purchaser is in a car etc, they can stay in it, hand over the ID first before the transaction starts. Take a photo of the ID, transact, then give the ID back. all in front of a police station. Problem solved, next.

  • snajper on 10/05/2015 - 07:57

    I sell cheaper $20-30 on gumtree… Anything more expensive I tend to use ebay despite rip off fees….

  • [Deactivated] on 10/05/2015 - 12:03

    I have sold and bought iPhones from my house, also sold a iMac all with no problems. But i live in a country town not a city. But to get a genuine buyer or seller on GT you have to through some absolute tyre kickers and dead beats first.

  • [Deactivated] on 10/05/2015 - 14:14
    +5

    I got offered sex in exchange for baby toys by 2 women on gumtree about 3 years ago. And I'm using the term "women" loosely here. One looked like she was 14 and the other would have had to have been 18-19, since she was driving.

    I got them to follow me home. We were in the process of moving house at the time and we had heaps of baby stuff that we were going to give to op shops. We gave them all of those. The Mrs also packed 2 boxes of "essentials", as she called them. She basically raided our pantry , fridge and bathroom. She even included kids' shampoo, a first aid kit, female hygiene products and condoms.

    She also gave them the phone numbers of a few agencies that they could call for assistance and her own number. We never heard from them again. However we were told that the house where we had been staying got burgled twice in a period of 5 months after we left:(

  • piglet1 on 10/05/2015 - 21:29

    Glad you're okay. I've sold heaps on Gumtree and never had any troubles except for that one time (or rather, first time) i tried to sell a laptop and the buyer insisted he MUST by paypal (can't remember reason), but then he paid in USD and the wrong amount - 5 mins later, messaged me to say he's outside my home to pickup the laptop. This is around 1am! I don't see anyone outside, reversed the payment immediately and told him that the amount is in the wrong currency & amount. He didn't reply… at all. I was so paranoid i might get robbed or murdered!

    Or that time the guy wanted to buy my Nexus 5 but got lost (for an hour) and ended up at my place at midnight.. He's a shift worker and just got off work and any other times wouldn't suit him.

    phew

  • pufffdragon on 11/05/2015 - 11:16

    Sorry to hear what happened. It's always good to listen to your gut instinct. It's always right, but sometimes we don't to listen to it. I'm glad you got your phone back.

    Don't let this one incident ruin your selling experience though. I buy and sell on Gumtree quite regular and I find it great. I've met some really nice and interesting people. Much better than selling on Ebay I find.

    I've sold many iphones on Gumtree and always show a pic of the IMEI number and give a good description with good photos. People a generally good and I welcome they try their sim card out if they have any concerns. I do all my dealings from the front room of my home.

    I'm sure Karma will get back to her in good time, but hey, if you have her phone number, you could create an ad on Gumtree for an iPhone 6 for $100, and put her contact number on it. Her phone will be ringing non stop.ha ha

  • [Deactivated] on 12/05/2015 - 20:03

    I could see the "he made me fell uncomfortable" line coming from a mile away!

    Cops aren't stupid, they would have seen right through it but their hands are often tied.

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