Rich Michaud
Jul-12-2004, 3:22pm
I recently bid on an F4 on ebay and was not the winning bidder. Two days later, I got emailed telling me that I had a second chance right to buy at $3300, my bid price. I received 8-10 emails after that from or for the seller. The seller supposedly set up a safe harbor transaction with Ebay leading one to think that the payment was somehow protected. I even spoke with the seller's "friend" on a tel number sent to me. It turns out that the winning bidder is a friend, Mike Holmes, who actually bought the instrument. I also contacted through Ebay the actual seller who indicated that others had reported to him "second chance" offers. Having gone through this as a potential victim, and notwithstanding my background as a former criminal prosecutor with 30 years of experience as a litigator, it still almost had me thinking that the second chance offer was real. I can only think how unfortunate for more trusting folks than me to have to deal with such crooks. Rich Michaud