Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 ··· 9 10 11 ··· 15 16

Original poster

Have inadvertently sold a fake item and now buyer is threatening me with police

383 replies

HelpMeSoWorried · 11/09/2012 13:54

Have namechanged as I am so embarassed. And also sorry to post in here, maybe should have posted in legal, but I know there is a lot of traffic here.

I was given a Mulberry bag as a christmas present a couple of years ago and tbh I never liked it much anyway and never used it (apologies to any handbag fans). As far as I knew it was genuine and had all tags with it etc.

I had no idea what it was worth but recently did a bit of research and they are about £700 new I think. So I decided to get rid and put it on gumtree. I was inundated with enquiries and sold it to a lady last week. She was really happy with it and I got £350 for it.

She has texted me today claiming it is fake and saying she wants me to pay her back and she will return the bag if I give her my address. She doesn't know where I live as I met her in town(at her request!) but she has my name, and obviously my number.

I am very upset and shocked as I would never have sold it if I thought it was not real, I would have maybe just given it away or something. Its completely against my principles, I am an honest person :( I am sat here crying now as I am so scared.

I really needed the money, I don't want the bag back and I don't want to return the money as as far as I am concerned I sold it in good faith and she happily chose to buy it. I am not a criminal, or a scam artist, but she is threatening to report me to the police. :(

can anyone help?

OP posts:

diaimchlo · 11/09/2012 23:00

Please just Google Gumtree scams and read.......
She inspected the bag for 15 mins and you told her there was no pressure....
She has had it a week....

After reading your post half way through it screamed scam.....

Please do not meet her these people do it for a living... don't let them live off you.....

firstbubba · 11/09/2012 23:06

Private sale caveat emptor but goods still should be as described in this case as a Mulberry bag how she would pursue you with lack of details is another matter and what proof does she have that it is fake and you sold it to her. Mulberry shops wont get involved in is it fake/real. Up to you how you play it if you still have images of the bag upload them on the purseforum mulberry thread who are very helpful and knowledgeable.

Lolwhut · 11/09/2012 23:11

This is why I don't sell or buy on gumtree or eBay, I just could be arsed with it all. I'd rather overpay for stuff from John Lewis and other high street stores.
Amazon is ok except for all the fake reviews ( really irritating as Amazon won't remove even the super obvious ones)

What do people think of getting the buyer to provide some proper ID? Do you think that might help??

ravenAK · 11/09/2012 23:12

Tell her you are horrified at her suggestion that it's fake & your ex is emailing the photos he originally took of it for insurance purposes, which are loads better than the ones you snapped for gumtree.

Meanwhile you agree she should call the police; you already have, what with all these awful scammers out there, you're sure she understands.

See if she's still very very keen to meet up & get her money back.

It's a well-known scam.

Lolwhut · 11/09/2012 23:14

Or what about asking your local trading standards to help. They are the ones who are meant to be experts in this type of thing??

LadySybildeChocolate · 11/09/2012 23:14

Fake ID, Lolwhut.

bogeyface · 11/09/2012 23:28

To your average scammer, fake ID is probably easier to get hold of than a fake Mulberry.

mathanxiety · 11/09/2012 23:48

Yes I agree Diaimchlo (love your name btw).

She was very quick with her threat to involve the police. I think she saw an inexperienced seller a mile off, and this is a shakedown.

bogeyface · 11/09/2012 23:55

Math thats what jumped out at me too.

A genuine person would say "I amd sure that you sold it in good faith but I believe that this is a fake and I obviously dont want to spend £350 on a fake. I am happy to get it appraised and if Mulberry (or whoever) agree it is genuine then fine, but otherwise I would like to return the bag for a full refund"

That isnt to say that you wouldnt be thinking "Shit, I have been had, fucking bitch!" but you assume its a mistake first and then up the ante if the seller either wont co-operate or disappears.

Her threats in the first communication post sale scream that this is a scam.

expatinscotland · 12/09/2012 00:08

Sounds like a scam.

DON'T give her your address. Don't meet her. Ignore her.

OutragedAtThePriceOfFreddos · 12/09/2012 00:08

Don't really have much to say on the bag thing, although I reckon OP has to take it back.

But I had to come on to say that I think ISeeThreadPeople is the best MN name I have EVER seen.

StealthPolarBear · 12/09/2012 00:09

If two bags re identical to the point that even a trained member of staff can't tell the difference then what makes one worth 700 and the other a tenner? What is the problem - if they are identical then as a consumer does it matter which you have (leaving aside the problems around the people who make and sell fake goods). I'll never understand fashion!

bogeyface · 12/09/2012 00:26

Don't really have much to say on the bag thing, although I reckon OP has to take it back

did you not read the posts about scams outraged? Its people like you that they rip off, dont fall for this!

Lolwhut · 12/09/2012 00:27

mathanxiety. IF the buyer was genuine and thought she was the one being scammed you would not be surprised if she mentioned the police. I don't think this indicates anything.

bogeyface · 12/09/2012 00:28

You think lol?

I wouldnt. I would go down the "reasonable, they probably didnt know" route and then threaten the police depending on their reaction. I am sure most people would, wouldnt they?

bogeyface · 12/09/2012 00:29

And actually, while I see your point if it was say a sale where she didnt inspect it beforehand, she inspected the bag for fully 15 minutes before she bought it. Why would she do that if she didnt know what she was looking for?

Nope, sorry. Its a scam.

mathanxiety · 12/09/2012 00:30

If she was a first timer she would go through gumtree channels and she would start out being reasonable imo. Just the way I look at it..

ScrambledSmegs · 12/09/2012 00:36

Scam. As others have said it's a pretty well-known one too.

bogeyface · 12/09/2012 00:46

What you have to remember is that scammers rely on the fact that the vast majority of people are honest and law abiding. So we dont want to be the person that rips someone else off. This thread is testament to that.

A huge number of responses said that morally the OP had a duty to refund and take the hit as even if she didnt know, what she did was wrong.

So the scammers take advantage of that and alot of people fall for it because they are horrified at the idea that they may have inadvertantly, ripped them off. It is a good way of scamming when you think about it, not many people could sleep at night thinking that they had taken hundreds of pounds of someone elses money when they shouldnt have.

missmonae · 12/09/2012 00:46

I agree with AGiraffeOnTheDivingBoard. If you do refund her the money make sure you meet up with her in town again. Inspect the bag first then give her the refund. There are some seriously dodgy people out who will try to rip you off by getting the money back and keeping the bag.

I hope it all works out for you!!

missmonae · 12/09/2012 00:48

That's true bogeyface.

EdMcDunnough · 12/09/2012 09:45

Well my instinct is that it is a scam.

You could meet her, refuse to take back the bag she is offering, as you could say you know the serial number, or something - or that you marked it. Just refuse to accept it.

Or you could text her again, say you have been in contact with the person who bought it and they have better photos, a record of the number and so on - and it's definitely not a fake, so you won't be refunding her and if she wants to go to the police she is welcome to.

I would run with the latter.

Original poster

HelpMeSoWorried · 12/09/2012 09:50

Thanks so much again for all the helpful posts

Just thought I would update you

Bizarrely, the woman has text me saying she is going to keep the bag now. WTF is that about. I can't believe it

OP posts:

SavoyCabbage · 12/09/2012 09:55

That's good though.

LadySybildeChocolate · 12/09/2012 09:57

Flip

1 2 ··· 9 10 11 ··· 15 16