Scams when buying a used mower: BEWARE!

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I saw this on another forum and thought everyone should see it. Buying a used mower online can be risky!

"Just wanted to update you all on the mower I was considering buying online. It turns out the guy I was dealing with was trying to pull a scam. This mower was found on Craigslist San Antonio.

He had sent me pictures, model numbers and a storage company that was suppose to be storing the mower for him, Said he had to move to the UK and had left the mower with a secured moving company called SafeTransports in Amarillo Texas which is over 600 miles from Houston.

He advertised the mower being in San Antonio. He said SafeTransport would deliver the mower to me and give me 7 days to have it checked out before they would release the funds to him. He even was willing to pay shipping free and free pick up if I decided not to buy the mower. All I had to do was send a Money Gram to a guy at SafeTransports in the UK. Yeah Right!!!

None of this was mentioned when I first contacted him and before I posted this message.

I am a retired police officer and this brought up a lot of red flags so I asked for the serial number. Told him the bank needed it for the loan. He stalled by sending me the model number but later sent me a serial number.

I called Exmark and they told me it was a 2001 model and not a 2007 model. Exmark provided me with the previous owner, US Lawns out of Wisconsin. I called them and they told me they had traded in a bunch mowers last year and all had over 1500 hours on them. None were 2007 models.

I contacted the selller with the information I had obtained and guess what? He quit responding to my email. Email has even been turned off.

So buyer beware when dealing with used mowers. Never buy site unseen and make sure you are dealing with the owner in person. Call the manufacturer and check on the equipment. they will help you determine the original buyer and any service on the mower they have on file.

I ended up buying a new Scag."

(Online lawn mower sales scams. Be aware! | Lawn Care Business Marketing Tips - GopherHaul Blog)
 
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motoman

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Re: Buying a used mower: BEWARE!

I notice craigslist has red warning caps about any shipping and transport.
 

txzrider

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Re: Buying a used mower: BEWARE!

exactly... the big scam is involving the 3rd party that you pay and will never be able to trace. He is lucky he did his due dilligence.
 

jbgrass

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had same issue when looking for an camper
 

gfp55

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Thats good info to know, thanks for sharing.
 

7394

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It pays to be paying attention.. I bet many get taken in scams like this.
 

bertsmobile1

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It pays to be paying attention.. I bet many get taken in scams like this.

The other 10 sec test , particularly on evilbay is to hit the "sellers other items" button and see if they have a lot of different gear at too low a price.
Take note of the backgrounds.
Oft scammers will simply pull images off evil bay in a different country and offer them in your country so you see the same person selling 10 cars , 15 mowers 3 boats, a couple of excavators & several wardrobes full of designer cloths in multipme sizes all photographed in front of different houses.
And always check the joinnig date and feed back.
Some one who has been on line for less than 1 week selling $ 50,000 with of stuff for $ 20,000 with no feedback is a foreign scammer who has hyjacked some one locals computer.
 

Jim chapman

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When buying a used mower, only buy one locally,where you can check it out personally. Used mowers zero turn are very expensive to repair .please pay close attention to hours used. Mowers posted having ,isay less than three hundred hours, most likely is a scam. I saw an add for a zero turn having over 2100 hours of usage. This mower is simply worn out. This is why it is for sale. Hustler states that their hydro gear transmissions are good for 1200 hrs. Ours failed with just over 900 hrs. They want $850.00 to replace each unit. We being mechanics, rebuilt our own units ourselves. Most people are not able to do this. All the used mowers I have seen for sale ,are being offered for far more than they are worth. You are buying others troubles, when you purchase these high hour mowers. Do be very aware of this. Be smarter than the seller.
 

cashman

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One way I've always used to verify on-line sellers that are business's is to get their fax number and send and receive a fax from them. Most legit business's will have a fax machine and land line phone numbers are more easily traced. Ask them to take a picture of a particular part of the mower and send it to you. No way is it 100% foolproof but it makes me more comfortable dealing with them. I personally don't buy anything without a visual inspection. Unless it's a real killer deal, it's best to buy local on garden equipment. The first thing I look at is check the oil in the engine and look at the belts and blades. If the engine is very low on oil and it's dirty and the belts and blades are incorrect or badly worn, it's usually best to look on somewhere else or at least use that info to talk them down on price
 
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