Silk Road forums

Support => Customer support => Topic started by: smallfinch on September 24, 2013, 08:52 pm

Title: What to do?
Post by: smallfinch on September 24, 2013, 08:52 pm
I placed an order with a vendor whose stats seemed fine, good enough for me to be confident about ordering. He mentioned on his page that he would sometimes ask for FE's. Because my stats are fairly good, I was not expecting to be asked to FE.. He then asked me to FE, saying that he would add 30-40% on top of my order, which was a significant amount... At this point I became suspicious and took to the forums, which I will now endeavor to use more, as they revealed users who were suspicious of this vendor, some saying that the product was not up to scratch, others saying that they had been selling mis-selling substances, and if I remember correctly, one user warning others of a potential scam alert, suggesting that the vendor might be about to take off. This was a little strange as all the reviews in the marketplace seemed fine, indeed had given me the confidence initially to order with them. I messaged the vendor saying that I was not prepared to FE under any circumstances. Curiously, the vendor has marked the transaction as 'in transit', though presumably this is inaccurate if he is requesting FE before sending. At this point I really don't know what to do as ideally I would like to cancel my order and retrieve my bitcoins, however at this point this seems impossible,, and that I am at the whim of a vendor who may or may not choose to send the product, or may choose to send a sub-standard product compared to the one described... The annoying thing is that at this time his stats are near impeccable, and presumably anything that is sent through the resolution centre would favour the vendor. I really don't know what to do at this point, or if there is in fact anything to worry about. Ideally I would cancel the order but at the moment this seems impossible! What should I do? I fear that asking him to cancel my order might prompt him to rip me off, if he is a scammer, and I feel completely at his mercy. At the same time his stats are good so I don't know if I am just going to be one of the unlucky few, or indeed if this is me just being silly when really there's nothing to worry about. After being scammed in the past I feel that I cannot be too careful, and really wish I had taken more care before sending my response in the messaging system. I also hope that if the vendor is reading this then they will appreciate that I am just being careful and am not trying to create a bad reputation or question your integrity but I cannot help but voice my concerns! Cheers.
Title: Re: What to do?
Post by: londonlondon on September 24, 2013, 09:23 pm
*insert 2 cents here*

If you have any doubts regarding a vendor, do not FE. Just ask the vendor to cancel your order and/or wait the resolve period and cancel your order. I'm sure there's a few other reputable vendors selling whatever it is you're hoping to buy. Unless you are ordering a large amount, it does not make sense that a vendor would request you FE, considering you have a good-standing purchase history. Especially! considering this 'deal' were he offers 30-40% extra if you FE early lol, sounds like complete BS. I wouldn't risk it.
best of luck
LL
Title: Re: What to do?
Post by: smallfinch on September 24, 2013, 09:44 pm
Cheers mate nice to have someone respond to this and confirm my instincts!

 The vendor's offered to cancel my order and I've asked him to do just that so we'll see what happens. Seems a bit fishy to me as well, he said that he can't afford to have the cash locked up in escrow but his delivery times are good and it's domestic so shouldn't be any problems there. Also the amount that I bought isn't exactly massive so shouldn't really effect his bulk purchasing power. Furthermore my autofinalization rate is 0%... Seems dodge I just hope I don't get burned. But then he did offer to cancel my order and the rest of his stats are fine so maybe its legit. It's so hard to tell because anyone trying to rip you off is going to do their damnedest to make you believe they are genuine. Kind of annoying as well cos I was hoping to have it by the weekend!
Title: Re: What to do?
Post by: smallfinch on September 24, 2013, 09:46 pm
Would give you +karma LL but not sure if I'm able to do it as a newby or how it works??
Title: Re: What to do?
Post by: londonlondon on September 25, 2013, 09:21 pm
much appreciated! the karma below my name is only pixels on a screen, your intention is what truly counts =)
after 100 posts you can start giving karma and don't have to type in those 'captchas' before every reply, which is amazing lol

up to you really. if you say he has good stats then check his latest feedback and see what people are saying. if you're in a real rush to get it by this weekend, you can at least use the feedback to decide if you take a leap of faith or not.

LL
Title: Re: What to do?
Post by: cirrus on September 26, 2013, 02:12 am
Yes, you should always be worried about FE, and the vendor shouldn't hold your order against you for not FE.  If the order does end up being less than what you expected then you should put it in resolution.  At least now you have the security of the escrow system and I wouldn't worry about there track history -- you have their private messages to support you if it does go sour.