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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Internet fraud with Red Camera's for sale

An update on that $2500 Alexa on eBay: With just over 5 hours of bidding time left on the clock, the price is up to $ 31,300.

That with a product description of an ARRI 16mm SRII and this quote from the seller "I found this camera left in my newly purchased home I DO NOT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT"

Unbelievable.

Check it out for yourself (Considering this Comedy Saturday):
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Arri-alexa-...961&pid=100015&prg=1006&rk=1&sd=190734667705&
 
Anytime soon, somebody is going to be crying before he goes to bed. Assuming the best scenario and a package actually arrives at the successful bidder's door. What chance the local Police acting on a warrant out of Florida come knocking and turn the place inside out?
 
I wish Red would take delivery of the used camera(s) prior to the buyer needing to ante up the cash. i just bought a scarlet off reduser and it all worked out fine, but i was very concerned it wouldn't work out and am happy it did. I told my bomb squad rep this and I'll say it again now "I will gladly pay even more for a transfer of ownership if your willing to act as a middle man in order to protect both buyers and sellers from issues like this". I am so happy my sale worked out but seeing this happen to other people is just a total downer and i'd love it if red was able to set up a more secure system that works well for buyers and sellers. hell charge me double, triple the price even for the fees, anything to make it 100 percent safe! sorry for your loss man!
 
Is Montgomery,Alabama like THE AREA for rich DOP"S to have their country houses in ...sort a like Martha's Vineyard for the monied set.?
 
I don't think asking RED to act as a middleman in a used camera sale would be too realistic. One thing that might help somewhat, would be a page on the RED site that would allow a user to enter a name and a serial number and see if in fact that name is registered to that serial number. The site would simply return a VERIFIED or NOT VERIFIED response and give you no other information. Once you know you've got the legitimate owner, you've at least got someone who's on the up and up with RED. Just don't send a payment to someone who isn't registered. I've been trying to sell my RED ONE for the past 3 weeks and have been plagued by fraud. Most recently, someone took all my pictures and claimed to be selling my RED ONE MX serial number 6910. I contacted ebay and the fraudulent auction was eliminated. Here's the legitimate one:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/130778099425?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

A lot of it comes to common sense. The fraud who said he had my number was offering an unofficial 'buy it now' price of $2650, far below current market value for a RED ONE MX with less than 600 operating hours. The fraud also demanded that you contact the seller outside of eBay. I like using eBay to sell RED items as it gives buyers a chance to see detailed photos and evaluate my performance as a seller outside of my comments on RED USER. My advice to buyers is to know who you are buying from. My company has been around for 19 years and we've been selling our used gear on eBay for 12 years. I am known in Hollywood, New York and the RED community. We stand behind our work and our gear! I am also aggressively combating fraud on eBay and have gotten the police involved in the auction fraud we are all seeing.
 
I had a Red MX that I opted NOT to trade in (stage 2) and subsequently sold. I put an ad on reduser specifying US sale only, face to face, cashier's check only.
You wouldn't believe the number of people who PM'd me from Europe, Asia, asking about paypal etc. Not that they were necessarily scammers, but obviously didn't read the ad, or didn't want to use a bank or go through Red's certification process. It was frustrating but I held firm so the transaction would be secure.
In the end I sold the camera to two very nice guys with an office in SoHo, right around the corner from me. They saw it a couple of times, shot some tests, communicated with Red and cc'd me, and ultimately gave me a cashier's check as requested. I FedExed the body to Red, gave them the accessories and case, and released the camera to them after the check cleared.
It took some time but it was worth the wait to execute a flawless transaction.
It's an unsafe world out there... proceed with caution.
Cheers,
Harry
 
Yeah, It's a tough scenario. (Buying)

I won't go into detail with my experience to avoid certain issues, but.. Even with purchasing from a legitimate buyer can yield some terrifying experiences. ANYONE purchasing a used red one.

I BEG YOU on everything you believe as holy. Physically hold the red in your hands, test it, and please. please please. check and verify that the seller is a legitimate seller. Verify with RED that it's okay to buy. Check the sellers driver's license or state ID. Have a notarized contract. Take video/photo on your iphone of everything from the cashier's check at the bank, (with the banker/nametag in the picture) as well as the seller signing the contract. I think having the camera in your hands is super important. If you'e doing it online, have the seller take a picture with some sort of 'key word' next to it, I almost bought a MX from france (an amazing package too) and the seller sent me a picture with my name, and the word 'Bojangles' on a piece of paper next to the camera and kit. I had my ac in New York check out another one, IN new york for me and I'm glad I did, because... well; it had some issues for sure. ALWAYS cover your bases. Murphy's law dudes! (if it can go wrong, it will)

Even with all of this stuff, the seller could try to have you send it in to red, without the transfer and claim it as their own. So, proof of purchase is a big deal (I think) Or worse, have you send it to an 'alternate location' and threaten you, since they do have all of your information.... Beware of scammers always. Check imdb, websites, and please, please check personal references. And remember, RED is ALWAYS on your side. The bomb squad and transfers department are sooooooo unbelievably amazing. Never hesitate to ask questions, remember it's going to be your camera, its your money, and it's your livelihood if $h1t hits the fan..

hope this helps someone.
 
Great points, Joshua!
Face to face is best. Be careful out there!
Cheers,
Harry
 
OH MAN.

That makes me feel beyond good. Totally makes my day. I'd love to hear how it ends up turning out. Thanks for letting us know Bob!! I hope they catch the b@$tards and lock them up. Nothing grinds my gears more than gear thieves and scam artists. I hope they catch them in time before it's too late.
 
The user Felipe Schmidt is a fraud. Ordered 2 19mm steel rods and 2 Side handles. He never shipped the items and never replied my emails.
 
Awww man so the ebay sale for the Alexa was a con using someone else 's pic ... what can I say ..............I'm like so surprised.

Buy the looks of the final price it was run up by some good citizen who hasn't paid....I hope !
 
I am high bidder on this Red MX body on Ebay, I am pretty skeptical about this auction, this camera serial # sold a week ago. I suspect that someone is cloning this picture set fraudulently or hopefully is someone hoping to flip it for a modest profit. I know that Red prices are dropping fast, but this is ridiculous and really has me and other Red users very suspicious:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/RED-ONE-MX-...rofessional_Video_Cameras&hash=item4abd44d27c
 
How do you know it's a fraud, I think you are right, but how do you know?
 
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