Escrow & eBay - is this a scam?

[cockbongo]

Ok,

This is what's currently happening:

I tried to bid on a laptop on ebay, but it was a "private" listing where I had to email the seller before he would allow me to bid. The auction ended with no bids and no answer from the guy.

Next day i got an email from someone replying to my mail asking if i want to buy the laptop. The guy says he will only go thourgh an escrow service - he suggests www.air-spedition.com.

Now i've not used escrow before, but the guy wants my name and address so he can start the process.

Question - does this sounds like a scam to you as much as it does to me? This www.air-spedition.com site doesn't look very kosher - should i perhaps suggest that we use an escrow site of *my* choosing and see what he says?

Interested in any one that's used escrow or had a similar experience.

Thanks

[alphatyrant]

To be honest I wouldn't touch it with a bargepole, If I remember correctly an Escrow service won't be held liable if it goes pear-shaped, so if he's a scammer POS, then you'd be screwed completely.

My advice...leave it.

[doogie]

Domain Name: AIR-SPEDITION.COM
Registrar: DOMAINPEOPLE, INC.
Whois Server: whois.domainpeople.com
Referral URL: http://www.domainpeople.com
Name Server: A.DNS.HOSTWAY.NET
Name Server: B.DNS.HOSTWAY.NET
Status: clientTransferProhibited
Updated Date: 26-jan-2007
Creation Date: 26-jan-2007
Expiration Date: 26-jan-2008


>>> Last update of whois database: Sun, 4 Feb 2007 08:58:18 EST <<<

(Incase that's not clear enough, the site says (c) 2004 - 2007 but it was first registered in the last fortnight)

[NicolaUK]

Run for your life...

So why did he not sell it through the auction?

[doogie]

And have a read at this when you have some spare time if you haven't seen it before :) http://www.zug.com/pranks/powerbook/

[ic]

Moving to the eBay forum :)

[cockbongo]

I *knew* this all sounded familiar - I did read the powerbook scam thing on Something Awful a while ago - it all falls into place now....

Cheers guys - thanks for the quick replies. I just needed someone to run it past to make sure i wasn't going mad. You never think this kind of thing would ever happen to you...!

[alsemail]

And have a read at this when you have some spare time if you haven't seen it before :) http://www.zug.com/pranks/powerbook/

Excellent, scam the scammer.

[slinky]

Of course its a scam, all the signs are there and

http://db.aa419.org/fakebankslist.php?psearch=+AIR-SPEDITION.COM&Submit=GO&psearchtype=

[Smi1er]

Have a look at the ebay forums and search on escrow.

Nothing wrong with Escrow and you are fully protected, but only use www.escrow.com and nothing else.

In other words this bloke is trying to scam you.