MicrobeHunter.com Microscopy Forum

For the past couple months I've noticed a "Unitron Z10" stereo microscope up for sale. Originally, the seller said do not bid (even though it was up for bid) -- that this is only a buy it from us listing for something like $2000 and posted a picture with a New York pawn shop phone number among the scope photos. The would originally delete the listing once they got a bid.

Ebay eventually got around to quickly deleting these posts when they first appeared. The surprise more recently is that the same scope is being advertised for sale by a number of other buyers. Was there a large hack of Ebay member credentials at some point? Anyone have an idea of how these user accounts are being compromised? This same scope has been posted (and deleted by Ebay) a couple dozen times - most recently under the names of multiple Ebay sellers.

Far as I can guess, whoever is behind this doesn't so much want to avoid Ebay sales fees as "fish" for potential buyers' data?

There are a ton of these for electronic test equipment, seems like several new batches per week from different compromised accounts with the same reused photos.

PeteM wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 25, 2021 11:48 pm

Far as I can guess, whoever is behind this doesn't so much want to avoid Ebay sales fees as "fish" for potential buyers' data?

That, or maybe just straight scam hoping someone will fall for the too-good-to-be-true price and make a wire transfer or some other non-reversible payment outside of eBay?

I've seen a bunch of those over the last several months. IX-70/71 with a starting bid of $32 last time, or other absurd prices. They swipe listing pictures from legit listings, and sometimes copy the other data as well. Somewhere in the listing is often a photo of their "Buy it Now" really low prices, or a list in the data. I've probably reported a dozen or so over the last year. If you look at the seller's other items you'll find the same garbage. When I report one, it's usually gone within a couple of hours.

Talk about timing, here's the number of the fraudulent IX70 Ebay sale: 133704755178

I've reported this particular one, with other numbers I'm sure, several times.

Just for sport, I'll refrain from reporting it for awhile so anyone can see what's going on, although his other item list come up as missing so it may already be leaving!

What puzzles me is that some of these are being listed from sellers with 100% positive ratings. As an example the Unitron scope pix went from the NY pawn shop to a seller in the LA area. Are there that many compromised Ebay accounts?

On edit: Interesting battle of crooks vs. Ebay AI . . .

Damn, it was gone before I finished posting!

It happens all over. Curtis Sleve's DIC Diastar showed up on Craigslist U.K. . Same pictures and description. Seller wanted the money wired.

Unitrons are overpriced anyway. The Z10 exists in a number of permutations and is basically the same microscope as the Scamscope 240 T. They get their absurd retail pricing from an about 3X mark up over their wholesale purchase price. The supplier sells them for around 2000.00 , so Scamscope's roughly 3500.00 slashed sale price still puts well over over 1000.00 in their pocket. Not a problem if you provide almost zero after sale responsibility.
Unitron is a little more straightforward in their pricing.

There is a .5X planapo available but the rest of the CMOs are planachro.

Up the ladder, the SMZ18 clone, which is so significantly similar to the one badged Nikon , can be had for around 4000.00. The planapo 1X CMO has a very respectable N.A. which should gracefully get you to 150X anyway.

In the middle, there is also a 1:12.5X with a planapo CMO. Unitron wants around $10,000 for it. Somewhere around 4,000.00 from the supplier in China.

A German Ebay seller with around 1500 positive feedback was the latest to "host" the Unitron scam - the second German seller I've seen. Two more listings from compromised sellers - one of which Ebay's AI caught and deleted.

Never say die... the IX71 is back. 133706240027