I’m a born skeptic, but this scammer got me!
They claim to sell products on Amazon.com - but all they really do is use Amazon as a payment collection vehicle, then they drop-ship items from Lowes.com that just went on markdown pricing before the public can know about it.
Basically, the victim ends up paying the “seller” $50 for something that is about to on sale for $30 the next day, then the seller waits for the Lowes.com price to change and then places the order for the victim and drop-ships it to their house! The “seller” just made $20 by knowing which products are about to be marked down right before the Lowes store and website prices change. Clever, very clever! It is deplorable that Amazon facilitates this kind of activity and acts as a layer of anonymity and protection between the vitcim and the dishonest person with advance inside access to price-change information. I called Amazon and they stonewalled me multiple times before telling me to email Jeff Bezos if I still have a problem.
@gakJ phone number please!
I wish I had one. The seller on Amazon does not provide any external contact information like an email address, phone number, or even what state/country they are in.
Other people have caught on to the scam too. And there’s another level to it. If the thing the scammer bought for you at Lowes.com is defective or needs to be sent back, the Amazon scammer tells you to use the LOWES return shipping label. They don’t send you an AMAZON return label. This means when the victim sends the product back to Lowe’s the SCAMMER gets the refund!
Here are some examples of people who figured out the racket:
Lowe’s is proud to declare this product “Only at Lowe’s”.
BZZZTT! WRONG! Also on Amazon for $49 (to cover the tax, probably!)
The scammer collects the $49 from everyone who orders the item within 2 days of the price drop at Lowes, and then buys all the lights he "sold" in the last two days for $30, which he knew were about to go on closeout!
This is a pic I took with my phone, at the very same store that actually shipped this "Amazon" purchase to my house a couple miles away!!!!
And when the package shows up, the victim finds out that they should have just gone to the exact same physical store down the street and bought it for $29.
And, then if you try to return the package, the seller tells you to use Lowe’s return label that gives THEM the refund, not an Amazon return label that gives you your refund.
… the reason this is definitely a scam?
Two reasons:
1 - they want you to return the package to where THEY bought it from (Lowe’s) and not to them or Amazon. They want the full refund and then they might give you SOME of that money back through Amazon, minus restocking fees etc.
2 - since they are technically the “original purchaser” of the items, they hold the original Lowe’s receipt that would be required to get warranty service, repair, participate in a class-action lawsuit if the product causes fire or injury, and things like that. If this had been a $2000 washing machine instead of a $20 porch light, and the machine machine broke and needed $400 worth of repair, which receipt do you think the Lowe’s repair department is going to want to see - the bogus Amazon receipt with your name on it, or the real receipt that you didn’t get a copy of from the Amazon scammer?
This seller is scamming people by stealthily providing a “conceierge” purchasing service. He is re-selling Lowe’s products out of their own physical stores, using Lowe’s employees as his own personal labor force, without Lowe’s knowledge, and making higher profit margins on this racket than Lowe’s. PLUS he’s running a refund interception double-dip scam on top of it! If a buyer figures out they got swindled, and try to send the Amazon item back, it’ll go back to Lowe’s instead and the scammer skims off the refund!