Purchased a $50 (including shipping) 48V, 1000w kit on ebay yesterday out of curiosity. Doubt the company will be a scam since the transaction went through PayPal. Anyone imagine why they would sell so inexpensively with ebay's return policy and the CC & PayPal safety net?

IME, transactions as such usually get cancelled when eBay detect the fraudulent listing.

If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

let us know. When you say kit, you mean motor, controller, battery and all? $50 won't get you a battery for that.
I did buy a cheap 36v10ah (10s3P) off of ebay last year with authentic "samsung" batteries. I think it was $130 (more or less?). I did take it apart, and AFAIK they are not Samsung batteries (but they are the same color!). But it seems to work well for me since I don't use it all that often. Not exactly a bullet proof design, but I'm not (physically) abusing it

It was a complete motor kit like the ones that usually sell for $200 or so. Agree that things which look too good to be true, but was intrigued since they accepted PayPal (or I would have never considered it). This way there should be their "firewall" for my CC, and even then there should be protection. I have a good 52V battery so don't need another.

Facebook is eternally plagued with legit looking ads for stuff at 10 cents on the dollar, including ebikes. My wife answered one for Keen shoes, at 90% off. I heard her complaining about her credit card not going thru, and she was about to enter the info for a second one as requested. "Stop. Stop. Stop!", I yelled.

I did a whois on the seller website and found it had been opened that very day, linked to someone in Singapore. I pulled up our Visa account and saw that the charges did go thru and were pending, Finally, it was off to convince a skeptical person at Bank of America that we had been scammed, to cancel the card, and start a fraud case. We did get a new card issued but it took two billing periods before they erased the charges,

In this ebay case, I don't know how the scam will work, but it cannot be real, so there has to be some hinky stuff. Maybe you get an empty box just before the ebay or paypal deadline expires. They answer and exclaim how they will re-send the goods, but never do, and if you don't escalate the matter fast enough, the clock runs out on your refund.

DW, good point; the items are supposed to arrive by 7/28 which is well within the time frame for a refund from PayPal. If they're not here by then, I'll ask for an immediate refund, and, if necessary go to my CC bank.

Quick update: As DW stated, the feedback for the company seemed contrived, so I went to ebay with my concerns, and they agreed with me (but wouldn't state anything definitively). Surprisingly, I received a message from the supplier saying the item would be shipped within 48 hours. We'll see. FYI, ebay won't refund the transaction until after the due date. I could go to PayPal, but will give the supplier 48 hours.

I would have screenshots of the pictures and description of what you bought.

Some scams involve changing the description on the website after your purchase, and not sending what was described at the time. You need proof of what you bought.

Yup. Screen shot the pages. Video opening the box when it arrives. Not still photos. You want clear proof if it turns out to be empty or full of something else you did not order.

Thanks; there's a picture of it in my ebay purchases, and I've made enough of a stink they might be apprehensive about a scam. Can you tell I've been bored? Plus $50 isn't chump change, but not the end of the world either.

Please note that, of late, PayPal does NOT honor their guarantee in many, many circumstances. Personally, I was one of the earliest PayPal subscribers in the late 90s or early 2000s, I think. Over those 20 years, I've filed 2 claims. The first was denied twice, but them finally paid out of the blue some 3 months later. The second was again denied along with a notice that they were cancelling my account because I was too "high risk". Twenty years and tens of thousands of dollars run thru their system, and I can no longer use PayPal. The PayPal Community forum is full of complaints from people who never got their money back, their accounts got cancelled, etc.
.

Chinese don't care. If they get your money, they think they are clever.

You need a screenshot of the description. You might get one item of the kit. The description should list which items are included. Without that list, you try to prove the picture was not there to show how that item fits in the kit.

Australia has strong consumer laws. Ebay has to comply with them too. I think a lot less gets resolved in other countries.

Slightly unrelated. A couple of years ago I went to an Australian website to buy an airline ticket. They just redirected it to a website outside Australia. They know, if you buy it in Australia, they have to comply with Australian law, and this is how they avoid it.

Well, thanks to all who replied. I might learn a $50 lesson, but still have one ace in the hole (maybe), my CC company.

Do you have a screenshot of the description, with a list of which items are included?

I've found PP to be fantastic in this regard. I've had 3 claims in the last year and each was settled quickly and in my favor. They also reimburse return shipping which is a huge benefit when you are buying stuff online you can't see or try on first. I suspect, as is usually the case, the people posting online about negative experiences are a small fraction of users. But whatever service one uses, documenting from the moment of purchase is key.

I'll take one. Thanks.

I have only had one transaction where they were needed, and they found in my favor and were able to help immensely.

Finally in the US and "scheduled for delivery". Better get here by 7/28 or I'll put in a claim.

And...? What happened???

Very peculiar, and as everyone expected, fraudulent. Somehow the seller had a history of the item being shipped and then delivered even though I hadn't received it. I read the report of delivery on my ebay sales history, put in a claim to PayPal and they reversed the funds immediately. So no gain, no loss. Guess the seller thought a "rich" American wouldn't bother with a $50 item. I won't get that bored again and won't buy from ebay except from previously used sellers.