Serial Numbers and eBay

I've never felt I could find a definitive answer to this, so perhaps someone can help.

Sometimes potential eBay buyers ask for the serial number of a camera. Now on the face of it I don't mind one bit telling them, but I am aware that some sellers will not reveal the number.

I can't think of what scam might make it unwise, so what do you do and why?

Good question. I feel there is a scam in there somewhere. Usually the pics i include in ebay listings show the serial number. I keep a note of the serial numbers of the stuff I sell in case somebody tries to return a different item claiming i sent them a broken one.

If they are buyers perhaps they want to do a search on Immobilise to see if the number is registered their or something to that effect?

Regards

I would reckon a genuine reason for asking may be to ascertain where, when or who made the item. Also perhaps identify a grey import.

A suspicious reason may be to put in an insurance claim for a supposedly lost or stolen item then claim it is for sale on eBay!

John

A greater number of sellers are also saying the item is "security" marked. A deterent to would be rouges

Regards

It doesn't help with Pentax gear but for other makes the serial number can be informative. For most Soviet stuff the first two numbers of the serial number normally indicate the year, and for some Japanese third party lenses the number can indicate the actual manufacturer.

I dare say there are scams around that involve the numbers, but I cannot think what and, to be frank, wouldn't be bothered about giving out the number myself.

K.

This is likely to happen a lot more once used K-5's start hitting Ebay in significant numbers. Due to the staining issues people will be asking for manufacturing dates and serial numbers a lot more.

Indeed, the first two digits of the serial number tell you who manufactured a Vivitar lens. For example, 28 is Komine, 37 is Tokina and so on ......

Andrew

With valuable cameras such as Leicas the number can be used to find when it was made..

..or used to make a forgery from a cheap russian Zorki!

Other than that I've no idea what other scams there are out there.

I'm told that a serial number can be used as evidence of ownership in an insurance claim. So the scam may not effect you directly


regards
Bernard

Unless the item doesn't sell and subsequently is stolen.....

I think the way it works is :-

I find out what the serial number of your camera is.
I then claim on my insurance that I've lost my camera and the serial number was ...... They pay up accordingly (my luck would probably run ..they they take me to court for fraud)

Whether you sell or not is irrelevant as you don't know anything about my insurance claim.

I'm sure that the insurance guys have this scam sorted so I'll refrain from asking you any details

regards
Bernard

The problem arises when you don't sell the item - or even if you do. The serial number is known and maybe logged as stolen/lost and you could have a devil of a job proving you legally own it should you need to put in a claim on it.

This happened to friend with his guitar. Someone claimed for it using the correct serial number and description. After it was stolen a year later during a break in our friend was accused of handling stolen goods and fraud .
Luckily the shop he bought the guitar from always notes the serial number on the receipt, along with the full name and address of the purchaser. He could produce the receipt, and the shop could confirm it, but if he hadn't been able to he could have been in deep yoghurt.

More a case of caveat venditor rather than caveat emptor

Bernard

If the seller kept a copy of the e-mail disclosing the serial no. Then this can be used to show the information predates the insurance claim...