A con in the making?

[Theoldprofessor]

I need the advice of those of you who have seen it all. About three weeks ago I found a card on eBay, and rather than buying it outright, I made a lower offer. The "Make an Offer" option was available.

My offer was accepted. I was ready to pay by PayPal, only to be told that the seller's account had been "temporarily" suspended. He asked if iI could send a check. I did, he cashed it, but after a week or so the card hadn't yet appeared in the mail.

I emailed the guy, letting him know that I could document the entire exchange between us, asking that he remove the card from sale and send it to me now. He answered that he " remembered" the transaction, that he was "sincerely sorry," and that he ... had a lot going on and simply overlooked this." The card, he said, would be coming "ASAP"

A day or so after I received his answer, I checked his gallery. The card is still being advertized on eBay. Same deal. BIN price, and "Make an Offer."

I wrote him again, and asked that he take the card down by noon tomorrow (Monday), send it to me so it arrives by Wednesday, and tell eBay the story, copy to me.

Has this sort of thing played out before? In those instances, was it a scam?

The money is a relatively small amount, and not worth worrying about, but if he gets away with it here, it happens again, this time maybe to somebody who can't afford to take the hit.

Suggestions?