HELP - need advice, I think I've been scammed!

Discussion in 'General Business' started by the jackal, Feb 24, 2009.

  1. #1
    Ok, I've been through the forum and love the whole variety of topics out there. This is my first post and I wanted it to be straight to the point.

    I bought a website off eBay last July. I paid $250 including a monthly fee of $9 hosting. Yes they claimed the world. see below...


    Potential Proven Earnings = $59`510 per month Totally on Auto-Pilot

    Quick Business Overview


    BUSINESS FOR SALE:

    kingdiamondrings Jewelry Store Website & Valuable .com Domain Name

    DOMAIN NAME:

    kingdiamondringsa valuable .com Domain Name Included!

    POTENTIAL INCOME:

    Unlimited

    REVENUE SOURCE:

    Adsense, Click Bank Commissions, Advertising

    TRAFFIC SOURCES:

    Search Engines/PPC/Print & Radio Ads - You Decide

    HOURS NEEDED TO RUN:

    0 Hours Per Day (Updates itself, NO stock to handle)

    Hi, I know there are tons of websites up for sale here, all promising easy riches. I won't do that. What I will tell you is exactly what you will get.
    - A PROFITABLE and easy to use and profitable website with no proven bugs
    - Totally optimised with many different streams of income
    - A great domain name.
    The site generates
    The reason for the sale of this site is simply because I have a lot of offline project that I need to concentrate on and I do not want to lose the momentum generated so far with this product. I'm looking for someone that can pick up the ball and run with it.
    This is the type of business that will earn for you on autopilot. Just generate some traffic to the site and you will make sales. It's a proven website model on a hot topic people love.

    How Much is the Site Actually Making?
    This site currently makes an average of $6875 per month. These earnings are largely on autopilot which means you will have plenty of time to concentrate on marketing. This is what I have been earning (although I must admit I have been rather lazy with my marketing)
    Here’s a breakdown of how it’s done:

    Around $15 per day on adsense
    Around $126 per day from eBay Partner Network
    Earned $2645 in Click Bank Commissions

    “How Much Can I Make If I’m Not Lazy Like You?”
    Fair enough...
    Adsense earnings alone:

    Number of Clicks 300 600 900

    Cost Per Click $1.82 $1.82 $1.82

    Total Profit / Month $546 $1092 $1638

    Total Potential with just 1500 clicks and 1000 monthly sales is $59`510

    High CTR/SEO Layout
    -The Shop only sells items over $1000 for huge commissions
    - Advanced seamless adsense integration w/ high click ratio.
    - Completely search engine optimized.
    - Search engine friendly url(s).
    - Developed with WordPress.
    - Related posts feature, which makes Search engine bots crawl your site deeper.
    - And many more features: too many to list.

    What’s Included in The Sale?
    Your purchase includes the following:

    · ENTIRE WEBSITE: Includes entire site, html web development, domain registration, DNS Server setup, and search engine optimization.
    ·
    · VALUABLE DOMAIN NAME: Highly sought after domain name, that is easy to remember and descriptive
    · WEB HOSTING , SERVERS AND MORE:
    CONTROL PANEL: to Manage your E-mails, Check Traffic Statistics, Account Details and much more.
    HOSTING: We offer hosting packages as low as $9.99 per month, this includes our full support service 24/7. We do not require you to stay with our hosting service and you are welcome to move your site at any time.
    ReliableCUSTOMER SERVICE: We support every site sold and hosted by us. We pride ourselves on our commitment to excellence and customer service.
    This Website Constantly Updates News and Videos so your customers always have fresh content when they visit your site; this is all done for you automatically. Shop items also update themselves automatically.

    If you have any questions or queries do not hesitate to ask.


    And guess what the amount of traffic promised never materialized, after having the code inspected by a web developer cousin, it seems an amateur has put this together. All the emails have now gone unanswered. Ive stopped making payments to their host as a protest against the poor customer service provided. And just realised the domain is still under their name!

    Am now stuck and with no idea on what to do...

    Help is required.:( Badly.


    If you want to see the website: www. kingdiamondrings .com
     
    the jackal, Feb 24, 2009 IP
  2. magda

    magda Notable Member

    Messages:
    5,197
    Likes Received:
    315
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    280
    #2
    Why would anyone sell a site making over $6000 a month for $250?
     
    magda, Feb 24, 2009 IP
  3. verzent

    verzent Peon

    Messages:
    102
    Likes Received:
    0
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    #3
    Commonsense is not common! You can easily realize that such a website wont sell for this price. atleast you could have look for alexa traffic rankings.
     
    verzent, Feb 24, 2009 IP
  4. CustomX

    CustomX Peon

    Messages:
    42
    Likes Received:
    3
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    #4
    I'm really sorry to hear that :( you really need to do your due diligence when making any kind of purchase online. Best of luck!
     
    CustomX, Feb 24, 2009 IP
  5. Big-E

    Big-E Peon

    Messages:
    3
    Likes Received:
    0
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    #5
    Another thing you all missed is the fact that "business runs on autopilot" and the fact he is selling "due to time constraints with a another offline venture" one would assume someone could handle a business that requires no time to run, no? There is bogus written all over it, my suggestion is do a chargeback and tell ebay you never recieved your product he cannot prove that you sent it as he has no shipping receipt. Sometimes, it`s also easier to cut your losses then to try and get it back, you know? Then time spent trying to get the money back could be spent making money. Time = Money.

    Take it as a lesson learn, and Best of luck.

    - Big-E
     
    Big-E, Feb 24, 2009 IP
  6. ramprop11

    ramprop11 Peon

    Messages:
    1,496
    Likes Received:
    3
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    #6
    If you have paid through paypal,you can still open the dispute in a resolution center if the sale is not more than 60 days old.
     
    ramprop11, Feb 24, 2009 IP
  7. GeeOne

    GeeOne Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    3,238
    Likes Received:
    79
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    125
    #7
    If that is the case no harm in trying.
     
    GeeOne, Feb 24, 2009 IP
  8. Philvault

    Philvault Active Member

    Messages:
    1,284
    Likes Received:
    13
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    80
    #8
    Another 'get rich quick scheme'. Please remember that if money is never too easy to fish around the net.
     
    Philvault, Feb 24, 2009 IP
  9. the jackal

    the jackal Peon

    Messages:
    15
    Likes Received:
    0
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    #9
    :(
    I feel like such a 'g1t' I didn't do any research as it was my first website sale. I didn't know what to check or test...

    I should have seen the signs but was assured in the emails they would provide support to a novice.

    For all novices out there besides Alexa rating, back links what else should I be checking/testing/looking out for?

    I'm worried about the domain not being released as the renewal date is July 2009 i'm afraid the domain may just disappear. Is there anything I can do about this?

    (i wish i saw this forum before I bought it)

    Thank you for all your replies I feel like such a MUG.
     
    the jackal, Feb 25, 2009 IP
  10. Chios

    Chios Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    1,740
    Likes Received:
    82
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    195
    #10
    the jackal,
    it sounds like a very unfortunate situation !! but hopefully you did not
    loose too much money on this ...

    if you still feel you can succeed in this business (rings online)

    try to get the domain name, ask them to transfer it to you !!

    Check your agreement if the transfer of domain was included in the deal
    if it was not its a lost case ... find some other website to buy in here
    and before you buy start a thread like this one ... many people will
    be willing to offer their opinion, on price and deal ...

    Do file a complain with paypal and present them with all the
    ebay promotional stuff ...

    Lessons learned
    A domain name should be transfered to your name in
    order to consider that site "your business"

    Never trust anyone, check for credentials (itrader in this forum is a way)
    ask experienced users/members for advice

    Read this forum for similar topics
     
    Chios, Feb 25, 2009 IP
    Game Producer likes this.
  11. Foggy

    Foggy Link and Site Buyer

    Messages:
    924
    Likes Received:
    159
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    #11
    Actually, Alexa ranking is very low down as an indicator of anything concrete in your buying decision or valuation of a website.

    Here are some tools to research sites before buying and an article on due diligence.
     
    Foggy, Feb 25, 2009 IP
  12. the jackal

    the jackal Peon

    Messages:
    15
    Likes Received:
    0
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    #12
    Guys/Girls thank you all for you comments.

    Its over 60 days, as in the article I purchased it end of July 2008. So I don't think paypal would claw back any monies.

    As I was a complete novice I thought they would actually inform me that I would need to transfer the domain into my name. The domain + website was for sale, i still have a copy of the original ad. The eBay user is no longer registered there, although I believe they have since registered under a new name, off course I cannot prove this.

    Since then I have read upon many topics including hosting/parking/domain transfers/payment methods/organic traffic origin.

    This was an expensive lesson @ $240 I will not be repeating. For those looking to buy a domain/website please take heed from my mistakes and be extra vigilant.
     
    the jackal, Feb 25, 2009 IP
  13. Salsa_Boy

    Salsa_Boy Peon

    Messages:
    85
    Likes Received:
    1
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    #13
    Unfortunately it was a costly lesson indeed, but take it as a great learning experience and keep it up.
     
    Salsa_Boy, Feb 25, 2009 IP
  14. visa666

    visa666 Peon

    Messages:
    12
    Likes Received:
    0
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    #14
    When it will bring $60000 a month let me know...I'll pay you $250...
    Get a domain put the site there, spend 2-3 month on SEO and see how it goes.
     
    visa666, Feb 25, 2009 IP
  15. gnoud

    gnoud Peon

    Messages:
    30
    Likes Received:
    0
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    #15
    If you see the word "POTENTIAL" it usually means the site is not making a dime.
     
    gnoud, Feb 25, 2009 IP
  16. the jackal

    the jackal Peon

    Messages:
    15
    Likes Received:
    0
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    #16
    That usually is the first sign that its all cloud9 cookoo land.

    I personally would not recommend buying profitable sites from eBay as the vast majority; I mean nearly 98% on there are similar 'potentials'. (Not to say there are legit stuff on there, but very rarely a genuine opportunity arrises.)

    Do anybody here had any success from buying off eBay, (not selling) and did it work out?
     
    the jackal, Feb 26, 2009 IP
  17. GhostDragon

    GhostDragon Peon

    Messages:
    82
    Likes Received:
    1
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    #17
    that's rough
     
    GhostDragon, Feb 26, 2009 IP
  18. mentos

    mentos Prominent Member

    Messages:
    15,280
    Likes Received:
    473
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    330
    #18
    That why i always need to verified the earning before i purchase website.
    And regarding your domain,you can fill your complain to ICANN,they will handle it if your domain host don't allow you to transfer out.
     
    mentos, Feb 26, 2009 IP
  19. aloksharma

    aloksharma Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    1,058
    Likes Received:
    14
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    160
    #19
    Did you approach eBay for help or did you open a dispute?
     
    aloksharma, Feb 26, 2009 IP
  20. the jackal

    the jackal Peon

    Messages:
    15
    Likes Received:
    0
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    #20
    nope - didnt do any of these. I never knew I could/had to... i was such a novice!
     
    the jackal, Oct 8, 2009 IP