Flippa Let Scammers Scam People

21 replies
Hi guys,

I Just would like to create this thread to share my disappointment in Flippa support. I know most of you won't really care, but I think it is important to let everybody know that their support is getting worse and worse and seems to be more focused on making money than helping their members.

I really love designing, coding and everything related to web development. I have been using Flippa for a while now and have sold a lot of websites there, most of them for $x,xxx. I am also a 100% seller and have always worked hard to help my buyers develop my websites and generate revenues with them. Anyway, this isn't really important right now.

I have also been pretty active on Flippa and helped them to spot a lot of scammers (providing fake income proofs). I did it because I was getting sick to see “newbies” paying $xx,xxx for websites that will never generate any revenues (unlike what sellers were claiming with their fake Paypal proofs). Till now, Flippa has always been great and suspended these listings (pending more proofs from the sellers).

But things have changed. Now, Flippa doesn't allow sellers to claim revenues (for brand new sites) in the title of their auction(s). Nothing wrong so far. But lately, I spotted a seller scamming more and more people on Flippa. He has been creating (each week) brand new websites that have generated hundreds of dollars in couple of days. So I started to check his Paypal proofs and compared them to the ones from his other listings. I quickly found out that something was wrong, so I asked him to upload a video proof so I (and all the potential buyers) could compare it to his screenshots. The seller started to remove my comment (again and again) and kept finding “bad” reasons for not doing it. His listing ended with another winner. So I decided to report him to Flippa (with legitimate - and easy to verify - reasons).

The reply I received from Flippa really surprised me. Instead of suspending the listing and contacting the seller to verify his income claims, they simply removed the site’s earnings from the title of the auction (but not from the listing). They told me that this website is brand new and that they don’t have to verify the income claimed by the seller (even though they are clearly faked ones). They also told me that the earnings claimed are only an indication and shouldn’t be assumed that revenues would continue in that fashion (I have received two or three messages like this so far).

Basically, as long as you don’t mention earnings in the title of your auction, you can say and claim whatever you want. You can list a new website, claim that it has generated $10,000 in couple of days (in your listing description), provide fake Paypal proofs and… sell it to a newbie who will believe all your crap. Flippa won’t do anything to stop you (they might even thank you for helping them to make more money…). This kind of mentality makes me sick.

Of course Flippa can’t verify every single listing. However, they can verify the ones that are reported with legitimate and easy to verify reasons. Suspending the auction and asking the seller to send them a video proof of income would have taken them less than 5 minutes.

This seller was clearly providing fake Paypal proofs and scamming Flippa members. Flippa knows it but still refuses to take appropriate actions to protect its members… How sad… Definitely time for a better alternative...
#disappointed #flippa #flippa auction #scammer #support
  • Profile picture of the author Thomas Smale
    Desperate times call for desperate measures...
    Signature
    I specialize in selling websites over $10,000 in value. No obligation, confidential valuation here.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8442489].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author contentmogul
    Unfortunately Flippa has become super saturated and just like any good thing, the scammers got a hold of the system and are trying to cash in too... buyer beware.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8442493].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Masum492
    I don't know why they act like this? Totally unprofessional
    Signature
    I am back!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8442698].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author MarketMaster13
      They are no longer as they some times back,really saturated.
      They should be considerate of both parties:the buyers and the sellers.
      Signature
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8442709].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Ryan Jericho
    Banned
    Flippas support has never been the best. But at the end of the day, The Buyer should do his own Research anyway, and Thoroughly examine the website in question, before handing over Thousands for it.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8442728].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author mrgoe
    Very interesting thread, but I hope it doesn`t bring your idea to the table, making it available to scamers to.. you know.. scam
    Signature
    Worked as a senior editor on ThePricer.org, experienced in financial topics
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8442730].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author seonutshell
    To be honest i think its about time Warriorforums "complete web sites for sale" saw a bit more action.

    Think about it, lots of complaints going around about flippa at the moment, and WF would be a perfect place to sell complete websites. At the moment that section seems to be full of "il make you a website" threads but i think that more sites sold there would be better, and could easily take over from flippa.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8442741].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Tim Franklin
    Flippa is a big mess, the only way to really cash in selling a website on flippa is to have a strong marketing base, (a list if you will) otherwise your listing will cost you money and you are much more likely to find yourself staring at an auction with no bids or very low bids.

    When a company allows dirty tricks to be used to artificially inflate the value of a listing in order to promote revenue then this hurts the entire market.

    Flippa profits from both buyers and sellers, they have no incentive to clean house because then they loose revenue.

    When you place yourself into a position of loosing revenue or doing the right thing often greed gets in the way.

    The truly sad thing about this situation is that it could have been prevented.

    Flippa could have changed its revenue model shifted the way that the market place is run, Ebay used to have a serious problem like this but they invested in a system that helps to identify the really bad people.

    Its not perfect and they still have dishonest sellers, however it is a lot better than it used to be, Flippa could take a few lessons from them.
    Signature
    Bitcoin | Crypto | Blockchain Secrets |
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8442742].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Mike Hlatky
    Ha! The same thing happened to me.

    I also like to go through the listings and help people avoid scams. One of the listings I saw had a badly photoshopped image of the traffic they were getting.

    I reported the image and the listing and all they did was remove the traffic claims. Left all images and income claims!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8442758].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author jazbo
    Flippa is in the same position as Ebay. It has a monopoly and has got bloated and lazy. It doesn't have to be that way though.
    Signature
    CONTENT WRITER. Reliable, UK-Based, 6 Years Experience - ANY NICHE
    Click Here For Writing Samples & Online Ordering
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8442759].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author LilBlackDress
      It is a real shame that they do not clamp down on false information especially when they are clearly notified of such. At the very least they should make it clear that they do not monitor seller content.

      At the same time, buyers need to do due diligence on anything they are buying and they need to get it thru their head that if it sounds to good to be true it probably is.
      Signature

      Pen Name + 8 eBooks + social media sites 4 SALE - PM me (evergreen beauty niche)

      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8442943].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author lorrainesmithills
    Unfortunately scammers will always find a way to manipulate the system. However, Flippa is obviously being short sighted in their customer service but many businesses are!
    Signature

    I am native born English writer and pride myself on offering high quality content delivered in a timely manner.

    If you are fed up with mediocre writers, do not despair. I can help and I provide special offer rates to my fellow warriors.

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8442969].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author ashishthakkar
    This seller was clearly providing fake Paypal proofs and scamming Flippa members. Flippa knows it but still refuses to take appropriate actions to protect its members… How sad… Definitely time for a better alternative...
    This is happening daily.

    I had a similar experience with flippa last year:
    Is Flippa Getting Worse ? | JimmyThakkar.com
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8443060].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Adie
    Even before, Flippa support takes days to respond. I stopped doing business with Flippa because of these scammers. It makes me sick..
    Signature



    Moderator's Note: You're only allowed to put your own products or sites in your signature.

    Signature edited.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8443078].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Valdor Kiebach
    It seems this is getting to you. I understand why you are concerned and feel frustrated but you have tried to help noobs and have tried to inform flippa of what is going on and there is nothing more you can do. You could blog about it and make posts like this in forums in the hope that people searching for 'flippa scams' will find them.

    Dont lose sleep or burn yourself out trying to help those that dont want it, just look after yourself and those that do want help.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8443162].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author seobro
    Well, we hate to say this, but we agree. Flippa is down hill in a hurry now. Not sure on reasons. However, I do not buy domain names any more. People on the site will ask for all kinds of fees after the sales is over. I do not like to do my business there any more. Site point was a great site, but those days are over.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8443412].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Deezign
    Thanks for sharing your thoughts guys!

    Couple of weeks ago, I reported a scammer to Flippa (with fake proofs). Flippa support simply told me that it wasn't their job to verify incomes (even though screenshots were clearly fake ones). I guess the seller was pretty happy to sell his website for $x,xxx...

    The funny thing is that they told me that they appreciate all my efforts to report scammers and asked me to keep doing it...

    But what is the point to keep doing it if nothing is done??

    The last time, they even deleted all the support tickets of my partner after he dared to tell them that he was disappointed in their services and was planning to share screenshots of some of their messages on Forums. So Flippa deleted the whole ticket (as well as all the others). How professional...
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8443520].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author rhinocl
      The problem is with the business model. When some one gets a percentage then over-priced sales are good for them. (until buyers lose faith in their site).

      There are other people who scammers can be reported to though, depending on what countries the buyer, seller, and web site are in. Some of them take these things seriously. Faking earnings shots is a crime after all.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8443873].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Ryan Jericho
      Banned
      Originally Posted by Deezign View Post

      Thanks for sharing your thoughts guys!

      Couple of weeks ago, I reported a scammer to Flippa (with fake proofs). Flippa support simply told me that it wasn't their job to verify incomes (even though screenshots were clearly fake ones). I guess the seller was pretty happy to sell his website for ,xxx...

      The funny thing is that they told me that they appreciate all my efforts to report scammers and asked me to keep doing it...

      But what is the point to keep doing it if nothing is done??

      The last time, they even deleted all the support tickets of my partner after he dared to tell them that he was disappointed in their services and was planning to share screenshots of some of their messages on Forums. So Flippa deleted the whole ticket (as well as all the others). How professional...
      Thats not just Unprofessional, but Corrupt to its Core. It proves the point of they just want the Cash, Rather than whats actually Right. Sooner or later, their time will come. I suggest you carry on reporting, but also post your proof here, In one Thread, for all to see. They at least can't delete that.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8444425].message }}
  • Originally Posted by Deezign View Post

    Flippa won't do anything to stop you (they might even thank you for helping them to make more money...)
    And with that one little sentence, you've just summed up the main reason as to why not only Flippa, but several other well known IM related services online allow for questionable activities on their sites and turn a blind eye. Why would anyone want to eliminate a significant percentage of their paying customers right?
    Signature
    Arnold Stolting - Stolting Media Group
    "I LOVE The Song! The Vibe Is Positive And Firm!" - Kymani Marley. (Son of Bob Marley).

    "Very High Quality!" Jeremy Harding - Manager / Producer. Sean Paul.
    "They Are FANTASTIC!" - Willie Crawford.

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8444480].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author celente
    yes need to do your homework before going there, Its a must. I have been done for $2000 there before. But lesson learnt.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8444733].message }}

Trending Topics