I live in NC and recently started selling items on eBay from thrift store purchases. About three months ago, I purchased a carpet cleaner the professional type. I posted it on eBay last week and once I did, I received an emailed from a sales manager from a corporation in WI claiming the item belong to their company and was stolen before Dec 1999 and they want the carpet cleaner back. They are willing to pay 75 dollars for it but I paid more that they ware willing to offer. Since it has been over nine years and I am quite sure they filed an insurance claim for the cleaner am I obligated to return the item. It was a rental item and I an guessing it was not returned. Please help.

Most likely a scam and they are trying to be the ones to "steal" your cleaner. I would not give it back unless they have a police report that shows the serial number. How did they know it was theirs, did you post the serial number ?

Sorry but I don't trust a lot of people buying and selling on eBay.

I mean think about it, some company is just happening to be looking at eBay this week when you have it on sale, and someone remembers some cleaner stolen form another location years ago, and has all of the records to prove that is theirs ? Ok, who is having trouble thinking that happened

There have been a lot of stolen items listed on Ebay for sale but like Chuck says without a police report listing the serial number I would not pay any attention to them, nor would I sell it for less than you paid for the item or "give" it back to them.

Hello:

I don't know. If somebody was trying to sell me a U-Haul rental truck, and he wasn't U-Haul, I could have guessed it was stolen. If you bought something that said RENTAL all over it, you should have known it was stolen too.

He wants to give you $75. If he calls the cops, they'll take it - not pay you a DIME - and maybe put you in jail... If HE'S cheating his insurance company, that's between him and his insurance company. You have no idea about that, though. You just want to keep the stolen stuff.

excon

If you bought the item from Salvation Army, then I'm not sure that you are liable as a buyer in good faith. Check out the link below...

good faith: Definition and Much More from Answers.com

Hope you kept your receipts from Salvation Army...