online-yard-sales.com SCAM

http://www.online-yard-sales.com/  FAKE FRAUD SCAM

The site online-yard-sales.com is just another scam twist on advanced payment fraud.
The site does not offer any type of security when creating a new account.

They proclaim on their site:
"Online Yard Sales A different kind of service"
(...just like an old whore in a new dress)

The addresses on the site do not belong to this fake company.
One address in Montana belongs to this company:
Simms Fishing Products
 101 Evergreen Dr, Bozeman, MT 59715
http://www.simmsfishing.com/
I called and the police had already been there due to complaints.

The site is hosted by our friends at Microsoft using OfficeLive.
Feel free to send them an email:
abuse@msn.com
abuse@hotmail.com
The domain was registered by Melbourne IT, notorious for allowing scammers to register fraud domains using myprivateregistration.com

Domain Name.......... online-yard-sales.com
  Creation Date........ 2010-09-19
  Registration Date.... 2010-09-19
  Expiry Date.......... 2011-09-19
  Organisation Name.... Ken Young
  Organisation Address. PO Box 61359
  Organisation Address.
  Organisation Address. Sunnyvale
  Organisation Address. 94088
  Organisation Address. CA
  Organisation Address. US

Here are some images from the scam site and text below:

This text has been edited to remove the names of the owners and an employee of the real company that the scammers stole material from for their fake site.
You'll notice the scammers used the term "Londra" in the text below.
Londra is the word Romanians use to refer to London.

Online Yard Sales A different kind of service
Online Yard Sales stores specialize in online consignment sales for individuals, businesses, and non-profit groups. We sell your items for you on eBay,Craigslist and other free marketplaces and send you a check in the mail. Our sales strategy and reputation for selling high quality merchandise, combined with excellent customer service, keeps both buyers and sellers coming back again and again. Our services are available all over United States, Canada and United Kingdom and we plan on extending our business to Europe.
Our flagship store and headquarters are located at 1100 Dexter Av North, Seattle, WA 98109. Our mission is to help the people and communities where our stores are located by providing a fun, efficient and secure way to sell valuables online.
Online Yard Sales stores sell quality merchandise online in the rapidly growing eBay and Craigslist. As of November, 2009, there were over 211 million registered users on eBay, trading over $1,400 worth of goods around the world every second.
Online Yard Sales stores specialize in online consignment services for businesses, individuals, and non-profit groups. The original store opened in Londra, United Kingdom in December, 2008 to help people sell their quality merchandise in the eBay marketplace and later in 2009 we exteded our market in United States and Canada and selling on Craigslist besides eBay.. Online Yard Sales stores makes it easy by doing all the work and sending the seller a check in the mail. Franchise opportunities are now available for people interested in opening their own Online Yard Sales Stores eBay drop-off store.
Online Yard Sales stores was cofounded by XXXXX and XXXXX in December, 2008. XXX and XXX had both recently finished their landscaping seasons, and and were pondering what the future had in store. They were buying and selling on eBay just for fun when a mutual friend stopped by one day and asked them to sell some musical equipment for him. He offered them a percentage of the sales, and after several successful eBay listings and a few dollars in their pockets the idea was born.
Online Yard Sales stores was started with a 400 pounds investment and a 10 pounds ad in The Seven Days local weekly newspaper. That first spring and summer every weekend was spent at garage sales searching for items to sell on eBay. Sales and advertising steadily increased, and by the fall of 2009 they had enough people coming through the door to keep them busy around the clock. The Company has now sold millions of dollars worth of merchandise on eBay and Craigslist, and runs one of the largest drop-off stores in the country. In 2009 alone, the Company sent over $250,000 worth of checks to Seattle sellers.
The first Online Yard Sales stores employee, XXXXXX, was hired in February, 2009 to write auctions and perform client intakes, and a second employee was added in April, 2009 to pack and ship boxes. Over the year the Company has fine tuned their consignment system, streamlined store operations, and developed a custom software program. The principals have formed Online Yard Sales Stores, LLC to start the process of offering franchise opportunities to other entrepreneurs.
 Step 1: Buyer and Seller Agree to Terms.
Both parties agree to terms of the transaction, which includes a description of the item, sale price, number of days for the Buyer's inspection, and any other information. After all terms are discussed and agreed by all parties, the Buyer must register with Online Yard Sales and start a transaction. After all the information requested in the Registration Form are submitted, Online Yard Sales will analyze them and after the seller confirms that they are accurate, Online Yard Sales will send an invoice to the buyer with the transaction details and payment instructions. The registration is free.


Step 2: Sending the Payment.
The payment must be sent to Online Yard Sales by following the exact instructions specified in the invoice. Once the payment is sent to Online Yard Sales and verified by our Financial Department, we will start the shipping process and will notify you by email about any change or progress of the transaction.




Step 3: Shipping and Inspection.
When the item is received, the buyer has a 10 day money back guarantee available to verify if the item is exactly as described. During this period the buyer can decide if the item will be returned or not. If the item is not as expected, we will return the item with no cost for the buyer and will refund the payment in full. The seller will be responsible for all the fees if that is the case. If the item is received as expected and accepted, we will send the payment to the seller and make the necessary paperwork so we can close the transaction.

Although we sell on eBay and Craigslist, these marketplaces are different and our selling policy is different. Check out Selling on Craigslist...
Is your item too large to bring into our Store?
If so, you can bring us photographs and information about your items, and we can list it for you with our Large Item Service. Or our Online Yard Sales at Home service will come right to your home or business and do all the work for you for a small fee
Online Yard Sales stores provides the following:
Evaluation of your item(s)
Test to make sure that the item works
Check that branded goods are authentic
Research important details 
Write a professional listing
Take professional photographs 
Place the item in the best category 
Start the listing at the best time 
Answer questions from bidders
Collect payment from buyer 
Pack the item carefully
Ship it to the buyer 
Take care of any returns 
… and everything else so that you don’t have to lift a finger!
What’s more? You retain complete anonymity throughout the whole transaction.

We get you more money
Yes, indeed! We attract more eBay bidders who are confident in placing higher bids, because we maximize sales prices through a combination of:
Expert staff using the latest technology 
eBay listings which are written by dedicated specialists who know everything from Armenian carpets to Zanussi appliances
We feature full color, professional pictures for every item - capturing every detail 
We offer the widest range of payment options, including bank transfers, cheques, credit cards through PayPal, and cash 
We ship worldwide - on average, one third of our buyers are outside the US 
We are a trusted eBay PowerSeller 
We have a high positive feedback rating 

Oh! what a tangled web we weave
When first we practise to deceive!
Sir Walter Scott
NEVER use instant payment services like Western Union or MoneyGram to buy items on the internet.