There's another type of auction and sales fraud that's been
handled quite well by a horse owner who was hit by it.  The
scammer wins the bid for the item (it's gotta be something huge,
like a piano or a horse) and sends e-mail to arrange shipping.

The plan is that the _shipper_ requires payment in cash or money
order, but the _buyer_ is somehow overseas, so would the _seller_
please accept a huge cashier's check for way too much money, pay
the shipper, and keep the payment for the item.

The seller deposits the check, pays real money to the "shipper" and
then discovers the check is counterfeit.  Of course the shipper is
an alias or front for the buyer.  Many buyers claim to be in London,
but some actually brazenly mention Nigeria!  Few of them can spell
properly.  (See MMD keyword "scams" for August 2003 and the notes
from MMD readers who have avoided these scams.)

I won't reveal all the exciting details, but if you'll look at
http://www.bustedupcowgirl.com/scampage.html you'll see how one
creative person has dealt with the scammers who have pretended to
buy her horses.  She scams _them!_

On a separate note, one of the joys of owning *both* horses and
upright player pianos is that a horse trailer can transport either
item.  It's generally inadvisable to put both in the same trailer at
the same time.  Also, most horses load and unload more easily than
most pianos, and either item is heavy enough to kill you.

Peter Neilson