Photographer buys rare Hasselblad on eBay, then a scam unfolds

A rare Hasselblad 907X Special Edition landed on Todd Vorenkamp’s eBay watch list at a price that looked almost impossible, and that was exactly the point. The camera, a high-end medium-format body and back combo, usually draws serious money and serious scrutiny. In this case, the seller had zero feedback, the listing looked out of place, and the deal was tempting enough to test whether it was a bargain or a trap.

The camera at the center of the sale was the Hasselblad 907X Special Edition, launched on July 18, 2019, to mark the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11. Hasselblad’s limited kit pairs the 907X camera body with the CFV II 50C digital back, both finished in matte black, with the back carrying the inscription “On the Moon Since 1969.” For photographers who follow rare gear, that puts the listing in a very different category from an ordinary used-body sale. It is the kind of collectible that attracts both deep-pocketed buyers and fraudsters.

Several details should have set off alarms immediately. The seller profile was based in New Jersey, but the account also listed something as random as pillows. The feedback score was zero, which meant there was no meaningful history to judge. Vorenkamp still made a low-ball offer, not absurd but far below what a legitimate example of the camera should command, and it was accepted within 15 hours. Soon after, the seller account disappeared and the listing vanished.

Then the shipping trail complicated the story even more. Tracking began in South Carolina, not New Jersey, leaving Vorenkamp to wonder whether he had bought a real camera, a stolen one, an empty box, or nothing at all. That uncertainty is the same pressure point that makes too-good-to-be-true camera listings so effective. A glossy photo and a rare model name can make buyers move before they verify the person on the other end.

eBay’s own protections matter here, but they are not a substitute for caution. The company says its Money Back Guarantee covers most transactions and can refund buyers if an item does not arrive, is damaged, or does not match the listing. It also tells buyers to check refund and return rules and use safe payment methods before they buy. Feedback profiles are public and show a member’s current score, while seller protections rely in part on policies and automated monitoring systems. Even so, zero-feedback accounts can still list expensive gear.

For anyone bidding on used cameras, this story is the checklist in disguise: verify the seller, read the return terms, use safe payment methods, and treat a rare deal with the same suspicion you would give a scratched lens with no serial number.