I will try not to editorialize.
Anyway, a few weeks ago I listed a T206 John McGraw that was a PSA 6(OC) that I won at auction. It was a clean-looking card that I was hoping might cross to an SGC 60. Unfortunately it did not meet the minimum grade with SGC, so I listed it on eBay. Since I paid $180 plus the vig at auction, and all I wanted to do was recoup my expenses, I listed it with a $200 BIN. The eBay item number of my listing was 160161142259.
Here's a scan of the card:
Within a short period after listing the auction, I received an email through eBay from eBay member "justinrulesin99." The email read as follows:
Dear XXXXX,
i am very interested in this item, i am trying to get the funds into my account so i can pay you right away through paypal as i do not like to owe ppl money. Could u hold this card for me a day or two as i try to get the funds from a family member who owes me money and if so then i will purchase the item through pay pal immediately. I am a trusted buyer with 100 % rating. Thanks Justin.
- justinrulesin99
Now, I was disinclined to "hold" an item for a buyer with low feedback (50, at the time), whose purchases consisted primarily of fifty-cent and one-dollar modern cards, who had never purchased a prewar item, as far as I could see. So I held off on responding.
Five hours and 17 minutes after sending the above email, justinrules99 executed the BIN option on my card - September 26, 2007.
The following day, I was scanning the eBay listings, looking for items to add to my watch list. Oddly enough, I stumbled across what appeared to be another T206 John McGraw, this one in PSA 6. Since I just just sold my PSA 6 (OC), I decided to open the listing. Here's what I saw:
It was my card! The seller, justinrules99, had re-listed my card before he paid me for it. The card was still in my possession, and he had listed what appeared to be his first-ever auction, a one-day auction, for MY card!
And look at all the lies in his listing:
1) He calls the card a PSA 6 when it is a PSA 6 (OC).
2) He says he's owned the card for 5 years when the card was bought from me the day before (and not paid for)
3) He says there are only a very limited number of PSA 6 McGraws, which a look at the pop report will indicate is untrue.
4) He says his reserve is just high enough to cover what he paid for the card.
Well, sure enough, the auction closed on the 27th with the winning bidder at $212, which did not meet his reserve. And if you look at the bidding patterns, it looks like he shilled it, too.
His auction closed at 6:38. Three hours later, I received this email from him:
Dear XXXX,
ive contacted you concerning this item days ago. You have yet to respond. Sorry our transaction could not go through. I am sorry we could not come to an agreement. I could not get the funds and good luck with the card. Sorry.
I apologize.
- justinrulesin99
In response to his email, I simply sent him an invoice and waited. On September 30, I received this email from him:
Dear XXXX,
Due to Your nonresponsiveness i am officially deleting your transaction completely. Take care.
- justinrulesin99
Now, I'm angry. And like the geek I am, I send him this super-cool sounding response:
Dear justinrulesin99,
Sorry friend, you chose the wrong guy to try and scam. I saw that you tried to sell the card before you paid me for it, and
within five minutes of getting your email telling me you weren't going to pay, I had forwarded a complaint with eBay's Trust and
Safety department. Nice try, though. Enjoy your weekend.
- XXXX
And I did, of course, report all the info to eBay's Trust and Safety department. Unfortunately it was too early after the transaction to file an Unpaid Item report, since it seems that eBay requires a 7-day waiting period after the close of the auction.
So I hung tight. And, sure enough, on September 30 eBay's Trust and Safety department sent me a note that verified that they were, indeed, in touch with Justin. And within three hours, Justing seemingly changed his tune:
Dear XXXX,
i will be more than happy to pay, your irresponsiveness upset me. And yes thats what i do i buy items and resell them. Its not illegal, many people do that. Your response is appreciated, And i will more than happily buy the item. Its not a scam, its obvious thats what people do on ebay, buy items and resell them. If u have a problem with me buying the item and taking the work to find another buyer that is your problem. Thats how i do things and it is not against the rules to buy and resell. I will more than happily buy the item. But if u have filed a complaint then u need to fix that.
A ebay buyer AND seller, justin
- justinrulesin99
Now Justin is digging himself a bit of a hole. Clearly, hitting the BIN and trying to re-sell my card before he pays me, then backing out of the transaction when he can't make a profit is NOT what people do on eBay. Selling something you don't have in your possession IS against the rules. And calling himself a buyer AND a seller is a misnomer, since he has never sold anything on eBay and clearly states that in his listing.
He has the invoice, of course, and all he has to do is pay. But I suspect he's panicking, because a few hours later he sends this:
Dear XXXX,
It was just business man sorry, if you prefer to have the sellers name who i was going to resell it to for more money then u are more than welcomed. But i am more than happy to purchase the item and then resell it. Let me know something thanks.
- justinrulesin99
So now he wants ME to be dishonest. But before I get a chance to respond, he emails me again:
Dear XXXX,
MORE than happy to pay for the item if you dont mind responding. If you feel that it is unfair for me to resell your item for more money, then i will give you my potential buyers names who have contacted me and who were willing to pay more money. If not, then i am more than ready to pay as funds have been distributed to my paypal account and i am ready to pay you. Thank You, Have a good day.
- justinrulesin99
Now he is suddenly MORE than happy to pay. Except for one thing: he still hasn't paid. So I respond thusly:
Dear justinrulesin99,
I'm not sure what kind of response you're looking for from me, exactly.
- XXXX
All he has to do at this point is pay me. But he wants to chat about it. So he responds:
Dear XXXX,
If u do not ever respond, we can not get this transaction finished. Your response is appreciated and i am looking forward to getting our transaction either finalized or not. Thanks, Justin
- justinrulesin99
And then he sends this:
Dear XXXX,
It seems as if you are uncomfortable with the way i do things. I buy and resell for profit. Its what i do. If you prefer not to deal with someone that does that, i understand. But i am more than happy to make the purchase from u and resell it right away. If u feel uncomfortable with the way i do business, i will give u the name of the probable potential buyers i was going to sell the card to after i bought it from u. If u want their addresses i will give them to u otherwise i will purchase your item and do business like i usually do. If u feel that what i do is dirty and dont want to do business with me then so be it, let me know immediately as the other buyers are awaiting emails and responses from me?? Thanks and sorry if you feel offended, Justin
- justinrulesin99
He completely does not understand that the problem that I have with him is A) he listed my card on eBay before he paid me for it, B) when it didn't sell, he tried to back out of the transaction, and C) HE STILL HAS NOT PAID ME at this point.
And saying he "buys and resells for profit" is downright silly, since he's buying $3.00 modern cards and has not sold a single card from this ID. Finally, though, I respond:
Dear justinrulesin99,
Justin, I frankly don't care how you do business, although I also know you've never sold anything on eBay before, so you're lying about that, too. My issue is not that you want to make a profit. My issue is that you're a scammer. You tried selling an item you didn't own, and stringing me on until you got paid. When you
couldn't sell the item - even after you shilled the auction - you reneged on your commitment to buy. If that's how you intend to 'do business', I don't know what to tell you.
- XXXX
A few minutes later, I receive this response:
Dear XXXX,
I dont sell them on ebay under this name, i have 0 noteriety for selling under this name, as i am only a buyer under this name and i accidently posted this card under my usual buyers name and i always sell under another. Also i sell at card auctions and card shops, and i definately look forward to selling this card there unless u feel offended by the way i have went about things. If u think it is a scam then dont sell me the card if you are upset with the way i do things. So let me know immediately if u want to do business with in your words "a scam artist". If not i will take my money and "scam business" elsewhere. My potential buyers are getting upset with the wait. So let me know if u want to deal with me or not. I dont want u to feel offended and that is why i am leaving it up to you. Your response is appreciated, and once again i apologize for the way i do things if u think buying and reselling is unfair. Once again i apologize for RElisting it under this name.
- justinrulesin99
Now he's telling me he sells under a different name, and that he's got buyers that are getting upset with the wait - despite the fact that he could not sell the card with the reserve he set.
And he's also telling me that he "accidentally" listed the card under his buyer's ID. His "accidental" listing, if you recall, included an elaborate explanation of how it was his first time listing a card, but that he hoped to become an eBay PowerSeller. So I suppose he "accidentally" typed that entire explanation into his listing as well.
So I respond:
Dear justinrulesin99,
Interesting that you would say you sell under another ID and that you accidentally listed the card under this one, because your 'accidental' listing goes into great detail, explaining that you are just getting started as a seller and hope to become a Power Seller. Seems like an elaborate explanation for an 'accident'. Did you 'accidentally' shill the auction, too?
- XXXX
His response:
Dear XXXX,
Well i lied in the explanation to the buyers about me being a beginner, b/c i know that people do not buy from people beginning to sell so i had to come up with some type of explanation in my description since i accidently used the wrong name. So i edited the listing and added that lie and had to say i was a beginner as i already listed that item the preveious day and i didnt want to pay two listing fees for listing it again under my normal sellers name. Regardless of that, will u sell me the card or not its a great deal but i am tired of playing email tag and understand that what i do sometimes may seem unfair and understand greatly if u do not want to sell me the card. All previous things aside can we move on and either me buy the card or you find a more reliable buyer to whom u prefer. Thanks, Justin.
P.S. Tag (your it) JK have a good day, your response is appreciated.
- justinrulesin99
Okay. So he accidentally listed MY card with the wrong ID, so he lied in his listing to avoid paying two listing fees.
Later that night:
Dear XXXX,
Just say either pay for the item , or u rather take your business elsewhere.
Just say either one of those and then we can finish this email tag. Sorry for the inconviences i may have caused you. Take care, Justin
- justinrulesin99
And then:
Dear XXXX,
can u either respond with a message that either says buy the item or not. After dealing with such a hassle i prefer not to, but if u would like me to, i definately will because it is a great card and i am looking forward to recieving it. Looking forward to hearing back from you so we can get this settled. Have a Good Day, Thanks Justin
- justinrulesin99
And finally:
Dear XXXX,
If u are ready to get the transaction finished, i was curious if you could include an invoice and include shipping insurance with it. Thanks,
Your customer, Justin
- justinrulesin99
Bear in mind, he received an invoice the day after the auction closed. Meanwhile, eight days have elapsed while the buyer/seller continuously asks me whether I really want to sell him the card. And yet, all he needs to do is pay me, which he never did.
Finally, on October 4, I file an unpaid item report with eBay. And - big surprise - within MINUTES, I receive a PayPal payment.
So, to recap:
1) Justin asks me to hold a card I have listed on eBay while he comes up with the money to buy it.
2) He hits the BIN and then lists the card, steals my scans, and does not pay me.
3) His listing lies about the grade of the card, the value of the card, the scarcity of the card, how long he's owned it, and why he's selling it.
4) He shills his auction.
5) When he cannot sell the card for a profit, he tells me that he is deleting the transaction because of my non-communication.
6) When he receives a note from Big Brother eBay, he apologizes and says "it's just the way I do business."
7) He then lies about how often he sells cards on eBay.
8) He then offers to let me sell the card directly to his "buyers."
9) He admits to lying in his listing.
10) It takes an unpaid item strike to finally get him to pay.
It should be noted that I shipped the card to him via UPS with delivery confirmation, the day I received his payment. And I did, indeed, receive confirmation of delivery.
I am going to leave negative feedback for Mr. Justinrulesin99. I am doing it because other eBay users need to know how this person does business, and be forewarned. It's a shame, though, because I have been an eBay user for nine years, and have a feedback rating of 100%, with 1238 transactions from 581 different eBay members. My feedback comes as both a buyer and a seller, since I use the same ID for both. I fully expect this 100% feedback to be sullied by a retaliatory negative, which is a shame.
So I figured I'd create this web page to tell the story.
______________
A posthumous note: Yesterday, I left him his negative. He actually had the nerve to respond with this:
Dear XXXX,
I payed you for the ITEM and we agreed we wouldnt leave negative Feedback for another. I could see if i didnt pay you, but i FREAKIN PAYED YOU. Reason i backed out, was b/c in YOUR DESCRIPTION it did not CLEARLY STATE THAT IT WAS OFF CENTERED. IF you dont mind can u please remove the negative feedback.
- justinrulesin99
So now I'm really glad I left him the negative, because he's lying twice more.
First of all, I never agreed to not leave negative feedback. As you can see, since every communication is copied above, the subject of feedback was never brought up.
Second of all, the issue of the card's centering never came up, either. However, if you search eBay for the item number listed above, you will see that the title of my listing is "1909-11 T206 John McGraw Old Mill PSA 6 (OC) HOF GIANTS".
Furthermore, my auction description has precisely one line of text. It reads as follows:
" Nice-looking card with crisp image and clean back; T/B centering accounts for the qualifier."
So there you go. I won't be removing the feedback.