| Mr. Scully 13.02.2004 04:18 |
Some time ago I won an ebay auction with a South American Queen ticket from 1981 (quite cheaply). The seller had a zero feedback and didn't respond to my emails. When I threatened to include him in the black list on my site, he answered (said he hasn't received my previous mails). We agreed on the deal. He said the only possible way of payment was cash in a letter. I sent the letter with cash (well hidden!). After some time he wrote me that he hasn't received the letter at all. I told him I sent it registered so I can trace it. An hour later he wrote that he actually just received it but there was no money inside. Would you believe his words? Or is he a thief as I think? |
| AdamCDN 13.02.2004 04:31 |
I would say thief. It sucks not being able to trust people these days, but I would really think twice about ever sending cash to anyone again. |
| The Mir@cle 13.02.2004 04:42 |
I think you now know that this manner of buying something is not the safest one... I think he's a thief |
| Mr. Scully 13.02.2004 04:52 |
He was very polite, that's the only thing which confused me. But yes, he claims that the letter was "sealed" and money can't get lost from a sealed letter... Adam - I'm sending cash up to 100 times every year. It got lost only TWICE in history. One case being this guy from Argentina, the second case being Adrian Hopkins Promotions about six years ago when I ordered (for the first and also last time) something via the fan club :-) |
| AdamCDN 13.02.2004 04:56 |
Tell him you are giving him bad feedback, and posting on Queen boards not to deal with him. See if that smartens him up, that's about all you can do. |
| Hitman 13.02.2004 04:58 |
blacklist him,it's too strange. |
| agneepath9 13.02.2004 05:54 |
in the UK we are always told: never send cash in the post. sounds like a crook! |
| Jjeroen 13.02.2004 06:00 |
Sounds like a thief to me too. And indeed, sending cash, I know from experience, is quite safe. Mine never got lost anyway. Strange 'coincidence': my only failed Ebay-transaction went quite like this one and it was with a guy from South-America as well!? |
| Togg 13.02.2004 06:15 |
As someone said in another thread, 'baby you've been had' My advice NEVER send cash, there are crooks everywhere these days, and the best ones always sound convincing. Sorry |
| FEEL THE FORCE 2 13.02.2004 06:23 |
Hi Mr Scully, long long time ago i send a mail to you about something very similar that happend to me, if you send the money via registred letter, you know if he is a liar or not, but if you send the money via ordinary mail you never know, i have trade 2 times with you without any problemm so i belive you, of course. And it would be great to make a hall of fame for this. |
| Mr. Scully 13.02.2004 06:43 |
Well I always send registered so that it's never my fault when something wrong happens. But he says he got it - but with no money inside, that's the problem. |
| Lawyeris 13.02.2004 07:01 |
First of all, you've done a breach sending money in a letter, and you know it. So if the seller says, that he didnt find money, and let’s suppose he is right, so one logical explanation, that postmen noticed the breach. So, if the postman doesnt steal money and officially traced a breach, what is the destiny of that letter then? I dont believe that legal situation for this would be extract money from letter and sent it to addressee further without any official note, sent to the sender. It's more likely that you would got your letter back with or without money or with fine instead of them. So, if this situation happened to you before, was it the same as this time? Maybe you should ask somebody from post office? Of course it is very funny advide, but you could just ask “Let’s assume that somebody sents money inside the letter, and what happens than if post office notices it”. Maybe they would explain situation and you’ll decide who is a thief? |
| Arnaldo "Ogre-" Silveira 13.02.2004 07:15 |
Hi, Scully. Well, I tend to think at least one million times before calling someone a thief. The case is very strange, indeed. It sure LOOKS like the guy or somebody on the way stole the money. Would it be possible that the envelope would be opened and sealed again? Anyway, don't you have a list for "suspects", instead of "thieves"? I would put a guy like that in the first kind of list. Finally, have you tried to inform the guy that he was going to be blacklisted to see if he would decide to send you the goods? Maybe even in the odd situation in which he did not get the money, if he is a honest person, he would probably send you the goods. Cheers, Ogre- PS: Did you really put the money in that envelope? :D |
| wstüssyb 13.02.2004 07:17 |
I have sent many packages to Aregtnina, the postal service is the worst I ever seen, more worse the Brazil, I would say a lot of the postal people will steal money from letters, as well as packages, when my wife was there, I was sending a letter and package allmost every week, around 60% ever got there, a lot of times letters were ripped in certain places, like a postal person can peer inside to see what is in there, same with packages. but the letter was sealed, how else can you explain it? |
| Mr. Scully 13.02.2004 07:32 |
Arnaldo - yes, I guess it will end this way. Saying directly "thief" would be unfair but saying "beware" will be a must. Barry - it's entirely possible that the postman in Argentina opened the letter and I agree the post offices in these countries are (in)famous for that. But considering the other circumstances... zero feedback, accepting only cash, receiving the letter right after I told him that I can trace it... |
| deleted user 13.02.2004 08:04 |
Sounds fishy Martin. I just had a similar thing happen to me with the Iron Maiden Live After Death DVD from some folks in Argentina. I even sent the money Western Union. That was in early December. They cashed the MO. This is the mid point of Feb. They are also off eBay. No longer registered. I have nothing to do to my money back. |
| NoOneButYou1975 13.02.2004 08:44 |
You can open a sealed envelope and seal it again using steam then proceed to make a cup of tea jk :) |
| Penis - Vagina 13.02.2004 08:52 |
I can't add anything new to this other than to say I'm sorry for your loss, but you have to accept a risk like this if you're going to send cash. Doesn't matter how many times you've done it with success. |
| Mr. Scully 13.02.2004 09:22 |
I accept the risk and I know I won't get neither the ticket or the money. I just wonder if the seller is a thief - or how likely it is. |
| javier fernández 1919 13.02.2004 09:45 |
I could probably give you a hint, I know lots of queen fans from argentina, being manager of a couple of tribute bands here and a long-time collector. if you want, send me his name, and I will let you know if have any info about him. Regards, Javier PS: I agree, our postal service is the worst in the world actually, although it sounds like a thief to me. |
| Mr. Scully 13.02.2004 09:49 |
I think his name is Agustin Rosso. Haven't you heard about him? He's not a Queen collector I think. |
| Queenland 13.02.2004 11:36 |
Some 2 or 3 years ago I received an empty envelope from Australia which was supposed to have $ 30 inside. As the envelope was clearly opened by someone (either on the Brazilian or Australian post office) I have sent him the goods. Only happened once to me... since I started to collect in '77 ! |
| Sonja 13.02.2004 13:23 |
I don't know, my mum and grandma always send me money from Brazil for my b-day and christmas, etc without any problems. I always received the money, and I've never received an opened letter from Brazil. It CAN happen, but as he first didn't reply to your emails, and then said the money hadn't arrived and all that... I wouldn't believe him. Sorry about that! But it's always a risk... |
| *goodco* 13.02.2004 15:47 |
We tend to put cash or MOs inside carbon paper, with the carbon facing out. First time I did that was per Henrique's advice a quite a few years back. Don't know if it helps, but it certainly doesn't hurt. Made a cash purchase from queensite a couple of months ago. The item arrived BEFORE getting the confirmation card that he received our mail. I'd be hesitant dealing with a zero feedback even if he was within a hundred miles. I made that costly mistake once. My big hunch is the seller. I hope I'm wrong. sidenote....this seller has done a few transactions, but in a very short time link Would you trust this company's word on the item's authenticity? Odd that Freddie's is the only one that doesn't look fake. |
| inu-liger 13.02.2004 16:11 |
I sent P_G $26 US cash in the mail three years ago or more for the Ian & Belinda 12"...and I accused him of lying to me at first when he said he never got the money. Now, after what people have been saying about him, I will have to concede that I may believe that my money was stolen in the mail, and that may be why P_G never got it. I still wish to this day that I had the receipt from the Canadian bank I did the foreign exchange at to prove that I did get that $26 so I can prove I am not lying And P_G, if you are reading this, I apologize in advance if it seems that I am trying to re-open old wounds, as I am not trying to. I believe now that it may have been simply stolen. Just out of curiosity, do you even still have that record at all? |
| javier fernández 1919 13.02.2004 18:31 |
mmm... I don't know him at all. I will check with other collectors though. Javier |
| Whatinthewhatthe? 14.02.2004 07:50 |
As a seller and buyer on Ebay, I wouldn't have bid on something a seller with a zero feedback rating had, for love or money. Like your bad experience, I've read too many other bad ones too. Report the offender to Ebay. It takes several minutes to fill out the report form but it's worth it. I had trouble where a user stole my address from Ebay and used it on auctions to further his/her own gain because the person won high-end electronics auctions and paid for it with a stolen credit card (not mine) but how they got my address from Ebay I will never know (hacked it I suppose). The sellers lost their merchandise and their money and I don't know if they got either back, but probably not. Please be careful and read all feedbacks before you bid on or buy anything on Ebay. You take a big chance when you bid on anything! |
| Megamike The GREAT 14.02.2004 09:05 |
OK, not to stand up for the thief.. and I know he is.. but you can't use the notion that if the seller/buyer has 0 feedback I will not deal with them or else they will NEVER get a chance.. we were ALL at zero once.. and I have both sent and recieved cash, it is risky but that is a chance you take, it is far easier for some countries to send cash then to deal with the hassle of getting a money order or stuff like that, I do draw a limit and unless it is sent registered or certified mail I will not send or accept (on Ebay) I have been taken for a ride only once. but to refuse to do business based on their zero feedback.. no, I do not agree.. if they have ANY Neg I have my doubts, but still look at the whole picture including the person that left the neg feedback. Oh, I am known on ebay as Queenworld and I have a 100% positive with 37 feedback.. |
| Guy 14.02.2004 09:11 |
I don't think sellers with 0 feedback should be bought from. If they want feedback they can buy stuff, get a few positive feedbacks and then sell. That's what I did (not on purpose, I never intended to sell anything). |
| Megamike The GREAT 14.02.2004 09:26 |
Ok, WHAT IF... now bare with me, you have no intention on buying on ebay.. then one day you need money.. rent is due and you are going to be evicted, you put your prized item on ebay for sale for CHEAP... but you have 0 feedback... how would you feel...? Not that THIS is what happened but it DOES happen.. again, the original point is I think judging people based on zero feedback is wrong... |
| Penis - Vagina 14.02.2004 10:17 |
As with most debates, I'm in the middle on this one. I agree that sellers shouldn't be discriminated against based on being new, but at the same time I think buyers do need to exercise some caution, and use their best judgement when dealing with such an individual. I would recommend basing the decision whether to buy on a few factors. The price of the item.. if it's worth the risk to you and isn't going to exhaust your collecting budget if the deal goes sour, and also the payment options. If it's a case like this where there's zero feedback and the only form of payment is cash, I think some caution is in order. For me personally, if I wanted something bad enough, I would risk perhaps $20 or so on a situation like this, but beyond that I would want a form of payment which is at least somewhat traceable/recoverable. Just a matter of personal instinct, trust, judgement, risk :) I've been lucky so far as a buyer. The closest to a bad deal was something being described as 'mint' which turned out to be not quite mint. And I had one 'mint' CD which was in horrible condition and wouldn't play but the guy claimed it was a mistake and made good by actually buying a brand new copy and sending it as a replacement. Because of that, I gave him the most glowing feedback and didn't even mention the problem because he more than corrected it. Which leads me to a point... if you have a bad experience, give the other party a little time to make things right. Don't immediately slam them with bad feedback which can't be erased. Mistakes happen. And as a seller I've had only good experiences except for one guy who wouldn't pay, wouldn't respond, and kept bidding on other stuff. He finally responded and paid, after something like 2 weeks, claiming his mailbox had been full. One more thing: It would sure be nice if Ebay had a direct link to negative feedback so you didn't have to scroll through page after page looking for them! I don't just immediately dismiss sellers with some bad feedback, I like to read the details and it can be a pain, particularly with one of these 'power sellers' with 10,000 feedbacks. |
| Whatinthewhatthe? 15.02.2004 11:10 |
"One more thing: It would sure be nice if Ebay had a direct link to negative feedback so you didn't have to scroll through page after page looking for them! I don't just immediately dismiss sellers with some bad feedback, I like to read the details and it can be a pain, particularly with one of these 'power sellers' with 10,000 feedbacks." Oh, how I agree with you!! I know it's so time-consuming to keep clicking and clicking till you find the negative ones. Most sellers I've dealt with have been really open and honest if I had a question about an item, shipping costs or even little things like how the item will be packed! I pack things to death when I sell because I want the items to reach the buyer the same as when they left my possession at the post office. We all know how mail handlers handle packages (even ones marked FRAGILE all over the box) and sometimes something like the package reaching the buyer in horrible shape can result in a negative feedback, even though it wasn't the seller's fault how the USPS handled the box in transit. But being deceptive to the buyer is the worst thing. All of my auctions have everything possible described about the item for sale, down to shipping and insurance costs, the smallest detail never left out. Just be very, very careful anytime you bid on anything on Ebay. Research the seller's feedback and ALWAYS ask questions before you place any bid. Being cautious and knowledgable is always the best precaution!! |