$7000+ eBay Scam, could hit all mailbox/vault services (COMC/SMC/PSA Fanatics Vault)

[mc1]

Originally Posted by coltsnsox07

If I remember correctly, don't cards that come from COMC come with a little slip in the toploader like it's from the COMC inventory kind of thing? There's nothing like that in the Wilt.

COMC received that card in a package/envelope. Why would the Wilt have a slip?

[mc1]

Originally Posted by pingbling23

Terrible situation to be in. I agree with jcard though, not much proof to go on. For educational purposes for anyone reading the replies. What is the appropriate course of action for the seller here if they are an honest seller? Would you just refund the money and go on with your life if someone made these claims and you know you sent the correct card? I would have definitely given as much info to the buyer as I could. No offense to the op but the misspelling of words and the way you write sentences would put me on guard. I don’t understand why you never contacted the seller when it was taking forever to ship? It could just of easily been a postal employee or a comc employee that is the bad actor. I wish eBay was more of a help but what can they realistically do? If they just refund everyone when a complaint is made that’s not good business sense. Op I hope it works out for you. I can only imagine spending that much and not getting what I paid for.

Really? The OP is in Europe, I do not think English is his first language.

First mistake you are making is assuming the seller is honest. Mighty big assumption when this big of a deal goes wrong. Seriously, what is more likely? A bad seller or a bad COMC employee stealing? A bad USPS employee somehow targeting this package and intercepting it to replace the card!

[unreal13]

Originally Posted by TeeBee12

Didn’t read the entire snafu, but just wanted to chime in for a solid purchase plan to thwart these kinda things. I’ve had everything from fake mx psa slabs, same zip but diff address (to circumnavigate automated denials in cases), to “oops I mixed up packages”. So here’s my process, but I do not ever recommend 3rd party vaults. Get an llc and resale cert for so many obvious reasons. If you don’t, you’re doing it all wrong. Think the farmers wife’s side hustle-bead-business in “the accountant”. Saved the farm. But I digress.

So, forget eBay being the decider. Your banking institution is. So layer it.

first thing is use an American Express. Easy appeals. They are a buyers card vs debit or anything visa that ultimately protects vendors.

Next link that AMEX to PayPal. Provides an extra appeals level. You can not use AMEX directly through eBay anyways. Wonder why?

Then pay for your purchase thru PayPal funded by your AMEX.

Then burn your bridges accordingly.

First through eBay. But they have rules. But not your rules.

When they auto deny it or pull this loophole sh!t, call PayPal.

It should stop there. But even if it doesn’t, AMEX will. They are pros at spotting scams and sucking the money back from PayPal who ultimately sucks it back from eBay. You will have to provide the necessary correspondence and keep up w/ your case, but it will be credited (the second you report it) as the buyer obviously will not be able to provide proof that they delivered the goods sold. Plus you get points. If you use the llc business Amex you’re even protected automatically to additional levels depending on your state.

Then top it off. Figure out an online banking card that allows you to pay Amex with a decent 1% rewards program. More points. If you wanna kick it up an additional notch, use a rebate website to login in to eBay and purchase. You’ll get a check every quarter outta the blue. In this case $72. And a quasi-additional layer to your bean dip purchase plan.

Caveat emptor. Protect your neck & sh!t.

To add to this since I was unfortunately a victim of the "same zip different address" scam earlier this year, while still dealing with eBay, DO NOT open a case for Item not Received even if you haven't received it for this type of scam. If USPS tracking shows delivered or available for pickup then the case will be closed in favor of the seller. Instead file a case for Item not as Described, upload a picture of an empty box or whatever, and they will generate a return label for you. You'll be refunded once tracking on the return shows delivered.

In my case I was actually able to get the post office to give me a picture of the package addressed to someone else and I reached out to that person to obtain it. That probably won't work every time, but I went to the PO with all the proof in the world that I was being scammed and they gave me what I asked for with no hassle.

[ReggieBush22]

Originally Posted by jprk31

The seller listing the card with only 1 pictureof the actual card is already a red flag. I mean it’s a 9k plus card and only one picture? That does not make sense even if it was a BGS graded card. I sell cards for as low as .99 cents and I still do 2 pictures front and back. Hopefully you get your money back.

Yeah, just looking at the listing, that immediately stood out. One, blurry pic of the card but like 5+ photos of MJ in his All-Star game jersey. Also, the seller avoiding authenticity guarantee should've been another red flag.

Wonder if OP had any previous dialogue with the seller prior to the purchase just to get a feel for the guy.

[ReggieBush22]

I never dabbled in MJ on-card auto stuff but I have to ask, how much below market value did OP buy this card for. If it was a good amount, that's another red flag. I didn't read through all this but sometimes before making a big purchase, you can do things to vet the buyer. What i said above about 1 blurry pic, the market price and perhaps some dialogue might've given some clues.

[pingbling23]

Originally Posted by mc1

Really? The OP is in Europe, I do not think English is his first language.

First mistake you are making is assuming the seller is honest. Mighty big assumption when this big of a deal goes wrong. Seriously, what is more likely? A bad seller or a bad COMC employee stealing? A bad USPS employee somehow targeting this package and intercepting it to replace the card!

Regardless, that’s how I would feel right or wrong. Until all the facts are presented and we know 100% what happened, this is all speculation. I don’t get down with mob mentality. If this was the seller making this thread everyone would be saying the buyer had a friend at comc swap the card and 10 people would be agreeing. All I hope is everything is made right and the culprit be held accountable, whoever that may be.

[TeeBee12]

Originally Posted by ReggieBush22

Yeah, just looking at the listing, that immediately stood out. One, blurry pic of the card but like 5+ photos of MJ in his All-Star game jersey. Also, the seller avoiding authenticity guarantee should've been another red flag.

Wonder if OP had any previous dialogue with the seller prior to the purchase just to get a feel for the guy.

This is where a solid buying defense that mitigates risk comes into play. Yes. 99.9% of the 1 blurry pic, definitely shady, other items are a curling iron, a pair of Dee Brown Reebok pumps & a Honus Wagner something or other. But there are those unicorned, not properly listed, worth the minimal risk and 10 minutes of headaches because it’s worth the squeeze that are the cherry. The ‘51 Mantle 5 & ‘79 OPC Gretzky 9 listed as Topps for instance.

[JWBlue]

Thank you for taking the time to inform us. Looks like I got lucky not being scammed.

Can someone provide the CliffsNotes about whether the OP received his money back?

[RKH916]

Originally Posted by JWBlue

Can someone provide the CliffsNotes about whether the OP received his money back?

Ebay blew him off due to it being past the three day return window. Effectively ended the communication with "we appreciate your 12 years of service. can't help. bye"

Seller never responded.

Only way OP is getting his money or card is through legal means

[TeeBee12]

Originally Posted by RKH916

Ebay blew him off due to it being past the three day return window. Effectively ended the communication with "we appreciate your 12 years of service. can't help. bye"

Seller never responded.

Only way OP is getting his money or card is through legal means

Kinda my point. eBay blew him off. But eBay’s a nobody. After all, eBay’s owners tried to off a guy. Bing it. The moral is, how you bank and with whom you bank makes eBay the actual nobody. They are simply the middle man, not an FDIC regulated, financial institution. They are the bum in front of that late night ATM. Gently push that guy to the side vs handing him your wallet & the make & model of your first car.

[ninjabum87]

Originally Posted by jcardstore

Deliberately altering the label only makes me think this was a postal service worker

Idk why would a postal worker even bother doing such a thing? What benefit would it give them? The only person covering up that username helps is the seller. You have a postal worker deliberately covering up a COMC username for what purpose exactly?

[TeeBee12]

Originally Posted by unreal13

To add to this since I was unfortunately a victim of the "same zip different address" scam earlier this year, while still dealing with eBay, DO NOT open a case for Item not Received even if you haven't received it for this type of scam. If USPS tracking shows delivered or available for pickup then the case will be closed in favor of the seller. Instead file a case for Item not as Described, upload a picture of an empty box or whatever, and they will generate a return label for you. You'll be refunded once tracking on the return shows delivered.

In my case I was actually able to get the post office to give me a picture of the package addressed to someone else and I reached out to that person to obtain it. That probably won't work every time, but I went to the PO with all the proof in the world that I was being scammed and they gave me what I asked for with no hassle.

Exactly. And OP, not trying to downplay your frustrations at all. I’ve been there. Don’t get me started on the introduction of blue labeled autos and the mass confusion on “but what about the actual card itself” clusterfnck the vagueness allowed. Still does w today’s ambiguous red labeled “trading card” that just reversed the confusion once everyone finally grasped the blue flipped reprints. So first beer is on me. Best case scenario is you get made whole. Worst case scenario is you learn a solid lesson like the rest of us. Close that 3rd party loophole. Especially on a grail. Layer your protection & make eBay the fluffer, not a dominatrix. Look into that rebate website purchase portal too. Even if you ultimately lose on all fronts, you’ll still get that $72 check towards a mis-steak dinner bc you lost. It’s not a grail but it’s a solid red solo cup outta the blew. Don’t get fluffed.

[mjohnatgt]

Originally Posted by ReggieBush22

Also, the seller avoiding authenticity guarantee should've been another red flag.

I would say this is likely UNINTENTIONAL based on the word Collection being in the card set title, and not everyone knowing eBay's rules and specific wordings that eliminate AG processing.

The buyer should contact the seller in advance and have them update the listing or relist with the word Collection being removed, so that it goes through AG. That would have routed the card to PSA and then PSA would have sent to COMC mailboxes.

[mjohnatgt]

Originally Posted by RKH916

Ebay blew him off due to it being past the three day return window. Effectively ended the communication with "we appreciate your 12 years of service. can't help. bye"

Seller never responded.

Only way OP is getting his money or card is through legal means

Also: no real proof shown that seller is at fault. Just conjecture. Therefore, unlikely to get satisfaction through legal means.

[jkampis]

Originally Posted by Ericc5Bears

Based on the evidence it was 99.9% a blatant scam attempt by the seller, anyone saying otherwise is just being contrarian for the sake of it. One important thing to note is that for the last 3 years it has basically been impossible to scam on higher end items due to the authentication center. For someone to scam like this it has to be an absolutely perfect storm of

1. The item bypassing authenticity guarantee due to a word in the title without being incredibly obvious you're intentionally bypassing it
2. The buyer has to be using a re-shipper like COMC
3. The item has to be enough over the $250 threshold to make it worth the risk (can't imagine he'd do this for a $400 card for example).

So even though he has a good amount of successfully completed transactions, he had no other choice, scamming on them literally wasn't possible with the authenticity guarantee center middlemanning. We also have evidence of him being called out as a scammer at least once on his instagram (could've also deleted other comments) and getting at least 1 negative feedback for cancelling an order because he wasn't happy with the auction hammer price (absolute scumbag behavior no person with morals would partake in.) Plus, it's very easy to get negative feedback removed so I wouldn't be surprised if his 4 revised feedbacks in the last 12 months were all negatives that he somehow convinced ebay to remove. Then you have the smoking gun which is him physically covering the COMC username on the package to delay the images being uploaded to the buyer. There is literally no possible way to justify that, even if you buy into the crazy theory that a USPS worker swapped the cards there is a 0% chance they would then go through the trouble of randomly covering up the COMC username especially when it doesn't benefit them at all.

The seller is clearly very knowledgeable about the hobby and dealing through ebay which is needed to pull something like this off. The most rational explanation by far is that he does mostly legitimate business to keep his reputation up, but then a few times a year when the oppurtunity lines up perfectly he pulls a scam like this.

This. Occam’s Razor applied.

[jkampis]

Originally Posted by mjohnatgt

I would say this is likely UNINTENTIONAL based on the word Collection being in the card set title, and not everyone knowing eBay's rules and specific wordings that eliminate AG processing.

The buyer should contact the seller in advance and have them update the listing or relist with the word Collection being removed, so that it goes through AG. That would have routed the card to PSA and then PSA would have sent to COMC mailboxes.

Have you read all of the other circumstantial evidence presented in this thread? There’s just too much smoke here for this to likely be unintentional.

[MavsRChamps]

What's not mentioned is - I already don't like the seller because he used "Exquisite" in the title when it's an Ultimate Collection card, simply to maniupulate the listing. Not saying spammers and scammers always go together, but it's another minor thing to add to the list of shady things by the seller.

[RKH916]

Originally Posted by MavsRChamps

What's not mentioned is - I already don't like the seller because he used "Exquisite" in the title when it's an Ultimate Collection card, simply to maniupulate the listing. Not saying spammers and scammers always go together, but it's another minor thing to add to the list of shady things by the seller.

Nah he got the set name correct, it's exquisite collection

2004-05 Exquisite Collection - Extra Exquisite

[Chris P]

Originally Posted by pingbling23

Terrible situation to be in. I agree with jcard though, not much proof to go on. For educational purposes for anyone reading the replies. What is the appropriate course of action for the seller here if they are an honest seller? Would you just refund the money and go on with your life if someone made these claims and you know you sent the correct card? I would have definitely given as much info to the buyer as I could. No offense to the op but the misspelling of words and the way you write sentences would put me on guard. I don’t understand why you never contacted the seller when it was taking forever to ship? It could just of easily been a postal employee or a comc employee that is the bad actor. I wish eBay was more of a help but what can they realistically do? If they just refund everyone when a complaint is made that’s not good business sense. Op I hope it works out for you. I can only imagine spending that much and not getting what I paid for.

Maybe the spelling words wrong and sentence structure is because he's from a different country?

[ReggieBush22]

Originally Posted by mjohnatgt

I would say this is likely UNINTENTIONAL based on the word Collection being in the card set title, and not everyone knowing eBay's rules and specific wordings that eliminate AG processing.

The buyer should contact the seller in advance and have them update the listing or relist with the word Collection being removed, so that it goes through AG. That would have routed the card to PSA and then PSA would have sent to COMC mailboxes.

Yes, most likely unintentional but still a red flag.

[mc1]

Originally Posted by pingbling23

Regardless, that’s how I would feel right or wrong. Until all the facts are presented and we know 100% what happened, this is all speculation. I don’t get down with mob mentality. If this was the seller making this thread everyone would be saying the buyer had a friend at comc swap the card and 10 people would be agreeing. All I hope is everything is made right and the culprit be held accountable, whoever that may be.

You want to be right, not the truth. That’s how it is nowadays. Feelings instead of logic. Poor seller is getting blasted, so someone HAS to defend him. Got it.

[ReggieBush22]

So just looking at this situation kind of Monday quarterbacking, here are some red flags and/or actions OP could've done IMO. Not judging, just saying.

1) No authenticity guarantee (perhaps unintentional but significant)
2) Only 1 blurry pic of item in listing.
3) How much cheaper did OP get item under market value? You know the saying, "If it sounds too good...."
4) Did OP have any dialogue with seller prior to offering a price? If not, probably should've given the $$ of item so he could get a feel for the guy.

[jcardstore]

Originally Posted by mc1

You want to be right, not the truth. That’s how it is nowadays. Feelings instead of logic. Poor seller is getting blasted, so someone HAS to defend him. Got it.

You really struggle with words and their meanings don't you

[Promethius88]

Originally Posted by RKH916

Ebay blew him off due to it being past the three day return window. Effectively ended the communication with "we appreciate your 12 years of service. can't help. bye"

Seller never responded.

Only way OP is getting his money or card is through legal means

So, just to be clear, buyer only tried the return option? I do not accept returns but have had a couple of buyers use "Item Not as Described" to get a refund after the 3 day window. Pretty sure one switched mine for a damaged card he already had as it was unnumbered.

Has the OP tried the INAD to get his money back? If not, it's worth a shot!

[Bosoxfan5990]

Originally Posted by Promethius88

So, just to be clear, buyer only tried the return option? I do not accept returns but have had a couple of buyers use "Item Not as Described" to get a refund after the 3 day window. Pretty sure one switched mine for a damaged card he already had as it was unnumbered.

Has the OP tried the INAD to get his money back? If not, it's worth a shot!

You can't open a different type of case once a case has been closed.