posted on September 19, 2000 06:18:33 PM
Ok, So here the story...
I purchase some coins four to be exact from a guy on ebay. In his EOA notice he states he has others for sale and I agree along with my purchase to order a few others I am missing. I pay 13.60 total and he says he had to wait on the order becuse two of the coind hadnt come in yet. Then he emailed me and said they were on their way. I finally get the package and it is an adult tape. I emailed him and he says that he dosent sell tapes and only ships in 4x6 bubble mailer. When I described the package to him he says thats it but it contains the coins. Well the size bubbler is appro 6x9". I have the wrapper and you can still see the outline of the tape inside it because he wrapped it in so much tape. He says that a video cant even cost $2.50 to mail it would only cost about $1.50....I explained to him that that would include the insurance price of $.85 cent which brings it down to $1.65 so he is right. This is definetly a scam and I dont know what to do. I tried to reclaim my PayPal payment but he had already claimed it. What gets me most is that he has 400 fb's no neg and no neutral. After talking to him I feel like I am losing my mind. This is the only thing I have ordered over the internet in over 6 months. This is very upsetting as the $13.60 is alot of money to me. Can anyone give some advise of what to do???
[ edited by hamburgler on Sep 19, 2000 06:23 PM ]
posted on September 19, 2000 06:23:46 PM
I don't understand --- if the guy wanted to sell videos, why wouldn't he just sell videos? What would be the point of claiming to sell coins as a front for video sales?
posted on September 19, 2000 06:41:13 PM
Did I read this right? He sent you an adult video (like an X rated one)?
I would write him an email with a CC to Safeharbor. Reference the auction number and state in no uncertain terms that you ordered coins, not an adult tape. You do not want the tape and would like him to simply refund your money if he will not send your coins.
Sending unsolicited adult materials is probably a violation of federal postal regulations;check with the post office.
I don't think Safeharbor would take kindly with a bidder receiving unordered adult material. If it were me I'd NARU the guy in half a heartbeat.
[ edited by mballai on Sep 19, 2000 06:42 PM ]
posted on September 19, 2000 06:46:09 PM
This does seem strange. I can see items getting switched (I've come really close myself, and others here have had it happen.) But it seems he would know immediately what had happened.
Just a thought....
Maybe he isn't a scam artist, and maybe you aren't losing your mind.
When packages get opened in the mail stream, the post office makes an effort to patch them up and complete the delivery. Could something like this have happened, with the contents of two becoming switched?
Or someone else was mailing the tape from the same location, and your label was placed on the wrong package?
posted on September 19, 2000 06:57:56 PM
OK, if they guy is trying to scam you, why not just keep your money. Or send an empty, torn envelope. Or something.
posted on September 19, 2000 07:12:06 PM
The package does have a tear down through my address which is written directly on the package. then the tape is covering it. Trying to peel back a bit of the taped part that has the Insured stamp going over it and the stamp is underneath the tape. But that dosent help me any....all I want are my coins...they are the statehood coins and I am missing a few. I felt like I was splurging spending the money as it is now I am shi* out of luck?
posted on September 19, 2000 07:22:25 PM
Try collecting on the insurance from the post office. Sounds like your coins may have been stolen at the post office.
posted on September 19, 2000 07:29:43 PM
Yes, I agree this sounds like it happened at the post office, since you said the postage stamp is underneath the tape. The post office does not allow postage to be underneath tape. So I doubt if it started out from your seller like that or it would not have been delivered.
posted on September 19, 2000 08:08:53 PM
I wrote the seller and asked him to describe the package/tape/tears etc and he said tape was not used as it was a new bubbler and the stamp and INSURED stamp was placed on by them and was shoved in thier bags. So I guess I now need to find out how to file the insurance papers or whatever I need. Boy I wish this didnt happen.....I have no idea what to do. It seems this type of thing seems to follow me back since birth...when do I get to know that I have had my share????
posted on September 19, 2000 08:12:10 PM
NO, when you are satisfied by a great woman you dont need to be stimulated by outside sources. Every great man is backed by a strong woman.....don't ya know!
posted on September 19, 2000 11:06:59 PM
Ok first of all the seller says he uses smaller packages and this one is bigger. How did that happen?
The seller doesn't sell video tapes, but states that a video tape would cost less than $2.50 to mail. How would the seller know this?
I send video tapes and they do cost more than $1.65 to mail. In fact, the video tape would be much heavier than 4 coins. How were the 4 coins wrapped? 4 coins would be very light if they are not in plastic holders. It would be $0.55 cents to mail the coins.
Start by getting the insurance slip from the seller. Print out all emails, including the long id tags at the top(you may have to select this option in your email,) and print out the actual closed auction. I always print out the auction after I have won something.
Before you go to the post office, watch the video. If it is a copy, it may be a home made video. If someone was sick enough to steal your coins and stick this tape in, they may be sick enough to video tape some....well....sick stuff. If it contains anything illegal (child porn, etc) it will not only be a case of fraud, but a case for the FBI.
If this seller was selling child porn tapes and was stupid enough to get a tape mixed up with his ebay auctions, the seller would do and say anything to make you believe that the package didn't come from the seller.
If the seller WAS mailing child porn and selling other stuff on ebay, the seller would be smart to make every package with the child porn look like it was opened and the contents removed and replaced with an illegal tape: "Gee officer, I didn't mail that smutty video to 'Johnny' I was mailing him my laundry list. I don't use tape like that. See the torn package officer, someone at the post office MUST have stolen the laundary list and replaced it with this smutt." This would get both the sender and the receiver off the hook
If the coins were stolen, why replace it them with an adult video, or for that matter, an object that was heavier. The postage would very a lot. This makes the idea that the coins were stolen at the post office seem less likely and the possibility that the seller put the wrong labels on two packages more likely.
I know this sounds far fetched but this happened in the county where I live:
A few years ago someone found a couple of snap shots in a mail box. Just the pictures dropped in the box. It wasn't known if someone put the pictures in the box or if they fell out. But it was a picture of a baby being sexually abused. The photo was put on the news to see if anyone would recognize the baby (about 11 months old) or the adults in the picture. Sure enough, a couple recognized their child and one of the person's in the pic was the baby sitter. The other man turned out to be her boyfriend. They both went to jail.
Please check the tape. If it contains child porn, you could be saving a child's life by turning it over to the police, and protecting other children in the future.
If it's just legal smutt, then take it all to the post office.
Kelly
[ edited by kellyb1 on Sep 19, 2000 11:07 PM ]
[ edited by kellyb1 on Sep 19, 2000 11:08 PM ]
[ edited by kellyb1 on Sep 19, 2000 11:09 PM ]
[ edited by kellyb1 on Sep 19, 2000 11:10 PM ]
