Let's take this scumbag down again!

[danmckee]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/UNGRADED-ORIGINAL-1915-BABE-RUTH-SPORTING-NEWS-RARE-ROOKIE-/261010961032?pt=US_Baseball&hash=item3cc5773288

[frankbmd]

Report filed.

[kcohen]

I'm in. Also, just for laughs, sent him an inquiry as to the names of the "professionals in the Vintage Card Buying/Selling industry who work hand in hand w/grading companies" who evaluated the card. Would be shocked to get a reply.

[Deertick]

Reported after being edumacated by the excellent FAQ earlier!

[bn2cardz]

I reported it, went back to the auction and it had sold.

[danmckee]

supposedly sold, ebay works hard to protect these frauds, I just don't get it.

[calvindog]

I'm on the phone with ebay now. They warned me today to not email the guy anymore but allowed him to resell this fake card. I'm talking to an idiot now after having an almost impossible time navigating their various menus to even figure out how to contact someone. This is not a minor fraud and the fact that ebay pulled the listing yesterday and allowed him to relist and sell it today is beyond belief.

[Runscott]

The 'God Bless' thing is a dead giveaway. I don't get it - given that the sellers who use this signature are about the lowest heathens on the planet, they must have some misguided notion that they are going to get the 'Christian' bid just because of that line.

[tbob]

I wonder if the buyer is going to send it to PSA for grading? When it comes back that it is a fake, will there be enough time left for him to complain to ebay and get a refund? Just wondering....

[calvindog]

I was on the phone with ebay for half an hour tonight -- and I went at them hard. Since then, I see that all of his auctions that he had remaining have been ended though I have no idea if he's been suspended or something else.

[zljones]

The 'God Bless' thing is a dead giveaway. I don't get it - given that the sellers who use this signature are about the lowest heathens on the planet, they must have some misguided notion that they are going to get the 'Christian' bid just because of that line.

When I was a debt collecter, the people that had "have a blessed day" or "god bless" in their voicemails were the worst non-paying, trash talking scum bags I ever dealt with. They were scammers and rip off artists and had no class besides their phony voice message.

[calvindog]

Time spent trying to convince eBay rep to remove this degenerate from eBay: 30 mins.

Time spent trying to convince some Net 54 members that fraud is bad for the hobby: 60 minutes.

I was successful on the first endeavor -- he's off eBay now. Moral to the story: sometimes it's hard to determine the idiots in today's world.

[danmckee]

Time spent trying to convince eBay rep to remove this degenerate from eBay: 30 mins.

Time spent trying to convince some Net 54 members that fraud is bad for the hobby: 60 minutes.

I was successful on the first endeavor -- he's off eBay now. Moral to the story: sometimes it's hard to determine the idiots in today's world.

Thank you for your efforts!!

I truly appreciate the help!

Dan

[danmckee]

Time spent trying to convince eBay rep to remove this degenerate from eBay: 30 mins.

Time spent trying to convince some Net 54 members that fraud is bad for the hobby: 60 minutes.

I was successful on the first endeavor -- he's off eBay now. Moral to the story: sometimes it's hard to determine the idiots in today's world.

WOW! Calvindog you did very well indeed!!

texascoin47( 557) Not a registered user

[kcohen]

Well done, Jeff. I'm sure that your litigating skills came in handy. Chalk one up for the good guys. We'll need to be on the lookout for this jerk registered under a new handle.

[Jay Wolt]

Great job!
Hope he doesn't surface with a new ID
Would be nice if he was held accountable and had to face fraud charges

[calvindog]

Best part is that because ebay owns paypal they assured me the 5K sale -- which was legit they said -- would be canceled and no funds transferred.

[Jay Wolt]

Jeff that's good to hear. The unsuspecting buyer is in your debt!

[Leon]

Best part is that because ebay owns paypal they assured me the 5K sale -- which was legit they said -- would be canceled and no funds transferred.

Unbelievable that in this day and age someone is spending 5k on a fake card online. I guess the buyer doesn't read the board :). Thanks for the effort Jeff and Dan...and others that reported this idiot. God bless!!

[Runscott]

Unbelievable that in this day and age someone is spending 5k on a fake card online. I guess the buyer doesn't read the board :). Thanks for the effort Jeff and Dan...and others that reported this idiot. God bless!!

That's the other end of it - folks who genuinely mean it can't use it without getting suspected of being a shyster...unless they are old people with nothing to sell you.

[nolemmings]

unbelievable that in this day and age someone is spending 5k on a fake card online.

Especially this card. There are a dozen or more Ruth rookie reprints on e-bay every day, and while many have the word "reprint" in the corner, many others do not. How can you not notice that the card being sold as original or authentic looks exactly like these others? It's hard to have sympathy for someone who won't do even a minimum amount of homework on this card. At least the one I pointed out a couple of weeks ago was a dangerous fake--a copy of an actual card rather than a reprint and slabbed (although by a non-standard TPG). Here this card just screamed bogus.

[calvindog]

Especially this card. There are a dozen or more Ruth rookie reprints on e-bay every day, and while many have the word "reprint" in the corner, many others do not. How can you not notice that the card being sold as original or authentic looks exactly like these others? It's hard to have sympathy for someone who won't do even a minimum amount of homework on this card. At least the one I pointed out a couple of weeks ago was a dangerous fake--a copy of an actual card rather than a reprint and slabbed (although by a non-standard TPG). Here this card just screamed bogus.

Agreed. Beyond that the card looked ridiculous -- who could buy the excuse for not getting it graded? Why do people spend 5K on a card with no research but will spend an hour thinking about a $20 lunch?

[Leon]

Agreed. Beyond that the card looked ridiculous -- who could buy the excuse for not getting it graded? Why do people spend 5K on a card with no research but will spend an hour thinking about a $20 lunch?

Jeff, many years ago my grandparents (RIP) would drive all the way across town to save .25 on day old bread. People do strange things. But in this day and age there isn't much excuse. As Todd said, it's hard to have pity on them for making such ignorant decisions.

[E93]

If ebay agrees this is fraud, why are they not informing authorities and having charges pressed?
JimB

[danmckee]

I was wondering if that was a legit sale or not. How could someone purchasing that card not be a board lurker at the minimum???

[danmckee]

If ebay agrees this is fraud, why are they not informing authorities and having charges pressed?
JimB

Well Jim, as much as I agree with you, I think they are overwhelmed with fraud.

And after seeing the FBI let Chan free and clear frommaking the fake T206 back stamps, nothing shocks me any more.

[bn2cardz]

I was wondering if that was a legit sale or not. How could someone purchasing that card not be a board lurker at the minimum???

A lurker may miss threads because of the title. For instance the title to this one "Let's take this scumbag down again!" doesn't inform anyone that it is about a 1916 M101 Babe Ruth.

Even doing a search they may not find it because there is a link but the actual reference to the card is seldom made in these threads.

I am not fully trying to defend people not doing their research before spending $5k, but merely trying to point out how even a casual lurker may miss doing the research here. Most of us have learned about the "Detecting Card Alterations and reprints" at the top, but I didn't know about it when I was a lurker.

[Deertick]

Anyone else think this was a targeted BIN auction for someone who contacted him? I believe the 1st listing (for 10 days) was around 3K when it was taken down, and this one (3 day) had a 5K BIN that sold?

Wanna bet he tells the buyer eBay made a mistake and tries to complete this offline? Even if this was a straight-up impulse bid, they have each others contact info. Hopefuly eBay specifies to the buyer WHY the sale was canceled!

[bn2cardz]

Anyone else think this was a targeted BIN auction for someone who contacted him? I believe the 1st listing (for 10 days) was around 3K when it was taken down, and this one (3 day) had a 5K BIN that sold?

Wanna bet he tells the buyer eBay made a mistake and tries to complete this offline? Even if this was a straight-up impulse bid, they have each others contact info. Hopefuly eBay specifies to the buyer WHY the sale was canceled!

Very good point, but if the buyer keeps on insisting to buy it then at this point it is on that person. Like a person who drives through the signs saying the road ends then falls off the edge of the road.

[danmckee]

A lurker may miss threads because of the title. For instance the title to this one "Let's take this scumbag down again!" doesn't inform anyone that it is about a 1916 M101 Babe Ruth.

Even doing a search they may not find it because there is a link but the actual reference to the card is seldom made in these threads.

I am not fully trying to defend people not doing their research before spending $5k, but merely trying to point out how even a casual lurker may miss doing the research here. Most of us have learned about the "Detecting Card Alterations and reprints" at the top, but I didn't know about it when I was a lurker.

Yes very possible, but maybe he would have seen the post entitled: I need some help removing this fake Ruth.

Anyway, if he still buys it at this point behind the scenes, then he is a complete idiot.

Even when the completed item was up, it showed other auctions you may be interested in at the top and there were a few Ruth's that looked exactly like his, same centering and everything, and were clearly labeled reprints.

Ebay won't state why the auction closed, just a generic letter to the buyer that he shouldn't complete the sale.

[RichardSimon]

Jeff, can we borrow you for the autograph side? :).
Great work.