We will probably never get an answer to this. Certain types of people like to use several different aliases and avoid direct questions.

I would also like to know who is posting on their username here. They want to know who I am but do their best to hide who they are. Guess it really isn't against the rules to have fake names on this forum. When more than one person is using a account it would also be nice to know what one is actually posting what. What posts are Matt making and what posts are Alison making? Besides the eBay ID they have mentioned they also go by "lawsonwells" or at least used to.

Yes it is against our rules to have fake account info.
Just how is one supposed to know who is behind a keyboard and using an account? Matthew will be responsible for everything posted with his board ID, just like everyone else. If anyone gives false registration information they may be banned immediately or dealt with otherwise to correct the issue.

My wife's entire family is from South Dakota. I got married in South Dakota. :)

you seem to be running out of ammo --

my name is Matthew Zimmerman --no middle initial

I already posted I am responsible for any / all posts

"we" and "us" is a general reference as we have more than a few ebay helpers.

that's it.

my wife has nothing to do with it--any further reference to my wife will be considered malicious. she has recvd THREATS at our HOME for our PRICING. ok? the world is a scary place -- so becuz we sell on ebay our names are public and anyone anywhere can hurt us ? meanwhile you are hiding out in the Dakotas with a fake name having never meet anyone in the industry having never been to a show.

I would guess the fake name thing on here runs at EASILY 30% -- 3 in 10 names are fake or 'double accounts' ----EASILY 30% +

HOPKINS is a name I often use for internet accounts as it is a Family name. OK?

PLEASE PLEASE don't act like you and/or everyone is using their real name here?!
I personally know PERSONALLY KNOW 5 + people on here who are not only NOT using their real name BUT they laugh/scoff at the thought of it.

OF COURSE there are anonymous keyboard snipers out there
none of them will meet you in person try it

we are here for #1 fun #2 buy cards #3 sell a few

anyone who has a problem with us asking about ben is clueless.

remember --zero tolerance for fake last names here

I do understand your side Leon. Also try to understand mine. I am being attacked by someone who has used more than 1 name on this forum. Then the account is being used by more than 1 person so I don't even know who is really attacking me. Also add that the attacks are complete BS, if they don't like my opinions/facts prove me wrong.

I don't have to prove anything. He is responsible for his account. Period. If someone else uses it he is still responsible. It is HIS login credentials.

---I don't even know what 'attacks' you are referencing. we came on here a year ago to defend ourselves and YES we came in too hot. --was new to the forum stuff didn't realize the rules

so here we are a year later almost at the end of the cobb saga --making myself available to anyone with questions ..going to POST the PSA letter -- and it is ME being attacked by BEN.

BEN has a big fan club. yet 80+ on this thread lots of responses and humor jabs etc but noooooo answer. no one knows WHO ben really is. that's all I'm saying.

ben --stop acting like a victim -- I have said 3? or 4? times I, MATTHEW ZIMMERMAN, am responsible for any/everything said here or on ebay. I am also personally and solely responsible for any and all ebay items we sell including the cobb mistake.
you are acting like a baby and the victim --what attacks ? why does me asking WHO you are FEEL like an attack to you? hmm.

LEON has my social security number and DOB if he wants it. he has my po box & home address, 2 phone numbers, email and I am available anytime. the small ebay business I run IN ITSELF makes me accountable/accessible.

its also funny to me how you FORGET --I came here. I'm not under examination. came to face the music. its a man's move -- I'm here to clear the air you seem to be out of ammo

tell me when you done so we can turn the spotlight on YOU and your past Ben? or not.

the words attacks (used 3 or 5 times by you just now) really makes me laugh -- I am on DEFENSE not offense. you would know if I was attacking you -- tell me if you really want me to post what I found on you --ok ?

Ummmm....what?

The dude (hi Matthew) is way over the top. I didn't ask for, want or keep any of his other info besides name and phone number.
If I send you something in the mail it's not your fault :).

I did one of them lol's.

I guess you are not paranoid if everyone is out to get you.

Not that it will do any good, and not like it's anything I'm good at, but here goes.

A bit of history / advice.

Some time ago, we had a member who always referred to himself as "we" - and as far as I know didn't have an ebay business as an explanation. He was also kinda nuts, at one point commenting on a post that was archived (which appears as being from "archive" ) with a threat to sue. It was his own old post! He also knew a lot about cards, and had a really good collection.

In a business setting I sort of like "we" it's a team thing. Sounds like you might be sort of someone I wouldn't mind working for in some ways.
But here you're pretty much yourself, or should be.
The advice? Move away from "we" and more to "I" the whole "we" thing has a bit too much baggage around here.

I mentioned before that most of the regular posters have strong personalities and opinions. I do too, and like the mix here. Those strong opinions do lead to a few "heated discussions", and it can feel like a really harsh place at first.
One of my introductions was mentioning that I had some T206 blankbacks, and the response was a bit rough. A whole lot of "yeah right, suuuuure you do" Right up to when I put up the scans. Since then I've seen a number of people come here with very sketchy stuff or claims of really great stuff and exactly nothing to back that up. Usually it seems to be some sort of promoting stuff that's not exactly legit. So I get where that initial harshness comes from.
The bit of advice here? - Relax, build a track record of being knowledgeable and reasonable (sort of, reasonable by our loose standards I guess, but none of those are written anywhere) And things will get a LOT better.

That brings up what I can only describe as "street cred" I'll have to go with that as I'm not a great writer. I had also mentioned that I knew some members by name but probably hadn't me them. Guys I "knew" from ads in hobby magazines back in the day. When I joined taking info from them as fact was pretty easy. If someone's been in the hobby since the early 80's or earlier and been a dealer they must know some stuff. I learned along the way that other people here know a lot about some stuff. I get the new agey thinking that everyone should have a valid opinion, but to me some opinions are better than others. Sorting that out is a great way of learning things. (I've learned a bit about the law as it applies to hobbies from reading the occasional arguments between lawyers)
The advice? - What do you REALLY know a lot about? Start posting about that stuff. We'll all get some enjoyment from that! (trust me , sharing stuff you know is a lot more fun than it seems it would be)


Ben is actually pretty cool. He knows some stuff. And sometimes does experiments to settle or learn about technical issues. Yes, he can come across as a bit difficult, but almost everyone does now and then.
I am rather puzzled with a couple things - "hiding out" in South Dakota? .....You do know that people live and work there right? It's not all fossils, Indians and pipeline right of ways. Amazingly, people even live in North Dakota too, or did back in the 70's when I visited :D. And as far as I know there haven't been any laws saying you can only collect if you live in certain states and go to shows.

30% plus fake names? I'd have a pretty hard time believing that. Occasionally a new member who is up to some sort of shenanigans isn't who they say they are and that gets sorted pretty quickly. Maybe that 30% is in the bunch of people who don't post much or at all? And if it is, where did you find the time to find them, let alone check them all out?

Steve B
Collecting more or less seriously since Sept 1977, a bit from late 73 till then, and a tiny bit since 1969. And still currently only one show every couple years and while I've been in the same room as many members I can't say we've met. Something I hope to fix if I can make it to the Shriners show this year.

Leon, drop this clown
 

Here's what I found in my inbox today. Mr. "Lookatmeaholic" has shown the real reason he is on here. He thinks that by being an unlikeable dick, it may help him sell his overpriced garbage. Get rid of this clown already.

I'm confused. I thought it was toppsaholic, now lookatmeaholic (probably much more accurate!) Great name Orlando!

It is true, ND is thriving. If fact, we don't hide at all. Ben North, where do you live in SD? Perhaps we should meet half way so that you have met another member? We can do "live from the dakotas". We can prove to the OP that there really are 50 states. You in? #historymatters

I think it was probably a retaliation comment but could be wrong.
If Matthew (hi again Matthew) wants to be a part of the community, and act accordingly, so be it. If not then it won't take long and he'll be gone one way or the other. Just like anyone else.

I have ben in the real world...didn't like it much.

Posting PMs isn't cool...and against board rules.

Very true but on the outset there was some buying and selling on the front page, which to me meant the gloves were sort of off. The spectacle won't last too long I am sure.

I don't think that really justified it. People shouldn't do it, it undermines the integrity of the private message. I could see some exceptional circumstance where it was necessary to tell one's side of the story, but that doesn't seem to be the case here.

Definitely should be three pages of debate here about whether or not Orlando's posting of some obnoxious asshole's PM is a bannable offense. With full cites and footnotes.

Who said anything about banning Orlando?

I've lived on Long Island the last 21 years, and have been a Net54 member since the days of the previous software platform (Took a two-year break around the time of changeover - hence my 2001 join date). Still, I have never met any of the numerous board members who live here. Also, I have been through South Dakota on 3-4 occasions and never met Ben personally either, but I can say with utmost honesty that he once helped me find my cellphone which was knocked off my headboard and deep inside my shoe!

I am happy to tell anyone who cares BEN and TOPPSAHOLIC have squashed the beef.

We are officially good. Ben promises to keep an eye on me and I would have it no other way ...

Happy to announce we did our first two deals here --stay tuned

Sincere Thanks to Be.Nor.th for accepting the olive branch; so happy he & I aired it out privately and we are moving on

Thanks to those who helped and sorry to those who were annoyed (yet still read and posted)

#1 fun #2 buy #3 sell a few

Peter, I know that you are a stickler for the rules, but come on. This guy PM'd me to let me know he is using this board as free publicity for his business (without paying for a banner), and potentially scamming fellow members with admittedly ridiculous prices! And you want to talk about the sanctity of the PM? Is a PM some sort of attorney/client or priest/penitent protected communication? The sides you take on issues sometimes boggles my mind Peter. It must be hard being the sanctimonious enforcer of minutiae. I think I just saw a guy mention a 51 bowman in the prewar section; time to put on your cape. Keep doing the Lord's work Peter.

Well my friend, you can mock me all you want and I know it's just a chatboard blah blah, but I still prefer people following rules to guys deciding on their own when it's cool to break them. Nice straw man on the privilege by the way.

That's not how I read the PM at all. You posted one of his auctions in this thread and he PM'd you to thank you for the free exposure (yeah, maybe it was a bit sarcastic, but it was a PM).

Rules are rules and I disagree with Leon, but it's his board and I respect his decision. I just think if you're going to allow it for some, you have to allow it for all.

oops wrong thread.

Orlando-Not that it really matters but I'm fine with what you did. More importantly, good luck with the storm-be safe my friend!

Jay

Wow, thanks Jay.

These are the words of a very manipulative person.

I've only known Ben online, goes by Neo.

LOL, Paul my friend all I can still picture is you taking your ancient flip phone out of you old smelly shoe and putting it to your face to talk to me.:)

orlan.do rod.riguez ---I simply laughed at you posting our over-priced wagner stamp

you are promoting my item, not me. AND you posted it on the main page, the wrong place. so yes I PMed you to thank you PLUS its funny becuz you think you are jabbing at us but really you are helping. simple stuff.

ok ORLY57 ?? --

look at you trying to make trouble

Still making friends fast. The OP is trying the marketing 101 plan of the late Bruce(s).

Rob M

ramram whats the beef my friend ? are we cool ? you talking talking but about what ?

"making friends" with who ? anonymous people with fake names?

guys like you taking un-needed shots on topics you are clueless on ?

ram ram doesn't care to identify himself I am guessing ?

ram ram please be my friend?

My pleasure. As a criminal defense attorney, it is often my job to help out dirt-bags. Maybe now you will crack 20k in sales this year and move out of mom's basement.

Gladly, you simply tone it down and be respectful to your fellow members, and then we're all good.

I been a member here for about 5 years & on ebay for 17 years. I have bought many cards from benon ebay but I dont know ben or anyone on this board in real life. But i do know that Toppsaholic is someone none of us should buy or sell with. His reputation speaks for itself. Blaming others ( who may or may not even exist) for past mistakes is pathetic & embarrassing. Last year coming on net54 showed more of the same.

Has nothing to do with his crazy high prices or other accused issues. But the guy is an ass. A condescending blowhard who imo isnt good for the hobby. Coming on here picking fights with a huge community of ebay buyers shows hes not very savy. Hoping to get free publicity isnt always a good idea. I think most here will make sure not to deal with you because of your attitude.

^^^^ Couldn't agree more. I would never buy a thing off of Topps-aholic.

Entire thread summed up right here. Mic drop. Done.

Yup, yup ,yup. We've seen this act before. Bring da noise isn't always the best
method and usually gets the same response.

+1

NO: I checked and he is Matthew Zimmerman of Halifax, MA. He is associated with Alison Renee Hopkins and is obviously using her name to hide from identity.

HERE IS AN EXAMPLE OF AN UN-NAMED USER being able to post other user's names while anonymous. seems strange ~ so WHO is SLIPHORN? does any one know slip horn ?

LEON --does sliphorn need to be identified in order to be able to post people's names?
sliphorn --isn't is possible Alison Renee is also involved in our ebaying? not cool to bring people's spouses into the mix.

WHO IS SLIPHORN -- the board needs to know

I'm thinking since you've changed the direction of your obsession from Ben to Sliphorn, perhaps you should be changing the title of the thread (if possible), or start a new one. I got confused over what member we were supposed to be slamming...

edited to add, looks like a new thread was started... and closed by Leon.

Sliphorn is a mere variation of himself.

Why? Who cares.

delete

Leon,

I totally agree with this guy. Why doesn't Sliphorn have his name in his post?

And are you really going to allow posting the names of other members wives? Is that how far we've come? I assume other family members are fair game too?

WOW!

WOW right back at you.,

Matthew got sent his full name as I stated. His wife, or whomever that is, has been or has had their name used in the escapades as part of the business. That is why that is still there. Generally speaking family members privacy is very protected on this forum as it should be. IF you don't like this situation....sorry.

Also, if a member demands something and acts crazily doing it, then there is a real good chance he won't get his way...rule or no rule.

So what if she's part of the business? Are they doing something illegal or unethical? Did I miss something? I'm not being sarcastic here. I'm curious, did I really miss something? Besides, even if he is, that doesn't mean she knows about it. But it's your board, your call.

And as far as sending him Sliphorn's name, that's not what your rules state. They state if you give an opinion of a person or company, your full name needs to be in your post. Sliphorn gave an opinion. He stated, "obviously using her name to hide from identity." That is an opinion. But, again, your board, your call.

Does Vintagetoppsguy = RealToppsaholic??

Not even close.

It's just that this thread has been a real eye opener for me. I've learned 3 things: Despite the rules, (1) it's obviously OK to post PMs, (2) you really don't have to have your name in your post when giving an opinion of someone else and (3) it's OK to post the names of members family members.

So what if she is part of the business? Because of that, to me, she is in the same realm of being discussed as any other collector/dealer etc...not a regular, out of the hobby, family member. I don't see any rule that says someone has to do something wrong or unethical to be discussed. She was discussed on this board before, if I am not mistaking?

And you are absolutely right about Sliphorn. And in almost every instance I would have mandated his full name being out there or he would have had to edit his post out. However, as I stated, if someone acts crazy as Matthew did then all bets off.

And It really never goes well when someone debates rules with the person that wrote them. I think you missed this part, under the heading what you may not post about. It's been there as long as the other part you rattled off..

**Since there are an unlimited amount of unforeseeable issues that can arise on the board, the moderator may make any decision he feels is in the best interest of Net54baseball, regardless of any written or oral rules.


.

She was also posting on this forum using the realtoppsaholic account. I also received PMs with 3 different names from that account.

Now to get back to the original question, have we ever figured out if this Ben person is real?:)

You apparently were in the wrong class.

If someone posted my wife's name on a public message board, I would act crazy too. Maybe I have the sequence of events out of order? But from what I see, Sliphorn resurrected a thread from a month and a half ago for the sole purpose of causing trouble. Was there some previous bickering between toppsaholic and Sliphorn that I missed?

If that's true, then I think it's fair that her name be posted...but I think it has to be absolutely certain that it was her.

The question of whether or not there is a Ben has plagued mankind since the very beginning. Some people say the Shroud of South Dakota only dates back to the middle ages and isn't a true relic, but me, personally? I have faith and choose to believe in a benevolent Ben.

Yes, I think there was a bad deal between the two recently, that is my take on it. And from a 3rd party board member, Matthew might have been the issue. You have every right to your opinion just like any other member. I don't see anything I did which I would change. You are safe as long as your family isn't part of your business. That said, I don't think that merely mentioning a family members name is the worst thing in the world. It shouldn't be done but it's not in the top million things I don't want. And I will generally edit their name out too. In the last 15 yrs I don't recall anyone's family member being allowed to be spoken about unless there was an extraordinary situation such as this. I don't see anything that has been said about her that has been disrespectful either.
BTW, Matthew acted crazy before I had a chance to address Sliphorn's name issue. After he went crazy I changed my mind on posting it...but still sent his name to Matthew. Everyone should be able to know who is saying stuff in their direction.

Understood. I'm just trying to make sense of it all. The bad deal story makes sense, shows motive, but you would think if there were a deal between the two (good or bad), that Toppsaholic would have his contact information as well and wouldn't be starting threads asking for it. From someone who's been away from the boards lately and just reading it, it appears that Sliphorn started it for no apparent reason. Like you said, maybe there was more to it? Either way, I don't know Toppsaholic and really don't care.