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Crazy Unc
Truth be told, I did also do a considerable consignment with REA and LOTG. Part of me wanted to give to the bigger auction houses, but part of me wanted to help out a starving new company.......I was there once and can respect someone trying. So I shared the wealth amongst three of them.
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Crazy Unc
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Seems like Aaron has a pattern of throwing out the slander/legal threat !!! |
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and thanks for telling your side of what happened. |
So Aaron sold $750k worth of your stuff for only $250k? Do you think you will see the $250k at least?
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I’m sorry this is happening to you.
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Dave, I hate to hear stuff like this. If I may ask what was your commission deal with Crazy Uncle? -10%? Just looking for the reason why someone would give 1m +/- worth of items to a new auction company.
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It was 5%. But with the guarantee that I would be protected with reserves, I thought that there would be no losses. I guess his greed and incompetence when it comes to business got in the way. And that's not libel either. |
Listen to This Podcast, Dave
First, Dave, I want to say I am very sorry you went through this.
If it is any comfort, remember these four words: This too shall pass. Don't let this affect your physical OR mental health. Life is too precious. Now to the point. Every week I listen to PSA's Great American Collectibles Show. The June 17, 2020 show (Podcast 189) featured none other than Aaron from Crazy Uncles. It is hard to pinpoint but I heard something in his voice, perhaps it was the hesitancy in it, the slight pauses, that signaled to me that I'll stick with who I currently use. There was also a bit of hype in his talk, but that's understandable; he's pumping up his June 15-27 auction. Bottom line, you be the judge. I'm 64 so maybe my age also has something to do with planning to stick with the REAs of the auction world. Somewhat ironically (if that's the right word!) I just wrote on my website, www.markearzoumanian.com, a two part blog (under "Love of the Hobby") on having a plan when selling your cards and sets and choosing the best auction house. I know this sounds like I'm trying to hype the website. Sorry. But if you can cull a nugget or two from what I wrote, it might be worth a few minutes of your time. Enough said. When things go wrong for me, I always ask myself: What lesson did I learn from this? Peace and stay healthy. |
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Thank you Mark for the words and the insight. Very expensive lesson learned. I just hope others read my post and decide for themselves if this is a company to work with. Not saying they should or shouldn't before Aaron threatens to sue me again........just saying weigh all your options and decide for yourselves !!! |
Do you have the written/signed contract detailing the reserves/details?
Sorry this happened to you, unreal. |
Wow
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Dave, sorry you had to deal with this disaster. I have bought several nice cards from you and remember you’re meticulous spreadsheets and pricing. Thank you for sharing this on the board. It will help us make informed decisions moving forward. |
Sorry this happened to you Dave. It's a genuine shame how some people conduct business in this hobby.
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Amen |
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Many thanks. I am honest with people, just hoping people would give me the same courtesy. |
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Thank You, Robert
Glad you enjoyed the piece.
Dean is the man. You know, none of us choose our parents. I will always be thankful that my late mom and dad provided me with a moral code to live by, NOT by the words they spoke to me BUT in their actions day in and day out, year in and year out. Glad to see that Dean's parents provided him with a solid moral code, which I am sure he is passing on to HIS children. It was a pleasure to tell the story. Peace and stay healthy! |
Thank you for sharing
Really sorry you are going through this. I hope it is speedily resolved at least somewhat to your satisfaction. I have a couple of questions.
1) There is supposed to be a consignment contract when you consign material to an auction house - Reserves if any are written in as part of the contract (the sheets you reference attached and referenced would I believe have a similar binding effect). Do you have this paperwork? If so, I believe you would have significant grounds for a lawsuit. If not, why not? 2) I totally understand (and support) your desire to help out a new business - That accounts for the first auction experience. I am perplexed after the details of your first experience with them why there was a 2nd? |
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Good auction houses will go through each set and seek out those variations. It's really a win-win for both consignor/auction house and usually leads to repeat consignments. As someone who works for an auction house and has gone through thousands of 1950s-1970s sets, we typically have these sets memorized every which way and know what to look for. For instance, today I wrote a 1952 Topps partial set and went through my mental checklist of weird variations to search out. Nothing came of it but a good auction house will go the extra mile. It's always great when a company under promises and over performs. Glad it worked out for you! |
Dave, thank you for telling your story. Sounds like some real bad stuff went down. I’m sorry.
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Hi and thank you for the positive wishes, but I doubt they will resolve this matter amicably. I do have email and text correspondences back and forth detailing the reserves he agreed to place and the understanding from Aaron that I would be perfectly protected. Many of these items were left over from the first auction which we have a written agreement on with respect to reserves......that written agreement on the same items would carry to the second auction. In respect to your other question, Aaron admitted he screwed up on the first auction with this glitch in the system and promised to make it up to me on the second auction by going the extra mile and giving me a higher return to make up for the losses his error caused me. Perhaps this is a foolish philosophy but I believe everyone deserves a second chance to prove themselves. I've made mistakes in my youth but I have proven myself in my adulthood. He was a startup company and there were bound to be bugs and flaws in his procedures. Perhaps I am too trusting of people and believe there is more good than bad in the world. Maybe not so much a foolish philosophy, but a foolish person I dealt with. I just hope other read my post and decide for themselves if this is someone to do business with. Thank you. |
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Howard and Jeff's questions about the contract are pretty important. What the first contract says, how it can be tied to the second auction and how the later emails and texts actually work to alter or amend the first contract, especially as to the second auction may be important issues of interpretation for your attorney to review with you. Good luck
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Thank you Al. As it so happens, in respect to the reserves, the contract says "see attached list" with the name of the computer file. The computer file details the item and the reserve price. Then my emails and texts further support his promise to protect my financial interests. The facts that the first auction had reserves built in (except for the few that "slipped through the cracks") should have carried those reserves to the second auction. Lastly, the act of dumping all of my collectibles without the courtesy of a phone call in front of my house, for not only the potential of being stolen but the fact that some of these collectibles were 200-250 year old historical documents signed by our founding fathers that would have been ruined in this heat. That just shows a lack of caring, a lack of professionalism, and a lack of class on his part. |
Has anyone received their winnings yet?
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I received half and was told the other half was arriving next week.
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Crazy uncles
What?...why would they send you half your winnings?
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Sounds like plenty...
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The dumping your stuff in front of your house deserves an arms length list of comments like douchebag, 2 year old, completely and utterly unprofessional, someone who is clearly in the WRONG business - unless any of it was damaged in any way, then I just don't know if there is a cause of action there - certainly will serve to support his "I don't give a rats ass" attitude regarding the reserves. |
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Great read
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I would say that this very pertinent to this discussion. |
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Why would a district attorney be involved in what would be considered a civil case and not criminal?? Answer: They wouldn't... |
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So as a further update to everyone, and just when I thought Aaron from Crazy Uncle's couldn't:
a) stoop any lower, b) couldn't have any less regard for other peoples hard earned and cherished property and c) couldn't act with any less professionalism and class that he has already............ As I am on vacation this weekend away from home with my family, I get a call from a neighbor that another large batch of my stuff was dumped in front of my house DURING A TROPICAL STORM !!!!!!!! (and again without any notice or warning that items were being dumped there this weekend !!!!) and again within 30 feet of the street in plain sight for anyone to steal. By the time I had the neighbor grab the items for me, they said many of the boxes were soaked!!! I have no idea what items are in the boxes as I won't be home until later tonight, but if these are 200-250 year old historical documents signed by our forefathers, if it were non-encapsulated baseball memorabilia, or if it were any of hundreds upon hundreds of items he had in his possession of mine.........then these items are ruined. By the quantity of items, this is at least another $250K worth of my valuable collection !!! I ask this....where and when does this ABSURDITY end ?!?!?!?!? |
Dude.
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It's incredulous to me that anyone with your caliber of collection would consign a second time to a company that treated you so horribly the first time. I can't imagine this company will be in business much longer. It sounds like they had no clue how to run an auction the first time and they learned nothing in between the first and second. |
This should be on Netflix
Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk |
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We need a Paul Harvey
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Be a great plot twist........ |
Does Aaron have possession any more of your consignments that are worth 6 figures that he could dump on your lawn? After he did that the first time, why didn't you get the rest of your stuff back? I'm confused.
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Hi Dan,
Just to expand, no I didn't have a relationship prior to 2020 with Aaron or Crazy Uncle. In early 2020 I consigned a very substantial load between three companies (REA, LOTG and CU). The first two being larger, more established ones and the third being a newbie......but I liked the idea of helping out a newer company because I was a newbie in my field of employment once too and someone gave me a chance. In answer to your question, Aaron wouldn't take my calls or answer my emails. I have no idea where his warehouse is (that he said he supposedly had). I tried getting the rest of my stuff. Finally after blowing up his phone with a dozen consecutive calls, he picked up threw a lot of legal threats at me if I mentioned any of this on Net54 and said he will return my stuff as he gets to it.......not until. The thought of calling the police occurred to me but most likely they would say this is a civil matter. There are other legal avenues I can look into. Now to clarify, the first auction ran fairly smoothly and I can not say he treated me horribly, just made some errors. The sales didn't go too well but that could have been a reflection on some economic issues in the world. Aaron listed for me all my reserves on the first auction and for the most part nothing sold that shouldn't with a few exceptions that he says was a glitch in his system and some items sold below the reserve price. (Now keep in mind, many of the items that did not sell in the first auction which he had the reserve price in the system already means he had to intentionally delete my reserve). He seemed genuinely sorry for the screw up that cost me well over $10K. He promised to work extra hard for me, showcase all of my items and make that loss up to me and reimburse me for the loss if I gave him another chance.....Again, he seemed genuine......but so did Brutus seem genuine before stabbing Caesar !!! You are correct......they are clueless, ruthless, and probably penniless !!!!!! |
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Damn Dave, Worst part is suing them isn't going to prove anything because it's doubtful any money will still be there to collect. Did we ever discover if they're even a real LLC? Maybe registered in Delaware like a lot of LLC's?
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So their contract says they fall under the laws of the State of New Jersey. When I do a search under State of New Jersey Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services Business Name Search......it come back as Nada......which is Spanish for "This Company is Full of Crap"!!!......No offense to my Spanish speaking members. |
Hope you at least get your disappointing consignors check. I assume you got the check for the first auction?
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An auction shouldn't be making a consignor wait because they're putting buyers on plans. Isn't a payment schedule part of the contract?
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I predict that is the last auction we ever see from Crazy Uncle. I am sorry you got scammed.
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A legit auction house should be bonded and insured so that you are covered if something like this ever happens.
I have been doing weekly/monthly auctions for the past 23 years and always carried insurance at the very least. When I got an auctioneers license about 10 years ago, I was required to be bonded as well (most states that license auctioneers also require bonding). I don't know New Jersey laws, but if they require licensing to do auctions, you might want to check with the state Division of Standards to file a complaint. If they are doing auctions without a licensed auctioneer present that would be a problem for them as well. Scott |
Hey Scott,
Most auctioneers in Sports specifically locate in non-license states on purpose. You and I are unicorns. New Jersey is a non-licensed state. I actually ran auctions there while I was still in school. Also, in this case bond probably wouldn't mean much. I am bonded as I have to be in PA, but it's only $5k which wouldn't help Dave out much. |
Just my 2 cents but it seems Aaron bit off more than he could chew with this enterprise this early in the game.
Despite his billed pedigree from Steiners, he only worked there 3 years and less than 2 years as a "senior auction coordinator". His resume makes no mention of auction/sports memorabilia experience before that. His website and prior posts on here make strong mention that he's been a collector since the 1980s... considering he's 39/40, he's using his time as a small child to establish a reputation as a long-time collector. He claims the auction house has owners with a lot of capital potentially investing in him/CU, but has admitted in prior auctions he's essentially a 1-man shipper. This would not be a big deal for an auction house just starting out with a manageable size of lots and moderate investment pieces, but he seemed to attract some big fish (CJDave included) with over 1200 lots for sale and 50+ items selling for over $2k+ including the $79k Batman #1. If he's a 1-man consignee/invoicer/shipper and his investors are hands-off, I imagine trying to deal with so many consigners/buyers who are invested in such expensive items will inevitably overwhelm him with such a large volume. And unless he's extremely detail-oriented and working non-stop, it's going to take a looooooooong time to fulfill such a large auction. My hope is CJDave and the other consigners and buyers will get this worked out with him and he and his investors learn something from this. But considering this is the 3rd(?) auction CU has run and none of them have gotten good word of mouth, I don't see this getting much better for awhile, if ever. |
Wait, this Aaron fellow came from Steiners? And this is how he is running his auctions? Good grief. I'm sorry Dave, I hope you get your check and all your stuff back.
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Just figured i would give an update. The original check I sent was received and credited to my account. A new invoice was sent to me this morning, however, the invoice is still not correct. On the original invoice I was emailed, there was an extra lot listed (assuming it was a duplicate of another lot). That lot has now been removed from the invoice, however, the price of that lot is still used to calculate the BP.
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Dave!?
Did the items left out in the rain make it to you unscathed?
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Hi Howard,
Unfortunately some were damaged. The encapsulated items appear to be ok....but some of the non-encapsulated items are not in its previous condition. I am photographing the items to document everything. Luckily, and for once my OCD is beneficial, that I had before pics and scans of the items. There also appears to be quite a few missing items but I am still inventorying everything. The saga continues !!! |
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So some of the expensive presidential framed signatures are definitely damaged from being left out in a either 95 degree weather and/or a tropical storm. Some tickets stubs got wet as did some autographed baseballs and some historical memorabilia. Further there is at least $200K worth of items that are not accounted for. I don't know what kind of game they are trying to play but I am beyond beside myself. Maybe I can get George Washington or Samuel Adams to sign these documents again...….oh wait, I can't, they have been dead for over 200 years !!! |
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Have you checked with your insurance (or theirs) to see if damage in transit is covered? I know our insurance covered any items of ours whether it was shipped out or shipped in.
We also made sure that, whenever our material was stored somewhere else (be it museum or auction house or whatever) that we had a letter from their insurance company covering the material. Worth looking into. |
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Thank you Doug, definitely worth checking out. |
You can't even find their LLC, I doubt they had insurance. Is this guy still sending you threats about "slander"?
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He hasnt been ducking this website.
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This is a horrible story. But I'm impressed by how many people support you. You seem like an outstanding guy. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk |
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http://www.monstercards.net/imagesm/cu2.JPG Above shows the payment date. Below shows that as of tonight, this invoice is still not marked paid. As I have tried numerous time to reach Aaron via e-mail and phone, I'm not sure how to check on the status of my order, but at least I still have the option of a chargeback if these cards don't arrive. http://www.monstercards.net/imagesm/cu1.JPG |
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Thank you Tim. We all have our faults and unless one has the word Saint before their name, then none of us are perfect. Bottom line is that I don't cheat people on business deals, I try to be as fair as possible. But I don't rip people off, I don't take advantage of people and I don't lie to make a buck !!! Can we say that about Crazy Uncle's...…..I'll let everyone decide that for themselves.....just so that Aaron doesn't threaten to sue me again for slander (which is actually libel) as he threatened me if I said a word on Net54. I've said more than a word.....so Aaron, go ahead and sue....I double dog dare you !!! |
A story for sports collectors daily??
I believe they have offered non biased reporting of good and bad in the hobby and I believe reach a lot more collectors than this board. I for one believe this story is "newsworthy". May be worth contacting them Dave - to see if they are interested in publishing the story - I am sure they would reach out to Aaron for "his side" and at the very least would put a high degree of pressure (assuming he has a desire to continue in the auction business) on him to make effort to right this wrong (as best he can at this point). Here is their contact info: editor@sportscollectorsdaily.com
I would have sent the email myself, but believe it is your decision to make. |
Excellent Suggestion, Howard, But...
It is indeed a great website, as it gathers news, both good and negative, about the hobby.
I just recently dealt with Rich in connection with a two-part blog about having a plan to sell your cards/sets through an auction house/eBay. Rich had me change/edit some material in the two pieces, which any good editor should do. He also had me take out a flip remark I made about the PSA scandal. And that's fine too. And let's not forget he has advertisers that support him so if a "scandal" broke out about one of them, don't look for Rich to report on it UNLESS a piece has already been published about it elsewhere. That's key. Here's my point: I don't see Rich tackling this particular story for the simple reason that he is not an investigative reporter. He's a gatherer of stories from other newspapers/sources. Some good, some negative. It's worth a shot, of course, Dave. But I see a big problem in the fact that there is not a truly independent reporting source when it comes to the current available media outlets for this hobby/industry. They are all supported by advertising to one degree or another. Just thought I would provide that firsthand experience, which I have also had with a number of the other industry trade pubs in recent years. Peace and stay healthy. |
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