Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>David R</b><p>Anyone have any feedback on transactions with Broadway Rick's Strike Zone?

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Brian Lindholme</b><p>...message title is the clue...<br /><br />

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Paul</b><p>He has perhaps the worst reputation of anyone in the hobby.

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>leon</b><p>I did one deal with him and it was bad....never did another. Here is a quote from their owner, from about 5 yrs ago:<br /><br /><br />"In a phone interview with MSNBC.com, Broadway Rick’s owner Richard Kohl acknowledged that he improperly bid the cards up using an account that he originally created for a friend, but said he did so only to avoid taking a financial hit on the item.<br /><br />‘I will never do it again'<br />“I started my piece out at $1 and (the false bid) was to get people up to get the price I paid for it, and not to take a great loss,” he said. “I should have started at the price I wanted. I was warned by eBay. I’m ashamed of myself and I will never do it again.”<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3078735/" target="_new">http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3078735/</a>

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Anonymous</b><p>.<br /><br /><br />

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>David R</b><p>Thanks for the feedback everyone. I get the picture. No need to pile on.

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Tony Galovich</b><p>Years ago when Rick did the show circuit I did quite a considerable amount of business with him & never recall a problem<br />But it is evident his business ethics have taken a slide downward big time<br />I have seen over the yrs when business get's more competitive the marginal dealers turn to shady dealings to make more $$$ as they can't compete

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Dan Koteles</b><p>his caramels were nearly second to none.

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Jay</b><p>Have dealt with Rick over the years and never had any issues.

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Neal</b><p>I won 3 auctions from him on Ebay several months back,no problems at all! Excellent service!

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>John S</b><p>I recall the shill bidding issues from an article in VCBC. I have never purchased anything from him. For those of you that have is his merchandise as advertised?

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Mark Steinberg</b><p>My items were exactly as advertised. But this was over 6 years ago, and involved game-used flannel jerseys (not cards). I actually obtained some beautiful all-original pieces from Strike Zone (as it was called at the time...) <br /><br />They used to run phone auctions, and advertised heavily in the SCD. This was before ebay became so prevalent.

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>leon</b><p>The one card I bought was a mayo (I believe)....I bought it raw. I sent it in to be graded ...came back trimmed. I told Rick. He said I would have to send it to the other grading company (it was SGC or PSA at the time) and see what they said. They said it was trimmed too. About 4 months later, and $50 in expenses, I got a refund. I am glad others have never had an issue. BTW, he used to have some of the worst feedback on ebay for a large seller. You don't get to be one of the worst for no reason.....I think he has changed handles a few times to try to hide the ebay feedback....sort of like changing his name (which it appears he has done).....good luck<br /><br />edited to add his current ebay handle...nice..<br /><br /><a href="http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=brsz&ftab=AllFe edback" target="_new">http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=brsz&ftab=AllFe edback</a>

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Iggy...</b><p>From my one transaction with him, a long time ago, I think he over-grades a bit. If that was his only transgression, it wouldn't be a big deal. He definitely has earned his bad reputation and I wouldn't buy from him, even if he was the last dealer on earth...<br /><br />Not to rehash an old thread, but here is the old link to the "MSNBC" story on his shill bidding episode a few years back... I guess, it will follow him to his grave.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3078735/" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3078735/</a><br /><br />-Lovely Day, Iggy...<br />

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Doug</b><p>I only had one transaction with him and it was for a "NM" 1952 Topps Willie Mays 9 years ago when I first started collecting vintage cards. Of course when I sent the "NM" card to PSA it came back an EX 5. Newbie mistake on my part I guess...

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Al Davis</b><p>He has always had a very good selection of over-graded and altered cards. He is about as unpleasant to deal with as there is. You should count your fingers after shaking his hand.

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Rick Kohl</b><p>Hello<br /><br />I would like to take time to address some of the items that have been brought up in this post. <br /><br />First, about the shill bidding. Yes i made a mistake that i deeply regret. The item in question was erroneously listed without a reserve and I did bid on it to preserve my investment. When asked about it, i was honest in my response. It appears that it is an error that i will never be able to live down. All I can say is that i deeply regret it<br /><br />If you check my ebay board (brsz-2) you can see that I have almost 13,000 feedbacks with 99% of them being posative. <br /><a href="http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZbrszQ2d2QQfrppZ50QQfsopZ1QQfsooZ1QQrdZ0" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZbrszQ2d2QQfrppZ50QQfsopZ1QQfsooZ1QQrdZ0</a><br /><br />In my 20+ years in this hobby i have always tried to "do the right thing". Unfortunately you cant always please all the people all of the time. As most of you know, the hobby was very different 20 years ago. In a time without PSA or JSA, it was quite possible to sell a trimmed card or fake autograph. I am not the only dealer who made this mistake, and if you notice, any higher $ items that I now have, come with a reputable 3rd party COA<br /><br />Im sure some of you have already "written me off", Im not trying change minds or hide from anything, I just wanted to present my side of the story.<br /><br />If at any time, anyone has an issue with an item or transaction with Strikezone. Please feel free to call my office (1-800-344-9103) to discuss it<br /><br /><br />

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Aaron Seefeldt</b><p><br />I've never had an issue with anything I bought from Rick over the years...<br /><br />Haven't seen or heard from him (other than the post above) for a few years...<br /><br />-Aaron Seefeldt

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Turner Engle</b><p>Well, I had some decent snipes on about 20 of his T205's, but now it looks like I'll be holding off.

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>boxingcardman</b><p>“The item in question was erroneously listed without a reserve and I did bid on it to preserve my investment. When asked about it, i was honest in my response. It appears that it is an error that i will never be able to live down.” <br /><br />Your post is misleading. It wasn't one item or one apparent error. As reported in VCBC #22 (10/02), you operated two Ebay User ID’s: brsz-2 and nsports, which you used to shill the following auctions: <br /><br />--a PSA 8 Joe Jackson Sporting News card [Ebay ID #1843485321]<br /><br />--a lot of 5 PSA 9 Dick Butkus cards [Ebay ID #1843484941] <br /><br />--a lot of basketball cards [Ebay ID #1843485483]<br /><br />--a shoebox of Bowman baseball cards [Ebay ID #1843493727]<br /><br />--a 1959 Topps set [Ebay ID #1843487168]<br /><br />According to the MSNBC story linked above, you also shilled an auction for a Jim Jeffries book. <br /><br />If you can't even recite accurate, complete facts in your mea culpa post, how to you expect some of the more experienced collectors in the Hobby to trust anything you have to say or to sell?<br /><br />edited to add: and you've racked up 127 negative feedbacks (39 in the last 12 months) according to your Ebay profile today. I don't think that many unhappy customers is a good thing...

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Steve</b><p>The ebay handle you show Rick and the one leon shows are 2 different handles.<br /><br />one has 41 negs, the other 127. 168 negs? wow.<br /><br /><br />Not that there is anything wrong with having 2 different handles.<br /><br /><br />Steve<br /><br /><br />

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>MikeU</b><p>99.0% feedback is nothing to brag about.

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Rick Kohl</b><p>Unfortunately on eBay you cant please all the people all of the time. If any of you have sold anything in quantity, you would know what i mean. I am not saying 99% is perfect, but i think its a more accurate reflection of customer satisfaction then the 1% who are unhappy. People are always quick to point out that X number have been unhappy in some way but always fail to mention the overwhelming majority who were happy. <br /><br />Again I encourage anyone to please call me (1-800-344-9103) to discuss any items i have or issues that you might have.

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Jeff Lichtman</b><p>Well, Adam, at least Rick accepted responsibility for his actions -- he didn't have to. I'm not supporting what Rick did at all, but I wonder how many big auction houses shill bid in a much less transparent forum as ebay.

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>leon</b><p>I/we appreciate you coming on the board and explaining yourself. I am definitely one for giving folks a 2nd chance. The problem with feedback on ebay is that most dissatisfied customers won't leave a negative feedback. I believe the feedback I posted is for you and/or your company. It's about 97%. I am sorry but to me that is pathetic. I am way far from perfect but my feedback on ebay is. It's really not that difficult....take care<br /><br /><a href="http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=type-card-collector&ftab=AllFeedback" target="_new">http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=type-card-collector&ftab=AllFeedback</a><br /><br />

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>DD</b><p>To paraphrase a MASH episode: "I have a question". "Yes". "Why didn't you answer his question?" The multiple items with shill bidding remains unexplained.

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>leon</b><p>I don't disagree with your statement about auction houses though I do firmly believe due to this board and the FBI investigations there is far less of it today than a year or two ago. Defending this current feedback is indefensible:<br /><br />Members who left a positive: 1610 <br />Members who left a negative: 41 <br /> <br />All positive Feedback: 2169 <br />

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Rick Kohl</b><p>Leon: I commend you on your feedback. But when you have 300+ items every week, its harder to maintain a spotless reputation as having 10 items a week. Heck, if you look at most of the people who give me negatives they are new to eBay and with just a phone call, could have avoided the negative<br /><br />Jeff: You have no idea how right you are. Being in this business i have seen all sorts of things. I am not proud of the MSN article, but i fessed up to it, most wont. I could have denied it or made up some lame story, but i didn't. I know some will continue to bring up that article every time my name is mentioned, and i guess its something i just have to live with. People who know me truly know the kind of person i am.

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Steve</b><p>Rick, Those that know you must be proud that you made make restitution to those you've shilled upon... You did, right?<br /><br />Incidentally, Recent studies show, over 50% of disatisfied buyers do not post any feedback due to the possibility of Dealer retaliation. <img src="/images/wink.gif" height=14 width=14>

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>leon</b><p>Like I say it takes some character to even come on the board and defend yourself so I applaud you for that. I will just leave it there. Good luck in your endeavors.....best regards

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>MikeU</b><p><a href="http://toolhaus.org/cgi-bin/negs?User=brsz-2+&Dirn=Received+by&ref=home" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://toolhaus.org/cgi-bin/negs?User=brsz-2+&Dirn=Received+by&ref=home</a>

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Aaron Conyers</b><p>Rick,<br /><br />Do you now resolve issues with your customers? I had a issue and called you in the past and it was left unresolved. With no sarcasm intended, should I call again?

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>MW</b><p>I'm not taking anyone's side here, but in fairness to Rick, the vast majority of his negatives & neutrals are for dissatisfaction with shipping/packaging and subjective discrepancies in condition on "raw", lower-ticket items.

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Jason</b><p>It isnt hard to maintain great feedback. 100% over almost 4000+s and only had to retract 2 negs from unlegit buyers. 80% of my feedback is generated from sales of nice vintage material and several hundred items over $1K. It is really simple to maintain good feedback. I just give a 100% refund gaurantee on anything I sell if the buyer is not happy. To date I have had 1 item returned (1954 Topps common with small wrinkle sold as EXMT and I wasnt even sure it didnt happen in shipping). THe funny thing is that I am just a collector and not a dealer like you Rick. I have done many deals on ebay however over the last several years. My point is that I have to agree Leon's perception of your feedback is pathetic. There are several other ebayers I know with 1000+ feedback and 100% positive. I am sure a negative is inevitable eventually, but 97% just flat sucks. Hopefully, you have learned from past mistakes and are striving to move foreward but 30+ negs in the last month doesn't speak well. Good Luck Rick.<br><br>Jason

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>MikeU</b><p>"I'm not taking anyone's side here, but in fairness to Rick, the vast majority of his negatives & neutrals are for dissatisfaction with shipping/packaging and subjective discrepancies in condition on "raw", lower-ticket items."<br /><br />I agree with a small exception. There are also several "sold out/not available/no delivery" complaints. Combine that feedback wiht the MSN article and one could easily do a leap of faith that he no longer schills his auctions, but simply claims "sold out" when the items sell for too little. <br /><br />Otherwise, people that complain about shipping, when the price is in the auction, need to be slapped. Same goes for someone complaining that the condition was VG not VG/EX as described.

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Rhys</b><p>I met Rick for the first time last Summer when I was selling Dick Bartell's estate on behalf of his family. He called about some of the stuff I had and was very nice and even offered me his booth at the National for WAAAY below cost because he couldn't make the show (like $300 or something).<br /><br />Despite what he did in the past, I think that coming on here and admitting he made a mistake and taking ownership is something that I appreciate and think most people dont have the humility to do in our society. <br /><br />I have won a few things in the past and been pleased with them and would do so again.<br /><br />Rhys Yeakley

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Brian H (misunderestimated)</b><p>I have purchased items from Rick (Broadway Sports) sporadically for many years. I have never had any problems. As I recall any concerns I have had (which were rare and involved raw cards back when I regularly bought them) were always resolved to my satisfaction.

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>jamie</b><p>There are pages and pages of posts on Gameuseduniverse about questionable game used items sold by Broadway Rick as recently as last week. There are also numerous posts about how he pulls auctions if they don't hit a magical reserve. While he may seem apologetic and open, his ethics and practices remain questionable. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=2627&highlight=broadway" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=2627&highlight=broadway</a><br /><a href="http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=1403&highlight=broadway" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=1403&highlight=broadway</a><br /><a href="http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=970&highlight=broadway" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=970&highlight=broadway</a><br /><a href="http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=11619&highlight=broadway" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=11619&highlight=broadway</a><br /><a href="http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=10421&highlight=broadway" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=10421&highlight=broadway</a><br /><a href="http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=8458&highlight=broadway" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=8458&highlight=broadway</a><br /><a href="http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=8454&highlight=broadway" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=8454&highlight=broadway</a><br /><a href="http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=8446&highlight=broadway" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=8446&highlight=broadway</a><br /><a href="http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=7904&highlight=broadway" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=7904&highlight=broadway</a><br /><a href="http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=5654&highlight=broadway" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=5654&highlight=broadway</a><br /><a href="http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=4891&highlight=broadway" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=4891&highlight=broadway</a><br /><a href="http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=2179&highlight=broadway" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=2179&highlight=broadway</a><br /><a href="http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=1038&highlight=broadway" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=1038&highlight=broadway</a><br /><a href="http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=1031&highlight=broadway" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=1031&highlight=broadway</a><br /><a href="http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=879&highlight=broadway" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=879&highlight=broadway</a><br /><a href="http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=464&highlight=broadway" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=464&highlight=broadway</a><br /><br />There's more- I just got bored with cutting and pasting.

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Steve</b><p>I just read through that toolhaus thing and I do not feel that the vast majority of negs/neutrals were due to shipping or to low priced items. Maybe I was looking at the wrong user name? He does afterall have two and both have huge amounts of negs.<br /><br />In fairness to Rick I have never bought from him so I have no first hand knowledge on how he runs his business. The reason I do not is that this is not the first thread like this that I have seen. I was warned long ago.<br /><br /><br />Steve

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>MikeU</b><p>Summary of the original account negative/neutral feedback. <br /><br /><br /><a href="http://toolhaus.org/cgi-bin/negs?User=brsz&Dirn=Received+by&ref=home" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://toolhaus.org/cgi-bin/negs?User=brsz&Dirn=Received+by&ref=home</a><br /><br />

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Bobby Binder</b><p>The shilling excuse to protect your investment does not fly for me. All you had to do is end all the auctions early and list again with a reserve or a higher price.

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>NickM</b><p>Does anyone have scannable copies of the articles about this from a few years ago?

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Marc S.</b><p>&lt;&lt;Unfortunately on eBay you cant please all the people all of the time. If any of you have sold anything in quantity, you would know what i mean. I am not saying 99% is perfect, but i think its a more accurate reflection of customer satisfaction then the 1% who are unhappy. People are always quick to point out that X number have been unhappy in some way but always fail to mention the overwhelming majority who were happy.&gt;&gt;<br /><br />One of my favourite hobby dealers has over 10,750 positives and only one negative. Yes, you can't please everyone all of the time -- but there seem to be many doing much better than you.<br /><br />David B. Vintage - 24,000+ positives, no negatives.<br />Wayne Varner - 10,750+ positives, three negatives.<br />Steve Hart - 59,000 positives, two negatives<br /><br />The list goes on and on, but I would suggest you stop deceiving yourself, as many of your competitors and fellow dealers/colleagues have managed to present best-in-class Ebay service, something that your firm is lacking.

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Anonymous</b><p>If you look at the negatives, most are from issues that could have simply been avoided with a phone call. Unfortunately when you sell 400+ items a week, you get almost 1,000 emails a day. If you don't respond to someone's email 2 minutes after they wrote it, some are quick to leave you a negative. <br /><br />As far as the "long list" of shilled items. Its quite obvious that no matter what i do, a vast majority here wont believe me. I admitted the shilling when it happened. When i tell you i didnt shill the other items, most will simply say Im lying.<br /><br />I want to thank people like Rhys who have the courage to come on here to defend me. <br /><br />As far as the items i do sell. Like i said i take every measure i can. Say i had a FB jersey. I send it to Lou Lampson and sell it with his COA. Some of you will take issue with that and badmouth Lou. All i can do is trust the people who claim to be "best in the business", but apparently sometimes that isnt good enough either. <br /><br />If you look at my board you will see that everyday i sell items for .99 cents. Items that should go for much more, do i shill them? or "not sell them", no. I have items that sell for $10, that, on anyone's table at a show would sell for $50, do i shill them, no. <br /><br />Again, im sorry for anyone's past experiences. I cant change the past.

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Al C.risafulli</b><p>One thing that I've noticed is that eBay feedback with respect to sports cards and memorabilia works very differently than feedback in other areas.<br /><br />For instance, a 90% feedback rating for someone who sells compact discs on eBay is considered very good. Buyers often neg a seller if they don't like the music on a CD they bought.<br /><br />But in cards and memorabilia, a 90% feedback rating is atrocious. All that buyers really expect is that the item they purchased is authentic, unaltered, and received in the condition that was described in the listing, on a relatively timely basis. One of the people mentioned in one of the articles linked above, a friend of mine, is a full-time eBay seller with 99.8% feedback on nearly 13,000 transactions, and the majority of the cards he sells are ungraded cards from the 50s and 60s, hundreds of them each week. <br /><br />In other words, in sports cards and memorabilia on eBay, it's not really difficult to keep your feedback rating at 99.6 or above, regardless of how many transactions you've got. All you really need to do is describe your merchandise properly, package it well, and ship it on a relatively timely basis. Regardless of whether or not many negative feedback issues could be resolved with a phone call, the phone call should be, in my opinion, unnecessary as well, provided that the seller is meeting the simple requirements of running honest auctions and shipping responsibly.<br /><br />I've got no rooster in this fight, but I can say that I am very hesitant to bid with a seller on eBay once the feedback dips under 99.6. I find that there are still plenty of items to buy without having to bid with sellers that have what I consider to be low feedback - the seller really doesn't have that much responsibility in the transaction that they shouldn't hover near 100% if they're doing their job.<br /><br />-Al<br /><br /><br />

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Jeff Lichtman</b><p>But Al, when you do have a rooster in a fight do you dress him up with spurs and a nice cowboy hat? <img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14>

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Al C.risafulli</b><p><img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14><br /><br />-Al

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>joseph</b><p>I had two bad dealings with BR's years ago and never went back.

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>jamie</b><p>Lampson is the Pro Grading of the sports memorabilia world. It's a cheap ploy to rely on a questionable authenticator and blame him for the questionable items you continually offer. You're no better than the folks at Coach's Corner who offer questionable autographs.<br /><br />If you were truly interested in "taking every measure", you'd stand by your items and offer refunds when they (so often) turn out to be fake.

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Rick</b><p>Jamie:<br /><br />The Lou Lampson comment was in response to something someone else else (in one of the threads linked above). My point was simply that i take the measures i can. I have autographs checked out by Jimmy Spence, game used items by Lampson or Bushing and high $ cards by SGC or PSA. I think the world of Lou. I was just stating that, as a dealer, thats all you can do. Even when you take those measures, people dont like or trust the authenticator.

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>jamie</b><p>No, you make the pretence of making every effort by employing someone who will authenticate anything you put in front of him. You rely on these flimsy pieces of paper when you sell items and refuse refunds when they don't hold their weight. I posted over a dozen links to people who have had issues with game used items you've sold. I can find another 100 if I hit a few more message boards I frequent. That's not an isolated problem- it's an epidemic. Your humble posts are another ploy to maintain what few customers you haven't duped yet. <br /><br />Take a page out of REA's policy.<br /><br />"You will never ever see Lou Lampson's name as an authenticator in a Robert Edward Auctions catalog. Lou might be a very nice guy, and I have met him and he has always been very pleasant, but I personally do not have confidence in his abilities as an authenticator. This is just my personal opinion. Lou used to live just a few minutes away from REA. I even ran into him at the deli a couple of times. Very pleasant fellow. The last time I saw him I think he ordered a cinnamon-and-raisin bagel with cream cheese. I respect his opinion about bagels. I ordered the same and was very happy. But I'm not as enthusiastic about his opinions on jerseys. Even living so close, literally five minutes away, it would have never dawned on me to consider having Lou Lampson do our uniform authentication. I'd rather have my grandmother do it. This is just my opinion and I know that some auction houses, and presumably some collectors (though I do not know them) have great confidence in Mr. Lampson's abilities. If ever a bidder was interested in a jersey at REA and they were not satisfied with the authentication work by MEARS and wanted Lou Lampson (or any one else) to look at it for a second opinion, by all means we would be happy to cooperate in any reasonable manner. This hasn't happened yet. To me it is very interesting that so many of the auction houses that use Lou Lampson's services own the items that Lou Lampson is authenticating for them and that they are offering. I don't know the significance of this, but it is interesting. I'm not saying Lou Lampson is wrong all the time. I'm sure he's been right many times. But when there is an issue with a Lou Lampson authentication, well, he's not exactly the easiest guy to reach. I don't even know if it's possible to contact him. In contrast, when there's an issue with a MEARS authentication, the communication and options that are available to collectors is tremendous. I do understand that Lou Lampson's authentication rates are extremely reasonable, but there's an old saying: you get what you pay for. The modest cost, the quality of his authentication services, and his inaccessibility may serve the purposes of some auction houses well but I don't think it's very good for collectors. "

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Anonymous</b><p>.

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Rick</b><p>DR<br /><br />The main reason for the name thing is this.. Which im sure you will doubt. If you notice there are MANY things listed there, not just sports cards. Guitars, Toys, etc etc. I am partner in that venture with another gentleman (also named Rick), so we decided to put neither name in there and just put something that was a "play on words", that simple.

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Jerry</b><p>Your Feedback speaks for itself<br />nuff said

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>leon</b><p>As I said I am pretty much done with the topic. I do know who DR is and he is a known board member. Regardless of anything I will not let any anonymous posters throw jabs.....You really might consider looking at the way you do business in the future as something is not working out too well with respect to your ebay feedbacks.....take care

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Sean C</b><p>Beyond the shill bidding story, beyond the issues others may have had with cards purchased through you, I have been unwilling to deal with you since reading this story regarding what happend with Monte Irvin back in 2003:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/sports/2003/05/11/2003-05-11_torborg_faces_fish_hook.html" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/sports/2003/05/11/2003-05-11_torborg_faces_fish_hook.html</a><br /><br />

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Rob Dewolf</b><p>Sean,<br /><br />Thanks for posting that. Ever since this thread was started, I was trying to remember the Hall of Famer in this story and whether it was Broadway Rick who was involved. I was pretty sure it was but came up empty on Google searches.<br /><br />Can't wait to see the tap dancing and excuses that are sure to follow.

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Sean C</b><p>I was certain of the parties involved, but have spent the past couple of days trying to find a link to the story (too many damn results for the Broadway strike from last year showed up in my searches) before bringing it up here.

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Matt</b><p>Sean - thanks for knowing the parties involved and digging up the link. Just a tip - In the future, if you put "strike zone" in quotations marks when you search you'll avoid results to the broadway strike. A google search for Monte Irvin Broadway "Strike zone" shows the link you found as the 4th result.

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Steve</b><p>That's one sad article. The poor soul struggles, even with one foot in the grave. What other easy old sap got swindled?.. Good goin' Rick

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Brian</b><p>Joshua Evans did the right thing. Impressive.

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Matt</b><p>Josh Evans did more then the right thing - eating $10k is going WAY above and beyond.

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>scott</b><p>I had two encounters with this dealer both being negitive. Trimmed Ramly and a trimmed Matty T206. I hope never to have the pleasure of buying from him. Even after he took the Ramly back he placed it in another auction and didn't discribe it as being trimmed. I have a signed Ruth check from him and frankly speaking I'm afraid to send it in to confirm its the real deal.<br />BAD NEWS.........BAD NEWS One of the old time un-trustworthy dealers in the hobby that helped establish the need for grading companies. I guess PSA should send him yearly thank you cards.

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Andy</b><p>edited for anonymity (leon)_.....<br /><br />Andy- you have to put your full name out here if you want to comment. Nothing personal...I know everyone else in this thread by their handles.....take care....

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>J Levine</b><p>Rick, do you have a father? Is he older? Is he in declining health? Is his mental capacity declining? Does he have anything valuable in his house?<br /><br />If the answers are yes to the questions above, I would think long and hard the next time you are in someone else's house trying to make a quick buck.<br /><br />People who take advantage of the old, young, or infirm are the scum of the universe in my opinion. <br /><br />Joshua

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Dan Bretta</b><p>WOW! How do you answer to that? Kudos to Leland's and shame on Rick Kohl. I'm guessing we've seen the last of Rick in this thread.

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Rich Wetherbee</b><p>"If you look at the negatives, most are from issues that could have simply been avoided with a phone call. Unfortunately when you sell 400+ items a week, you get almost 1,000 emails a day. If you don't respond to someone's email 2 minutes after they wrote it, some are quick to leave you a negative." <br /><br />I am generally a lurker on this board and a very occasional contributor, but this comment forced me to respond. I average roughly 100+ items per week on ebay as a seller. Using Broadway math, I should be receiving 250+ emails per week. I receive generally 10-12 per week, and half of those are, "Can you end the auction early" requests. Enough with the exaggerations. If your number is even remotely close to being true, try additional photos or more succinct descriptions. Bottom line: It's not a boatload of work to maintain great feedback. You treat your customers the way you expect to be treated.

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>howard</b><p>Great move by Mr. Evans but did he really eat the whole $10K? Seems like Mr. Irvin should have at least turned over the 2K he received from Broadway Rick.

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Dan Bretta</b><p>Did he give him $2,000 for just the plaque or was it the whole pile of stuff he pilfered in the house?

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Sean C</b><p>Guess we'll have to wait until Rick responds to find out. The ball is in your court, Rick.

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Bill</b><p>BRSZ.....I cant wait to see the "spin" you put on this.<br /><br />SCUM and we wonder why dealers get a bad rap???<br /><br />I'm sure glad most dont need to make a buck that bad.

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Rob Dewolf</b><p>Just thought it was worth noting that it has been more than 24 hours, and the silence from Broadway Rick continues to be deafening.

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Dan Bretta</b><p>C'mon Rob, if you posted 400 auctions on ebay every week you wouldn't have time to spend in this chatroom either.

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Rob Dewolf</b><p>Good point, Dan. Not to mention the 1,000 e-mails those 400 auctions generate.

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Jeff Lichtman</b><p>Are you midwesterners employing sarcasm?

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Rob Dewolf</b><p>I'm the Midwest's distributor, Jeff, according to my wife.

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>1880nonsports</b><p> - but u then owe my wife for the rights - as she invented it...

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Al Simeone</b><p>Jeff,<br />Dont forget us Eastcoasters can dish up a good dose of sarcasm!!! I dont know about, Leon you know how strange those forum owners are!!! Ah sarcasm 101!!!!!!!

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>leon</b><p>edited my sarcasm out...no need to pile on. Kind of like calling an ambulance to a funeral....

Broadway Rick
 

Posted By: <b>Sean C</b><p>It's been a few days, and there have been no responses here or via email. Anybody get one?