Scammed on BST...be careful with AUSTIN316
 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Good morning All,

I just wanted to put out a warning to all Net54 members when dealing with AUSTIN316. I agreed to purchase a signed postcard back on July 15, sent a check payment immediately figuring the guy (Tony...username AUSTIN316) sounded legit. 3+ months later I still have nothing to show for it. He does reply to my texts on occasion, but has yet to supply me with an tracking #, a refund, etc. 1 month delay, I could deal with, 2 months and I knew something was up, 3 months and I know I most likely will not see anything again. Please be careful out there....I can give more details if needed, but don't want to overstep proper Net54 etiquette.

Andrew

Hope you end up with your item or refund. They say bad things come in 3's so hopefully now the scammers are gone for a while.

I am very sorry to hear of this. It is another cautionary tale for the BST. His total posts in the last few years is 6. The number of posts a member has is our informal feedback system. That low total is a bit of a flag to do some vetting of your trading partner. I am not, at all, saying it was your fault, if it is what you said and I am not questioning that. You probablly need your full name (can be a bit jumbled for searching issues) but other than that, the more info the merrier....minus phone numbers (which he gave in most of his posts) or addresses. If I can help any please PM me about it.....

Isn't his full name in his post?

Yeap, I need more coffee. Thanks for the correction and Thanks Andrew!!

Too many scammers on this board lately....what is up with that?

Sad.. When ever there is something good like the BST that really helps fellow collectors some idiots always seem to find a way to ruin it!!

An unfortunate situation but a good example of why paypal goods is best when dealing with someone you don't know. I know I wouldn't send a check or use paypal ff unless it was someone a dealt with before, or who was well known on the board. Even then I would have reservations. A 3% fee isn't bad for peace of mind.

The "other" site I used to be on is full of scammers. I still go there, but mostly for entertainment.

I have never had a problem here. Buying or selling.

When I first started here, I did pay attention to the number post the person had. Not fail-safe, but it was the only thing I had to go by.

As time has gone by, I have established "friendships" with several members who buy/sell the same type of cards I do (T206). I have no problem sending PP FF to any of them.

OP, sorry to hear about this. Thanks for giving folks a heads-up. I would have thrown it up there after 1 month of nothing. Just me though.

I never do business with anyone on here unless they are a known commodity with lots of references spanning many years.

I would recommend that SOP for everyone

Also, this is why eBay is pretty attractive.... You're 100% covered on sometbing like this.

I am a bit leary as many sellers on here only want F&F or want to charge 3% to have the transactions go through as goods. I for one would like if the whole price to do a transaction was all in one. Even a known seller can have a package go missing or turn deadbeat!

I generally base my transactions on reputation and references on the board. I know that there can always be bad apples but I have never had a negative buying experience on the board. I think your odds here are pretty much better than your odds on eBay even though ebay has a buyer protection program. With that said, the use of family and friend for payment is technically an abuse of their system and it takes away buyer protection so I prefer to use regular paypal with transactions. I can also understand not wanting to pay the 3 % as a seller but it also protects the seller's reputation by keeping things on the up and up.

I don't have a problem with this as long as it's clear. If a seller says I want to net $1,000 on this card, so it's 1,030 paypal goods, that's fine. Insisting something is paid for by check or paypal ff is a red flag for me.

I have used the BST for numerous purchases and sales and hadn't had an issue until this. I don't think it will keep me from making future deals, but I do think it will all have to be via paypal to "protect." In retrospect, I shouldn't have done the check as Tony had asked for.

BST is a fantastic place for friends to Buy, Sell, and Trade with each other. Over the last few years, I have bought and sold hundreds of cards/lots of cards with nary a member-caused snafu. (I have run into the rare Postal glitch as you would anywhere.) PayPal FRIENDS and Family is designed for such a place. If you do not know a person as a friend or, at the very least, by reputation, you are opening yourself up to problems. Truthfully though, I have not had any and I have dealt with dozens of board members , some dozens of times. I have been upgrading my T206 pile to slabs and passing my raw cards on to other collectors. I also have thinned the herd by moving literally 12,000 Topps/Bowman a couple years ago and various other Pre-War piles earlier this year. I am presently moving a pile of T212 Obak slabs.

There is NO BETTER PLACE to reach other collectors and no better group of collectors anywhere else on the web. PERIOD

I would
 

I would just like to add that Im a good guy! :)

Like Stone Cold used to say "D.T.A." DON'T TRUST ANYONE. The wrestling joke and humor aside I hope it wasn't a lot of money that sucks man.

I am happy that the transactions I have had here have all been positive. It's a shame that some will ruin the trust for others on this site.
Andrew,I hope everything works out well for you.