Merchantman Auctions in Davie FL trying to sell counterfeits Jan 27

[swarmee]

https://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=295474

Figured it was worth putting on the main board to get broader knowledge.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Have Justin and Daniel resurfaced?

[swarmee]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Have Justin and Daniel resurfaced?

Were they Candiman? I think their main problems were trimming and using photoshop/overexposure to hide flaws on real cards. Not selling fakes at this level.

[swarmee]

$60K in counterfeit cards, listed in the thread above. Reported them to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Lets see what comes of it.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

Well done John.

[Seven]

Originally Posted by swarmee

$60K in counterfeit cards, listed in the thread above. Reported them to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Lets see what comes of it.

Thank you John. Hopefully something comes of this.

[Eric72]

Rather unfortunate that this thread has had so little participation. If it were an, "oh my, this grading company is changing the font size on their label" thread, there would have already been hundreds of comments.

[I'm Your Huckleberry]

Originally Posted by swarmee

https://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=295474

Figured it was worth putting on the main board to get broader knowledge.

I just won 3 auctions from this guy (only $375 total) but I had some hesitations when bidding because of the lack of photos/back images. I have requested a refund, so let's see what plays out.

Lesson learned...I assumed that HiBid would have a more robust vetting system in place and not allow counterfeit cards sold on their platform.

[swarmee]

Wow, still going on after three years.

[I'm Your Huckleberry]

Originally Posted by swarmee

Wow, still going on after three years.

They have assured me that the cards are authentic and have had 50 + auctions with only positive reviews. Since this is not a large purchase, I plan to send them to SGC and see if they are indeed authentic cards. Two of them are graded by some no-name grading company based out of, you guessed it, Davies FL. And the worse thing, the number to the grading company (from their website) is the same as Merchantman Auctions phone number (from their website). Such a shame

[Fred]

Just curious, what cards did you get for $375? Any pictures/scans we can look at?

[I'm Your Huckleberry]

Originally Posted by Fred

Just curious, what cards did you get for $375? Any pictures/scans we can look at?

These were 60's cards and I hope that I am wrong about my assumptions, they just seem too sharp after further inspection. Also a "GEM MINT" grade by a no name grading company should have been all the validation I needed to not bid, but I got caught up in the excitement of the auction. The Aaron card is not even the correct year on the slab label :/

See Attached

[Gorditadogg]

Lee, welcome to Net54. I always figured that swarmee was this dude's huckleberry. But if you can take the mantle, I wish you well.

Keep us posted, please.

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[ahmanfan]

Mantle looks fake.


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[I'm Your Huckleberry]

Originally Posted by ahmanfan

Mantle looks fake.


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That was what I was afraid of honestly.

[rjackson44]

Both look horrible sorry

[webdog21]

Merchantman Auctions is a total fraud. I bought a vintage card from him about 2-3 years ago and it was fake. It was through the HiBid auction website and I messaged him before the auction took place to verify the card was authentic and he assured me it was (his exact words were it's 100% authentic). When I received the card I could immediately tell it was a fake and I'm certainly not an expert in this area. I sent it to PSA just to be sure and it came back as a fake. He kept saying he would refund the money to me but never did. I got HiBid involved and they were absolutely no help. Here is their email to me:

Hi Jeff,
Unfortunately our legal team does not handle these types of things and I have been told by my supervisor that you would need to file your own legal law suit against the Merchantman Auctions.
We lease them the tools to run their own auctions and businesses. We do not legally go between bidder and auctioneer on these types of issues.
Our bidder support team is here to help you with technical issues and we of course will act as a go between and email the auctioneer any message you may have in regards to the auction.
I will send Willie an email on your behalf today letting him know that you still have not received your refund and that if he could start the process that would be great.
Keep my updated on what you decide to do so I can document it and also I will do the same, if I hear back from him I will let you know.
Please report all of this to the BBB and the local auctioneerÂ’s association as well .
Thank you and have a great day.
Please do not hesitate to call us or e-mail me, if you have any questions or issues. We are here to help!


Willie McCoy from Merchantmans auctions is a total fraud! Do not buy his fake cards. He basically ruined the hobby for me. I lost a lot of money because of him and I spend tons of time trying to get reimbursed (with no luck). After all of this happened HiBid still allowed him to sell on their platform (which is absolutely crazy to me).

[Michael B]

I just looked at their current auction. They are doing something quite shady/slimey/not cool. There are a number of lots with multiple cards of the same player, all slabbed (by BMG Grading?). If I read the title correctly, you are essentially bidding on one card and that bid will be multiplied by the number of cards in the listing. You bid on the Will Levis 3 card rookie lot and are the top bidder at $15.00. It would be $45 plus whatever fees are attached.