Veterans Investment Group

[autocentral]

Originally Posted by botn

Saw this thread and felt I needed to post. Joe does not know I am on this board nor does he know I am making this post. I know this board has seen its share of clowns and the hobby has seen endless amounts of scammers so I understand people’s skepticism when someone like Joe pops up but Joe happens to be a friend of mine (hi Joe…I know I owe you a call) and I can tell you he is anything but a clown or a scammer. One conversation with him and you will know he is a passionate, incredibly friendly and genuine guy who does not have a single bad intention.

Joe jumped into the hobby full speed ahead and not too long ago and hit the ground running. Most, if not all, of the high profile dealers and houses know him as does PSA and pretty sure SGC does as well. If people want to offer constructive criticism I know he would greatly appreciate it otherwise cut the guy a little slack and save the interrogation for someone who has earned it. This is a man who served our country and risked his life protecting us. I think he deserves and is entitled to much better treatment than he has gotten so far.

Agreed. Joe is a great guy and definitely deserves better treatment than he has gotten so far.

I know Joe personally and he is a stand up guy.

-Nick

[USMC03VET]

Good morning,

To the gentlemen who know me and have come to my defense, it is greatly appreciated and truly a stand up thing to do; you all have my sincerest gratitude!

Those of you who have never spoken to me or have never done business with me, I would encourage you to reach out at some point and do so before passing judgement.

There is clearly a reason that I will not and do not publish my personal information on public blogs, should you take the time to get to know me as John, Greg, and Nick have done; I believe you will understand that reason.

In the short time that I have been active in the hobby I have come to realize that there are an obscene amount of scammers and this hobby is plagued by them.

Fortunately I have met some great folks who have helped me along the way and guided me towards making good decisions and staying away from the undesirables.

Semper Fi!
Joe

[Exhibitman]

Having good guys vouch for you should address any reasonable concerns.

[ramram]

Welcome to the forum Joe. You made it through the forum's hazing process and now you are initiated. Hope you decide to spend some time on here. Glad to have you.

Rob M.

[USMC03VET]

Rob,

Thank you for the "warm" welcome, it is easy for people to be TOUGH and haze in a blog thread...fortunately this is not the "real world" otherwise the conversation would have likely taken on a different tone and went in a different direction.

As much as it pains me to credit the hazers, I understand that this hobby is filled with folks who's sole goal is to manipulate and defraud collector's so the vetting process here and elsewhere is somewhat warranted.

Look forward to getting to know and doing business with some of you guys in the future.

Semper Fi!
Joe

[swarmee]

I think the main reason people questioned your account on eBay was because the first couple of cards you/your team bought seemed to be awful investments, and they were worried that you were going to bankrupt a military charity. The pattern of buying and selling seemed schizophrenic and from a low feedback eBay seller buying and selling cards with such high values, it really looked like a scam.
Glad to know you've joined our board. Welcome!

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

Originally Posted by botn

Saw this thread and felt I needed to post. Joe does not know I am on this board nor does he know I am making this post. I know this board has seen its share of clowns and the hobby has seen endless amounts of scammers so I understand people’s skepticism when someone like Joe pops up but Joe happens to be a friend of mine (hi Joe…I know I owe you a call) and I can tell you he is anything but a clown or a scammer. One conversation with him and you will know he is a passionate, incredibly friendly and genuine guy who does not have a single bad intention.

Joe jumped into the hobby full speed ahead and not too long ago and hit the ground running. Most, if not all, of the high profile dealers and houses know him as does PSA and pretty sure SGC does as well. If people want to offer constructive criticism I know he would greatly appreciate it otherwise cut the guy a little slack and save the interrogation for someone who has earned it. This is a man who served our country and risked his life protecting us. I think he deserves and is entitled to much better treatment than he has gotten so far.

Originally Posted by autocentral

Agreed. Joe is a great guy and definitely deserves better treatment than he has gotten so far.

I know Joe personally and he is a stand up guy.

-Nick

Originally Posted by USMC03VET

Rob,

Thank you for the "warm" welcome, it is easy for people to be TOUGH and haze in a blog thread...fortunately this is not the "real world" otherwise the conversation would have likely taken on a different tone and went in a different direction.

As much as it pains me to credit the hazers, I understand that this hobby is filled with folks who's sole goal is to manipulate and defraud collector's so the vetting process here and elsewhere is somewhat warranted.

Look forward to getting to know and doing business with some of you guys in the future.

Semper Fi!
Joe

I consider my words quite carefully, and make a very concerted effort to comport myself the same online as I would in person. I think I was very respectful and businesslike in my message. I made no accusations and certainly didn't question anyone's integrity even by implication. My tone if you and I, Joe, were standing two feet from each other, would not have changed one iota. I merely was asking you to look at the situation from the perspective of someone who DOESN'T know you, which I think to some degree you have done.

I'll take your word for it that there is some reason you can't share your full name (though why you insist on calling it your "personal information" is beyond me) and the fact that you have long-time reputable members standing up for you obviously means a lot. I wish you the best of luck in your hobby endeavors

[Exhibitman]

Well, Joe, I think you'd face the same reactions face to face as here. As a professional cynic (attorney) and amateur misanthrope I want to explain to you why I read an intro like yours on eBay and the alarm bells go off immediately.

First of all there are the myriad fraud and scam sellers who cloak their activities in asinine stories about grampy's attic find that is always a Wagner or Lajoie yet never a Clyde Klutz. They have no hobby credibility and no eBay experience yet they expect big money from people they don't know. An auction house called Coaches Corner built its entire business on defrauding the gullible with big ticket fake autographs.

Then there are the sellers who sell fake stuff with the tag line God Bless. Never seen one yet invoking the Lord in commerce who wasn't a crook.

Finally there are the sellers who cloak their commerce in charity or service to country. That is how you came across on eBay.

You are a vet. Good for you. A grateful nation salutes your service in many ways and contexts. Using your status as an effort to bypass developing real credibility on eBay or in the hobby doesn't play for many here who are too polite or afraid of self-righteous backlash to say it outright. I have no such qualms. In the context of an eBay seller, I don't care what you did or did not do: I don't know you and your accomplishments outside the hobby are irrelevant, unprovable and anonymous, especially when you are asking strangers for money. I've seen and sued too many con artists to take what you or anyone else says on its face before handing over the cheddar. You may not have considered this but your marketing appears to many to be a crass effort to monetize your military service.

Please consider the above in the context of an open and frank discussion of the reaction your eBay listings provoked.