Bryce Harper Fraud on eBay

[estebahn73]

I recently purchased a Bryce Harper Aflac Auto 166/230 from ebay. The seller's username is c-n-bs_shoppingsprees. 2010 Bowman BRYCE HARPER Aflac Autograph Rookie SP /230 - eBay (item 270713349012 end time Feb-27-11 21:54:29 PST) (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270713349012&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT) The card was offered at $900 and I offered $775 and he countered with $825 so I lifted the offer as the card was going for $1000+ at that time. The seller had 100% 1774 positive feedback so I didn't think much of it until I looked at the auction more carefully. The picture of the card looked really familiar. So I searched 166/230 Bryce Harper on Google and the first search pops up was the thread from the blowout - http://www.blowoutcards.com/forums/baseball/132115-910-raw-harper-aflac.html

The card was sold by a different user and bought by not the guy who sold me the card. At this point, I still haven't made the payment yet and I approached him about selling the card that didn't belong to him. He wrote me back saying that his camera doesn't work so well so he ended up using a picture from a different auction. I told him that is very misleading and told him that I will not make the payment until he provides the right picture of the card no matter how blur the picture is. That was 5 days ago and he still hasn't provided the right picture for me. Whenever I emailed him about the picture he would have excuses about how sick his mother is so he is too busy to take a picture. AND yet he was able to put up another auction of Strasburg Auto Orange Ref last night and sold it for $700!!

In fact, if you look at his history, (http://completed.shop.ebay.com/c-n-bs_shoppingsprees/m.html?LH_Complete=1&_trkparms=65%253A13%257C66%253A1%257C39%253A1&rt=nc&_ipg=25&_sticky=1&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14&_sop=3&_sc=1)he has been building up all these positive feedbacks from selling/buying very cheap cards over the past couple of months then all of sudden he has been selling all these expensive items! i.e. Bryce Harper Bowman Chrome Auto /100, Bryce Harper Aflac Auto, Strasburg Autos, Sam Bradford 5 Star auto and guess what? That Sam Bradford auction also used another picture from a different auction! (http://completed.shop.ebay.com/c-n-bs_shoppingsprees/m.html?LH_Complete=1&_trkparms=65%253A13%257C66%253A1%257C39%253A1&rt=nc&_ipg=25&_sticky=1&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14&_sop=3&_sc=1) The card is actually 39/40 but he is listing it as 19/40 as it maybe hard to tell just from the picture.

I feel lucky that I haven't made the payment right away but I feel really bad for other guys who won the auction and made the payment already. I hope that the buyers aren't Blowoutcards memebers!

This experience tells me that you should do your due diligence on the seller no matter how good of a feedback the seller has.

[jeffgates_3716]

WOW!! That is nuts.. You report him? robbing people big time!! I don't see someone selling cards that big with the wrong picture.

[Anderdale]

lol card is numbered 166 and he puts 160 so people wont notice.

[houdini]

Ok, this is going to sound terrible and I am definitely going to get a few complaints about this suggestion...

Leave him a negative for a fake picture immediately.

Ok, here is why:

1. If you are correct, and I believe you are, then you will have single-handedly toppled his scheme and saved untold others from the same fate.

2. If he can produce the real card, then he can send a feedback change request. He has only used two and he probably has 10 or 15 requests available. I have 15 available to me and we have near the same amount of sales.

3. If he is legit, then he will want to prove it asap. Let him next-day the card to you and after you receive it you can change the feedback. He will not/cannot do this though.

My guess is that he will have some excuse and try to cancel the transaction.

Please know that as a seller, I am against leaving a negative 99.999% of the time.

[jeffgates_3716]

Ok, this is going to sound terrible and I am definitely going to get a few complaints about this suggestion...

Leave him a negative for a fake picture immediately.

Ok, here is why:

1. If you are correct, and I believe you are, then you will have single-handedly toppled his scheme and saved untold others from the same fate.

2. If he can produce the real card, then he can send a feedback change request. He has only used two and he probably has 10 or 15 requests available. I have 15 available to me and we have near the same amount of sales.

3. If he is legit, then he will want to prove it asap. Let him next-day the card to you and after you receive it you can change the feedback. He will not/cannot do this though.

My guess is that he will have some excuse and try to cancel the transaction.

Please know that as a seller, I am against leaving a negative 99.999% of the time.

I agree! He can fix it later but with multiple cards that high end with wrong pictures is to big a risk not to allert others. If he were a responsible seller he would be up front about it in his listing or waited to list the cards with the correct pictures. Just my two cents:)

[WCTYSON]

All I can say is WOW. Good catch before paying. It sounds like the seller is pretty slick. Please report this to Ebay asap. They have a very strict rule about using other's images, just for this reason. I hope Ebay looks into this asap before a lot of people loose a lot of money. Thank you for the info, I know I will be more careful as a buyer.

[estebahn73]

This is what he wrote me when I approached him about not providing the correct picture even after 5 days yet having the time to put up an auction.

Dear estebahn73,

You would think so right, well its much easier to just "sell similar" and click submit if you dont change anything and that takes about 30 seconds... And, you can do that from another computer, I needed to be home to take a picture and upload it with my USB cord, all that stuff isnt at my moms house! If I was at home doing this stuff it would be just as easy to get you what you want but, I havent been home... My mom lives right by the hospital, I dont... I have a 45 minute drive from my house to my moms house and the hospital with no traffic, w/traffic its over an hour to an hour and a half... Especially after 5:00pm...


- c-n-bs_shoppingsprees

Now this guy had been using this as an excuse for the past 5 days! What do you think?

[WCTYSON]

If you paid for the card, would he not have to go get it? Sounds like a fraud, alert ebay asap.

[bravesballer]

It doesn't look like he was purposely trying to rip you off. He just HAS to understand he can't sell cards using stock or stolen pictures, especially not high dollar cards. If he is not use to taking and getting his own pictures it can be complicated\tough for non-technical people to do. He has enough feedback and current sales though that he should learn what he is doing.

Just tell him the sale is off if he doesn't provide a real picture of the card with his screen name written on something to prove its legit.

[kajshack]

This guy actually bought a UFC card from me a few weeks ago. He didn't pay right away and had a lot of excuses as to why he couldn't make payment, but he seemed legit. He said that when ebay tried to tap his paypal account for his monthly seller fees, he didn't have enough funds in paypal to cover it. So ebay tried to hit his bank account for the fees, but there were insufficient funds or something so the payment got refused. So paypal then locked up his account and he had to go through the process of re-verification. Throughout the entire process (which lasted a few weeks), he kept me informed of what was going on. I'm pretty lenient about payments if the buyer stays in contact with me and has a decent excuse, so I let it ride and he eventually paid me.

My concern is that it seems like he has run into financial difficulties (no money in paypal, no money in the bank, no money to pay for the cards he's bought), so I would be surprised but not shocked to find out that he's resorted to "scamming." However, I don't completely distrust his explanation as to why he doesn't use his own scans.

[estebahn73]

This guy actually bought a UFC card from me a few weeks ago. He didn't pay right away and had a lot of excuses as to why he couldn't make payment, but he seemed legit. He said that when ebay tried to tap his paypal account for his monthly seller fees, he didn't have enough funds in paypal to cover it. So ebay tried to hit his bank account for the fees, but there were insufficient funds or something so the payment got refused. So paypal then locked up his account and he had to go through the process of re-verification. Throughout the entire process (which lasted a few weeks), he kept me informed of what was going on. I'm pretty lenient about payments if the buyer stays in contact with me and has a decent excuse, so I let it ride and he eventually paid me.

My concern is that it seems like he has run into financial difficulties (no money in paypal, no money in the bank, no money to pay for the cards he's bought), so I would be surprised but not shocked to find out that he's resorted to "scamming." However, I don't completely distrust his explanation as to why he doesn't use his own scans.

Thanks for the input. I think you are right about his resorting to "scamming" to get some money now by selling high end items and buy some time. I have a feeling he will try to refund the money after weeks of excuses in the mean time trying to sell small cards that he actually has to make some money back. This would be akin to borrowing money at zero interest for about a month.

I still feel obligated to leave him a negative feedback for other buyers who haven't made the payment as of yet.

[Cactuspies]

he lives in my old stomping ground...want me to pay a visit? Take me about 40 minutes or less to get there depending on traffic.

[dthimesch]

Good catch! This guy will be gone from ebay in a short period of time.

[Baseball Cards]

Woah. SCAM. I think I'm getting scammed to.

[fishacura]

Also, believe it or not, it's actually against ebays pollicy to take a picture from another auction and use it as your own. It's considered (the picture that is) property of the original poster and you're not allowed to use them. I read that awhile ago and it is still the case.

Images and text policy (http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/image-text.html)

[houdini]

To the op, I commend you.

I know it sucks to leave the feedback - especially as you are a seller as well.

For those who think the potential scammer is legit, I hope you are right. I don't think so though. In the event that he is legit, he can prove it by showing his true picture. Then the op could revise his feedback. Lesson learned and no lasting harm done.

[auctionjmm]

Also, believe it or not, it's actually against ebays pollicy to take a picture from another auction and use it as your own. It's considered (the picture that is) property of the original poster and you're not allowed to use them. I read that awhile ago and it is still the case.

Images and text policy (http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/image-text.html)

Thats the most ridiculous policy I've ever read and it certainly isn't enforced by eBay! No stock photos or stock descriptions? Are you kidding me? I'm pretty sure everyone uses Topps sell sheets for the info for their auctions especially if they are box and case sales. I borrow images all the time if it's a common image like a seating chart for a sports arena or picture of the Topps logo or whatever. If eBay enforced this I think 80% of baseball card sellers would be banned, if not more. Stupid.

Anyway I know my rant is kind of off topic but geez!

[auctionjmm]

To the op, I commend you.

I know it sucks to leave the feedback - especially as you are a seller as well.

For those who think the potential scammer is legit, I hope you are right. I don't think so though. In the event that he is legit, he can prove it by showing his true picture. Then the op could revise his feedback. Lesson learned and no lasting harm done.

Good thing you and the OP aren't judges or jurors lol.

"I hope he is innocent...I don't think so though. In the event he is innocent, he can prove it by showing us evidence of his innocence. Then we could reverse his sentence down the road. Lesson learned and no lasting harm done."

[WCTYSON]

Thats the most ridiculous policy I've ever read and it certainly isn't enforced by eBay! No stock photos or stock descriptions? Are you kidding me? I'm pretty sure everyone uses Topps sell sheets for the info for their auctions especially if they are box and case sales. I borrow images all the time if it's a common image like a seating chart for a sports arena or picture of the Topps logo or whatever. If eBay enforced this I think 80% of baseball card sellers would be banned, if not more. Stupid.

Anyway I know my rant is kind of off topic but geez!

What you are talking about is different. I do not think the policy is wrong. Just look at the issue the O.P. is having. If people just post a stock photo of a single specific item this occurrence would happen a lot or more than it already does. Good catch by the O.P. For a buyer to buy a card from a stock photo or no photo, now that is stupid. You can not know if the seller has the item, see the centering or condition of the card. :rolleyes:

[auctionjmm]

What you are talking about is different. I do not think the policy is wrong. Just look at the issue the O.P. is having. If people just post a stock photo of a single specific item this occurrence would happen a lot or more than it already does. Good catch by the O.P. For a buyer to buy a card from a stock photo or no photo, now that is stupid. You can not know if the seller has the item, see the centering or condition of the card. :rolleyes:

I am with you 100% as far as single sales are concerned. I would never buy a card with a stock photo as the pic.

I was referring to eBay's policy in general that no stock photos or descriptions be allowed. Read it again...it's very clear that all photos and descriptions should be the original work of the seller and I think that is ridiculous especially if you are selling something, like a case of cards where a Topps sell sheet would be the ideal photo/description to use.

[WCTYSON]

I am with you 100% as far as single sales are concerned. I would never buy a card with a stock photo as the pic.

I was referring to eBay's policy in general that no stock photos or descriptions be allowed. Read it again...it's very clear that all photos and descriptions should be the original work of the seller and I think that is ridiculous especially if you are selling something, like a case of cards where a Topps sell sheet would be the ideal photo/description to use.

I have never had an issue with stock photos of info sheets, etc. and I do not think ebay does either. They would and should have an issue with what the seller above has done. :(

[boxbreaker88]

I have bought tons from him before and havent had a problem but that is a great catch leave a neg right away

[mudflap02]

People who can't afford their ebay seller fees generally don't dabble in thousand dollar cards on the side. Neg ASAP.

[fishacura]

Thats the most ridiculous policy I've ever read and it certainly isn't enforced by eBay! No stock photos or stock descriptions? Are you kidding me? I'm pretty sure everyone uses Topps sell sheets for the info for their auctions especially if they are box and case sales. I borrow images all the time if it's a common image like a seating chart for a sports arena or picture of the Topps logo or whatever. If eBay enforced this I think 80% of baseball card sellers would be banned, if not more. Stupid.

Anyway I know my rant is kind of off topic but geez!

Agreed in principle but it is the policy nonetheless. And I do have an issue with it when I take the time to photograph an item and someone just crops my image and uses it. I've reported folks for that and their auctions have been closed.

[XL5]

This is what he wrote me when I approached him about not providing the correct picture even after 5 days yet having the time to put up an auction.

Dear estebahn73,

You would think so right, well its much easier to just "sell similar" and click submit if you dont change anything and that takes about 30 seconds... And, you can do that from another computer, I needed to be home to take a picture and upload it with my USB cord, all that stuff isnt at my moms house! If I was at home doing this stuff it would be just as easy to get you what you want but, I havent been home... My mom lives right by the hospital, I dont... I have a 45 minute drive from my house to my moms house and the hospital with no traffic, w/traffic its over an hour to an hour and a half... Especially after 5:00pm...


- c-n-bs_shoppingsprees
Now this guy had been using this as an excuse for the past 5 days! What do you think?

If what he says is true, that he can't get home to take a picture of his stock, then he should probably hold off selling on eBay until his situation stabilizes. At best he's engaging in selling that he really shouldn't be doing at this time and probably can't be relied upon to ship on time if he can't even upload post a photo.

Worst case he's lying.