Aggressive and rude seller possibly scam

[ezrapetruik]

 Please if anyone can help me I would be extremely grateful . I rarely use Ebay and when I use it I only use it to get rare comic books that I can not possibly find anywhere else. I bought my biggest purchase ever for uncanny x-men #1 which was around 4000$ Canadian but I was under the impression that Ebay was a safe and reliable place to buy things. The seller was pleasant at first but messaged me a few days after the purchase and his demeanor changed big time. He accused me of changing my address after purchase but all I actually did was change my address while I was purchasing so that it would go to the right address. Ebay itself on the receipt and in the windows all showed "Item has been shipped" to the correct address but I guess he somehow used the address before actual purchase. All of a sudden a huge , expensive purchase became the worst purchase of my life. He was rude and accusatory and I had to run around to get my actual package. Now the item is loose and was claimed to have been signed by a high profile person but after the way this person has been acting and by the way they ignored some of my questions I feel that this item might be fake as this seller has shown me that they are aggressive and untrustworthy and any transaction where I am the buyer and the seller is aggressive usually means they are scammers.  Should I return the item right away and file a report? I am unsure of what to do but the item to me is no longer worth what I paid because it came from a jerk and I would like purchases where I overpaid anyways to be pleasant? or is that too much to ask in the digital age of no customer service , no honor and no face to face transactions for peace of mind and to judge character ? if so count me out!

[mcrlmn]

If the item doesn't match the seller's description, you should let the seller know by opening a request.

You can get started by going to your 'Purchase history' page and clicking on the 'Return this item' button beside the item.

You must open a request within 30 days of the estimated or confirmed delivery date.

After you open a request, the seller has 3 business days to resolve the issue.

If you don't get a response or can't work things out with the seller, you can then select the option of eBay to stepping in and resolving the matter.

The item should be shipped back with tracking on the seller's dime.

Correct your shipping address on eBay and PayPal to avoid similar issues in the future!

[momcqueen]

Ebay is a safe and reliable place to buy things providing you follow ebay's rules. Changing your address mid-purchase triggered problems to which the seller apparently did not notice until it was too late. While there is no excuse for rudeness, the seller is obligated to ship to the address he is given when payment is submit.

While this is an expensive purchase for you, it would also be an expensive loss for him. And it's not the first time a seller has been left to hang by an unethical buyer set to commit fraud.

Is the item as described? Therein lies now the question.

If the comic book arrived in the condition it was sold in, you do not have grounds for a Not as Described dispute. That you now dislike the seller is irrelevant. Of course you may still return it provided you have not used or wrecked it but at your own expense. Open a Return case.

Make absolutely certain you use an insured service with signature.

Do not mess this up. It's worth $4000 and you can be sure this seller will fight for it if you do. Your purchase goes back in its original packaging with all the TLC you would use if it were your own because it is until the seller gets it back and confirms it is still is saleable condition.

[pjcdn2005]

Buyers are allowed to use various addresses so they may have a few different ‘correct’ addresses.  There is nothing wrong with changing the address at payment as that is the one the seller should always use. 

[reallynicestamps]

On  a $4000 purchase in a high fraud/highly entitled* category, the seller has a right to be nervous, even when the buyer is completely above board and relations have been friendly and professional.

But you are right, Paypal does allow multiple addresses and the user can change among them. They are sometimes called 'gift addresses' which is a quick explanation of why they exist.

*Google 'gamergate' and despair of mankind.

[patken123]

"I feel that this item might be fake as this seller has shown me that they are aggressive and untrustworthy and any transaction where I am the buyer and the seller is aggressive usually means they are scammers."

Please correct me if I'm wrong, you spent $4000 on a comic book, that now you feel it could be fake because the seller is aggressive and rude, isn't there a better /more reliable system of authenticating  comic books rather than relying on your personal feeling ? is there a chance that the book is not fake? 

I believe ebay will need more credible evidence from you to vote in your favour. 

[reallynicestamps]

https://gameandcomic.com/2017/01/09/comic-grading-101-cgc-vs-cbcs-vs-pgx/

[momcqueen]

The seller should not be rude nor aggressive in any case, nor should any buyer, but 'rude and aggressive' is not a hallmark of a 'scam'; it is indicative of someone who is angry. Like a seller who wasn't paying attention to addresses and shipped a valuable item to the wrong address and is now sweating buckets that he's lost a $4000 item. Like, who among us wouldn't get testy if they thought they lost 4K? I would hit the roof. Would I yell at the buyer? No. I'd yell into a pillow. Kick a stack of boxes. And probably smack my head on my desk until I had a bruise in the middle of my forehead that said 'Big Dumb Butthead' but it doesn't mean the item I might have lost is a forgery. It is most likely the opposite. If I lost a total knock-off POS, what would I care about it? 

[momcqueen · Accepted solution]

That the seller mishandled the situation is a given. If someone has given you $4000 in exchange for an item that you've sold, you want that buyer to feel as warm as fuzzy as they would if they were wearing slippers make of kittens. You don't want a stink on the transaction like it's slippers made from skunk fur and that's the crux of the problem now, in my opinion. The buyer doesn't want this comic because the seller acted out and ruined it for him.

So, yes, initiate a Return. Send it back, get your money back. Follow all the prompts given to you by ebay and make absolutely certain it goes back safely, insured and with signature at your own expense. This is not a case of Not as Described. This is a case of I Don't Want it Anymore Because the Seller Acted Like a Jerk and That is All That I Will Ever Think About When I Look at it Now. I *get* that. You don't have to keep it. Talk to Customer Service if you have to. But the 'I think this is might be a forgery because the seller acted like a big meanie' is not your reason to Return it as a Not as Described. 

[silverdreamfilm]

What is the item number?

[momcqueen]

---

@silverdreamfilm wrote:

What is the item number?

---

I'm going to hazard a guess it's this one given the initial description from the Original Poster. 

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/Uncanny-X-Men-1st-Series-1-1963-CGC-2-5-1263459005/362350818912?hash=item545...

[momcqueen]

Although I could be wrong because there's nothing about it being signed. 

[reallynicestamps]

That one is graded and encapsulated (#362350818912) so it's not a counterfeit, since the grading was done by a recognized expertiser.

It's also noted as a consignment making the seller even more likely to be nervous.

OT - Encapsulated for coins means sealed in (archival)  plastic. This strikes me as a Bad Idea, but numismatists seem to like it.

I guess I understand it for something like encapsulating autographed baseballs where the ink could fade with handling.

But as a reader, what would be the point of encapsulating a comic book? Surely part of collecting books is reading them?

[zee-chan]

I agree with other commenters. You the OP (buyer) made the situation more difficult than it should've been by not updating your accounts with the correct address BEFORE purchase, which eventually let to the stressful situation. You could've also messaged the seller right when you changed the address so that they are aware of it. Judging by how large scale the seller is, I have no doubt that the comic book being sold is authentic, and that's why the seller is upset about the situation as $4k is a lot of money. If I'm buying anything expensive, I'd certainly TRIPLE CHECK to make sure I have provided the seller with the correct shipping info AND my phone number to be added to the shipping label, before I hit that BUY and CONFIRM button. 

@reallynicestamps The encapsulated comic book, if it's being read often, loses its value, so being encapsulated preserves its value. It's that particular print/edition that's valuable, so if I want a copy for reading, I'd have bought a reprint version (that doesn't cost $4k) for reading, and keep the $4k version encapsulated. 

[silverpinups]

But as a reader, what would be the point of encapsulating a comic book? Surely part of collecting books is reading them?

Unfortunately, comic collecting is all about the grading. Desirable CGC graded comics are highly sought after by collectors, especially in the 9.0-9.8 range. 

Even I own a few CGC graded comic books.

[reallynicestamps]

Heh heh.

I've tried to persuade stamp collectors that Mint No Gum stamps were "exhibit grade" since the judges would never see the back of the stamps.

The idea has not caught on.

(Yes, there is such a thing as competitive stamp collecting.)

[ezrapetruik]

 how can you change something mid purchase? there is either no change or change at the time of purchase no?

[ezrapetruik]

I totally agree with you and even I know that only using Ebay 14 times ever. But now Ebay has removed my negative feedback on the seller and refused to let me return item or offer any kind of assistance at all. I think I just got scammed from a seller and Ebay working together so I guess I will have to seek legal action. At least I can afford it otherwise I would be out in the cold.

[ezrapetruik]

 Any deal or transaction (online or in person) I have made in my life where the seller is aggressive and elusive for no reason at all that makes me suspicious. As buyers we should trust our gut feelings as that is our only defense against being scammed. The seller in question said they had a picture of them with the book in question being signed by the "famous" person but would not show it or even answer any questions regarding it. That is odd to me and it would be to you as-well I am guessing?

[ezrapetruik]

How did he lose 4k? there is insurance , the requirement of a signature and I even had to prove to the post office that I bought the item. Being rude and aggressive for no reason is exactly the hallmark of a scammer as they have mixed feelings about doing the scam in the first place. I live in Vancouver so I am an expert on scams and rude people. The seller refused and ignored my pleasant messages only asking for a picture that he said he had of the person signing the book in question. Rude , aggressive , avoiding question and trying to get me to break ebay rules ? all traits of a rookie scam artist imo