Miserable eBay pigfucker

The BBQ Pit
1

So I’m devoting my summer pretty much completely to my magic act. I’m browsing eBay, and I come across Jeff McBride’s “Card Manipulation” videos–an $80 set of videos, which I was able to get for $40. This is not unusual–a lot of people get no more use from the tapes, or simply fall out of the hobby.

I notice later, though, that the same guy is selling two copies of these videos. No big deal, I think–there are all kinds of explanations for that.

So I send payment (he lives in Quebec). I then notice that he is selling not just two copies of these tapes, but several–two or three sets every day. I get e-mail from him saying that he got my payment, and that the tapes will take 2-3 weeks to get here due to Canadian post. I ask him, casually, how he came to have so many of these tapes in his collection, and he ignores me.

I ask again, casually–he ignores me again.

So I ask point blank–“Look, are these videos illegal copies or what?” He replies that “All copies are authentique.” (I assume French is his first language, or maybe “authentique” is along the lines of “creme”.)

Shortly thereafter, I get e-mail from someone else who bought the tapes. He says that after waiting four weeks after sending his payment, he finally threatened the guy with legal action, and got shipped a shitty copy of all three videos on a single videotape.

I have yet to receive my tape/s. I e-mailed this hoser and told him that if I don’t get an authentic three-video set of Jeff McBride videos in the mail within the next two days, I expect to be refunded in full, including shipping. If I am not refunded in full, he will get to know the full meaning of the words “FBI Warning”, not to mention that I’ll get up with Mr. McBride himself.

Video piracy and eBay fraud are enough to piss me off anyway. I will not, however, be fucked with.

Dr. J

2

You know, I’ve been wondering about that eBay shit. No offence, but sending cash off to a private party whom you’ve never met and have no hook on seems shaky to me, at best.

So what are your recourses that are in line with a $40 stiff arm? Sure, if he had ripped you off for $40 million, you could climb up his ass with a team of attack lawyers and a microscope. But for $40?

I strongly suspect the FBI has Agent Johnson and Agent Johnson working on higher profile cases. I’m guessing it would cost more than $40 to even talk to a lawyer, you should pardon my language. You might be able to just drive up there and staple him to a tree, I think I read about a case like that in Wired magazine not too long ago. But they caught the guy and crucified him as expected. I understand eBay just says ‘Tough shit, but if we get a bunch more complaints we won’t let the guy offer stuff here anymore’. Gee thanx guys.

What else is there? International small claims court? Long range artillery? A Roonie gun? What?

Hey, don’t let it get you down. I love being amazed by magicians and always drop a couple bux in the hat. Keep up with the lightning fingers and you’ll make it back and more in an hour some night and have a good time doing it.

3

In all honesty, I’ll be surprised if I get my money back. I figure the threat alone might work. It pisses me off, more than anything.

However, he hasn’t just done this to me–he apparently sold about two dozen sets of bogus videos, and that’s just of this set. (He had several other videos for sale afterwards, including more of McBride’s.) Magicians are a pretty closely-knit community, and they take this sort of shit very seriously. (Magicians really don’t like being conned.) If it were just me, it wouldn’t be worth bothering with, but I think eBay and McBride will probably both have an interest in setting this guy straight.

I have bought several items on eBay, and this is the first problem I’ve had.

Dr. J

4

DoctorJ, you can always alert the local paper to the fraud… anything that has to do with the Internet in general, and eBay in particular, would attract journalists like flies, especially if it can be addressed to the public in the form on “Scams and scandal over the Internet… what YOU need to know to protect yourself AND your family! Tonight at 11!”

5

Negative feedback hurts a LOT, and also use Ebay’s security, they will take care of him.

6

What Daniel said. Did you check the guy’s feedback before bidding? I’ve found that to be a pretty reliable guide.

7

When demanding your money back, I have 2 tips that will generally end things in a good way:

1- If in E-mail, provide an attorney’s name, and make sure he knows you’re contacting one. Also throw in his A.G.'s name, the AG gets rather pissy about fraud.

2- Make sure to take a commanding tone, sound omnipotent in your speech, and always set a deadline on which youexpect to receive your money.

3- Give no options, none, hamstring the fucker.

Well, there’s 3 tips, but they’ve always helped me win my money back. :smiley:

Hope it helps.
-Sam

8

No doubt about it. GaWd is on the money.

Also, I recommend that once you actually either receive the tapes or your money, turn the bastard in anyway. He deserves it.

9

I saw on a news program not too long ago that on-line courts (sort of like a small claims court) have been set up for situations like this. It was supposed to be a free service (hence, it would be worth it for $40 where a “real” court wouldn’t). I was only half paying attention, so I’m not sure of all the legalities. I believe crap like you’re going through was what prompted the courts to be created in the first place. I’ll poke around and see if I can come up with a URL for you.

I agree with Mr. Cynical - turn him in no matter what the outcome. He deserves it.

10

Two words for you DoctorJ- Judge Judy.

Keep in mind that if you give the guy negative feedback, he’ll probably do the same for you. I’d still go ahead and do it, I’m just pointing it out to you. Make your feedback comments very explicit though (not that kind of explicit). Let others know that his wares consist of shitty bootlegs. Contact eBay as well and also possibly Jeff McBride or the distribution company. I’d assume that he won’t give you your $$$ back although its worth a shot. Gawd’s advice would be useful only if he was in the US- I can’t see threatening the guy with extradition over $40 and he probably realizes this.

11

I am sorry, that one really stuck out at me. Thanks for the chuckle, good luck with your ebay problem.

12

Update: Mr. Pigfucker responded to my e-mail, telling me that he was sorry about this and that he is as surprised as I am–it’s his supplier’s fault. (Never mind that the original ad said that these tapes were from his “personal collection”.) He said that if I would just return the video to him, he would refund my purchase price, including shipping.

I told him that I would not be returning the tape until I received the refund, since he had been less than forthcoming thus far. I gave him the option of refunding it via PayPal.

If I get my money back, I’m willing to let it go at negative feedback. Like I said, he sold about 24 copies of this set; that should be enough negative feedback to put him in the hole. (I can take a negative–it would be my first.) So hopefully, his eBay days are numbered.

Dr. J

13

You did receive the tapes? Were they any good, or bootleg copies?

14

Definitely contact Jeff McBride and/or his distribution company. You may not have the money to sue but THEY do and it’s in their interest to do so. You may have lost $40 but they’re losing much more from this guys bootlegging. While even that may not financially justify an effort on their part sometimes they like to set a precedent that basically says, “Don’t fuck with us or we WILL crawl up your ass with a microscope and a team of attack attorneys!” (Thanks to Speakeasy for that imagery)

Years ago I hired an inexpensive moving company out of the Yellow Pages here in Chicago. The movers never showed the next day and I tried for two days to contact them…no luck. I called the police and got very little satisfaction. They’d fill out a report but I’d need more info on them first. I got their Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) number from the phone book and called the ICC office. For the first and only time in my life I got a truly wonderful and helpful government employee. Turns out the ICC number was registered to a Canadian boat moving company. I called the boat movers and they were PISSED (they could lose their shipping license over this). Less than 24 hours passed and poof…movers show-up. The Canadian company, bless their hearts, pointed their lawyers my way and did the rest of the work for me (they were a lot more threatening then I ever could be).

Give it a shot…at worst you waste a phone call.

15

Jeff: so the movers were trying to steal your stuff?? Was anything missing or damaged?

16

OpalCat, you bore me. Here’s a quarter. Get a life.

17

To the Ayesha DoppelTroll:

I understand that by putting “pigfucker” in the title of this thread, you were inevitably drawn to it. If you’ll read my OP, however, you’ll find no actual discussion of porcine copulation here, so it couldn’t possibly interest you.

Get bent.

Dr. J

18

I just ran across the same thing on ebay. Someone was selling the beatles, let it be vhs, and even showed a picture of the actual tape case. So i bid on it, i won it,
and then like a dummy checked his feedback and saw he recently had several neg. feedbacks stating “i didn’t know tape was going to be a copy”. Unfortuneatly i couldnt retract my bid, so i asked the guy if it was a copy. no response. Then i told him i was not sending the money unless he would answer my question, and he sent back “its a dub”. What a scam these people are trying to pull. Luckily i didn’t get dupped and i am sorry u did. But luckily this guy and Your guy should get kicked off of ebay soon because of all the negatives. By the way, Make sure you file a formal complaint with ebay so he will get kicked out. They also have some kind of insurance where u might be able to get some of your money back. Just my 2 cents.

19

While i sympathize with your amazing amount of ignorance, in buying shit over the internet. I think you are hardly covering up the fact that you were trying to buy bootlegged porn, not magic tricks, DoctorJ.

20

Well, if all else fails, you could go up there and practice your sawing-in-half trick on him…