Concerns on advice from the forum.

[Killerbee]

Glen:

Well I hope this has a happy ending for you. I find all the actions from the seller to be very adolescent... not that it matters but how old do you think the seller is? Anyway, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt... he would have been better off changing his mind to sell the hat and then refunding your money immediately. Obviously that would be bad also but more recoverable than what has transpired.

Tangent Thought: With the prices of collectables going into the thousands, I can't see myself buying anything costing significant dollars without doing a person to person exchange or running it thru Ecrow (the way of the future). The gamble is getting to great due to all the dishonest persons in collecting. And I believe it is only going to get worse with the prices where they are and going. I would even venture to say that what we collect in now "art" and commanding those prices. I would suggest that we all be very careful on letting strangers know what you have in your collection and where you live. I hate to think that way but unfortunately we have to. Maybe I'm paranoid I hope I'm wrong thinking that way.

Regards,

Jim

[Dan P]

This may sound like a dumb question, but why the empty box with a mislabeled address if there was no intention to deceive?? Why wouldn't he say he just decided not to part with the hat and give you a refund straight away? That would have been bad enough, but this is just bizarre. Did Mr. Steele give you a non-laughable reason why he sent this mystery box?

[Glenn McInnes]

This may sound like a dumb question, but why the empty box with a mislabeled address if there was no intention to deceive?? Why wouldn't he say he just decided not to part with the hat and give you a refund straight away? That would have been bad enough, but this is just bizarre. Did Mr. Steele give you a non-laughable reason why he sent this mystery box?

I don't get it either. The empty box was kind of adding insult to injury. He bought the bad SS helmet with the money I sent for the hat.

He just said he was going through personal difficulties and M43 hats are so hard for him to find and so he decided not to send it but he said he would send me another item instead (which I did not want and will be returned upon receipt of the hat)

I guess he was trying not to "ruffle any feathers" This whole ordeal has been very bizarre to say the least.


Glenn

[Kapt. Krabs]

So send a misaddressed empty box via registered mail instead? IMHO, he was hoping it wouldn't get there, and being uninsured he keeps the money too. The vast majority of people won't go the limit on a several hundred dollar deal, particularly when there is a valid sounding "excuse", i.e. "here is the registered mail receipt, I don't know how it didn't get to you (wrong address) and I never got it back (wrong return address)." It had to have your correct name and his correct name to be sent registered mail, but the addresses he fudged. This guy is now in my book of turds. I moderate at a couple of forums. I've got a "ban on sight" note re him. I don't want what will be merely a problem in remission.

[Jeff Davis]

Mr Steele has been suspended until I get this matter resolved.

IMO he should be suspended indefiniently...

He has proven his character. To send an empty box is just stupidity. Did he think Glenn was going to accept that?

Jeff

[Kapt. Krabs]

IMO he should be suspended indefiniently...

He has proven his character. To send an empty box is just stupidity. Did he think Glenn was going to accept that?

Jeff

It was not only empty, but he put a fabricated return address and ship to address..........

[Glenn Barbaritz]

Glenns story blows my mind. an empty box, truley unbelievable. thats a first. Glenn

[Jeff Davis]

It was not only empty, but he put a fabricated return address and ship to address..........

That is what I mean by "proven his character". An empty box and fabricated address. I agree he was hoping for a lost package. It is pretty evident. He just needs to refund Glenn's money or ship the hat. Cut and dry.

[Glenn McInnes]

He said he would ship the hat out tomorrow and we will see. I think an Escrow service would be a great idea as well.





Glenn

[foamspoon]

I have used Escrow-Europa.com twice for large purchases with Germany with great results. I recommand them for overseas transactions. It is very user friendly and the website is in many languages. The cutomer service was fast to reply to my emails.

Bryan

[Tora_Tora_Tora!]

All really unbelievable...this put me back several years ago when I heard about a collector who had the use to send parcels with stones inside as helmets...!!Some peoples feels to be "one eyed king in kingdom of blinds"...but it's not true....
Thanks to this forum to open our eyes.

[Stahlhelm]

Yes, this whole thing is incredibly bizarre. It also does, in any case, seem quite obvious that there was an attempt to deceive, get the money, and keep the cap too--having your cake and eating it too, as they say, in a truly perfect example. Ultimately, there is NO excuse for what is blazingly evident here.

However, I must say that I am at least happy to hear that he called the buyer to communicate something and is finally offering to send the cap. I suppose that otherwise it could have (and in many cases would have) ended very differently with the buyer receiving nothing or, at best, something he didn't really want, with the seller then (or even earlier) avoiding any further communication. Yes, other than possible legal action, there might have been no other course of action and nothing else good to become of this. So, if the cap is actually recieved by the buyer, then that is at least the best possible ending to this, as it is. I must finally stress again that even this last act to rectify the situation in no way excuses the seller from what he has already done. It just simply makes the best of all endings for the situation, as it was.

Chris

[Scott Powell]

i wouldn't be holding my breath waitng on the hat. he has shown his true colours

[Bob Hritz]

If the cap does not arrive, within 5 days, I would go to the postal authorities and file a complaint of mail fraud. This is a clear attempt to cheat either the buyer or the Post Office Insurance. I would think they would be interested in this particular type of attempt theft.

Bob Hritz

[Stahlhelm]

Well, no I wouldn't hold my breath over any of this either. I'm just trying to be as positive as possible, in the hopes of also at least encouraging the seller to finally do the right thing. If too many bad things are said at this particular time (and I stress this particular time of opportunity), then that may not help to encourage the best result, if you know what I mean. That's just my opinion. However, the seller's awareness of possible legal action may be all the encouragement that he finally needs.

Chris