jc201507 Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 8 minutes ago, mfortunek said: this guy has sold $500 Lego gift cards on eBay for $455 each about two dozen times in the last month or so. Dude has almost 3,000 positive feedback. My gut says scam but his eBay history and positive feedback don't fit the profile. What gives? http://m.ebay.com/itm/Lego-Gift-Card-500-00-Dollars-/172104377471?nav=SEARCH maybe stolen cards? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roninsou Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 9 minutes ago, jc201507 said: maybe stolen cards? Looks like someone poof'd it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodyhtc Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 I bought one from him 2 weeks ago. The balance on the physical card checked out on LEGO Shop at Home. It came in with a gift card receipt from a physical lego store in Sacramento, ca. Seems to be legit.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregpj Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 On 2/13/2016 at 2:50 AM, Zelgazra said: I don't want to intentionally hijack the thread, but putting another up with the reverse question seems pointless... If Mods want to move it to the general Ebay Shipping Questions thread that's cool. I sent out an expedited parcel Feb 3rd to New Brunswick from BC. Tracking info shows the item's expected travel route, but then there's something fishy... The status updates show "Delivered" before "Out for Delivery", with a time and date stamp on Out for Delivery, but nothing at all for the Delivered notification. Every other parcel I've ever tracked shows Delivered as the last update. The buyer was a 0 feedback new member as of the purchase date (Feb 3rd 2016), but I'm not biased towards these folks... you've gotta start somewhere, and I was that guy just a handful of months back, so I gave benefit of the doubt. The buyer is a French-Second Language speaker (their french isn't perfect at all, verified this fact with my bilingual mother...), et je parle et comprende juste un petit peut de francais, so even with Google Translate I'm having some difficulties communicating with my buyer. The general gist of her messages is that she's extremely disappointed and wants a refund. I've called CanadaPost today and they've opened up a claim investigation. Based on all the reading I've seen on these issues on these forums, I think I've done everything I can do from a seller's position 5000 kilometers away, but it never hurts to ask if there's any other advice folks might give surrounding this situation? Edit: As far as I'm aware, even if a claim is opened on eBay or PayPal, I'm covered because tracking does show delivered, right? There's a chance I'm the culprit of an attempted scam, but I'm still inclined to think this was an honest buyer mixed up in a CanadaPost f-up. Right? What is she disappointed in? Did the parcel get delivered or not? I have never seen the delivered status before out for delivery either, but it's not clear if your buyer in fact received it? If they did receive it, you need not do anything. They can dispute through eBay, but yes you're covered. If they did not receive it, you should visit your local post office. They often see more in their computer system than it shows you online (i.e. they can see exactly which postal outlets it might have gone through when going out for delivery). In Canada, the shipper must file the claim so you need to help them out to get the process started... Don't refund the money until you've contact Canada Post to see what they say. https://www.canadapost.ca/web/en/kb/details.page?article=how_to_find_a_tracke&cattype=kb&cat=receiving&subcat=tracking Quote Note: Only the sender can file a claim for non-delivery. If you are the recipient please contact the sender. ** Edit to add... Sorry, I know you contacted Canada Post, I was just being thorough in my response. Explain to the recipient that expedited parcel is tracked and insured up to $100 and that you can't refund the money until Canada Post has completed their investigation which usually takes around two weeks. If you refund the money now, you risk never getting your parcel back if it magically shows up. ** ** Translations available upon request. * Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zelgazra Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 If I'm to believe the buyer (which presently I am) they never received their package. The package was shipped after a weekend of moving apartments, for whatever reason the address was in and out of my head that day.... more on this below. Since filing the investigation claim with CP, and notifying my buyer (in english only) of what was going on, the buyer proceeded to open a claim on ebay against me. So I rang up eBay and got bounced to the Specialty team or whatever, and just informed them all the details of the case. The rep gave me the absolute green light, I've done everything I can do as a seller, and even 'went out of my comfort zone, trying to communicate in another language' (his words, not mine... I felt comfortable enough). He said that he could close the case right there and refund the now pending Paypal funds, but I encouraged him to let it ride while CP does their investigation. He said he would contact them as well on eBay's behalf, so however it turns out I think I'm good. During the conversation with the eBay rep, I was reminded/enlightened with a fact. The tracking information showed a Delivered status in the town of Pokemouche, NB. The parcel was shipped to a St. Simon, NB. It wasn't until speaking with the rep that I clued into this fact, but it probably has something to do with it, and I suspect CP is at fault for this one. I suppose it's still possible they could track it down and potentially redirect it if the actual recipient hadn't opened it already.... We'll see. I'm inclined to think this is not a scam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoastaLego Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 6 hours ago, woodyhtc said: I bought one from him 2 weeks ago. The balance on the physical card checked out on LEGO Shop at Home. It came in with a gift card receipt from a physical lego store in Sacramento, ca. Seems to be legit.... Couple years back a guy did something similar with disney cards a bunch of people online were buying. In the end he was either stealing or some how discounting himself at a store and then reselling..can't remember. Either way disney tracked down the numbers of all those cards and voided them. Even some people that already booked their trips were on the hook for the portion they paid for with the gift cards. Point of the story is something seems wrong here and Today with every gift card transaction traced so well these could should up 0 balance any day after paying for them and lego won't do anything for you since it was bought second hand. I would stay away. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay4e Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 (edited) 7 hours ago, mfortunek said: this guy has sold $500 Lego gift cards on eBay for $455 each about two dozen times in the last month or so. Dude has almost 3,000 positive feedback. My gut says scam but his eBay history and positive feedback don't fit the profile. What gives? http://m.ebay.com/itm/Lego-Gift-Card-500-00-Dollars-/172104377471?nav=SEARCH I would avoid it if i you dont want to be banned from LEGO Shop at Home. This scale does not sound like returns fraud, but it still sounds risky. When buying LEGO cards keep in mind stores will generally take back anything at RRP, with out a receipt. And its not hard for the auditors to track these cards back to the source. Edited February 17, 2016 by jay4e Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dkc Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 10 hours ago, mfortunek said: this guy has sold $500 Lego gift cards on eBay for $455 each about two dozen times in the last month or so. Dude has almost 3,000 positive feedback. My gut says scam but his eBay history and positive feedback don't fit the profile. What gives? http://m.ebay.com/itm/Lego-Gift-Card-500-00-Dollars-/172104377471?nav=SEARCH I cannot say how risky this is or not, but 4th quarter 2015, there was a Discover credit card promotion with Apple Pay that basically gave you 20% rebate on purchases done at the physical Lego stores (among other places). So I can think of at least this possible scenario in which the vendor bought a lot of Lego giftcards and is making 20% profit. Again, you must assess your own risk-taking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil B Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 6 minutes ago, Dkc said: I cannot say how risky this is or not, but 4th quarter 2015, there was a Discover credit card promotion with Apple Pay that basically gave you 20% rebate on purchases done at the physical Lego stores (among other places). So I can think of at least this possible scenario in which the vendor bought a lot of Lego giftcards and is making 20% profit. Again, you must assess your own risk-taking. If he's selling them on EBay for $455, and he bought them for 20% off (so $400 for a $500 card), he is netting about $0 after fees (10-13%). So that wouldn't be plausible, unless he has special status (TRS or something like that) which lowers his fees (but even then he's not making much). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronManDan Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 7 minutes ago, Dkc said: I cannot say how risky this is or not, but 4th quarter 2015, there was a Discover credit card promotion with Apple Pay that basically gave you 20% rebate on purchases done at the physical Lego stores (among other places). So I can think of at least this possible scenario in which the vendor bought a lot of Lego giftcards and is making 20% profit. Again, you must assess your own risk-taking. The problem with that is, he sold them for nearly 10% off and then he paid likely 10%+ in ebay and PayPal fees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legogregors Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 7 minutes ago, Dkc said: I cannot say how risky this is or not, but 4th quarter 2015, there was a Discover credit card promotion with Apple Pay that basically gave you 20% rebate on purchases done at the physical Lego stores (among other places). So I can think of at least this possible scenario in which the vendor bought a lot of Lego giftcards and is making 20% profit. Again, you must assess your own risk-taking. I was thinking the same thing, but then he discounts the cards 10% and pays ~10% in eBay fees and has to ship the card/receipt. Also, he would have had to sit on many of the cards recently sold for 6 weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLEW700 Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 (edited) 10 hours ago, mfortunek said: this guy has sold $500 Lego gift cards on eBay for $455 each about two dozen times in the last month or so. Dude has almost 3,000 positive feedback. My gut says scam but his eBay history and positive feedback don't fit the profile. What gives? http://m.ebay.com/itm/Lego-Gift-Card-500-00-Dollars-/172104377471?nav=SEARCH Bought one from him 2 weeks ago. The receipt he sent shows the purchase was made at the end of January. I haven't actually used the card yet but I checked the balance on Lego's website and it show $500. I emailed him and asked about a possible bulk buy and how many gift cards he has on hand for purchase and at the time he said he only had the 1 listed for sale but that he gets them frequently. Not sure how he does it. Also, all ebay fees are not created equal so I'm sure hes not paying the full 10% Edited February 17, 2016 by JLEW700 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legogregors Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 We have heard of other credit cards which offer gift cards in huge denominations so maybe he is a super user or accumulated a massive balance. I would like to figure this one out! His other focus seemed to be phone sales... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcdfan Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 (edited) Check his feedback. Most of his Lego sales are exclusives discounted. It's obvious to me he's doing something illegal but people don't wanna believe that so maybe Lego just gives him the GC's for free & the exclusives for like half price & eBay, Paypal & the shipping companies don't charge him and... Edited February 17, 2016 by dcdfan 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostDad Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 13 hours ago, mfortunek said: this guy has sold $500 Lego gift cards on eBay for $455 each about two dozen times in the last month or so. Dude has almost 3,000 positive feedback. My gut says scam but his eBay history and positive feedback don't fit the profile. What gives? http://m.ebay.com/itm/Lego-Gift-Card-500-00-Dollars-/172104377471?nav=SEARCH As with the counterfeit sellers on eBay, all positive feedback shows is that the buyers got what they ordered. The gift cards could still be purchased with stolen credit card numbers, etc. It takes a month for phony charges to show up on someone's credit card bill, and even then not everyone notices. So it can take time for the actual victims to notice they've been scammed. Positive feedback profiles can also be built up as a buyer, or by selling lots of inexpensive items. If you can't think of a way to make the numbers work, then it's safe to assume they don't. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Guapo Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 My guess he either drives a truck (or someone he knows does) and makes an unscheduled stop. Offloads a bit of inventory then delivers it. Large retailers build in "shortages" to their trade agreements. He probably takes <1% of the shipment so no one is the wiser. He returns some to a "friendly" Lego Store for the Gift Cards. Not sure about how he gets the receipt. I noticed he sells alot of other sets for basically retail -sets that he shouldn't be able to get for a discount. The dude is a theif. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpinemaps Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 1 hour ago, El Guapo said: My guess he either drives a truck (or someone he knows does) and makes an unscheduled stop. Offloads a bit of inventory then delivers it. Large retailers build in "shortages" to their trade agreements. He probably takes <1% of the shipment so no one is the wiser. He returns some to a "friendly" Lego Store for the Gift Cards. Not sure about how he gets the receipt. I noticed he sells alot of other sets for basically retail -sets that he shouldn't be able to get for a discount. The dude is a theif. My wife works at a wholesale bakery, in the office. She's the one that schedules the pick ups and deliveries. She writes in shortages to her orders all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lodibricks Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 5 hours ago, legogregors said: We have heard of other credit cards which offer gift cards in huge denominations so maybe he is a super user or accumulated a massive balance. I would like to figure this one out! His other focus seemed to be phone sales... Probably using Apple Pay on stolen cell phones to buy the gift cards, then sells the card & phone. haha j/k...maybe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcandre Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 The seller with the $100 falcons and $150 MKII yesterday got hit with a bunch of negs today. If you bought something yesterday you may want to dispute it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcdfan Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 Just now, marcandre said: The seller with the $100 falcons and $150 MKII yesterday got hit with a bunch of negs today. If you bought something yesterday you may want to dispute it. I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding(s)... 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exciter1 Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 17 minutes ago, marcandre said: The seller with the $100 falcons and $150 MKII yesterday got hit with a bunch of negs today. If you bought something yesterday you may want to dispute it. In for 3 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 21 minutes ago, marcandre said: The seller with the $100 falcons and $150 MKII yesterday got hit with a bunch of negs today. If you bought something yesterday you may want to dispute it. Some people will never learn... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baschloinka Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 (edited) 9 minutes ago, MarxMarvelous said: Some people will never learn... I missed the deal. Think they will relist some? I've got some resold gift cards burning a hole in my pocket. Edited March 2, 2016 by baschloinka Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruthlessburger Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 I bought one myself and is getting worried. Its only been a half a day. Should I dispute this now or wait a couple of days? Should've known better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exciter1 Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 Just now, baschloinka said: I missed the deal. Think they will relist some? I'm thankful for my Trader Joe's buyer protection. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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