The Yak Shack Forum

Since i'm still new around here, I was trying to figure out where the best place would be to ask if anyone knows this eBay member:

djdurk2

(If this isn't the best place, please let me know and I will move the thread.)

i bought a Wizard of Oz sketch card from them and I have a problem I need to discuss with them.  I can't seem to get a response out of them though, so I thought I'd ask if anyone here knows them.  Furthermore, are they members of Yak Shack?

Any help would be appreciated.


Thanks,

          Greg

PM on it's way to you Greg. ;)

The forum marked eBay might be a good place to start :P

Dang it!  I forgot to scroll waaaaaaay down here!   :D


Thanks,

           Greg

No worries Greg, I hope our Jules has been able to help :)

LOL!  If someone regularly sells cards on ebay, I've bought from them....

djdurk2 - bought from them a few times & never had a problem.  Note that many email servers do act up from time to time, so if you can't get him by emailing directly then try via the ebay "Ask member a question".

Good luck!

It's also the time of year for vacations.  Maybe the seller is away?  I don't remember the seller's email address, but my Yahoo account has been giving me trouble for over week.  A lot of regular messages from friends and family have been ending up in the trash (yes, I've checked the filters).

I'd try sending them a message through the ebay system if you aren't getting any response emailing them directly Greg.
As Cindy (kbmum) says, it's the holiday season so they could be away for a week or perhaps they have an over-zealous spam filter on their emails which might be why you haven't been able to get a response from them.

They're both worth trying at any rate and please keep us updated as to how you get on with this won't you please Greg?  :)

I will try and try again.  Thanks, gang - I will keep you posted.


Best,

        Greg

Well, things didn't end favorably.  They only offered a partial refund (deducting for the fees that you can actually get back if you issue a refund - minus the listing charge, but even that is refunded if you relist it and it sells), deducting for the postage, and expected me to pay for sending the card back to boot.  I argued that this wasn't fair or even my fault, and none of this would have happened if they had just been upfront and honest from the start.  They would not admit that they did a single thing wrong, and wouldn't budge.  With every e-mail, I responded, and it just went back-and-forth.  It was crazy, and I just couldn't believe the gall.  It's never about the money (I spend thousands of dollars every year on these cards) but the principle.  This concept was lost on them.

I have had a few people PM me saying they didn't like this seller or had weird dealings with them.  She said she has never had a problem with anyone, and yet I know this was a lie (based on those PMs).  I mentioned this board and how useful it is.  I mentioned how important it was to do the right thing and protect her name around here, and she said (and I quote) "Also I could care less about your trading card message board." 

Why does the buyer usually have to "take it in the shorts" for someone else's mistake?  Here is the overall jist of the issue, and a little example I used in my closing e-mail to her:

"the life lesson in all of this is with a similar story where i ordered a pair of shoes through a catalog company.  through their mistake, they sent the wrong size (one size too small).  not only did they expect the shoes to be returned at *my* expense for their mistake, they charged for shipping again on the replacement pair.  would that seem fair to you?  this is similar to what you were trying to do to me, but even worse."

I think they thought they could push me around since I am a newbie and have such low feedback (only 4).  What they don't realize is that I have actually been on eBay since 1999 under a different screen name and currently have a number of 1384.  The new account I just created (and used on their auction) was done so that I could begin to separate my eBay card buying from all the other stuff/collectibles I buy and/or sell.

I wish things could have gone smoothly, but I for one will never deal with them again.  I simply don't trust them, nor do I appreciate their business practices.  To me, they are being unethical.


- Greg

If you don't mind my asking, what was wrong with the sketch?

They sent a sketch that was different than what was pictured.  After investigating around here, I see this has happened to quite a few people (I thought this only happened with auto cards).  I paid more than the going rate for this particular sketch because I prefered the one shown.  When I asked if I could swap for the one I thought I was getting, they said that the one pictured had already been sold.  Things could have gone much smoother, but they got nasty really quick, so I fought back.

 :(

This is not the way I like to do business, and I haven't gotten into a fight like that for absolute years!!!


- Greg

I haven't had that problem with this particular seller, but there are sellers who do that with costume and prop cards.  They show a variant, but send a card with a plain swatch. >:()

Since your seller is being so difficult, you should file a claim with PayPal.  They will make the seller refund the entire amount, although you will have to pay the postage (and delivery confirmation) to ship it back.  Still, that's a better deal than what they're offering.

I have decided not to bother with it any more.  If they aren't willing to do the right thing from the start, I'm not going to jump through any more hoops for only $42.50.  As I told them in my last e-mail, I am through with them.  I need to move on - I just don't even want to think about it too much anymore.  It's funny how they apparently didn't value my repeat business - I am someone who spends a ton of money on this stuff, and they just push me aside.  Wow...


- Greg

Oh dear ... not the outcome any of us hoped for Greg - I'm really sorry they've refused to sort it out satisfactorily for you. :(
I thought you were going to say the card in the auction had been sold already and there's no doubt about it - they knowingly misrepresented the card they sold you and as such, you're entitled to a refund Greg.
I know you've stated you don't want to pursue it further (and I understand your reasons for saying so too), but I think you should file a Paypal claim all the same - how many more buyers have been duped into bidding on their auctions only to receive totally different cards to the ones they thought they'd won?
It's sharp practice - fraudulent too - and I don't much care for her attitude either ... there's no need to be rude about us on here either, as several of have bought from her in the past. >:(
Oh well ... vote with your feet - or I should say fingers - and don't bother with her auctions if this is the way she does business cos it stinks to high heaven! >:()

Mull it over Greg as you still have a bit of time from when the auction finished to file a Paypal claim ... like you say, there's an important principle involved here. ;)

I would do it for the principle, but also because $42.50 is a lot of money.  I won two WOZ binder promos from another seller, but the promos never arrived.  I didn't buy insurance for so inexpensive an auction, yet the seller sent me another set because he said he likes to keep his customers happy.  That's a seller with an eye for repeat business, and he will get my business in the future.

Obviously, repeat business isn't important to her - perhaps she prefers to dupe other new buyers into paying for cards she's already sold at inflated prices. >:(
Nasty way to do business is all I can say and I for one will be giving her auctions a very w-i-i-i-i-de berth! :(

Wow, that really stinks!  I've never heard of a seller putting up a stock picture for a sketch card.  :-\  Even though some of the Oz cards are similar, I always think of every sketch card as being 1/1.  It's amazing to me that SOME sellers think buyers don't care if the card is the same as the one in the photo.  OF COURSE WE CARE!!!!  >:()  Is it to the point that we have to ask each and every time if the card in the photo is the card we will receive?  I sometimes ask, but usually only if it's a particularly cool varient.  I would NEVER think I had to ask about a sketch!

Whatever your final decision, Greg, at least you have the satisfaction of knowing that we agree with you AND we'll be wary of doing business with that seller.

I just finished reading this thread and I agree with what everyone has been saying, Greg.  It is unfortunate that you had to endure such a nasty ordeal, but there are very important principles involved--those of trust, truth, honesty, and what is proper in business.  It seems that these concepts are becoming endangered, only to be replaced by the  practices of greed, selfishness, and a certain lack of compassion and sense of what is right.  Unfortunately, sometimes it is the responsibility of the injured party to right the wrong.  Seems unfair in and of itself, doesn't it?

Really give it some thought, Greg, for if this seller sought fit to bully you away and speak of our board (which have a number of former customers/buyers of her cards) as though we are inferior and subservient, this seller is bound to repeat against other unsuspecting buyers. 


Cindy hit the nail on the head!  ;) Good luck Greg, with whatever you decide.  :)

I do like the card okay, even though the artist did two little things on the card that I do not like as much as the one I thought I was getting.  It seems that some artists have running changes that occur within a particular group, and the one I received is the more common version (not worth the "buy it now" price I paid).  It may be nitpicky, but like someone else pointed out, since when did we have to start worrying about sketch cards not being represented correctly? 

I decided to keep it and not pursue PayPal.  I have the sketch sitting here (right in front of me at the computer) to remind me every day to be careful when dealing with anyone new.  I now know to ask the seller about sketch cards being the actual one pictured before bidding, just as I have done with auto cards. 

The way I look at this: it was an expensive lesson to learn, seeing as how I paid more than the going rate for the inferior version.  After the seller told me to "go away" and that they didn't have any more time for "these childish games", I decided to leave negative feedback.  Lucky for me, they had left me positive feedback soon after I paid (so they are now not able to use retaliatory feedback tactics).  I am glad this happened, because in the negative feedback description, I mention how they used a "bait and switch" tactic and only offered a partial refund for THEIR mistake!  I am hoping others will see this and think twice before buying cards from them.  If any good can come from this, that would be it.  I am not a vindictive person, and I haven't left negative feedback for anyone in absolute years.  Things have to get really nasty before I will even consider it.

I think I said this before, but I believe they thought they could push a "newbie" around.  Suspecting this, I warned them that I was not new to eBay and the reason why I only had a rating of 4 is because I just started a new account for cards ONLY.  I wanted them to know that they are not dealing with a novice, and that I knew full well that they could get refunded from both eBay and PayPal if they issue me a refund (as I said before, they tried to deduct these charges/fees from my refund as well as postage).  They then turn this whole thing around and say (in regards to the negative I left) "now I know why he keeps switching his Ebay name".  This is so lame.  Check out their feedback if you want a good laugh and you will see what I mean.  The eBay name I have been using for years is " keyser_soze! " and I even told them about it (if anyone wants to check me out for themselves).  If they had taken the time to investigate my feedback, they would see that there was no reason for me to "keep switching my name".  I have good feedback and always give people what they expect - and with good service.  Most of my feedback is from selling, but I guess this really doesn't matter.  I'm just trying to get things off my chest by venting, I guess.

Nienna had asked me where I was from, and I forgot to reply.  I am a US resident and so is the seller " djdurk2 ".  To put things into contrast, here's an example of a problem that was much better solved by a recent UK seller.  I have bought some cards over a period of time from " yscott38 " and most everything has come through fine.  However, a George Weasley auto I bought from her arrived badly bent.  She didn't have a top loader to put it in, so it was just sent between two pieces of cardboard (thinking that would do the trick, no doubt).  From my experience, cards in top loaders (and between two pieces of cardboard as well) are one of the most important things to send cards in - it really can save the day!  Well, the cardboard was bent, and subsequently, so was the auto card.  Not only did she refund me for the full amount I paid (including postage), she also reimbursed me for the money it cost to send it back!  She was apologetic and explained she didn't have any more top loaders or she would have used them.  She even sent me the refund before the card was back in her hands.  What a contrast of sellers, eh?  One uncaring schmuck, and another with an apologetic heart of gold.  Needless to say, I WILL be dealing with her again.

This hobby is so close-knit that a seller would be dumb to screw someone (not to mention it's just not ethical anyway)!  Their bottom line will be cut way back, but I guess greed in the "here and now" outweighs the future in their feeble minds.


Cheers,

          Greg


   

I have bought cards from yscott38 (she is a Shack member) and she is a joy to do business with  :).  Things do go wrong sometimes but it is how you put them right that matters.  (Un)fortunately you have had both extremes.

I think you hit the nail on the head when you say we are a close-knit community - how many people would be willing to pay $100 for a 5 inch piece of cardboard?  From a buyers point of view I greatly value feedback on potential problems I may encounter with certain sellers - there are plenty of people selling cards and I can do without the aggravation. 

I hope in a few months time Greg you will be able to look at your sketch and forget what has happend, although I know if it were me, everytime I looked at it I would just  >:()