The Yak Shack Forum

I guess it's that time of year again, but this seller [toysngiftsdirect] has posted three auctions to date for boxes of GOF & POAu, none of which appear to be factory sealed boxes! 
Check the wording very carefully and nowhere is there any mention of any kind of factory sealing to any of these boxes - probably the single most important thing to look for when buying boxes of hobby cards on Ebay!

Here they are:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=170237236731

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=170236521840

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=170236860973

Sadly, I wasn't quick enough to post this and the one of the boxes of GOF cards was sold this morning and the other auction for another similar box was ended around the same time - probably sold off-Ebay but that's only a guess on my part rather than fact.
The auction for the box of POAu is still current on Ebay.

I just wanted to alert forum members - especially our newer members who may not have much experience in this area of card collecting - to be on their guard when buying boxes at what appear to be giveaway prices. The boxes are either retail product so they won't have the premium inserts, or they'll be opened boxes which will have already been thoroughly searched and any inserts removed prior to listing.
I can guarantee they'll be the most expensive sets of base cards you'll ever buy if you fall for this trick as that's all you be getting out of them!  :(

Constant Vigilance!!  ;)

Thanks for the information.
I`ve had this persons COS box on watching for the last two weeks and its been ended and relisted 4 times so far so i havent bought anything but now you`ve told us this i definetly wont buy anything and avoid him, thanks again  ;)

Sue - never be afraid to use the 'Ask/Email the Seller' function on any Ebay auction to find out whether the boxes you're watching are still factory-sealed or not - it's your money which you're spending after all!!
If the seller gives an evasive answer or chooses to ignore your question then I think it fair to assume they have something to hide, so I definitely wouldn't bother buying from them.  ;)
Most reliable sellers will already state this clearly in their auctions ... but again, if you have any doubts at all then it's worth asking for confirmation and those that value their Ebay reputation are only too happy to reply.  :)


Good to know I've done something useful this evening!   ;D

i dont understand,
how you can search through a box
when the packs are factory sealed ?

Well as anyone who has opened any boxes can affirm, the packs that are STIFF usually have a thick card such as a PROP or a COSTUME card.
Of course autographs and chase cards won't be stiff.

Let's set a dark scenario. Case buyer,"Dishonest John", buys 3 cases. he gleefully opens the boxes and gives the individual packs the old "FLEX" test. DJ opens all of the stiff packs and if he has found the advertised  (to be expected insert/s). Then he looks for AUTOGRAPH cards. He then sets the unopened packs aside. After 30 boxes have been pillaged, DJ sets 24 unopened (unsearched>>> ??? 8) packs into a box and list it on  :ebay: . "Sealed, box of 24 packs."  Along comes "Novice Buyer" and snaps it up. NB then gets upset because it's a DUD BOX. But our friend DJ is laughing all the way to the bank.  NB suspects someting is wrong and gets no satifaction fom DJ. NB informs Ebay and good old DJ, in the famous words of Lucius Malfoy replies, "Prove it." NB is now a wiser buyer.

Bright scenario: Case buyer "Honest John" does the same thing, except he list the unopened packs as "XXX unopened packs, these packs come from boxes that have been gleaned for PROPS and COSTUMES. There may be an Autograph card and chase cards to be found. Starting Bid: $.99

you have now given out enough information to enable the whole of the world to become dishonest people by opening their boxes and checking before reselling this is unfair to those who have bought boxes and only opened certain boxes and just resold the ones they no longer wish to keep

regardless of wheather they are factory sealed or not

I disagree diagonhp. We should all be aware of this practice that a few unscrupulous sellers use. Only dishonest people become dishonest sellers ;)

Hi guys,
Just thought i would add some info to this discussion.
As Nienna says - never be afraid to use the 'Ask/Email the seller function if you have any doubts in your mind about any item you wish to bid on and always make sure that you check the wording VERY carefully. It could save you a lot of hassle and trouble down the line.
I was going to bid for one of this seller's GOF boxes but was put off when i took a closer look.
The first thing that caught my eye was the BIN price of £39.99 which did seem very low for a GOF box as i have rarely if ever seen one come up on ebay. The fact that the box was only listed as a Hobby Box and not sealed hobby box was another thing to make me think and also the fact that the description has the box down as containing 23 packs and not 24.
I still wasn't completely put off buying it yet though as i thought that the number of packets might have been due to the fact that the seller typed in the wrong number in (AND THIS IS A GOF BOX WE ARE TALKING ABOUT HERE! ;D) so i thought i would ask the seller for some info regarding the box and this was his reply that i got from him a couple of hours later.

"hi there thankyou for your question,
this is the original gof set not the update
and this is not sealed as it only has 23 packs
not 24".

"when i purchased the box i took one pack out and decided to not bother opening the rest i put them away for a while and have now decided to sell them".

This was enough to put me off from buying the box and i am very glad that i took the time to ask the seller some questions. At least he did answer my question straight away and he did give me an honest answer (i hope) but he really should of put all this stuff into the auction description in the first place. >:( But then i suppose if he did it would certainly put people off buying.

I`m glad this information has come to light as for me its been very helpful and i`ve learnt from it and not the hard way, thanks guys  ;)

i think everyone deserves a chance ;)
and to me this thread seems to be pin pointed at one person hear  :(

which is unfair  :o

as other members have said

there is always the ask question option.


if the seller gives you an honest answer
which they did by the message stoney got back

then thats good enough for me i am prepared to give people a chance

how about you guys

Hi Diagonhp,
Welcome to the forum i`m sure you`ll love it hear  ;D .
Not really sure what your last message meant as all i did was say thanks for the information which i for one am very glad of and i think its a very nice gesture for people to make newbies like myself aware of things happening in the card collecting world.
I understand what you mean by giving people a chance but it doesnt harm to be informed of a seller that looks slightly suspicious. If you read the first post i put up it was of a similar nature, my sister lost 600.00 by trusting someone who had excellent feedbak and i for one am glad if anyone can steer me clear of it happening to me, i`m sure no offence is meant from anyone here just help and advice given as were all in the same boat  ;) .
just my opinion, hope you enjoy the forum, take care  ;D

hi sue

i know what your saying,

its noce to be informed

but why is nienna singling out just one seller this to me is unfair

fair enough give advise to others but dont single out one person just because of the way they write their auctions

have you ever thought that you are damaging this sellers reputation

and assuming that they may or may not be dishonest

concidering the fact that this may be the sellers only form of income

Hi,
Yes i do see what you mean but i`m sure nienna wasnt singling this particular seller out. I think it was just noticed that this seller was putting up a picture of a full new box and not stating clearly if at all that the actual item they were selling was different than the picture shown. I will admit i thought from the picture and description it was a new factory sealed box so i`m glad nienna put up this post. Also the seller was ending the listing constantly then relisting. Whilst that is up to them surely you can see how it does look suspicious. I did notice this myself and i also noticed they wouldnt sell a card for 99pence and then relisted it and the bids are now high, maybe also suggesting someone is maybe dare i say it helping them get up their prices. I am sure if other sellers do this and are noticed by people on here then i`ve no doubt we would let each other know, i think thats the whole point in a community, we should be glad nienna told us and i would like to think if she saw someone else she was suspicious of she`d keep on telling us.
i`m not sure if you are new to card collecting but i am and i find this kind of help invaluble to me, its a bad world out there and i think its important to be aware of something we think maybe of help to others.  :)
I think its nice  that you think this seller only has this form of income and has just made a mistake on the listing but i do also say how can you be sure, and you must admit if they rely on this income only then surely they must make sure they dont mislead people on their listings.
As you mention singling out i`m taking it you know of plenty of other people youre suspicious of, please let us know as it would be a great help.  ;)

do you realise how bad a reputation you are giving  this seller
and might be reading to much into it

i actually said im my last post this (Might) be the sellers only form of income

and nienna  (has) singled out this person because its the only person nienna has mentioned that i have seen

and to me

that affects the sellers reputation they are obviously a

(genuine seller otherwise they would not of gave a honest answer to stoney)

Now your assuming that the seller might be bidding on there own stuff

i am new to collecting also
 
but i have read on here that certain collectors like to keep there identity private especially for high value cards and private auctions are also to stop other sellers poaching there bidders
but that is also why ebay have a new facility to stop other members poaching bidder

This forum has been around for a long time and in that time many "dodgy" or questionable auctions have been brought up. There has been no "singling out" of any particular seller, this latest auction is just one in a long line of many we have discussed. If you care to look through the rest of the forum, you can see some of them.

I also said "its nice you THINK" so i was well aware you only said "might", just thought i`d clear that up.  ;D
i`ll be honest i dont understand were your reasoning is coming from over this  ??? . You seem conviniced this seller is innocent in everyway but yet you seem to ignore the facts of their listings being wrong and misleading and also the fact that Nienna is trying to HELP people like me and you who are new to this. You should listen to what is being said as this HELP is coming from an expert who knows when someone is a "dodgy" dealer, for want of a better word.
Also i really dont understand why this is singling out a person, does that mean when i put up my post and named the dealer who sold a fake card i was singling them out. Does that mean if nienna sees someone else and tells us that theyre singled out too  ???
i`m not assuming the seller is bidding on their own stuff i maybe dared to suggest that because of their suspicious activity that it could be a possiblity. And if theyre not prepared to sell a card for 99p then they shouldnt list it as that, why would you defend someone so much who did that?
I really dont understand why youre defending this person when its plain for everyone to see theyre listings look  suspicious even i can see that, in fact you talk about damaging a reputation well if people didnt inform us of these things then there would be alot of people out of pocket for alot of money, would you rather that happened?.
It`s nice to get different opinions and discuss things but i really cant understand why you defend a seller so strongly when an expert trys to help you by telling you to beware, then you admit that your new to card collecting?

ok thats fine

but why would you name names
is that not unfair though

although discribing a thread name as dodgy and then  posting someones ebay name that gives them a bad reputation

when they might just be genuine

i am just giving my opinion of what i think

thats all

HI sue

no you are fair to say that the auction does not look right and im not defending as such just giving an opinion thats all

im not saying i agree with what the auctions said

it should have been put down on there

but if i was to sell a box  of cards and say the packs are sealed but the box is not would i still get a good price

especially if i dont know how to check for good cards not that i would check for good cards

people would then think i have took the good ones and then sold the boxes on for more money without any valuable cards inside


thats all was thinking really


im not trying to argue with anyone just thought people might want know what i think  :'( :'(

It would be hard for Nienna to say - there's an auction for a GOF box that looks dodgy BUT I'm not going to tell you who the seller is. What would be the point?

To address your earlier comment about pack searching - I would NEVER buy a box where the seller says "oh I opened one pack randomly and decided to sell the rest of the packs. 99.9% of the time they have cherry picked the prop/costume card. With the exception of one or two reputable sellers I have dealt with, I'll not even buy loose boxes anymore, given the prevalence of case clusters. People who buy these cherry picked boxes are generally new to the hobby and don't know too much about these practices which is why we give our members a heads up when we see it occuring.

What I think is unfair is the seller neglecting to mention that they are selling an unsealed box (how else can you get 23 packs in a box?). If you ask me, THAT is unfair. And of course you (or anyone) would not get as high a price if they stated outright that they were selling sealed packs. Which may be why this seller conveniently neglected to mention this in their auction.

It seems that you know this seller so if you would like to direct him/her to this forum to explain why they have listed these auctions several times they can perhaps explain their actions.

Hi,
its good to have different opinions and to discuss things, thats what helps us understand things and learn. Youre entitled to think what you think thats up to you, my opinion though would be to trust the experts on here as theyre looking out for your best interests and i just dont think Nienna deserved what you said thats all,  ;).
Take care, Look forward to some better chats, Sue  ;)

well i would say you should also post this seller on here regarding the other GOF BOX you mention

there is every point of making it known to others as nienna has already mentioned one person

so who is selling the GOF BOX please

and at least the seller put there where only 23  packs and not 24

That was used as an example. I could have used GOF/LOTR/X Files/Buffy etc.

Point being, false advertising by omission is still false advertising. As some one who has collected Potter from the very beginning, I know there are 24 packs in a full box. New collectors may not know this. For them, 23 packs IS a sealed box.

have to just pop in again  :-[  :rofl: but i`ll admit it  :-[ , i was watching this sellers things and thought 100% it was a full factory sealed box, who reads the small print when theres a big picture of a new box, lol  :P .
Just have to ask diagonhp, is the seller you?

This was the main reason that i contacted the seller. Not because i am a new to collecting HP cards but because i had never seen this seller selling boxes before so i thought that he/she might be new to selling cards and had made a mistake when typing the item description.
I know that the seller did put that there were 23 packs in the box but only people who know how many there should be will know that there is one missing. To the new collector who doesn't know they might think that this is the number of packs in a box because it doesn't state otherwise. It should of been stated in the auction that there are supposed to be 24 but the box had been opened.
I think that this was the main reason i opted out of buying the box. After finding out that the box had been opened and one of the packets had been opened, the cherry picking idea started to go round in my head. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that this was definitely what the seller had done but i don't understand why you would open one packet and not open them all (if it had been me they would would of all been open inside 5 mins ;D). You would surely either open them all or leave the box as it is to sell on. If you are going to end up selling a box of 23 packs anyway then you might as well just leave the box sealed, sell all 24 packs, attract a lot more buyers and get more money for it.
I DO hope that whoever has bought the GOF box did indeed get a genuine box with only one packet taken from the top and that they do get a costume, auto or prop and that the seller is genuine but finding out that info that the box had been opened along with one packet was enough to sow seeds of doubt in my mind and stop me from buying.

Why would anyone open a box to check it? Check it for what? A bar of gold? All I can say is that if this "dishonest" shoe (a shame if it does) fits anyone, let them wear it. Full disclosure in the item description removes all doubt.
And by the way, the whole of the world needs to know how they can be ripped off. If in doubt about an auction description, ask the seller. If the seller doesn't answer or is evasive, by all means skip the item. And by the way, the news is full of stories of how banks are robbed. Are you inclined to rob a bank because you know how, is the whole so inclined?
And, you asked how. If you didn't want an answer, why ask? Or was it a rhetorical question?

i just want to let everybody know that yes we need to know the facts

i dont want to fall out with you guys i was just giving my opinion can we drop this bad subject now and

like lik o rish-spider said"

If in doubt about an auction description, ask the seller.
 If the seller doesn't answer or is evasive, by all means skip the item.


or if you get an answer from a seller and they have answered honestly
which in this case the ebay member that was first mentioned in this thread then at least they gave you a straight answer as i can see from the reply that stoney got the seller is not dishonest and did reply with a honest answer

if they had not replied then i would of been bothered
 but as they replied and gave there answer if you are not happy with the answer and lose interest in the item after there reply because it was not what you wanted to hear then you just move on

so lets get back to happier things

i will say this though the ebayer mentioned in the first post of this thread
its only fair they have there name removed from the post
because its a little unfair
i think the auctions the ebay member was selling i think the descriptions where just a genuine mistake thats all
innocent

i think maybe some of us have made a big thing bout one person over nothing as the thread name

dodgy auctions does kind of imply that the seller is dodgy when that might not be the case

i hope everyone sees the goodness in my opinion

Whilst i respect your opinion and your right to air it i also disagree. I had the boxes on watching and was almost ready to buy a few but they kept being ended. if i`d have received an opened box i`d have been very upset. Nienna did the right thing  :D

You didnt answer my first question,
Are you the seller?

If I see suspect auctions - seller may be trying to pull the wool over people's eyes, seller may not know what they have, etc. I tell folks about it.  It's part of this community.  I'm sorry you have a problem with that, but unless the forum owners change the policy so we're not allowed to warn folks about auctions/sellers, then I'll continue to do so.

well maybe the cos box was ended becuase the seller kept having second thoughts about selling it

they might of just wanted to keep it,
as its the the only first box in the series after all
that you can get hold of now
and decided to just end it.

i also was watching this sellers cos box and i also emailed them and they told me
that the cos box was a factory sealed box.
does that put your mind at ease sue.

and no im not the seller

hey tialessa

i was only giving my opinion

thats all ok

You didnt mention that you`ve been corresponding with seller before, very convenient that you did about the COS boxes. So i take it the seller changed their mind over 4 times and also about the GOF boxes too. WOW!!
I must say the only thing this confirms to me and i`m sure everyone else is that youre the seller. Theres no-one with any sense that would defend someone whos so obviously trying to mislead people unless they were involved. You`ve had experts telling you very legitimate findings and you say youre a newbie but you choose to defend and keep insisting the sellers id be hidden, you make it so obvious. Youre a buyer so why would you defend a possible dodgy dealer.
Enjoy your time on the forum, bye.
sue.

Much of the time, an opened box with one pack missing could have resulted from a store buying a box to sell packs, and finding out that their regular clientele isn't interested in the subject.

Sure, sometimes the "pack searchers" can pick out a pack with a thick prop or costume card, but they're never going to pick a pack with an autograph. More often, you'll see opened boxes with 24 packs in them ... but a seller might have opened several boxes and reconstructed "24-pack batches of packs" after culling packs with inserts in them. If advertised properly, sometimes these known-to-be-searched odd-lots of packs are a nice deal, because the searchers don't bother with the low-end chase cards.

Having a factory sealed box doesn't necessarily give you the same odds as everybody else. Some sellers have been known to open caseloads of boxes, and after finding an Emma autograph in the third one, they sell off the rest of the case.

So I'm very careful who I buy boxes from and, except for some releases that don't have high-end inserts, I'm a repeat buyer from somebody I trust. There are plenty of good sellers who sell boxes straight from the case without any "research" beforehand.

One researcher was honest enough about it all to lose my future box business. When there was a problem with one order, he wrote back saying he'd get me a missing box in the mail right away, and he'd make sure it wasn't from a searched case. The same seller still offers "unsealed boxes 24 packs," but I'd definitely know what to expect!

I think the truth over whether this GOF box was cherry-picked or not will emerge soon enough, once the person who has bought it receives the box, finds that the box is open and gets only base and possibly the correct quotient of chase cards from it.  ;)
There would've been no point me posting the auctions without the Ebay seller's ID - name and shame them because none of the three box auctions was completely honest and I'm sure some unwary buyer will find this to their cost in the next few days. I'm not a betting person, but I'm fairly sure that the ended auction for the 2nd GOF box will have been sold off-ebay to the same person who bought the first box ... so, £80 for two boxes of complete rubbish.
I have no problem with Ebay seller's making a profit from the items they sell, but I do have a BIG problem with sellers taking advantage of newcomers and deliberately omitting very important information from their listings to make a sale.
As far as I can tell, this seller's response to stoney's query regarding the number of packs in the box was probably the only truthful thing they said and you know why?
Because to lie when responding through Ebay to a query means the person asking the question then has written proof which they can then forward to Ebay Customer Support when they come make a claim for an 'item not received as stated' should they proceed and buy the item and it's not what they expected.
I've been watching ALL the card-based auctions this seller has for sale and was alarmed to see them re-list a card which had sold a week previously and which the buyer left them negative feedback because they wouldn't honour the sale. The re-listed card is now a private auction - the perfect opportunity to shill bid on your own item so it sells for an amount which they want for the card bu which they doubt it would reach and which no-one else can see what's going on. Now I may being doing this seller an injustice here in saying this, but why else would they make this second listing private, given the outcome from the first listing?
I agree that there are times when sellers ought to make their auctions private for some very valid reasons and especially for the very expensive/rare cards, but this seller is deluded if they think this particular prop card will attain an end price anywhere near those cards - true, the card is numbered out of 100 but they sell for around £50 not £500+!!
The negative they received over this card's first auction should've set alarm bells ringing for everyone looking at the rest of their items, if only to highlight the fact the seller is willing to back out of a sale and also willing to end auctions and re-list them several times over a short period of time.

I have since learned that this seller has another Ebay ID which they happily use to buy Costco jelly beans which they then use in their Bertie Botts props boxes of sweets on this Ebay ID.
The listing description is carefuly worded - nowhere does it state either way that the jelly beans are 'official' ones, but it is implied that they are:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HARRY-POTTER-CANDY-BOX-WITH-85G-BAG-OF-JELLY-BEANS_W0QQitemZ170229022693QQihZ007QQcategoryZ29798QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262 (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HARRY-POTTER-CANDY-BOX-WITH-85G-BAG-OF-JELLY-BEANS_W0QQitemZ170229022693QQihZ007QQcategoryZ29798QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262)
I know this is slightly off-topic from my original post, but I'm trying to get my point across - this seller has poor feedback and is economical with the truth on many of their auctions.

diagonhp - I recall you asking how much a box of COS was worth on another thread.
If it's an open box then you'd be lucky to sell it for a fiver, if it was still factory sealed then it would be worth more.
If you think that I'm singling this seller out for some harsh treatment ... well yes, maybe I am!
I'm fed-up of seeing people like this ripping-off others on Ebay and getting away with it.  >:(
Ferdinand_the_yak rightly pointed out that there have been plenty of other rogue Ebay sellers which we've posted about on here and no doubt there will be others to write about in the future.  :(
If my posts affect this person's sales - good, because they're being dishonest.

Sue - thank you for elevating me to 'expert' status!!  ;)

LikORish & allender - thank you very much for your valuable observations over what can happen when buying boxes/cases of cards. I think the old adage applies here - 'if it looks too good to be true, then it probably is.'  :(
There are some excellent Ebay sellers who regularly sell to forum members and we value their honesty above all else - we really don't need rogue sellers on Ebay, as their underhanded tactics undermine buyers' confidence when making expensive purchases like this and everyone is affected.

Tialessa - good to know someone else is community-spirited and letting others know all might not be what it appears to be in auctions like these.  ;)

The most alarming thing which follows on from this sorry mess, is that toysngiftsdirect is actually a forum member!  :o
Oh yes, they are ... in fact they have two forum ID's which I know of and possibly a third, which means they've been reading all this and laughing at the lot of us! >:(

I don't like being made a fool of and I'm sure the rest of the established membership don't like being made fools of either ...  >:()
For the moment, I will refrain from posting the Ebay and forum ID's on here but - I will happily supply the forum owners and moderators with this information when asked.

Thank you Nienna for pointing this all out. There have been many times we posted on this forum about dodgy sellers. After all, that is a part of what this forum is about. We are a community of collector's and a lot of us have formed close friendships as well. If you can't tell your friend about something suspecious, then who can you tell? And, if it helps out some new members who we hope will stick around with us, then I don't feel that anything is wrong by pointing things like this out.

We should help eBay and our community out by posting a thread listing of those where evidence points to "dodginess", like our Megan's Law, dub it Nienna's Law :rofl:

The info Nienna has provided will prove to be invaluable......thanks Nienna :-* Unfortunately the World of Harry Potter does seem to attract the odd sleazeball hoping to cash in on the collectors and fans out there. I know of the other forum ids Nienna mentions and know they were linked to the Ebay Id she mentioned.....I was hoping they had learned their lesson last time after being proved to be less then  honest and stayed away....no such luck though  >:()

Can I sign up to be one of Nienna's Army please ?  ;) 

Also I had a look at the Bertie Botts box auction and funnily enough it was revised TODAY ,  after Niennas post .The description had been changed to Jelly Belly beans . Proves the Ebayer has been reading the posts  >:(

Families and friends look out for each other!
And that is what this board is like....a great big family! :D ;D ;) ;D :)
Thanks to Nienna and every board member who has posted info about dodgy sellers.
Your info has proved invaluable to me and no doubt lots of other board members in the past and continues to do so.
If new members and old members alike feel like this is a place where they are looked out for then they will want to stay and make this board even more fantastic than it already is!.
Just like the four Hogwarts Houses we are divided (in some of our opinions and comments ;D)
but we will unite together in times of trouble ;D
To quote the last few lines of the sorting hat's song from OOTP (with a few words changed of course).
"Oh, know the perils, read the signs,
The warning buying history shows,
For our Forum is in danger
From external deadly selling foes
And we must unite inside her
Or we'll crumble from within
I have told you, I have warned you....
Let Nienna's Army now begin" :rofl:

I'm with you MuggleMum  ;D

Well this is what a real community should be like, and i know i`m new but i  would be very happy to be included in Niennas army too    :) . 

Hi Stoney ;D

You have hidden talents...loved the rewrite of the song :rofl:

Glad you and Sue agree with me on the Nienna's army suggestion...although we will have to be careful and have our wits about us ...wouldn't want Filch or Prof.Umbridge getting wind of it :rofl:

   :rofl: oh yes i`ve heard bad things about those two aswell  :rofl:

Thanks MuggleMum ;D
I don't know what made me think of doing the song. It must be my most inspired post yet ;D

Don't worry about Filch..we'll just give Mrs Norris a kick up the :-X   :rofl:

 :rofl: you guys crack me up, and stoney i love the song  :D

Unfortunately, it depends on the type of autograph.  There is a way to find sticker autos.  If you do an eBay search for sports autos, you'll find auctions for guaranteed auto packs.

Too true, but fortunately for us Artbox don't use these sticker autos (and I sincerely hope they never do!) so there's a slim chance of pulling what I'll call a standard auto card from a bunch of sealed packs.
I imagine the pack searchers are armed with micrometers and pocket digital scales and a huge amount of brazen cheek to stand in a hobby store searching ALL the packs.  ::) :(

Please excuse the double post, but I thought an update on this seller's feedback page was worth a mention:

http://feedback.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=toysngiftsdirect&ftab=AllFeedback&sspagename=STRK:MEWA:SFS&iid=170236791909&item=170236791909&frm=1883 (http://feedback.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=toysngiftsdirect&ftab=AllFeedback&sspagename=STRK:MEWA:SFS&iid=170236791909&item=170236791909&frm=1883)

It seems my concerns over their listings were well-founded and I feel really rather sorry for the buyer in this instance - they paid £80 for a heap of rubbish PLUS £12.95 for International Signed-For postage!!
It looks as though the seller has laid the blame over the state of the contents of this box at the door of the Customs Office - can someone please tell me why Singapore Customs would bother opening the packs and removing the boxtopper from this box?
I'm sure they have boxes of trading cards passing through their facililties on a regular basis so I doubt very much that they'd bother too much with this one. I know we've all heard horror stories over the damage and pilfering that happens with the postal staff and I'm sure this goes on - how convenient for the seller that this particular box is destined for such treatment. ::)
I would hope that the seller did indeed use the insured postage which is stated in the auction so the buyer may be able to get recompense from the postal services - but it's all down to proof that the contents of this box were undamaged on despatch and of course the seller will assert that they were.
*sighs* ... I have the feeling that the buyer won't have much success in claiming their money back in this way and I would love to be proved wrong too.

I also noticed feedback has been left for another box buy and the buyer is a forum member too ... my guess is they bought the GOFu box ... interesting ...

Anyway, I'll leave it up to you whether you want to risk your hard-earned money buying anything from this seller or not - for me, their feedback says it all!  >:(

Thanks for pointing that out Nienna, people like that are very sad   :(

Yes, I bought the other box which was GOF (not update). The packs were in good condition and there were 23 of them.
I hadn't had one of these boxes before nor had I seen one on  :ebay: before, I like a gamble, so I thought why not? I was probably very fortunate as the auto card I found was worth 2-3 times what I paid for the box and has gone straight into my collection, as has the empty box which I also needed for my collection.
I think the seller should be making it clear when he is selling second hand/ opened boxes, the buyer from Singapore had a very rough deal.

Thanks very much for posting Bagshott and for clarifying that it was the GOF box not the update box which you bought! ;)
You were one of the lucky ones (that was one HECK of a gamble!! :o ) and like you say, the buyer in Singapore got the rough end of the deal and has little chance of getting any of their money back.  >:(
I agree 100% with your comment that this seller should be stating clearly in their auctions that the boxes for sale are either secondhand or opened or both - I would call that sharp practice with the clear intention of misleading potential buyers ...

Bagshot, what autp did you pull?  Good for you. I bet the seller is pissed that you mentioned getting a great auto in the feedback too. As for the other buyer, that really is a shame. I would think PayPal would side with him if he says the box was not unopened, like the auction states. It clearly was not as described. I feel bad for him/her.

Sirius, Gary Oldman, well pleased as I need quite a few in this set.

Yes it was a gamble, but then so are all boxes, a bit like getting a 10/1 winner I suppose!

Oh yes, that was a great pull. I don;t even have that auto. Good for you. I wonder if the other buyer even got an insert in their box.

I bet you the seller is kicking himself that he didnt rummage through that particular box,  8)

If the box was missing one pack, the seller probably did go through it, but pulled the costume or prop card... the auto cards are harder to find without opening packs.

Congrats on the good card!

Just to update my fellow forum members ...

toysngiftsdirect has changed his Ebay ID to: dd_gifts_n_collectables effective from 24 July 2008.
I know you can access all user ID's if you login to your Ebay account, this is more a heads-up in case you happen to run across his auctions when you're browsing Ebay without logging in and not know this the 'new' incarnation.

 ;D

Are you part bloodhound? ;D  Thanks for the info!

No, but I do own a deerstalker ...  ;)
It's interesting to note that this seller has stopped selling his Bertie Botts knock-offs and appears to be selling strictly licensed Potter sweets/candy - constant vigilance seems to be paying off ...

My pleasure kbmum!  ;D

Good work Sherlock .....I mean Nienna ;) :rofl:

What would we do without you Nienna  ;) ,
the name needs changing at the top of this forum to the new one  ???

constant vigilance you say nienna well i think we can gather that you have made your point
and so have the rest of the members in the thread but i would think you would of dropped this topic already concidering there is nothing more to say about this seller he no longer is selling the items you orginally opened this thread for so i would gladly buy from the seller now

 :rofl:

Oh, please.  There is more to say about this seller, since he changed his eBay ID after people started complaining about him here. 

diagonhp this is just my opinion but its very apparant youre the seller,
please credit us with some brains. We`d probably have listened to your side if you were upfront and honest from the outset instead of pretending to be someone who just defends him/her when all the proof of his antics are infront of you. If youre not the seller then you must be an angel or something similar ??  0:) 0:)

 :rofl:

you say theres more to say kbmum, well they may have changed there name after people started complaining but the subject this thread was intended for i feel really there is no more to say as they no longer have what you where originally complaining about it was only ever about the cards and im not arguing with anyone here  ;)
its just if they are not selling what this thread was originally intended for then... i think this thread needs closing

but thanks for all the advice that everyone has given.  ;)

 ;) hi no i just wanted to give my opinion thats all,
 im not the seller,
 but just felt as the thread was intended for talking about certain items and as they no longer sell these,
fair enough there name has changed but you see there is just no more i want to say on the matter.
 as it was only ever about the cards

thats all ;) ;)

but thanks for your input sue

good morning to you

You must think we were born yesterday, read your posts matey you couldnt be more obvious if you had stuck a banner on your head saying "I`m the seller". I`m not going to argue with you too but its just so obvious who you are and you think people dont know.  ::)
Have a good morning too  ^-^

GOSH

i try and be nice sue
 but you just dont want to know do you im clearly giving a opinion and if no one else likes it well....

call me stupid but i think everyone has a right to say what they think

anyway morning all

enjoy your day

Please forgive me but i missed the part were you are trying to be nice  ::)  ??? , very sorry about that. My sister got diddled by someone like this seller and i for one was about to bid on their items and so i would have been upset if i had. Also this seller has negatvie feedback from someone who they have upset by diddling them. Nienna tried to warn us and help us and you insulted her for doing this by defending the seller, So please you must forgive me if i dont see were  youre "trying to be nice" . And as far as "calling you stupid" well you said it not me.
I really give up, i really do  >:()

oh GOSH

i was using stupid as a figure of speech im not actually stupid

and fair enough if your sister got diddled but as they no longer sell these cards should this matter not of been dropped long ago
 i think everyone knows now about the seller know
and have took the info in but dont need to be reminded everyday about the seller

i know know and glad for the info but to me i just want to get on without anymore negative things now

lets talk about happier stuff now and not forget what has been said

but

just put to one side and be happy for a change

to much complaining will give you wrinkles and greay hair i got enough :rofl:

Hi,
i understand your side after all youre the seller so of course you`ll want this subject dropped and think its a negative subject. But as a buyer i think this subject should be brought up everyday and people should be reminded of things like this. To be reminded is a very POSITIVE good thing and only the seller would see it as negative.
My sister will not drop being robbed of 600 especially when it only happened recently so i dont understand why you think she should, would you drop it??
We are not complaining and we are very happy and this post is positive but i understand as the seller you can never see it that way. In fact the only negative posts have been from you in your very aggresive way of defending the seller even at the risk of going against everysingle person on the forum, the fact you do this is more than an opinion its because you are the seller, hope you enjoy the rest of your day.
 Oh nearly forgot, no havent got any wrinkles and grey hair the last time i looked,  have you?  :rofl:

EDITED BY ROZ TO ENSURE THE QUOTES WORKED & TO ADJUST OUR TITLE

hi when i said drop it i did not mean for your sister to drop ok

have a nice day.......

and i was having a joke about the wrinkles matey

good day

diagonhp - I really don't care whether you think this thread ought to be locked or not.

The fact remains that the seller has changed their Ebay ID in an attempt to distance themselves from the name they used to sell the Potter cards and unlicensed Potter sweets, because they have been named and shamed on here for their less-than-honest listings.
Whether they still sell these items is immaterial ... they are still selling Harry Potter-related items that members on here may be interested in buying and that fact alone is enough for their Ebay name change to be highlighted on here so that everyone knows who they're dealing with.
I also haven't forgotten about the Potter prop items they have been selling too - more unlicensed items which Ebay have thankfully removed before unwary buyers parted with more cash.

There have been other instances of Ebay sellers rapidly altering their ID's because they've cheated people out of goods or money or both and as far as I'm concerned people need to know this information quickly - if me posting this information upsets the seller's itty-bitty-fragile-ego ... well, tough.
The name change is in the public domain as far as other Ebay members are concerned and I imagine either name could be Google'd too - even more reason to highlight their behaviour wouldn't you agree?

Before you start having a go at me - I am not only an Ebay buyer, I also sell on Ebay too - I think it fair to say that I'm in an excellent position to know how items should be listed and what to look for and how Ebay transactions ought to be conducted.
As others have pointed out, this seller has changed their Ebay ID after this thread was created not before - not exactly the conduct you'd expect to see from a person with a clear conscience is it?

Oh and diagonhp/harrymad08/hpfan21 - if you aren't the seller - why do you want subject matter to be dropped?
If you are as innocent as you claim to be, then surely you would be happy to know the information I've posted on here as the rest of forum membership?

WELL SAID NIENNA, YOURE 100% RIGHT.  ;)
SUE, XX

I would like to say that Nienna was quite right to bring this seller to the attention of the forum, it might well save someone loosing money, as some of you might know I collect coins & banknotes and am a very active member on another forum (Mod  0:), we take pride in exposing dodgy sales technques and fake items, we have had a number of items and a few sellers removed by ebay as well.  The more people who band together like this makes it a lot better for the honest seller and the buyer alike.

I agree and am glad this eBay member has been brought to my attention. I was recently in the market for a Hermione auto and would have been really upset had I been the one to buy that item. I honestly feel terrible for Sue's sister.

Diagonhp, this topic will not get dropped, but if it bothers you so much, just don't read it anymore. Just because you are a new forum member does not mean that you need to continue to read a topic you don't agree with.

Thanks rns91294, for what you said about my sis  ;)

Just wanted to add something, the id on here "harrymad08" has 29 posts, most of which are asking how to make a bertie botts box and we all know that this is also diagonhp!! very sad that "diagonhp/harrymad08" has used people here to do this then went on to sell them as authentic items to unsuspecting e-bayers and profit from it.

And i agree totally that we should always inform each other of people like this  ;)

Hey sue, just speaking the truth. I'm glad you didn't back down from this person too.

Yup, pretty sad that it seems the same person may have more than one ID on this forum. Of all the years I have been here, not sure that I ever saw that happen before.

Thanks, nice of you to say.  :)
...
Really, i think thats good going and glad he`s been brought to our attention,  :)
...
Big thanks to Nienna, from one of her army members(just a ickle new one  :-[ )

sue  ;D