Book Dealers-eBay sellers-dt.org buyers/sellers/ to Avoid like the Corona Virus

[Rahfa]

I don't think PayPal will refund your money for a lost package. eBay might.

No, I just mean paying through the post office or whatever. It's like was said before -cost of doing business.

[RC65]

I don't think PayPal will refund your money for a lost package. eBay might.

If you don't get tracking or delivery confirmation or some other way of proving that you sent the package, then the seller is liable if the package does not arrive. If, however, the package does not arrive, but the seller has a receipt from USPS (or Fed Ex, UPS, etc.) showing that he sent it and has the tracking to prove it was sent on its way, then the seller is not liable for the lost package (and the buyer will have to take it up with the USPS). That's my understanding, anyway.

If there is insurance, then of course the seller can seek that remedy (since it's his insurance to file the claim against, not the buyer's) and presumably give whatever proceeds are gained to the buyer...but it's a long, iffy process, from what I've heard.

[Randall Flagg]

In the specific case where I sold and mailed a book to LookWhoItis, it could have been a PITA for both of us.

My tracking showed that the USPS carrier got the box to the buyer's door; then left a notice saying the package could be picked up at the local Post Office. Effectively (it wasn't signature required), I fulfilled my duties as a seller (not sure of ebay policy on the matter, that would be interesting) by having proof the box was delivered to the buyer. The box was lost at the local Post Office AFTER it was delivered.
Fortunately after 7 plus tense days, the box was found.

PP gift strictly benefits the seller. The buyer may save 3%, ($300 on a $10K purchase, $30 on a $1K and $3 on a $100 purchase), but has little or no official recourse.

I've conducted many transactions as a buyer and a seller using PP gift.

I suggest buyers insist on paying 3% more. Then the onus is on the seller (if PP agrees with the dispute, they may or may not rule for the buyer and issue a refund based upon their chance to get the money back from a seller).

THIS WHOLE ORDEAL is because a seller wouldn't be an honorable person and simply take the book back-then issue a refund.

I have yet to render an official opinion on the matter, but I'm considering several options.

[jhanic]

There are a vast number of persons on this site whom I have no problem paying using the Paypal gift option. There are a few (mostly newer members) whom I would use the "regular" Paypal option. If I get to know a person here on the site, I have no problem trusting them. I've never been burned.

John

[TCCBodhi]

Altruistically, I want to use Gift because it is one of the things that we are able to do to tangibly display our "friendship".

I'd likely still use Regular for all of those various reasons that are outside of the control of BOTH the buyer & the seller.

[jonp]

I personally don't mind if someone pays me by gift or regular PP. As nearly all of my transactions are abroad there is a fee whether you/I use PP gift or regular as there is a change of currency (I only don't get a fee if I am sending in the UK by bank transfer). If someone wants to pay me regular (and add the fee and cover themselves), I would not take offence. As Simon said, my reputation as a seller/buyer far outweighs any monetary gain.

[carlosdetweiller]

Here is a guy I don't trust. Goes by the name of "Fine Edition Books" on ABE. I don't know if he sells on eBay or not. I have seen his listings on ABE for years and have either thought his prices were too high or, if I did try to buy something, there was always a reason he wouldn't sell. This guy is just weird. Here is the latest example:

A couple of weeks ago I tried to buy this proof from him. He had two copies listed on ABE, each priced at $28. I ordered one and about 36 hours later he e-mailed me saying the book was not available. The excuse was that he had sold the book to a local King collector in the UK. OK, fine. That stuff happens. Then he proceeds to ask me to cancel the order from my end on ABE. I assume that he wants to maintain his "five star" rating on ABE and I think that is affected if he cancels the order. I just did nothing and a couple of days later I get another e-mail, identical to the first, but with his request that I cancel the order highlighted in bold font. Again I did nothing. Finally ABE cancelled the order as being unfilled after 48 hours.

Now I see the book relisted with the price marked up to $103! Has anyone else had difficulty with this jackwagon? This is just one example. I have had similar unsatisfactory dealings with him over the years.

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/Book...entlyadded=all

[wizardsrainbow]

Bob-

I've had at least a couple dealings with him (successful as I remember) over the last 5 years. My records aren't good enough to tell you what I bought, but I remember the name and I know I have a business card somewhere he enclosed with an order....sorry you had trouble(s).

[webstar1000]

I was just looking for this forum to tell you all to stay away from Redsoxfan and/or nicksportsautographs. Whether his stuff is real or not, he is an ignorant, rude, demeaning, pathetic little man. I inquired about a signed book he had and he recognized my name from the forum and started to be rude cause I questioned some of his signatures. The exchanged went on with him trying to belittle me. Sorry but this guy is not the quality of seller/buyer we need here in this forum. Whether his signatures or real or not... have some class buddy.

PS: Sorry to hear about your experience Bob! Some people are all about money and nothing else. It really is too bad

[carlosdetweiller]

Bob-

I've had at least a couple dealings with him (successful as I remember) over the last 5 years. My records aren't good enough to tell you what I bought, but I remember the name and I know I have a business card somewhere he enclosed with an order....sorry you had trouble(s).

Another odd thing about him is that his listings on ABE often show up in duplicate (even when he only has one copy to sell). He has a Dark Harvest proof of Robert McCammon's Swan Song listed on ABE. Priced at over $1000 I think it is way too high but I did inquire about it 6 months ago. It has some writing on the front cover and we discussed a moderately lower price. I thought we were making progress and I suggested PayPal as a way to circumvent the higher ABE fees. He removed the ABE listing while we discussed the book. He said he didn't use PayPal but would look into it and get back to me. 6 months go by and I hear nothing. A few days ago the proof was relisted on ABE at the original price - in duplicate. I think the guy is a douchebag. He probably thinks the same about me but I'm just trying to buy books and for whatever the reason I can't seem to get a completed sale with him.

[redsoxfan565]

I was just looking for this forum to tell you all to stay away from Redsoxfan and/or nicksportsautographs. Whether his stuff is real or not, he is an ignorant, rude, demeaning, pathetic little man. I inquired about a signed book he had and he recognized my name from the forum and started to be rude cause I questioned some of his signatures. The exchanged went on with him trying to belittle me. Sorry but this guy is not the quality of seller/buyer we need here in this forum. Whether his signatures or real or not... have some class buddy.

PS: Sorry to hear about your experience Bob! Some people are all about money and nothing else. It really is too bad

"Dear webstar1000kris,

You did spout your mouth. You didn't bother to study his signature or care to compare them to anything. Your quotes were: "His stuff is shady looking too.."
"Good John. He can suck it for all I care. I have such a hate on for cheaters and scammers. I don't trust the signatures I looked at last night of his... I can tell you that! "

Instead of posting absurd comments like that, how about you post a constructive opinion like: "Hey this signature doesn't seem right because xxxx looks off compared to this one I obtained. See the photos below.

In that case, that is a more reasonable response and allows me to come into the thread and try and find some signatures that have that particular thing that you find off so that would put your mind more at ease.

But no, you don't want to do that.

Like I said, have a nice day!


- nicksportsautographs"

Again, if you want to have an actual debate on my signatures, I'm all for it, but you just seem to want to argue for arguments sake, which does nothing to help yourself as I am going to stick around and defend my signatures either way, and does nothing for the community you claim to want to help.

Thanks

[webstar1000]

I was just looking for this forum to tell you all to stay away from Redsoxfan and/or nicksportsautographs. Whether his stuff is real or not, he is an ignorant, rude, demeaning, pathetic little man. I inquired about a signed book he had and he recognized my name from the forum and started to be rude cause I questioned some of his signatures. The exchanged went on with him trying to belittle me. Sorry but this guy is not the quality of seller/buyer we need here in this forum. Whether his signatures or real or not... have some class buddy.

PS: Sorry to hear about your experience Bob! Some people are all about money and nothing else. It really is too bad

"Dear webstar1000kris,

You did spout your mouth. You didn't bother to study his signature or care to compare them to anything. Your quotes were: "His stuff is shady looking too.."
"Good John. He can suck it for all I care. I have such a hate on for cheaters and scammers. I don't trust the signatures I looked at last night of his... I can tell you that! "

Instead of posting absurd comments like that, how about you post a constructive opinion like: "Hey this signature doesn't seem right because xxxx looks off compared to this one I obtained. See the photos below.

In that case, that is a more reasonable response and allows me to come into the thread and try and find some signatures that have that particular thing that you find off so that would put your mind more at ease.

But no, you don't want to do that.

Like I said, have a nice day!


- nicksportsautographs"

Again, if you want to have an actual debate on my signatures, I'm all for it, but you just seem to want to argue for arguments sake, which does nothing to help yourself as I am going to stick around and defend my signatures either way, and does nothing for the community you claim to want to help.

Thanks

Your a real asset to the community

[carlosdetweiller]

Bookseller ratings on ABE are displayed by a number of stars on a seller's listings, from one to five stars. Here is how they are determined:

Bookseller Ratings

Bookseller Ratings are based on a seller's Completion Rate.
Completion Rate represents a seller's percentage of successfully completed orders - the number of orders a seller receives versus the number of orders cancelled or returned.
Booksellers with a higher Bookseller Rating have cancelled fewer orders and received fewer returns.

So, when a bookseller cancels an order it results in a lower completion rate and therefore a lower star rating. Five stars means a completion rate of 96 to 100%. Four stars means successfully completing 90 to 95% of orders. Three stars 85 to 89%. Two stars 70 to 84%. One star 0 to 69%.

The star ratings seem to drop off pretty quickly especially if a sellers volume is low. I can see why the jerk at Fine Edition Books wanted me to initiate the cancellation rather than him. If I cancel I don't think it affects his rating. The only other time I have been asked to cancel an order by a seller was Mark Anderson at Copper Dragon Books (and he has been the subject of other questionable dealings by members of this site). I think this practice is shady and would recommend that no one do this if asked by the seller.

[neo_trinity]

Here is a guy I don't trust. Goes by the name of "Fine Edition Books" on ABE. I don't know if he sells on eBay or not. I have seen his listings on ABE for years and have either thought his prices were too high or, if I did try to buy something, there was always a reason he wouldn't sell. This guy is just weird. Here is the latest example:

A couple of weeks ago I tried to buy this proof from him. He had two copies listed on ABE, each priced at $28. I ordered one and about 36 hours later he e-mailed me saying the book was not available. The excuse was that he had sold the book to a local King collector in the UK. OK, fine. That stuff happens. Then he proceeds to ask me to cancel the order from my end on ABE. I assume that he wants to maintain his "five star" rating on ABE and I think that is affected if he cancels the order. I just did nothing and a couple of days later I get another e-mail, identical to the first, but with his request that I cancel the order highlighted in bold font. Again I did nothing. Finally ABE cancelled the order as being unfilled after 48 hours.

Now I see the book relisted with the price marked up to $103! Has anyone else had difficulty with this jackwagon? This is just one example. I have had similar unsatisfactory dealings with him over the years.

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/Book...entlyadded=all

Hi Bob,

You are not alone in your frustrations with Michael at Fine Edition Books. I have known of him since late 1999 and I never had a successful transaction with him. In early 2001 he was listing a lot of high-end proofs and limited editions that I had requested further information on, and always got the same BS answer – “that ABC just sold to a big U.S. collector, and it’s not available anymore.” He used to operate a website (defunct since 2003) that posted photos of rare items, but the problem was most of the photos (when included) were trolled from the internet, and they weren’t his to sell.

A few examples included:
1. Lettered “Gunslinger” (same letter as mine)
2. Presentation State of “Cycle of the Werewolf” (same 1/8 number as mine)
3. “Four Past Midnight” UK Unbound Proof (your photo Bob)
4. NEL Proof of “The Stand” (refused to provide any further information)
5. Doubleday Proof of “The Stand” (refused to provide any further information)

All of these items were offered for sale at ridiculous prices at the time, but when I contacted him, they magically just sold. A few weeks/months later, they would appear again. I stopped writing.

The last contact I had with him was in 2004 when he was listing the “Four Past Midnight” UK Proof on his site. He had a price of GBP 3,500 for it, but the photo was the same as yours with the red carpet background. I found this out from Stu Tinker when I showed him the photo. He knew who had it. When I asked him was that the actual proof, he said yes. I told him that I know another US collector that had the same choice of carpet as him, and the same proof, and I never heard from him again. The carpet then was cropped out of the photo.

When questioned about the Lettered Gunslinger and Presentation State of COTW, he said he got the letter/number confused, because he had so many copies in his collection (well certainly less than eight (8)). That was it for me. I heard enough.

In 2010, I saw that he wrote a post on SK Collector website (and TDT.org), talking about the same UK Proof of “Four Past Midnight” and how he had the only copy (as well as his mint Sphere Gunslinger Proof), so I guess he was back at it again.

It’s very likely that he does complete small transactions, as some members here can testify to that fact, but when it comes to certain rare items, I don’t believe they were ever in his collection to begin with, so obviously the sale will not come to fruition.

Gerald

[carlosdetweiller]

Gerald,
I am so very glad that you took the time to post this. Although my experience with him is not as extensive I have always felt uncomfortable with the communications I have had with him. And, to add to my discomfort, I have never been able to complete a transaction with him. Your post explains a lot and confirms that he is someone to avoid completely going forward. I now suspect that he does not even possess the Swan Song proof I was wanting to buy from him. It is reassuring to me that I am not the only one having difficulty dealing with him. Thanks!
Bob

[jhanic]

I have to say that I just finished my first transaction with Fine Edition Books (the UK Twice the Power promo) and had absolutely no problems--except the USPS took exceptionally long to deliver it. Of course, it was a smaller, less pricey, item. I've never had occasion to deal with him otherwise. It doesn't sound like I'll be dealing with him again.

John

[jsweet]

To me that's just completely nutty. What's the point of listing those items you don't have? I could understand (not agree with, obviously) if he was trying to sell them and collect the money to scam a buyer. I see what the end game is there. But this???

[divemaster]

Some people just like the feeling of being "in the game" and want to walk in the rarefied air that others more rightfully inhabit. They build up an artificial construct (in this case, "I've got the rare books; I'm the man!") and the more people they can convince of that, the better they feel about themselves. It's certainly pathological when you have to create such a charade to feel important.

[neo_trinity]

To me that's just completely nutty. What's the point of listing those items you don't have? I could understand (not agree with, obviously) if he was trying to sell them and collect the money to scam a buyer. I see what the end game is there. But this???

Yes it is nutty, and he was. This was before he was listed on Abe, and his website was not an e-commerce site, so you had to write an email to inquire about any particular book you wanted to purchase. He is based in England, and I was in Ireland at the time, so when I found something he had that I wanted, there was no way I would wire the money/send a cashier's check, I would have simply flown over and met him in person. That just put him off. Saying a big U.S. collector just purchased it, would let him continue to keep the charade going.

It's one thing for a collector to BS that he has something that he doesn't, as some people do. Whatever floats your boat. However, when a registered book dealer publicly lists an item with some photos (never the limitation page number/letter) just so he can make it look like he has a great collection, but won't sell it, there's something wrong there. Maybe he wants the attention, maybe it's an ego thing, but for about 5 years, the rarest proofs and limited's that he usually listed, I could never purchase them.

When Bob mentioned him, I hadn't heard his name in years, so I went looking for any new stories, and sure enough on the SK Collector website, he was still talking about his Lettered Gunslinger and Sphere Gunslinger Proof as late as 2012. You can read it here:

http://www.stephenkingcollector.com/....php?f=3&t=905

It's possible he did pick up another Lettered Gunslinger and proof, but I have my doubts. I know another UK collector that lives in Wales, and he does have a signed Sphere proof of Gunslinger. He knows him personally, and told me to stay away from him. I told him I don't have to. He won't sell to me.

Gerald

[neo_trinity]

Gerald,
I am so very glad that you took the time to post this. Although my experience with him is not as extensive I have always felt uncomfortable with the communications I have had with him. And, to add to my discomfort, I have never been able to complete a transaction with him. Your post explains a lot and confirms that he is someone to avoid completely going forward. I now suspect that he does not even possess the Swan Song proof I was wanting to buy from him. It is reassuring to me that I am not the only one having difficulty dealing with him. Thanks!
Bob

No worries Bob. You are definitely not alone. I am not surprised to hear that others have purchased some items from him, but I definitely won't be sending off any more emails in the future. Some people may think I was crazy to keep writing to someone for 5 years and getting nowhere, and Atsuko had even asked me that a few times. My philosophy was simple, you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar. There was always the possibility that 1 item was real and I could actually get it, so it took only minimal effort to send an email. Once I started seeing my items being listed, I knew that it was curtain call. I hope you can find your Swan Song someday.

Gerald

[sharki69]

I usually don't do that but I wanted to warn you from ABE seller GMEDIA. Here is what happened:

This seller listed Bazaar proof yesterday for $500. No further details about condition other than - Very good. He also used stock image. Later that day the price was dropped to $14, so I purchased the book pretty sure it will be canceled. This morning I received the cancellation email and the reason was "Item Unavailable" (SURE.....). Now here comes the good part - the seller relisted the book again for $275 and I got it again but now I sent email asking for photos. Received RUDE respond - "I'm unable to send photos before shipping. I will cancel your order". I replied asked them not to cancel and at least described the condition. Received cancellation email after 5 minutes...... "Item Unavailable"

I called ABE - rep called the seller directly and came back with the real reason - price mistake AND the seller will relist the book for $750.

Bob/Gerald - I'm with you

Good luck to whomever got it for whatever price

P.S. - What I didn't knew is that you as a buyer can't do anything in this situation. ABE is marketplace and it's not against their policy if the seller cancel your order 50 times. There is no way to complain. The only way it's affecting the seller rating is the fact that he cancelled orders again and again, but who cares about rating when you find a good deal ???

EDIT - book was just relisted for $1,750 !!!

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/Book...reams&sortby=0

[Pasiuk57]

That is sick....

[amd013]

My first purchase from Abe was cancelled because it was no longer available. I placed the order, then a couple of days latter I still had not received any kind of confirmation or shipping notice from the seller (other then Abe confirmation), so I sent Abe an email asking about the status. I then got an email from Abe saying the order was cancelled because it was no longer available and later that night got an email from Abe customer support explaining that the item was sold already. They offered a 10% discount up to $15 on next order. Never heard anything directly from the seller (MW Books Ltd).

At the time I didn't think too much about this, I didn't realize such a thing seems to be such a common occurrence on Abe. (The book was My Pretty Pony for $81, I ended up ordering a 1st/1st of the Stand (from a different seller) using the coupon).

My only guess for why someone like Fine Edition Books would behave the way described by Gerald would be some kind of money laundering scheme. Perhaps these "books" are meant to be "bought" by specific people.

[webstar1000]

I do not deal with ABE. Never had any luck

[jsweet]

I do not deal with ABE. Never had any luck

Me neither. I think I've had one order that wasn't either cancelled or in much worse condition/totally different book than described.