The pen scammer is back

[speerbob]

Zosser's, remember all the talk of the pen scammer Artit who was ripping people off on eBay a few years ago under several user names? Heeee's Back! He started running a bunch of pen auctions at really low prices a few weeks ago under several names. I even bid on and won 5 of them to check things out. Since I'm here in Bangkok I could be sure of getting the pens because I'd insist that he deliver them or I pick them up. Well now he says that oops, they are "lost" so he cannot sell them to me. So I had one of my pen spies who knows him but works for me go check it all out, and sure enough he doesn't have some of the pen he's selling. It's just a rip off as I guessed. He even has pens listed as mint that are totally obvious from the photos well used and abused.

 

So it's very simple do not buy from anyone in Thailand EXCEPT me SPEERBOB (feedback 8165) and the one or two other sellers with several hundred feedback. You all know me and know I'm good and as you know Puget2006 and one or two others with high feedback are OK. But do not buy from anyone with low feedback...PERIOD. It's very high risk. I do not post this because he's any competition, he isn't. I do not compete with sellers like him, my competition is other high quality sellers. I post this because I get emails all the time from people who got ripped off by this guy and I don't want more of my friends getting ripped off.

 

FYI: To end this on a positive note, I have some of the best pens I have ever list at one time on eBay this week! See SPEERBOB.

 

Cheers, BOB

[speerbob]

Oh, is it a sin that I called you all Zosser's? Sorry, I post on both. Cheers, BOB

[kissing]

Thanks for this piece of information.

 

I have not heard of this pen scammer - but if what you say is true, what a horrible, horrible person

[JayLo]

Speerbob - thanks for the 'heads up'.

[CharlieB]

Bob, I've seen many of Puget2006's offerings on eBay, and I've often wondered whether or not he was ok to deal with. I interpret your post above to be a green light to bid on his auctions.

 

Thanks for all the help you've been to the fountain pen community over the years. One of my first ever eBay purchases was from you, back when you were in Loudoun County, Virginia. You've had consistently good quality pens on your eBay site, and you've been helpful with the advice on this board.

[greencobra]

Thanks for that heads up, Bob.

[lalindsay225]

Thanks, Bob, for the heads-up. I love the red/black/gold Haolilai I bought from you recently!

 

Lisa

[gregoron]

Thanks, I saw some of those listings and were thinking they were too good to be true. Your pen selections are great by the way.

[finalidid]

Thank you for the heads-up. I can see that a low- to medium-cost collectible like fountain pens would be more ripe for exploitation by a scammer than many other categories. But ...

 

... what's a Zosser?

 

[FredRydr]

Thanks for taking the time and effort to flush him out like that! We appreciate it.

 

Fred

[gregoron]

PS: Have you heard of seller thaigoodwill? Is he/she one of the more reputable ones?

 

Thanks, I saw some of those listings and were thinking they were too good to be true. Your pen selections are great by the way.

 

[speerbob]

Hi, Yes, Puget2006 is OKto deal with! Cheers, BOB

[speerbob]

PS: Have you heard of seller thaigoodwill? Is he/she one of the more reputable ones?

 

Thanks, I saw some of those listings and were thinking they were too good to be true. Your pen selections are great by the way.

 

Hi, yes I know him. I would avoid him until he has another 6 months or so on eBay and more feedback. While I'm not sure he's out to scam people, I have noticed that he usually has problems every so often and gets kicked off eBay. In the last three years he has been under 5 names I know of. Cheers, BOB

[speerbob]

Thank you for the heads-up. I can see that a low- to medium-cost collectible like fountain pens would be more ripe for exploitation by a scammer than many other categories. But ...

 

... what's a Zosser?

 

Hi, A Zosser is a member of the Zoss pen list. Go to www.Zoss.com and click on the fountain pens link. Cheers, BOB

[speerbob]

Hi Again, as expected. I got Emails from eBay saying to not send money for the 5 auctions I won from the Thai seller as he has been suspended. I knew better so hadn't sent it. I hope none of the other buyer got taken. The good part is he was taking Payment via Paypal only so if people paid via Paypal they likely can get their money back. That is another key thing I should mention. Paypal is not perfect but it's a much safer way to pay than bank transfers, cash, Western Union, etc. In fact it amazes how many buyers still do not use Paypal and that anyone would send anyone cash or Western Union. Cheers, BOB

[stephenchin]

Actually, I have just had a bad experience with PUGET2005 off ebay (Bob, I see PUGET2006 is not offering anything for sale now, and has 0 feedback, so I'm assuming you were vouching for him/her.

 

I just purchased a rare pen listed and described as "NOS" "never used or inked" . From the photos there was clearly shopwear (pen is 40+ years old) and what appeared to be dirt (in only one of the many pictures), but the section was still clear plastic.

 

Received the pen only to discover the section is new but the pen is definitely used, and what appeared as spots of dirt was actually wear through to the brass on the gold plating! Further investigation revealed ink inside the section and a couple of pretty deep scratches.

 

This is by no means a beater but it's definitely not NOS. To be truly generous, it was being sold with other similar models that had price stickers/decals on them, so a newbie seller might have made a mistake in haste. But not a serious pen dealer.

 

So I have to return to Bob's original statement, only buy from Bob out of Thailand. We'll see what PUGET2005 does (no response to my ebay message yet). But $200 may prove to be an expensive lesson in caveat emptor Thailandensis.

 

 

 

 

[speerbob]

Actually, I have just had a bad experience with PUGET2005 off ebay (Bob, I see PUGET2006 is not offering anything for sale now, and has 0 feedback, so I'm assuming you were vouching for him/her.

 

I just purchased a rare pen listed and described as "NOS" "never used or inked" . From the photos there was clearly shopwear (pen is 40+ years old) and what appeared to be dirt (in only one of the many pictures), but the section was still clear plastic.

 

Received the pen only to discover the section is new but the pen is definitely used, and what appeared as spots of dirt was actually wear through to the brass on the gold plating! Further investigation revealed ink inside the section and a couple of pretty deep scratches.

 

This is by no means a beater but it's definitely not NOS. To be truly generous, it was being sold with other similar models that had price stickers/decals on them, so a newbie seller might have made a mistake in haste. But not a serious pen dealer.

 

So I have to return to Bob's original statement, only buy from Bob out of Thailand. We'll see what PUGET2005 does (no response to my ebay message yet). But $200 may prove to be an expensive lesson in caveat emptor Thailandensis.

 

Hi, My big mistake here. I should have said Puget 2005, not Puget 2006! Puget2006 is some guy in France. On Puget2005, No problem at all. Certainly if you had a problem with him, let everyone know. Hopefully he'll take care of it. For the most part he seems alright, hopefully he'll do the right thing. If not, well he deserves the post of course. Everyone messes up sometimes (Lord knows I have!), but it's how the seller handles it that matters. Cheers, BOB

[jhsiao]

Another one that looks too good to be true...

 

Especially with a large amount of feedback from one guy.

 

 

[CJO]

...so if people paid via Paypal they likely can get their money back. That is another key thing I should mention. Paypal is not perfect but it's a much safer way to pay than bank transfers, cash, Western Union, etc. In fact it amazes how many buyers still do not use Paypal and that anyone would send anyone cash or Western Union. Cheers, BOB

 

Just so that people know- using paypal still isn't much insurance. They will credit you back if there are funds in his paypal account and will even try to get funds back to a linked checking account, but if both of those are empty, (which is highly likely for a scammer) that's as far as they go.

 

CJ

 

[speerbob]

Another one that looks too good to be true...

 

Especially with a large amount of feedback from one guy.

 

 

Yes, i know this guy. Be very careful, you could loose money. Cheers, BOB