Ebay buuuuuuuurn... on me. :(

[r00ster]

I'm usually really careful about buying DVDs from Ebay, so as to avoid unknowingly getting low-quality bootlegs... and I -was- careful so far as this guy (here-to-for referred to as ebay user Hardworker007) had 100% positive feedback, including some resounding feedback for the same DVD sets that I bought from him.

His auctions looked professional, including pictures showing the DVD covers with the ADV, Pioneer/Geneon, and Bandai logos. I bought Heat Guy J 1-7, sCRYed 1-6, and Final Fantasy Unlimited 1-7 from him for $250 CDN, shipping included.

That was back on September 4th... he sent me an expedited shipping number on the 9th, which means I should have it in 2-7 days within Canada.

A couple weeks pass, nothing... so I email him. He claims to have "straightened out" the problem with Canada Post, and the package should be on its way. That's last week sometime...

Yesterday, someone leaves a feedback for him, saying that the DVDs are pirated... bloody great. I contact the guy, and he plays the, "D-d-d-duh... I just buy them from a licensed distributor... I dunno if they're bootlegs..." He says I should spend $30 to mail them back to him, sealed, if I think they're bootlegs, and then he'll refund me. That's if they even show up.

I snap at this point, and file a Buyer Claim on Paypal. What shows up at lunch? Well, I'll tell you... 20 crappily made, basement-brand pirated copies of Final Fantasy Unlimited, Heat Guy J, and sCRYed. I mean -crappily- made. Home-spun shrink-wrap, with shit-quality labels and covers. The compression on the DVD-r burns isn't even good.

At this point, I'm literally having kittens. So, I file a fraud-alert, and a buyer's claim through Ebay, and I send emails to Bandai, ADV, and Geneon/Pioneer, telling them about this facker, since he even now has auctions active on Ebay for these piece of shit DVDs.

Then, I contact all the buyers I can, and current bidders for his DVDs, and let them know what happened to me... telling them to retract their bids, and place Paypal claims appropriately, if they see fit. I also included the email addresses for ADV, Bandai, and Pioneer.

Meanwhile... two other buyers have contacted me about the mad, MAD feedback I left him on ebay. One saying they got screwed around, too, and asking if they should start a Paypal claim since they're just waiting on a late shipment of hack-bootlegs. The other, from an ebay member saying that his winning bids for a Final Fantasy Unlimited set were fraudulently placed... and that he didn't buy the set under his ID, or leave the feedback. This guy probably went so far as hacking accounts and leaving good feedback to draw in suckers like me.

Anyways... long story short... if you buy stuff through ebay, pay with Paypal so you at least have some protection (unless Paypal doesn't get me my money back, in which case, never buy anything from Ebay... ever).

EDIT:
Feel free to check out Hardworker007's ebay auctions, and send emails to ADV ([email protected]), Bandai ([email protected]), and Geneon ([email protected]) about said auctions, and help me bring the shit-storm down on this guy... as none of us need basement-brand bootleg hacks like this guy running loose.