caught an ebay thief and ebay refuses to act. Here is what happened.

On 12/9/06 I purcahased a cordless phone with two handsets on ebay for $63 incl. s&h. I had it sent to my sister as a gift. It did not work so I went to the ebay page and tried to contact seller. I began reading his feedback (mea culpa for not doing it first). It seems that hundreds of people have also been taken the way he took me.

I initiated a dispute with PayPal who closed my case after I allegedly did not respond to an email with a deadline.
I initiated a dispute with ebay and they kept telling me to contact the seller myself. Well I emailed him over and over and tried calling him. I was given two numbers and left a vm at one. Of course never any response.

Finally (after I sent him an email titled "do the police know where you got all this stuff?)he emailed me a generic form saying to mail back the phone with tracking to his address in Lebanon TN.. I waited two weeks and checked usps.com to track. Package has been sitting in Post Office since 2/15/07. He never intended to pick it up.

So I still kept emailing ebay saying this man is a thief and will not respond. Finally yesterday, 3/6/07, I got online and began doing research. For my job I make a living tracking down people who don't want to talk to me. And I am damn good at my job!

It took me all day. I discovered he has two ebay stores with the same exact merchandise under two different names. It looks like a warehouse on the news when the police discover a bunch of stolen property. Everything from pressure washers to tvs to you name it, much still "new in box". (as a matter of fact one of the other buyers he ripped off told me he bought a tv that mounts under the counter that appears to have been ripped from its' former mooring).

I began to suspect the stuff is stolen so I call the Lebanon TN PD and tell all I found. I was told a detective will call me back in a few days. They suspect warehouse is an empty building in the middle of the projects(based on the address thief gave to return merchandise). I contacted the Chamber of Commerce, the County tax office, found the owner of the building through the utility company. Found his company is not listed anywhere or in any agency database in TN. I called the landlord of supposed warehouse location, spoke to landlord's wife who told me her husband is out of town he owns many buildings in different states. Took my number and will have him call.

I kept at it all day until I found the guy's home address and phone number. I called and said I am looking for so and so since your town only has 12,000 people must be the same guy. They did not respond. I called and called until I got a lady. She said "you have the wrong number".

Hmm if someone called my house and said "my first and last name" ripped them off on ebay I don't say you have the wrong number I ask questions to make sure I am not having my identity stolen.

I told her I am sure I have the right house and I will call all night until you refund my money or call the sheriff at which point I will tell them why I am calling. I kept calling "hi it's me again where's my money? I am going to tell your children their schools and everybody in Mt Juliet TN you are a thief"

I forgot to say I found their page on the county tax record and read to her her tax info because she denied that I had the right address she said "so and so" does not live here. I read her the tax info and she was dumbfounded.

Still nothing. I sent him 20 copies of the same email titled "I REPORTED YOU TO THE FBI AND IRS"

Within TWO MINUTES I had an email saying he paypalled me my money. I checked it emailed him back demanding my other $10 for shipping the phone back. He instantly complied. I got him to do in two minutes what he refused to do for two months.

He then emailed me saying he'd paid me back why do I have to report him? I told him it is my personal mission to get him off ebay and out of his $500,000 house (in a freaking state where houses cost $40,000!!!) that he bought with hard working peoples' stolen money.

I have every email that went between us. I attempted to contact everyone he ripped off on ebay and was only successful at contacting about 10 people. I gave them his personal info which I found all online using public methods and told them what I had done.

Here is the main issue.

EBAY DROPPED THE CASE!!!! I discovered through my online sleuthing that Michael Jacobson is the head legal counsel at ebay. I found his email address and emailed him telling him as an attorney he should understand that I have put ebay on notice for a man who is at the least stealing from hundreds of his customers and at the most is selling stolen items on ebay and that ebay doesn't care and dropped the case telling me to resolve it myself. No response as of yet.

What I would like to see is ebay taking responsibility for this thief. They don't want to stop him as he has so far sold about 25,000 items which means lots of money in ebay's pocket.

This morning the Lebanon TN police detective called me and got the whole story. And I spoke to and emailed the reporter at the NBC station in Nashville and they are most likely going to do a story on it.

I am not sure if mycoupons will allow me to post his name but if any of you buy on ebay you may want to email me to ensure you never buy anything from this person.

Just goes to show the little guy can win and justice may prevail (if he gets kicked off ebay and either the police clear him or arrest him).

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The political system is broke and it's a joke.

My husband got ripped off on Yahoo auctions, was too excited about buying something to check it out thoroughly But nothing has happened about it, no money back or anything. And I have found a few years worth of stuff on these guys, even this particular person's myspace page! I didn't *call* the police but I emailed... and submitted forms and everything... and talked with other people who fell for the same guy's auctions, and emailed people who were currently winning their auctions. I'm in TN (and know people in Lebanon lol) and this guy lives in KY. I could drive to their place.. but that probably isn't a very good idea.

Good for you!!! You deserve a medal. I hope he gets what he deserves.
Mara

you are amazing!! way to fight for us little people!!!

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Too many people spend money they haven't earned to buy things they don't want, to impress people they don't like. - Will Rogers

I'll bet he wishes now that he had refunded your money the first time. Good for you. We little people need all the help we can get. Dh and Ds buy a lot of parts off ebay. I all ways check feed back before I bid on an item. Thank you for all your hard work.

That is amazing - I am so impressed!

I told him it is my personal mission to get him off ebay and out of his $500,000 house (in a freaking state where houses cost $40,000!!!) that he bought with hard working peoples' stolen money.



I'm interested in knowing what state has homes costing $40,000...

Tennessee all the police and everyone else I talked to said that was about the average in their area.




Today I had a call from the detective in Lebaonon TN and from the legal dept at ebay. Both are investingating and I am sure this thief will be stopped. They were impressed with the amount of info I was able to come up with.

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The political system is broke and it's a joke.

Would you like to track down my adult DD's ex boyfriend who has not paid child support in almost 8 years and Support Enforcement can't find him? LOL, just kidding. Amazing job!

Wow! You really are good at your job! Nice work!

I am not sure if mycoupons will allow me to post his name but if any of you buy on ebay you may want to email me to ensure you never buy anything from this person.


Your PM box is full.......please pm me or email me his ebay name.

Thanks
~~Dawn
dawnycap1@optonline.net

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MyCoupons Is #1 for Holiday Shopping

Good work.

I used to do skip tracing for Exxon-Mobil in the 1970's and you'd have been a great member of our team.

The local PD ought to get things done.

A thought. There are companies that sell pallets of new, but defective, electronics taken back by stores as customer returns. This might be the source of the junk being sold. It might not be stolen at all.

Be that as it may, this guy should be gone unless his stuff is advertised plainly as "for parts or repair".

BRAVO!!! & my God Bless You.

You have guts, you are not afraid, you do not just talk!!

I am not sure if you will get a medal but:

Here in Behalf of all of MyCoupon members and Ebayers as well I will award you a metal of honor for your valor and hard work!

You make this cyber world a better place!

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Lizzzz
Haunted_Studio

Thank you that truly means a lot to me and I appreciate it.

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The political system is broke and it's a joke.

This part must be missing but where does he get his stiff, it could be the guy buys returnd lots from Target and resells them as I am sure many do not work.

Sure he should have returned the money when the phone did not work but from the post he does not illegal and there is nothing worng with living in a 500,000 house just because others can not afford it, maybe the wife is a lawyer or their grandmother left hem a house and they sold it and used the profit to but his one or maybe he can not afford it like most and has a 30 year intersst only loan
sorry just do not get it from the story posted

There are many fishy things. The warehouse he has people ship things back to for returns has nothing to do with him or his company. He leaves the return packages at the post office never to pick them up. He never returns calls or emails from unsatisfied buyers. He has a page full of items that are new in box or almost new in box.
The police told me he is not in the warehouse. Even though he lists himself as a company in that address his "company" is registered nowhere in Tennessee.
The police and ebay both feel the facts I uncovered are worth investiagating.

At the very least he has ripped off hundreds of people on ebay. At the most he is selling stolen stuff. I called his home and his wife lied and told me he doesn't live there.

An honest person makes a mistake they resolve it. A dishonest person steals your money and hundreds of other people's and never even gives them the courtesy of an FYOU.

It's not just me he has ripped off but if it was I am still entitled to do whatever it takes to get my money back.

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The political system is broke and it's a joke.

Yes you are.

Paypal buyer protection backed by credit card funding is an ebayer's best protection.

Once Paypal gets a bunch of chargebacks and/or claims costing them money, you can be sure the seller will disappear.

Really sounds like the dude's selling junk returns from stores. Stolen items usually work.

Thanks for your efforts.

I really think the title in this thread needs to be changed. You ARE stating he IS a thief when he hasn't been charged by any law enforcement.

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Domestic Engineer of 5 - Granny of 2...
Miss Graci is 6 yrs. and Sir Jacob is now 7!

I imagine that is the average home price in my small town in Missouri. Most states have homes in that price range, depending on location.

Good for you in finding this guy. I hope the media really gets the story out on him. Even if he isn't stealing the stuff he is selling, he is a thief in the fact that he sells crappy merchandise and doesn't refund for returned merchandise.

Exactly! There's no need to change the post title. He's still a thief.
Good for you OP. Hope they find out what's really going on and if it is stolen goods, arrest him for it.

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Amy mommy to Ash,Zach&Alexis


MyCoupons Is #1 for Holiday Shopping

He takes people's money doesn't give them what they are supposed to get and ignores their requests for money.

Thus he is a THIEF. He stole my money and hundreds of other peoples' money. I said that over and over. He either did not send them what they paid for or he sent them things that do not work. That is stealing fraud theft.

HE IS A THIEF

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The political system is broke and it's a joke.

Way to go......I hope they stop him.. kind of scary that you could find all this out in a short amount of time... You might have started a little side job there.. ehhehehehe

Glad there isn't a new rope here. In my day you were not guilty till sentencing. You could say I think... but you are saying he is... Could be slander.

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Domestic Engineer of 5 - Granny of 2...
Miss Graci is 6 yrs. and Sir Jacob is now 7!

It is not slander. He took my money sent me something broken ignored my communications and had NO intention of returning my money until I tracked him down at home and then threatened him with the FBI and IRS. What about this sitation makes you think he did not intend to keep my money? And if he intended to keep my money although I had sent him back his broken phone does not that not mean he would keep my money and I would have nothing? Does that not make him a thief?

As an honest person if you sold someone something that did not work would you not give them their money back?

What about this situation could possibly make you think he is NOT a thief?

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The political system is broke and it's a joke.

Who is she slandering? The thief?

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Mom to Miss C & Mr. E
Former SAHM now working full time
feboll@neo.rr.com

The way the legal system is set up- he could probably press charges against you for harassment and making threats.
There are some crazies out there and this guy knows who you are. That would make me nervous- but I am an extremely cautious person

You just need to stick to facts of what happened to you not statements such as thief. You could have said - this is what happened to me and what I did...

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Domestic Engineer of 5 - Granny of 2...
Miss Graci is 6 yrs. and Sir Jacob is now 7!

Good job, OP! Don't let the ACLU-wannabe bring you down. Trolls and negative people have no place here, but for some reason MC seems to think they do. You did the right thing and should feel proud.

What else do you call a thief? He is a thief! And OP you are to be commended for tracking him down and reporting him. Hopefully ebay will do the right thing, investigate and get him off Ebay for good. Thanks from a grateful ebay member!