[Trading in Type One] what are the secrets?

[Bram]

Hmm. Well, at least the adress checks out (except that the town is called 'Waalwijk', not 'Wolluk'). It's probably not a problem since the postal code and street adress are correct. On that adress a certain 'R.W.N. Aussems' resides; probably the guy's father. I have tracked down his phone number in case you ever need it.

Also, I have a friend in Waalwijk who plays a lot of type one. Obviosuly not this guy, but him and his girlfriend are very active trader/sellers so I'll ask if they happen to know this guy.

[mylkhead]

interesting info on this guy.  why would he spell the street address wrong??  strange.  let us know any more info you find of course.  and what is the phone number just so we have it for reference.  thanks a lot!

[VGB]

why would he spell the street address wrong??

1) Because the mail will still arrive.
2) It gives him "plausible deniability".  "Hey, I didn't get the letter because the address was spelled wrong".
3) Makes tracking him down harder.

I've seen bogus street names given many a time.  As long as the postal/zip code is correct, the mail service usually figures it out.

[mylkhead]

I see.  Here is the address he gave the other trader on the BTA:

Alex JAckal
Hugo Wolfstraat 6
5144 TM Waalwijk
Netherlands

He spelled it Waalwijk there.  I dont know if this is a previous address or what.  But maybe it can help.

[Bram]

No, he spelled the street adress correct. It's the TOWN he spelled wrong.

It's called 'WAALWIJK' (like in the second adress), not 'WOLLUK'. I could be wrong, but I think Wolluk is local 'slang' for the name of the town. I agree this is probably intentional for the reasons mentioned above (plausible deniability and throwing off trackers). He used the correct postal code since otherwise it wouldn't arrive. If he'd have ben REALLY smart, he'd also have used a fake (but somewhat similar) street adtess. The postal code in combination with the house number(regardless of the street name, really) gets the letter delivered in the end, and officially, you can't look someone up by his postal code.

That second adress makes me sure this guy is bogus. Jackal is not a real dutch name, andhe's obviously using fake adresses (or multiple adresses, really. One of these is probably a friend's house).

The second adress is unlisted (the street name does exist though in combination with that postal code and town. it probably just means the guy isn't in the phone book).

I'll PM you the telephone number for the first adress (the one you mentioned). There's no point in everyone starting to harass this guy (or, more likely, his friend's parents :-)

[Razvan]

First, when a friend and I bought some stuff (Shops plus a few Beta versions of cards) he insisted that we pay cash. On singles purchases, he won't charge tax if you pay cash. This is an overall shady business alert which may or may not have anything to do with fraud.

This is not necessarily true. My local store has that policy, especially on singles. Cash = no tax. They have done this for years now, and even on small crap that no one in their right mind would ever fake. In fact, this cash style is starting to pick up, especially when stores offer no tax on items (here, in Canada, tax is 15 fuc... err... freaking percent).

No one would fake misdirections. I hope.

[Bram]

Fifteen percent? You lucky bastards. We pay NINETEEN, yo.

[Mage of Dreams]

First, when a friend and I bought some stuff (Shops plus a few Beta versions of cards) he insisted that we pay cash. On singles purchases, he won't charge tax if you pay cash. This is an overall shady business alert which may or may not have anything to do with fraud.

This is a common practice in many small buisness'. Not the "insisting" part but definately the no tax for cash part.

By using cash on singles he doesn't ring it on the cash register, which means there is no trace of the sale happening. Therefore he doesnt have to report the income,, which means he doesn't have to pay taxes on it. While he has to report some sales (all new product, anything like credit cards, checks etc.) there is an old tradition about the "under the table" sales that go on.

[mylkhead]

I got the phone number, but I am not gonna call just yet.  It's still a little early for that I think.  I will wait a bit to see if any cards arrive in the mail.  They probably won't but after a while I can take some action.  Hope you can get some good information on this guy from your friend.

[Bram]

UPDATE

After some deep-cover research, I've come up with the guy's actual name. He's called Alex Cheung. I also have his real street adress. You've got the ripping thing right; he's also tried to rip that friend I told you about. This guy is pretty darn ignorant, since

1. My friend has been at his house and afterwards he tried to rip him (this is why I know his adress).

2. He used the same first name and (his actual) town on all occasions.

Also, he goes by the nicknames:
Alex Jackal
AlexDaRulerOfTheUniverse
Alexthemaster

So it seems there's some truth in that bit about nicknames showing bogusness....I mean come on! It's good that this guy has already been banned off MOTL; I'll try to get him banned of Nedermagic.nl too (if he isn't already).

I'll PM you his actual street adress.

[Addolorisi]

This is not necessarily true. My local store has that policy, especially on singles. Cash = no tax. They have done this for years now, and even on small crap that no one in their right mind would ever fake. In fact, this cash style is starting to pick up, especially when stores offer no tax on items (here, in Canada, tax is 15 fuc... err... freaking percent).

I'm going to respond to both you and Mage of Dreams in the same post, since you're both saying practically the same thing.

I'm very well aware of the concept of unreported income and tax evasion. I am, however, extremely confused as to how that doesn't register as "shady" to either of you. In all the instances that I've encountered it, there has only been once when it was simply a friendly gesture. Everything else certainly fit into the category of "shady." While it is a very common practice, the fact remains that it is a very illegal practice. Generally speaking, people that engage in unreported income also engage in other unsavory business practices as well. I'm not trying to approach this from some sort of ethical standpoint, but you should at least pause and raise an eyebrow every time you see it going on.

Also, the fact that he insisted we pay cash on a transaction that was between $600-$700 does not strike me as incidental or unrelated in any way, and certainly shouldn't be evaluated seperately. If the sale is unreported, and the cards are indeed fraudulent, we are left without recourse in just about every practical sense of the word.

No one would fake misdirections. I hope.

The last time I heard anything on the issue, $1 and $5 bills were the most often counterfeited denominations in the United States. Your sentiment is is the prime incentive for counterfeiting Misdirections and other similar cards.

One last thing, I did get his Ebay username (dasfeline) and it seems to genuinely be him, and he seems to be a legitimate seller. If anyone's ever done any business with him, I'd be interested in how it turned out.

[mylkhead]

Speaking of Mr. Alexthemaster:

http://www.magictraders.com/ubb/Forum4/HTML/003462.html#19

Seems like A LOT of people are getting RIPPED by this guy for BIG deals.  This guy is getting lots of power and high priced cards in the mail and he's ripping everyone.  Something needs to be done about this.  I will get back more later....

[Mage of Dreams]

I am, however, extremely confused as to how that doesn't register as "shady" to either of you.

LOL under the table money makes the small buisness world go round. Without it probably over half of the card shops you know would close. You see the IRS holds no value on secondary collectables such as comics and cards. Therefore there is no write-off on the sales of these type of items.
Take for example a Lotus I buy for $500, I sell it for $1000. Instead of only showing the $500 profit, I have to show the whole $1000. Do this a few time and suddenly I'm paying taxes for double the money I'm making, Showing increased revenue can often raise my annual business tax, etc. etc. How long do you think I'll stay open paying double my tax base?

In all the instances that I've encountered it, there has only been once when it was simply a friendly gesture.

Not that you said so, but you leave the impression that illegal activity done as a friendly gesture is ok. The bottom line is a store has one main function, and that is to stay in business.
Sure friends are made, great deals are given as possible, but the bottom line is the store must succeed.

Generally speaking, people that engage in unreported income also engage in other unsavory business practices as well.

I might ask where you get your statistics? Chances are alot of people you know/will know have committed such violations. Know anyone who ever cut the grass, wash cars, or other various odd jobs? Did they make more then $600 that year? Bet they didn't claim it on their taxes. How about cards sold on Ebay or to friends, see anyone filling out tax forms, or collecting sales tax, or produce a vendors/sellers permit? I doubt it. How many of these people do you consider unsavory?

I'm not trying to approach this from some sort of ethical standpoint, but you should at least pause and raise an eyebrow every time you see it going on.

Hell, my eyebrow would be frozen in the Spock position.

Also, the fact that he insisted we pay cash on a transaction that was between $600-$700 does not strike me as incidental or unrelated in any way, and certainly shouldn't be evaluated seperately. If the sale is unreported, and the cards are indeed fraudulent, we are left without recourse in just about every practical sense of the word.

There are actually a couple of points here.
The fact that he "insisted" could indeed cause a bit of concern. In general if a business accepts various forms of payment, then they must accept them. Not to mention the fact that, insisting that a customer pays a certain way, when they wish to offer payment in another form you accept, is poor form.

Even in a cash transaction a hand written recipt should have been offered. Yes I know this goes into the whole double reciept books issue. Of course it would be in the store owners best interest to offer a refund if something was wrong. Chances are he doesn't have much of an advertising budget and relies heavily on word of mouth. The thought of some pissed off gamer telling everyone in the neighborhood what a rip off they are should keep the owner on the straight and narrow. Let alone the thought of said pissed off gamer camping on his doorstep protesting.

Then there is the fact that if your buying high dollar cards you should be able to evaluate them yourself. As long as your comfortable with the card it should be good.

[mylkhead]

Okay with the help of a few memebers on MOTL and an online translator I managed to file a police report against him.  I used this site:

http://www.politiemwb.nl/index.asp?pagina=content&rubriekid=116

I supplied all of the information I could.  He is now a Confirmed Bad Trader on MOTL.  And some others are pursuing him.  I will update when I get new information.

[Addolorisi]

Take for example a Lotus I buy for $500, I sell it for $1000. Instead of only showing the $500 profit, I have to show the whole $1000.

So buying it goes unreported, but selling it does not? Only having spent a few years studying business law, and with collectibles being on the fringe, I may misunderstand the law here, but I don't think you're correct. Costs of doing business are always deductible.

Not that you said so, but you leave the impression that illegal activity done as a friendly gesture is ok.
The bottom line is a store has one main function, and that is to stay in business.

Or not. I was trying to leave the impression that all the other instances were more than simply trying to keep the store in business or show a nice gesture to the costumer.
If a store is willing to stay in business at the expense of the government, then what makes you think they won't try to stay in business at the expense of the customer? I'm not saying that every store that does this will deal dishonestly with costumers, but just as you claim "without [unreported income] probably over half of the card shops you know would close," that same phrase can be applied to other, less benign, illegal activities as well. Does it mean that it will always benefit you? No. It doesn't.

How many of these people do you consider unsavory?

Don't confuse average private citizens with businessmen and twist my words. That's just rude.

Hell, my eyebrow would be frozen in the Spock position.

Well, whatever. If those are the kinds of shops you have then more power to you. However, not everyone can afford to be quite so carefree with their money.

Then there is the fact that if your buying high dollar cards you should be able to evaluate them yourself.

I'm human. I can accept that it's possible I made a mistake. If I did, and the cards are not legitimate, then it's in my best interest to find out and rectify the situation.

I can see that this problem may not be universal, and that you may not have to worry about about such things. As I said previously, more power to you. But that's no reason to speak to me as if I were naive in such matters. Also, as a small point of observation: I'm not saying that you're wrong for buying cards from a store in such a manner. (I liken it to illegal file sharing -- we all know it's illegal, but we do it anyhow.) If you're so adamant about this because it's a practice you regularly engage in, then please realize that's not what I'm saying at all. I'm aware that examples such as yours are common.

But what I am saying is that when taken as part of the whole picture in my particular situation, it does indeed seem suspect. And I'm also suggesting that my situations like mine aren't as uncommon as you seem to believe. I'll say it again: The entire reason I brought up the unreported income was as part of my observations on a single particular shop. It wasn't meant to be taken out of context and applied to other situations, but rather something that helped mold my opinion of this one shop.

As such, I really see no reason for this to continue further.

Edit: If you do still have concerns you wish to discuss that don't apply to the rest of the community, then feel free to PM me. The above sentence wasn't meant in a "I'm taking the last word so there" capacity.