The Thread for eBay and Magic information on Fakes, frauds, and scams

[PETER FLUGZEUG]

I've seen this today on ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.ch/MTG-ANCESTRAL-RECALL-ALPHA-EDITION_W0QQitemZ250157943395QQihZ015QQcategoryZ19115QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD2VQQcmdZViewItem

User has a low feedback and someone accuses him to not having recieved a mox ruby, so...

Don't bid on this!

[Jeffro]

i hate those darn fakes and frauds!

Hello, and welcome to The Mana Drain!  While we appreciate newer users contributing to community discussions, our site rules require that posts include more content than one sentence.  Please take a minute to read our posting rules to avoid this problem in the future.  We look forward to your future contributions.  -DA

[Beatdown]

What do you guys think about this auction, he assures me that the BB are not CE. I made him an offer and he said that he would pull them down and ship them to me. Could paying with a credit card help me be protected?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270165610822&sspagename=ADME:X:RTQ:US:11

[The Atog Lord]

If he's willing to scam eBay by taking down his auction, he's certainly willing to scam you by selling fake cards.

[Hi-Val]

Those are the worst Black Lotus and Mox Emerald fakes I've ever seen. Look at the Black Lotus-- it's actually printed on the card DIAGONALLY!!!

You don't need Amassador Vreek to tell you that these are fakes. The guy hasn't sold any other magic cards, and for someone who "don't know a ton about these", he seems to know the expensive ones to list in the auction title.

If it sounds too good to be true...

[Yare]

The user in question has two negative comments in his last three.  It seems unlikely to be worthwhile to me.

[Beatdown]

This isn't really a fake issue, but how would you get a japanese arabian nights city of brass? Chronicles I'm assuming, but I thought that was only printed in italian?
http://cgi.ebay.com/4-Japanese-City-of-Brass-Arabian-Nights-NM-MTG_W0QQitemZ250167268226QQihZ015QQcategoryZ19115QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[Jacob Orlove]

Wizards used to have an odd policy of never printing WB cards in a given language until they had printed BB versions in that same language. As a result, a couple of countries ended up with BB revised and 4th edition cards, among other sets.

[cjva]

What do you guys think about this auction, he assures me that the BB are not CE. I made him an offer and he said that he would pull them down and ship them to me. Could paying with a credit card help me be protected?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270165610822&sspagename=ADME:X:RTQ:US:11

why even bother when the card are obviosly fake? like somebody else sayed, the worst fake card ever. He even states in the FAQ that he will not offer refund and that the cards are bought as is. Iv almost got a full power 9 in beta now (only TW is white bordered), and i realy sugest doing like i did, wait until a gaming convention, or try finding it in a store. there you can take a look at the card, and take the time to see if its all good.

or in other words, dont trow away your money just becouse you realy realy want power. Spend alitle more and make sure its real instead.

[Goodguy666]

Tjeck out this auction which has already closed: (notice the very unique picture of the ancestral recall)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=110171099791&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=001

now see this "powerseller" that all of a sudden throws up something like 20 power cards. Heres the link to the beta ancestral recall (notice the picture is 100% the same). Seems pretty suspecious.

http://cgi.ebay.com/MTG-Beta-Ancestral-Recall-Near-Mint-Look_W0QQitemZ200158560888QQihZ010QQcategoryZ19115QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

dont know if links works (first post) but the ebay numbers should be fine.

Anyway just seems very fishy to me so wanted to let you know

Goodguy

[JMA]

I unfortunately now know why the bend test works.  I spent 350 (plus 8 dollars shipping and handling) on an unlimited mox jet on e-bay.  I talked to a young lady for 15 minutes on the phone and everything seemed koshire.  She was a little over 50 feedback and it was 100% positive, but after getting the card (4 days later) I could immediately smell a stinker.  I didn't even need to bend it all the way..  I could hear glue crackling and see the paper seperate in the middle when I put just a little bend on it.  My heart sank.  Anyways, just thought I would share that.

[Th0raxe]

what do you guys think of this i cant really tell? http://cgi.ebay.com/MTG-Unlimited-Mox-Emerald_W0QQitemZ110252698594QQihZ001QQcategoryZ19115QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[BC]

It looks legit to me.  The card isn't in great shape, but I think it's probably real.

[Yare]

I unfortunately now know why the bend test works.  I spent 350 (plus 8 dollars shipping and handling) on an unlimited mox jet on e-bay.  I talked to a young lady for 15 minutes on the phone and everything seemed koshire.  She was a little over 50 feedback and it was 100% positive, but after getting the card (4 days later) I could immediately smell a stinker.  I didn't even need to bend it all the way..  I could hear glue crackling and see the paper seperate in the middle when I put just a little bend on it.  My heart sank.  Anyways, just thought I would share that.

Seller? Auction?

[arctic79]

This wasn't an ebay deal so it is partly my fault but it involves another TMD user.  I made a deal with Bronxie for some cards in June.  I paid him $55 June 13 with paypal.  He confirmed the payment. I never got my cards.  In July I emailed him and he said he sent them one month after I paid him.  I still have not received them.  So beware dealing with Bronxie.  I will release his real name and info if the cards do not show up soon. I will also retract any negative comments if they do show up.  I'm really F@cking pissed.

*UPDATE*
Well it has been 3 months and 2 days since I sent Bronxie (aka Geoff Mullin) a payment of $55.00 for a handful of cards.  I have yet to receive them and have no reason to believe that they were ever mailed.  If you plan on dealing with this guy I suggest you don't (at least through mail).  I am thoroughly fed up.  I know $55 isn't a lot of money but it's the principle.  And for almost $5.00 in shipping I expect more than a few stamps thrown on an envelope so it can be lost in the mail which I suspect his arguement would be if he bothered to reply to my emails.
Be warned of Bronxie (Geoff Mullin)

[ShawnTheDoctor]

Just received a fake Beta Mind Twist from "inpw123" on Ebay. Seller is from Belgium and just sold a bunch of Beta Duals as well.

Card's surface just doesn't look right and uneven front + back can be seen with a 10x loupe. Most glaring failure is the light test... card looks nothing like a normal magic card under backlight. 95% opaque with some "lines" visible under lightning.

Watch out for this guy.

[kenoc]

I've bought some expensive cards - no issue ....  I hope.  I don't really know the tests, use lupes, etc.  But I did bend the cards I got, did read the print quality on the back.  I got a mox ruby and a library of alexandria.  Both look good.  Quality of the cards was "good" (as in played quite a bit).

I think as long as you buy from good sellers, who have good pictures, you shouldn't have many problems.  It is hard to get to 50 positive feedback - with real items (not $1 junk).  As long as you buy from people with good seller feedback (ie, on good items), its not worth their rating to sell bad cards for $100-$200.  I also try to stay away from non dealer sellers who are selling alot of cards at once.

The biggest scam of course aren't fake cards, but rather, I would suspect there were some printed counterfeits (that would be a problem) and there are the CE cards being passed as betas, or just sneakily described to make them sound like betas.

But what are other people's experience.

[M.Solymossy]

Actually, there was a documentary on Counterfeits and the reason they do $20's and not 1's or 5's is because it doesn't pay for the machinery, paper, ink, and risk involved. 

There is plenty of fake UL power.  I would just buy from a reliable source, like Ben Carp.

[chrissss]

http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/819marcusruckus

not sure about the other cards, but the Ancestral recall is a CE advertised as Beta. Wouldn't surprise me if the others were CE cut around the corners.

Though the PSA card looks real ( unless you can easily fake PSA also)

Opinions?

[Tha Gunslinga]

None of those cards are his; all the pics are stolen.  Note how all the backgrounds are different.

[chrissss]

Well he refuses to put up the real pictures, that with his 3 feedback. Well I guess its up to the brave to risk a buy, you could get a fake mox, or you could get an amazing mox. The thing is, his description says that people wanted him to sell the mox, and I doubt anyone would ask someone to sell power with 3 feedback.

[Tha Gunslinga]

Well he refuses to put up the real pictures, that with his 3 feedback. Well I guess its up to the brave to risk a buy, you could get a fake mox, or you could get an amazing mox. The thing is, his description says that people wanted him to sell the mox, and I doubt anyone would ask someone to sell power with 3 feedback.

You're not going to get anything, except maybe an empty envelope.  He doesn't have any cards.  He stole other people's pictures to pretend he did.  If you bid on his auctions you are wrong.

[vassago]

I think if you are going to use such a high risk element for spending thousands of dollars such as Ebay, I would limit your buying to highly reputable dealers, such as Starcity, troll and toad, dan bock(who's pricing is way too high) CCGhouse, Highgrademagic, and my personal favorite strikezoneonline.  I assume that I am like everyone else, and I DO NOT want to get ripped off.  I think the extra hundred or so dollars you are going to spend is well worth the confidence in buying. Another trust worthy source would be the gunslinga from MOTL.  I have never bought from him personally, but I know people who have. I understand people are trying to find "the deal" or save a few bucks, but I would rather save myself the anguish and the peace of mind I would definately loose had I actually got screwed over.  Thats just my opinion.

[wiley]

EDIT:  Wrong thread.  Also TheGunSlinga on motl is probably the only place I would buy high dollar cards without seeing them in person first.

[Smmenen]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Charity-Auction-Autographed-BETA-Timetwister-P9_W0QQitemZ280318952004QQihZ018QQcategoryZ19115QQcmdZViewItem

An Obvious Fake.  It's clearly been sanded.

This is a bunch of lies, no doubt.   DO NOT be duped.  Spread the word. 

[marcb]

I was looking on ebay today and I found the following beta time walk listing by artixgal:

http://cgi.ebay.com/MTG-1x-TIME-WALK_W0QQitemZ220381583623QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item220381583623&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A50

The guy created his account this month, has a feedback of 5 (all from purchasing auctions ending for $1 or less), and suddenly is selling a beta time walk along with a beta ancestral and some other big cards.  He's selling from outside the country (USA), and now I noticed that one of his positive feedbacks came from an item won by a user named i***i and not this seller, artixgal.  Also, all bid histories placed on all his listings as of now are placed by users with usernames x***y where x and y are random letters or numbers (like i***i). Is he using these accounts to shill bid (jack up his prices)? Finally, all of his auctions are 1 Day auctions, probably to get in and out as quick as possible.

His auctions end in 5 hrs, is there anything that can be done to stop people from getting ripped off, or do people think that these are legitimate auctions (I can't imagine how)?

[Tha Gunslinga]

and now I noticed that one of his positive feedbacks came from an item won by a user named i***i and not this seller, artixgal.  Also, all bid histories placed on all his listings as of now are placed by users with usernames x***y where x and y are random letters or numbers (like i***i). Is he using these accounts to shill bid (jack up his prices)?

Ebay uses asterisks (*s) to hide bidders' identities now.  That's a perfectly normal part of ebay.

That Walk is obviously fake; there have been quite a few similar fakes out of Peru.  Don't buy P9 on ebay that's from Peru.  The end.

[tito del monte]

Hey guys,

Just wanted to flag up a user following my first ever fake on ebay. It's an English seller called jamieday1989 - and he is to be avoided!

He had over 40 feedback so i assumed there would be no problem and it was only for a Tropical Island so I didn't figure there would be any problem. Well the card turned up and weirdly it was a fake Italian white border revised Trop.. it was too thick, the colours were dodgy and on the back especially you could see that the lettering wasn't sharp. You could also feel along the edges where it had been cut with a guillotine or something..

Anyway, I thought I'd flag it up as it seemed like such a weird card to go to the trouble of faking. The seller claims he acted in good faith - but I see he's currently selling an identical item which suggests he's still quite happy to keep fleecing people. I had to open a Paypal claim against him before he would agree to a full refund - but I will definitely be leaving negative feedback for him. Not a good experience :/

[Tha Gunslinga]

This guy's stuff is almost certainly fake.
http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=sold_for_art&&ftab=FeedbackAsSeller&iid=110372941376&sspagename=VIP:feedback:2:us

As is this guy's.
http://myworld.ebay.com/collegeconsignmentauctions/

Stay FAR FAR away from both of them.

[phish-4eva]

I saw that College Consignment dude... Was weird that the cards were going for such a low price with just a few minutes left.  But other than that, what tipped you off that it was a fake?  I read the auction over and over trying to figure it out.  I did notice he said they were stock photos and didn't list the set they came from.  Glad I went with my gut and didn't bid.  Also glad I found this board... had no idea there were so many fakes on ebay.