BeatleBlueCat DEFRAUDING BUYERS with Massive SHILL BIDDING and Same old "Buy CGC graded 7.5, crack and sell as raw "NM" scam 10 10

[Tedsaid]

1 minute ago, KCOComics said:

I never trust the stated grade for raw books on eBay because I know sellers embellish. And I wouldn't even be mad about missing slightly rusty staples because that's easy to over look.

But to find out he sold you a book he knew was a 7.0 and represented it as higher, then tried to pin it on you like you did something wrong would infuriate me! 

I'm glad eBay resolved in your favor. 

 

I'm sorry, but there is no way to rationalize this. 

You know what really makes me mad, though?  It's not that I got screwed, and only partially compensated for it.  It's that - as you said - he did it on purpose, AND he is still doing it!  And getting away with it!  What scum.

[WPPJames]

2 minutes ago, kav said:

It's a bit of a loophole tho-takes longer than 30 days to get the real grade back from CGC.  

I get that point. But what about the buyer who waits 6 months before even submitting to CGC? A return policy can't be unending. The buyer has time to look at the book in hand and decide for himself if he thinks the grade estimate was inaccurate and can return it within 30 days. I take exception to any sales where defects are not clearly shown and/or described. But if you get a book that looks exactly like it did in the sale scans, then you bought into the overgrading as well and need to take a least a little person responsibility. I'm making this as a general statement, not applying specifically to the book being discussed here. As it appears there were undisclosed defects.

[Tedsaid]

1 minute ago, WPPJames said:

I get that point. But what about the buyer who waits 6 months before even submitting to CGC? A return policy can't be unending. The buyer has time to look at the book in hand and decide for himself if he thinks the grade estimate was inaccurate and can return it within 30 days. I take exception to any sales where defects are not clearly shown and/or described. But if you get a book that looks exactly like it did in the sale scans, then you bought into the overgrading as well and need to take a least a little person responsibility. I'm making this as a general statement, not applying specifically to the book being discussed here. As it appears there were undisclosed defects.

I would also have an exception for novices, as we all were at some time.  If you aren't used to grading, and don't know what to look for, then you send it to the experts.  And if you want the grade (and quality) to be as good as possible, then you send it to a presser first.  That takes time.  I can only imagine that is part of the reason eBay's policy is 6 months, not 30 days.

[kav]

Just now, WPPJames said:

I get that point. But what about the buyer who waits 6 months before even submitting to CGC? A return policy can't be unending. The buyer has time to look at the book in hand and decide for himself if he thinks the grade estimate was inaccurate and can return it within 30 days. I take exception to any sales where defects are not clearly shown and/or described. But if you get a book that looks exactly like it did in the sale scans, then you bought into the overgrading as well and need to take a least a little person responsibility. I'm making this as a general statement, not applying specifically to the book being discussed here. As it appears there were undisclosed defects.

All true-however if this is an ongoing practice of buying mid grade books, cracking them and listing as high grade (and the pic shown previously sure seems to demonstrate he is not pressing them) then that factor has to be in the forefront.  A seller just going along normally and selling books-and someone wants a refund long after, that's understandable.  This is not that.  This appears to be a methodical, thought out, ongoing practice.  Knowing he's safe for just the reasons you have given.

[WPPJames]

7 minutes ago, Tedsaid said:

Doesn't have to be "unlimited."  But someone who is a dealer, who sells tens of thousands of dollars worth of comics every week?  I expect them to grade better than that, and stand by it when they don't.

And that is BEFORE we knew he was cracking and "up grading" comics to sell fraudulently. 

I don't disagree with any of this. I'm just saying in general (not talking about you) buyers need to use their own judgement more instead of just taking for granted what an Ebay seller states as a grade. IMO, there are more books being sold on Ebay that are overgraded (some blatantly) than ones graded within the realm of possibility.

[kav]

Just now, WPPJames said:

I don't disagree with any of this. I'm just saying in general (not talking about you) buyers need to use their own judgement more instead of just taking for granted what an Ebay seller states as a grade. IMO, there are more books being sold on Ebay that are overgraded (some blatantly) than ones graded within the realm of possibility.

It is true buyers need to beware.  At some level, they have to take more caution when buying.  I dont know if you can compare cracking and listing as much higher grade to rolling the odometer back on a car, but IMO there is a similarity.

[WPPJames]

7 minutes ago, Tedsaid said:

I would also have an exception for novices, as we all were at some time.

That's true. I've been taken advantage of based on my ignorance when I was just starting out (not that I don't still retain a sizable amount of ignorance). Unscrupulous sellers obviously negatively effect the entire hobby and market. If I'm just getting into comics and get screwed right off the bat, I very well may wonder if it's a hobby I want to continue pursuing.

[Tedsaid]

Ah, ... I just realized, it wasn't eBay I made the complaint to.  Their window is much too small.  I had to go through my credit card company, make the complaint with them.  They were the ones who reimbursed me for the disputed amount.  Looking back at the letter they sent me, it seems the seller had the option to provide documentation, to dispute their findings, and chose not to do that.

FYI, did y'all see the other thread about beatlebluecat?  It seems that is the one that prompted JJJ to investigate, and find that Iron Man 55 example.  It ALSO seems like he (and others) called out a newbie board member as being a fake account for the actual person behind beatlebluecat.  If correct, beatlebluecat created a fake profile in order to comment about what a great seller beatlebluecat is.  Hmmm....

Great work, @James J Johnson!

Edited December 19, 2020 by Tedsaid

[WPPJames]

9 minutes ago, Tedsaid said:

I had to go through my credit card company, make the complaint with them. 

That's always your best bet anyway. Banks / credit card companies almost always side in favor of their customer. I, unfortunately, have had to initiate quite a few chargebacks over many years and only once was the case not ruled in my favor. And that one was a lesson in how not to do business with a moving company.

[WPPJames]

10 minutes ago, Tedsaid said:

FYI, did y'all see the other thread about beatlebluecat?  It seems that is the one that prompted JJJ to investigate, and find that Iron Man 55 example.  It ALSO seems like he (and others) called out a newbie board member as being a fake account for the actual person behind beatlebluecat.  If correct, beatlebluecat created a fake profile in order to comment about what a great seller beatlebluecat is.  Hmmm....

Great work, @James J Johnson!

Now that is ultimate sleezeball. Nice job @James J Johnson!

[James J Johnson]

7 hours ago, kav said:

Again, how do you know they were pressed?  Because he said so?  
Think about it logically, if he is correct and those are pressed books with a now much better grade, why leave so much money on the table by selling them raw instead of slabbing them?

They're not pressed. The images are pressed (photoshopped). Look at the defects on the before and after (as you astutely pointed out).

Defects that relegate these books to CGC's findings couldn't be mitigated unless he had a magic press that puts the color back into the rifts. 

[kav]

2 minutes ago, James J Johnson said:

They're not pressed. The images are pressed (photoshopped). Look at the defects on the before and after (as you astutely pointed out).

Defects that relegate these books to CGC's findings couldn't be mitigated unless he had a magic press that puts the color back into the rifts. 

How many of the people defending him will state here for the record they would do everything he is doing with no qualms?  Show of hands.

[James J Johnson]

7 hours ago, kav said:

So do some of the worst sellers on ebay.  Easy to get negatives removed.  Also, often by the time book comes back from CGC with that 7.5, its too late to leave feedback.

Look at his auctions. 115 listings of which only, say 5, will finish greater than $100. About 90 of them will finish at under $20. What he's doing is buying dreck. Cheap lots. Then listing those books individually and grading them tight = mostly great feedback. It bolsters his feedback. "WHat a fantastic grader!" and such. Yeah, sure, on $10 books he's grading tight for that purpose. The 100 or so cheapos shill the expensive books that are his bread and butter. The books he doesn't grade so tight. The 7.0s that he grades 9.2 and 9.4. The 4.0s that he photoshops into 7.5s and 8.0s. The dreck being graded tight is necessary to offset his crack and scam flimflam.

[James J Johnson]

4 hours ago, Tedsaid said:

I'm pretty sure that book was not pressed.  Look at this picture, at spine dent in the middle of the spine.  A press won't fix the color break, but it would sure as hell fix that shallow finger-bend.

Not pressed. Unless the press wasn't plugged in. 

[WPPJames]

15 minutes ago, kav said:

How many of the people defending him will state here for the record they would do everything he is doing with no qualms?  Show of hands.

None stating it here but probably a few hands being raised at home.

[James J Johnson]

Here's part of the strategy: 

Feedback Profile (ebay.com) 

Now, start at the top and page down. Look at the recent purchases made by (7606). That's BBC. 

He buys lots of cheap lots, and then he'll list these individually and grade them as though there were a gun pointed as his head. That's to bolster the feedback numbers and to counterbalance all the returns he gets. 

Even more important than the inflated positives he gets from these with wildly enthusiastic comments, is that there are hundreds upon hundreds of books being sold that will not be returned. Here's the catch. Ebay takes a dim view of excessive returns. Paypal takes even a dimmer view. If the ratio of returns starts to increase to a certain point against his successful transactions (no returns), that will impact him negatively as a seller. So for every return, and he does get quite a few as noted by his reselling the same books many times at later dates, he has no choice but to list at least 30 to 40 correctly graded dreck to keep his returns below 3% 

That's why he buys dreck lots. Serves two purposes. Feedback and keeping his return to non-return ratio under 3% 

At 3% you start to lose ebay seller amenities that others with lower return ratios have

. 

 

Edited December 19, 2020 by James J Johnson

[James J Johnson]

1 hour ago, WPPJames said:

None stating it here but probably a few hands being raised at home.

$500 for doing nothing but picking up a screwdriver, smacking it with a hammer, cutting 3 sides of a well, photos, photoshop, list it. He's got lots of practice so shouldn't take him an hour. Not bad. Tempting to many. Depends upon how far you'll go. 

Edited December 19, 2020 by James J Johnson

[shadroch]

If you want a book that CGC will grade a 9.4, simply buy a book that's already graded. 

If you can't tell that the book you bought raw as a 9.2 is a 7.0, perhaps you need to avoid buying raw books. 

If you think CGC is the ultimate authority when it comes to a grade, why dabble with raw books?

Ebay grading is and has been a joke since the first book was sold. It's an ebay 9.4 is a punchline. 

It's a jungle out there. 

 

[James J Johnson]

Now here, you can see just how big a part photoshopping plays in his images. 

He bought this raw TTA 51: 

TALES TO ASTONISH #51 Giant Man Wasp Fine - High Res Scans -- Boxed Shipping | eBay 

graded Fine by the seller, which looks a little generous but not altogether inaccurate.

And he's offering it as a VF+, having photoshopped the heck out of it. Just look at that top edge!!!! What happened to all those white, color breaking creases and tears in the overhang? Photoshop, of course, is the answer 

TALES TO ASTONISH # 51 - (VF+) - 2ND APP HUMAN TOP - GIANT-MAN, WASP,AVENGERS | eBay 

 

What do you think, Shad? 

Edited December 19, 2020 by James J Johnson

[James J Johnson]

Suffice to say that any of his $50 and over books I've examined so far, from now, from a month ago, from a year ago (yes, it's all still on the deep web) have one common denominator. Vast over grading. If he bought at fine, he sells it as VF to VF/NM. Buy at VF, sell as NM and NM+. Raw or slabbed alike. The other thing in common is that he's photoshopping them. He's leaving enough of the flaws that when a buyer gets a book in the mail and compares it to the photoshopped images, they may think, "This isn't on the images.. probably the angle". 

He also jacks the brightness and intensity. Look at the whites With sufficient brightness, the inside cover transparency disappears and the whites pop, but look at the blacks. They suffer. They look gray, not black in his images because he jacks the brghtness to such an extent. 

He also doesn't equally apply the same photoshopped flaws in all of his images. He's careful, but not careful enough. These flimflammers are never careful enough.