Caveat Emptor

dustoff22

dustoff22

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Well, I did what I most often don't do. I bought some merchandise from a NES registered member sight unseen. As the old adage goes....if it looks too good a deal, it probably is.

Over the weekend I saw for sale 1000 rds of .223 (Winchester Q3131) in a factory case. Called the number and asked the usual question: "Is this factory ammo"? The answer was yes but that the box had been opened and had been closed with duct tape. Living on the Cape and having nephews who own a business in Western MA, I said that I would take the ammo for $280 and that the person should deliver it to their place of business and they'd be paid $280 in cash. My nephew asked me if he should inspect the ammo to which I replied that I was told it was factory ammo and it should be OK.

It arrived on my doorstep this afternoon and upon inspection of the first 700 rds, I discovered that 600 of them were reloads and not great ones at that. I called the seller and asked him about it to which he replied that as far as he knew, they were factory because he bought them from Trader John's in Winchester, NH, a couple years ago for over $400.

Somewhere herein lay the truth. In any event, the purpose of this post is to caution everyone to be wary. Somehow, and I may be totally naive, I don't believe a dealer is going to try and pass off reloaded ammo as factory.

Even in my old age I tend to take people at their word. Maybe this will smarten me up a bit.
 
So you called him up and his response was basically "Yeah, so I screwed you over, what do you want?"

He should have offered to buy it back from you.
 
A name would be nice so that nobody else gets screwed. Is it the guy in the Greenfield area who was selling the ammo? If it is, I thought the price was too good to be true...

At least I hope you left feedback, and a demand of a refund would be appropriate.
 
Use iTrader feedback.

iTrader is 100% useless if people dont post about negative issues with transactions. If you already submitted it, ask derek to delete the old rating and submit a new one.
 
Somehow I knew when I saw that one it was too good to be true. Give the seller an opportunity to make it right, and if he refuses, then neg him on itrader.

-Mike
 
I'll give him benefit of the doubt - it's possible that he's not as astute at detecting reloads over factory and quite possibly was himself ripped off. I'll give him benefit of the doubt that he was not intentionally trying to rip you off. What I cannot give quarter on, is his inability to simply refund your money. That calls character into question....In spotted this ad myself - would be nice if he responded.....

You should clarify however, that you did not buy this from a green member. I only deal with paid members on any transaction, (buying or selling)...If someone is too cheap to fork over $21.00 and/or is using this site exclusively for sales - I pass.
 
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Kicker96FS said:
I have noticed a lot of n00bs lately that seem to be here just to sell stuff. Just saying. Beware.
Click to expand...

If by 'lately' you mean starting in 2005, then I agree.

Hey, everybody has to start somewhere, and some of those n00bs that only use the classifieds end up being contributing members or even mods. [wink]

To the OP, PM the seller a link to this thread, and ask him to make it right. I'm sure you guys can agree on something that'll make you both happy.
 
Just remember, we are in difficult economic times and when one has to eat, well, you go figure it out. I remember what my mom and dad said when they lived through the depression and of the horror stories of people stealing to eat and feed their children. As times get worse, the rip offs will get worse.
 
If you reload, you could use a bullet puller to disassemble the rounds and remake them correctly. Yes you probably got taken, but it is not a complete loss.
 
soloman02 said:
If you reload, you could use a bullet puller to disassemble the rounds and remake them correctly. Yes you probably got taken, but it is not a complete loss.[/QUOTE]

Naah, its a quadruple complete loss. Loss of money paid for original defective product, loss of time and effort to demil, loss of time and effort to reload.....loss of funds to replace powder because he surely doesn't know whats in them or how old it is.

I'd send the stuff back and get a refund.

ETA: I don't expect that seller's post count to go much higher than 11 or twelve if he doesn't make things right.
Click to expand...
 
soloman02 said:
If you reload, you could use a bullet puller to disassemble the rounds and remake them correctly. Yes you probably got taken, but it is not a complete loss.
Click to expand...

That's like saying you're going to take a loaf of moldy bread and still be able to use it just by scraping the chunks of mold off of each piece of bread. It's easier to just get rid of it.

-Mike
 
MassMark said:
You should clarify however, that you did not buy this from a green member. I only deal with paid members on any transaction, (buying or selling)...If someone is too cheap to fork over $21.00 and/or is using this site exclusively for sales - I pass.
Click to expand...

I stated that this person is a "registered" member.

Update: The seller will not either answer or return my calls which adds to the suspicion that he was aware of the fact that most of these rounds were reloads. I've taken a couple of days to gather my thoughts and suggested to him in a message that what he sold to me was completely misrepresented and that I'd like my money back. His silence is pretty much proof of the pudding that he was aware.
 
Small claims court, I don't know much about how Mass works with small claims, but you could definitely drag him in, you got his phone # so there is an address attached to it.
I noticed his phone # has been removed from the original post.
 
bullseye said:
I noticed his phone # has been removed from the original post.
Click to expand...

That's interesting since I called him today at 6:00 PM (voicemail) and the deletion of his phone number from his original post was 6:10 PM today. Any coincidence do you suppose?????
 
bullseye said:
Small claims court, I don't know much about how Mass works with small claims, but you could definitely drag him in, you got his phone # so there is an address attached to it.
I noticed his phone # has been removed from the original post.
Click to expand...

Hmmm... The seller was not licensed to sell ammo, right? Any court action could open a whole new can of worms.
 
bullseye said:
Small claims court, I don't know much about how Mass works with small claims, but you could definitely drag him in, you got his phone # so there is an address attached to it.
I noticed his phone # has been removed from the original post.[/QUOTE

I don't believe its legal for citizens to sell ammo in MA, so I don't think this would fly.

" If someone is too cheap to fork over $21.00 " You don't have to pay ebay to join but I bet you still buy stuff from it. Feedback is what counts.

Been green and don't miss it. The gun raffles are enticing tho... Maybe that's why no one wants to buy my radio?
Click to expand...
 
dustoff22 said:
That's interesting since I called him today at 6:00 PM (voicemail) and the deletion of his phone number from his original post was 6:10 PM today. Any coincidence do you suppose?????
Click to expand...

Doesn't matter that he deleted the phone number, someone quoted his OP with the phone number.

Seldom is the case that coincidences are actually coincidences, at least in my experience.
 
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