A new entrant to my Top 5 Worst Buyers on eBay List! Read, weep, block, and take a drink inside!

I deal with lots of buyers on eBay. Most are good. Some are not so good. A few are bad. Some make you hold your head in your hand and deserve threads. I've had enough stress from this buyer, so I thought I might as well let everyone else enjoy the emails (even the eBay and PayPal reps I've talked to chuckled at his emails... multiple ones made sure I had blocked him). Rather than post lots of commentary and instill bias in my favor, I'm just going to post the emails back and forth, in order. If something pertinent happened, I'll put it in brackets. The coin in question was consigned by a dealer I'm sure many here know and hold in high regard. There is no question about the authenticity of the coin. Without further ado, I present The Tale of gambinovx, Blocked but not Forgotten.

[Item ends Sunday 6/22 and was paid for that evening... $355+$4 shipping]

6/22
Dear jkcoins,

Thank You please label coin.

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6/24 10:50PM [coin shipped earlier in the day]

Dear jkcoins,

I have not received the coin and I have serious issues with it. Estate sale? Third Party sale? All red flags. Also, you in spite of your high eBay rating are not listed in an independent dealer rating. The coin maybe totally for real, but I am seeing red flags. If you have shipped it I will return it without opening the package. I think we can handle this without harm. Seven days is not enough time to have a coin like this rated. It will be returned unopened. The money will be refunded. Thank you, I maybe be missing a great coin. But this is how I feel. Thank You, The Gambino's


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6/24 11:39PM

Dear gambinovx,

Hi,

All coins I sell are guaranteed authentic. If you choose to send the coin to a third party grader (NGC or PCGS) the authenticity guarantee will remain, even though grading takes longer than a week. Every item I sell is sold on consignment (with many coins, such as this one, being sold for dealers whom you will find at every major show and are nationally recognized for their expertise--many also teach classes for the ANA), and I have been selling this way for 11 years--my reputation is not a fluke. I'm sorry, but I don't see the red flags you do. Neither do my thousands of other buyers or consignors from around the world.

Thank you,

Jeremy Katz

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6/25 12:45AM [the last line of this email wins for most ironic sentence of all]

Dear jkcoins,

Seven days is not enough time to get it graded. I will keep the coin and have it graded. If it measures up, then we are all good. I hold you to your email that the guaranteed genuine will last beyond 7 days. I have a masters in Roman history, coins are difficult. This is a hobby for the Gambino's. I want it to be fun.

- gambinovx

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6/25 1:39AM

Dear jkcoins,

You state all your coins are guaranteed to be authentic do you send send a letter to this effect? Is it rated by an outside source? This isn't a 40.00 coin, it is a relative good amount if money.

- gambinovx

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6/25 6:53AM

Dear jkcoins,

The coin will be returned unopened. I am not comfortable with this transaction. I give me your address so I can return the coin hopefully not out of the package. Gambino

- gambinovx

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6/25 1:26PM

Dear jkcoins,

Again please provide me with your address. I buy a number of coins and want to match your address with the envelop so I don't even have to open the envelop. This maybe the greatest coin on Earth. But, having been sold numerous fake coins, I have established my own means testing for coins. This coin fails my means test. You maybe the greatest seller on Earth, but eBay has allowed too many fake coins to go on their site, so that it forces me to have a new means test after days of research, that is still going on and will continue. I am sorry this did not work out, but worse things can happen in life. Your address please. The Gambino's

- gambinovx

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6/25 11:02PM [I purposely left one thing out of this email--I was about to change addresses, but didn't have a new PO Box. I figured it couldn't possibly help him think he's not being screwed with to tell him the package was going to be forwarded to a temporary intermediate address. I knew his mailing it to the address provided would get it back to me, albeit delayed slightly]

Hi,

My address is:

Jeremy Katz
XXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXX

I will be in and out much of next week as the holiday weekend approaches. I will let you know when I have the package in hand. The purchase price less shipping will be refunded.

Thank you,

Jeremy Katz

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7/9 6:46 PM [Package didn't require a signature, so it was left "Delivered" well before I had it in hand. Now threatening a chargeback.]

Dear jkcoins,

The coin was returned the tracking number from the post office I have and so does AMEX. Please refund.

- gambinovx

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7/9 9:08PM

Dear gambinovx,

Hi,

The coin arrived today and I just stepped in the office for the first time a minute ago (I typically work nights). I have issued a refund through PayPal.

Thank you,
Jeremy Katz

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7/10 2:01PM

Dear jkcoins,

Thank You

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7/27 12:59PM [I had thought this transaction was long behind me, but lo and behold, a chargeback filed on the remaining $4 for shipping! I didn't care about the $4 so much as the principle that he didn't deserve it back. The other issue is that on PayPal, the chargeback appeared for the full $359, not $4]

Dear gambinovx,

Hi,

I received a notice from PayPal that a chargeback was filed on this transaction, and I am hoping to understand why. As promised, I provided a refund as soon as I had the coin back in hand. The remaining $4 was the shipping cost, which is not refundable. I wrote this to you in an email through eBay messaging on June 25: " The purchase price less shipping will be refunded."

This is also written twice in my listing. In the "shipping and payments" tab: "Full refunds provided, less S/H." Also, it is listed in my expanded return policy at the bottom of the description section: "You will receive a full refund less shipping/handling."

I hope you can agree that the refund was carried out just as I and my policies stated it would. In light of this, I would appreciate your canceling the chargeback.

Thank you,

Jeremy Katz

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7/27 7:38PM

Dear jkcoins,

I don't care about 4.00. Deal with PayPal. I have no idea why you did not get the huge some of 4.00.

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7/27 9:28PM

Dear gambinovx,

Hi,

The issue is that a chargeback was filed for the full charge. Since I already provided a refund of the purchase price, the chargeback only covers the remaining amount. I just don't understand why a chargeback was filed when the refund was already provided. Canceling a chargeback is something only you can do with your credit card company.

Thank you,

Jeremy Katz

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7/28 9:45AM

Dear jkcoins,

Give me your address and I will send you 4.00. Four dollars is worth never hearing you whine like a little baby over four dollars. Send me your address or shut up.

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Okay, so I actually enjoyed the last email a bit, but my better senses took over and I didn't reply. He never left feedback, and I figured this was a good way to keep it that way (before posting this, I confirmed his feedback statute of limitations has run out... I'm home free!) After talking with PayPal, I decided it better to just give up the $4 than risk the $20 fee to fight the chargeback, even though I couldn't really imagine losing this one. But when I did, my only stated option was to refund the full $359. Remember, I already refunded $355. Another call to PayPal and I was told to fight it to ensure I didn't over-refund by the full cost of the item. This then led to the $20 chargeback fee hitting my account and PayPal holding $4. $4 you ask? I called again. PayPal was wrong when I had last talked to them. The chargeback screen shows the full amount of the chargeback, and neglects to tell you you're only on the hook for the amount you haven't refunded. It took almost no complaint for me to get the $20 returned as it was clear I wasn't stupid enough to spend $20 to get back $4, but because the fight began, they'll keep it going. So I may yet see my $4. PayPal also asked for all the emails and put his account under review for chargeback abuse, so if things really go swimmingly, perhaps his account will get shut down. It's a long shot, but I can hope.

And remember those age-old arguments about whether the buyer's end of the transaction ends at payment or upon leaving feedback? Let me remind you that this is pretty much exactly why I always argued the transaction wasn't done until the buyer was satisfied. Of course, the buyer got positive feedback as soon as he paid, but then again, buyer feedback doesn't matter any more.

I hope you enjoyed this as much as I didn't

Cheers!