Buyer Beware!

[Southern Cal]

There is a cheat out there misrepresenting his merchandise. I recently purchased an Armisport Sharps carbine from a reenactor who hails from Normal, Illinois, and who is/was affiliated with a cavalry outfit. The carbine was advertised in "very good condition"..."seldom fired"... "used mostly for show purposes". I expected some wear and minor dings but this Sharps arrived with visible rust and/or pitting to most of the exposed metal, serious blemishes and scratches to the blue finish, a rusty, pitted bore, the percussion cone/nipple area clogged with hardened powder residue, and almost every metal to metal screw rusted in place. This shirker takes payment, mails goods substantially different than described, then hides and won't answer emails. I filed a complaint with the USPS for mail fraud. Buyer beware.

[THE20THCVI]

thanks for the heads up lad

Captain Justin Pianka
20th Connecticut Infantry

[bplvr]

What was his "screen name "?

He may show up on Auction Arms,Gun Broker,or Guns America.

- bplvr

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[Provost]

What was his "screen name "?

He may show up on Auction Arms,Gun Broker,or Guns America.

- bplvr

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It is our forum policy not to make these things a personal issue. Please see the forum policy about this:

http://www.cwreenactors.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3648

Although this is not a sutler, per se, the same basic ideas carry through.

I would like to commend Southern Cal for writing a masterful warning that gives enough information to invoke caution but not enough to pose a problem for us. Well said, sir. Thank you. I hope the USPS or other agency is able to resolve the dispute in your favor and does so quickly.

Having covered all that, if you want to communicate about this in email, by all means please do so. Just keep it off public view here. Thank you.

Respectfully,

Provost

[Southern Cal]

Thank you for the kind words, Provost. For information purposes, I bought a Postal money order and used the U.S. mail to send payment and receive the goods. In private transactions and/or auctions, using the USPS gives the buyer at least one official avenue for complaints. If the value of the transaction is high enough, or if there is a pattern of mail fraud, there is also the possibility that federal criminal charges might be filed against a seller. Each State also has some type of consumer fraud division, usually under the State Attorney General's office. Illinois certainly does.

[D1861]

I concur. The USPS offers the best protection in all transactions, especially shipping. I hold my breath and cross my fingers everytime I conduct a significant transaction via one of the other shipping companies.

David

Battery A, 1st Mississippi Light Artillery, Vick NMP

[Southern Cal]

While following up on a certain auction site concerning the instance mentioned above, I read some serious negative feedback today from another pard that claims he was also worked over in a traansaction with the same shirker, encountering the same failure to return emails and phone calls. Be careful sending your greenbacks to a reenactor, perhaps just leaving the hobby to raise money, and trading on more than one auction site from the above mentioned town located in Mclean County, Illinois. Let the buyer beware.

[Southern Cal]

I was able to contact a member of the "shirker's" former reenactment unit. The individual who cheated me and won't return messages is no longer a reenactor and is dumping his CW and other gear on more than one auction site, including the most well known auction site. If you want to know this individual's username on that auction site for the sole purpose of increasing your awareness as a prudent bidder you can message me for specifics.

[RaiderANV]

You can email me this clowns user/real name @ RaiderANV@yahoo.com