SCAM EBAY SELLERS!! Beware of these guys ( red_star2013 and sc store9999 )

[Roders]

I'm in the same boat. I pre-ordered Boba Fett ESB back in December for 400$ from a seller called red_star1689 and I haven't got it yet. I trusted ebay because he had 99% positive feedback and has been a seller since 2006 and all the feedback seemed like real buyers.

Ebay has even removed the listing and item page in my purchase history. It's like the item does not exist anymore, and I read one of the reasons they might remove a listing is when it violates ebay policy (not good). I can't even give feedback or start a claim. I can still view the transaction record but that's it. I can only contact the seller through generic messages but not from the removed item page.

He did reply to a message a month ago and I just messaged him a few days ago and waiting for a reply . I dunno, maybe I'll get it eventually but there's nothing I can do and I feel like a sitting duck.The only thing that gives me hope is that his ebay store hasn't disappeared in the past 4 months and he doesn't look like a "fake" seller.

I notice this is not the same redstar as the thread title. anyone has experience with mine?

https://www.ebay.ca/usr/red_star1689

I have an order with red_star1689 for Heavy Mando from January. It's the same situation as you where eBay removed the listing. The reason I trusted them is that I ordered Incinerator Trooper from red_star2013 (the seller in the thread title) and it eventually arrived. I figured they were the same business and they just get very late batches of the figures. If I start to approach 180 days with no delivery then I'll just get my money back from Paypal.

For what it's worth red_star1689 responded to my request for an update a few days ago saying things are slow due to coronavirus. I'll post an update if anything happens.

 

[Lord Valefor]

Alright, at least I have a place to share my worries and I feel a bit more optimistic reading your post. I'll keep you updated too. For now I'd like to hope he isn't a scammer because how could he have gotten away with it so many years without ebay terminating his account. But the listing beeing removed and not being able to view the item in the purchase history does bother me and the main reason I'm getting nervous.


I've grown too casual with some sellers over the years and let my guard down. I also collect other things in weekly auctions and sometimes I let winnings accumulate over a year before I ask them to ship and I always got my items and I never had a problem with sellers in 15 years

 

[IANR]

re; red_star1689 i cant prove their connected to the other red star account but i have DOC OCK TOYS ERA PE006 ordered 17/10/20 so time will tell.

 

[Knightstalker]

I’ve bought stuff from sc store on a number of occasions and always gotten them. The issue is they make it seem like the item you’re buying is in stock when it’s actually a preorder. Currently waiting for their Conan set from Kaustic Plastik to ship.

 

[IANR]

RE Conan set from Kaustic Plastik . Hope you are right, as a lower cost item they might send it though i notice scstore also sold 14 of these at around ?150 each. perhaps i am unduly worried but now overdue on hulkbuster deluxe / hawkeye / hb arm set / wm6 / dr strange arm set / mk50 round shield / mk50 floating guns / starlord / hellboy / mk85 / toysengine endgame diorama & endgame cap.

 

[Lord Valefor]

I got a message from him saying my figure (ESB Boba Fett) is released Q2 2021 (delays due to coronavirus) and he'll update me and send me a tracking number when he ships . It reassures me but probably will have to wait after the 180 day refund period before he ships.

risky but I may never get Boba Fett otherwise

 

[Adam1138]

Well I’ve still never received either of the figures I pre ordered from these sellers. No responses to my messages, and because both my purchases were back in Dec 2019, nether eBay or PayPal have any interest in trying to help. I’ll never be pre ordering expensive figures again from any eBay seller. Good luck to the rest of you with outstanding orders with these guys, but I wouldn’t hold you’re breath.

 

[Lord Valefor]

yeah, if this fails it will be hard lesson learned and no Boba Fett in my collection. If his intent was to defraud me I'd probably have hard time getting a refund anyways . How could I start a claim with ebay when they removed the item from my purchase history and the option menus (feedback,start a claim...)that come with it?

I'll keep looking at what people report in this thread.

Have any of you guys ever got a "counterfeit" fake Hot Toys figure? That was my other worry initially but not sure if that's a thing.

 

[JacktheRipper]

I don't know if they are straight up scammers, but they are not completely on the up and up. I know with my experience they were doing some weird ****. Gives me a tracking number goes through NY then to Georgia and gets delivered. I live in California. I contact them and they tell me they'll make it right but did nothing several times. I got my money back but was not allowed to leave feedback.

 

[user 58482]

yeah, if this fails it will be hard lesson learned and no Boba Fett in my collection. If his intent was to defraud me I'd probably have hard time getting a refund anyways . How could I start a claim with ebay when they removed the item from my purchase history and the option menus (feedback,start a claim...)that come with it?

I'll keep looking at what people report in this thread.

Have any of you guys ever got a "counterfeit" fake Hot Toys figure? That was my other worry initially but not sure if that's a thing.

Man, if you can do it get eBay or PayPal to refund you your money now. There absolutely are fake Hot Toys figures out there.

Any time you do a search for figures (or anything, really) on eBay just nix listings from China immediately. They're almost always counterfeit.

 

[MojoMonkey]

I only buy from Loontentoys on eBay. Haven't let me down once so far, and I must have bought about 20 figures from them at this point.

The sellers being mentioned in this thread always seemed fishy to me, so I never used them.

 

[ObiGlennKenobi]

Timcent and Loonentoys have always been good,as too Kidulttoys.
Id always suggest those guys to anyone,especially Timcent.

 

[chrisstbh]

Timcent and Loonentoys have always been good,as too Kidulttoys.
Id always suggest those guys to anyone,especially Timcent.

Yeah had notning but good experiences with Loontentoys. Timcents/Toysbuyingagents prices are usually cheaper on his website though from what I have seen, although it probably varies from figure to figure.

 

[user 58482]

I've bought from Timcent before, he's reliable (though I have no idea why he allows "or best offer" because he never seems to entertain them).

 

[𝘨⃨𝘭⃨𝘪⃨𝘵⃨𝘤⃨𝘩⃨10ᔦᔦ]

I purchased a pre-sale item from red_star2013 back in Aug last year. That item has since been released (back in Jan), and reissued for a 2nd release this month.
Nothing's shown up yet.
I sent them a message 6 days ago asking about it (with the order number), and it seems they've forgotten how to use the 'reply' option.
I'm pretty sure it's the same seller as red_star1689, as most of these seller seem to have at least 4 or more stores on ebay.
Recently figured out that springwindblowing and sunnymayhair are the same person, as are many of the other ones. lol
Also purchased a pre-sale item from sc_store9999, and they shipped it out a week later.
Theres some you can trust and some you can't I suppose. Heck, for all I know, sc_store9999 and re_star2013 could be the same person.
Either way, I doubt I'll ever be buying a pre-sale item from ebay again.
Or ask for a refund if it doesn't get shipped by the time the expected delivery date runs out.

 

[IANR]

the following ebay sellers have the unique vat tax number GB331609031 so they are all one company ; sc_store9999 sc_store999 cxy2019sc9991589 lwstore lwstore2013 red_star2013 red_star201349 TOTOTOYS2015 springwindblowing sunnymayhair starshop*2012 mny19-53i . my thinking is that low value items are supplied to keep feedbacks moving & also overpriced in stock items ( venompool for ?437 ) but pre-orders of statues /hot toys will not be supplied ( war machine 6 is still on their sites with delivery in june despite being released so long ago these dates keep moving back ) also i do not see feedback for hot toys figures anywhere.

 

[Stryker2011]

Either way, I doubt I'll ever be buying a pre-sale item from ebay again.
Or ask for a refund if it doesn't get shipped by the time the expected delivery date runs out.

This is honestly what everyone should be doing. I realize newbie’s to the hobby are going to make the mistake of preordering because costs are sometimes cheaper than some regular retailers — but this is a mistake one should only have to learn ONCE. If someone does it again, and they lose money — well, they’re an idiot and life has a way of teaching morons that being stupid comes at a cost. NEVER, EVER PREORDER ANYTHING ON eBAY!

 

[EvilPrincess]

I've noticed that with many of these sellers, they aren't direct if the auction is for a preorder or not, and the info is very hard to find. I've won a few auctions for things I know are out, and they'll tell me after I've won that it's a preorder item.

 

[Lord Valefor]

Man, if you can do it get eBay or PayPal to refund you your money now. There absolutely are fake Hot Toys figures out there.

Any time you do a search for figures (or anything, really) on eBay just nix listings from China immediately. They're almost always counterfeit.

The thing is if he intended to send me a counterfeit he would have done so already . It's still on pre-order and he says he'll send it when it's released. Maybe he's stalling until the 180 day refund period is passed but he is replying to messages at least.

Is the 40th Anniversary Boba Fett ESB released already? I haven't checked the specific thread for it yet.

 

[Wor-Gar]

I doubt I'll ever be buying a pre-sale item from ebay again.

NEVER, EVER PREORDER ANYTHING ON eBAY!

As obvious as some things would seem in life, some things need repeating.

If there is a situation where you are required to give money to someone many months or more in advance for a promise, then you know there will be many scammers jumping into that game.