Hello all
I am sorry to have to write this post but feel under the circumstances I have no other option other than to make everyone aware of some IMO major misgivings about a seller being Dermot O'Tool (re Huge collection for sale posted by (caswelbot) on SWFUK & RS.
Please be aware that caswelbot has NOTHING to do with this deal & is a stand up seller of good standing IMOI bought an item through ebay some time ago from this seller (bobba67 ), this being a 9 figure multi-pack -
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/300616594689?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649#ht_500wt_1288
Now I contacted the seller asking what if any other baggie items they may have & was sent several photos, photos you will most likely of seen here on the afore mentioned for sales thread, these were sent to me a long time before a thread was posted here or on any of the other SW forums, foolishly it was I who suggested that he may find the forums an easier place to buy/sell/trade SW items rather than facing the ebay fee's - a mistake I feel.
Now after seeing the photos & hoping to get further items from the collection I placed a very high bid on the 9 pack & managed to win it by the skin of my teeth, all good I thought, but when the multi-pack got to me it was not exactly Mint as it was described in the ebay listing, but not that bad, but 1 of the baggies was in a very poor condition with several splits in the baggie which was also well worn, I arranged with the seller to buy several other items from the collection along with other items for 2 other forum members as it would be easy enough for me already going over for my things.
I was after ALL of his multi-packs & a lot of baggies & not one but 3 of the Special Offer vehicles so you can imagine the price tag we are talking about, that coupled with the items I had to get for others came to a large amount, which I said I would bring with me & put directly in to his hands on a face to face basis as I felt I would A - like to see what I am getting / B - deal in person & make payment on the spot.
This involved a long wait for the full list of items then one with prices then photos of which only a few ever turned up, which on retrospect should have set alarm bells ringing, sadly I am rather old fashioned in the thinking that fellow collectors want to look after one another - yeah right! - I am so naive sometimes!
Going to pick the collection up entailed a 100mile drive each way & a ferry crossing to Ireland, so b4 I start I am £175 ish out of pocket, which I figure will be ok as I have been offered a 20% discount over all & this had already been discussed & agreed (which items & for how much).
I was asked to bring the damaged baggie from the 9 figure multi-pack with me as it would be exchanged for a better one, it was not as he said the other baggies had not surfaced as yet - gutted, but assumed all would be good as * when he finds them.
When I got to the sellers home I was rather horrified to discover that not one of his dozen +++ special offer items had the correct baggies with them, IMO rendering the items of a very low value & not what I was after, mega gutted as the Boxed special offer X-Wing with the small head SW-a baggied Han solo & Luke was the item I was after more than anything else
I thought I will still try to make the best of things & just try & get what I can, Hmmm!.
On checking the baggies out that were with 2 of the special offer vehicles I had to inform the seller that they were in fact A- the wrong baggie types & B- FAKES! (removable limb c3p0 baggies that have been re-sealed & heat sealed rather than tape sealed), the guy seemed genuinely taken back so I decided to check all the other items I was after in finite detail to make sure all was good with them, it was anything but good news, with 75% of the baggies being FAKES, which I found a little hard to believe considering the collection they were coming from, but still possible as not everyone is an expert with baggied figures.
Cutting this a little short, I only ended up with the red ESB 6 pack that I posted in the latest acquisitions thread a 3 figure rebel command pack & some loose baggies as EVERY other multi-pack contained a mixture of mostly fake or wrong baggies & some even had simply loose figures in them, a point I feel should have been STRESSED in communications before my trip over to buy them.
There were 2 other packs I had an interest in both being 2 figure multi-packs from the creature cantina, both sealed, I said I would like to authenticate them & soon as I had I would make payment for at least one (blue snag) & maybe even the other, so I requested photos so I can do so - nothing!
I also noted on my return that the ESB catalogue which should have come with the rebel command 3 pack was missing & another that should have come with the 6 pack was also missing, I had noted a bag full of catalogues in the collection room when there, so asked if he could forward this on to me - again - Nothing
So I tried to call him on both his land line & his mobile - ignored for 2 days, then he picks up the phone & says oh got to dash will call you back - I got an email saying sorry about putting the phone down but the other half phoned at the same time hence me putting the phone down on you & that he would call me later that day & to add insult to injury he also stated in that email that he had someone else interested in the two 2 packs & would rather they went together, well that was 3 days++ ago, I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt & let him have 48hours to come back to me, then after the 24hours had passed I figured I may be being a little hasty, so gave it a further 24 hours - still nothing, no emails no phone call no sorry no baggie no catalogue & no bloody special offer items either
I think you will all know me well enough to know that I give anyone I am dealing with plenty of opportunity to put things right should there be a problem & am 100% up-front & trustworthy when doing a transaction with.
I also feel it most imperative to point out that it is IMO not only the items I was looking at that there is a problem with, he has most of his items listed as in C8 or higher condition on his lists, but on being there in person & seeing the collection I would put a great many of his ships & play-sets closer to the C6 to C6.5 mark, being rather tatty & not worthy of grading IMO & E, I am not saying this or anything above to be malicious, but rather as to warn the community as to what's going on here & to urge anyone considering dealing with Dermot to ask lots of questions about the items authenticity & condition prior to making any purchase & to ask for multiple photos from various angles of both outer packaging & contents b4 making up your mind to go ahead with a deal, as I would feel partially to blame having not said anything should any other members get burned.
This is not a bashing thread, I am just stating what has transpired between us in this deal & ask you to make your own minds up as to whether you want to deal with this seller.