Hey all,
I just wanted to post a update on this clown & warn the vintage community of yet another scammer (does it ever end?). The sellers name is Sergio Sierra Manzaneque, email is balkashian@hotmail.com, eBay id: thegame-sw. I purchased a Meccano Luke from him all the way back on January 20th. As of today (3/16), I have received neither the Luke or the refund. I opened a dispute with eBay on 2/24 (last day to do so) & emailed the seller to let him know I still haven't received my figure. The seller then asks me to wait until Monday (2/27) or Tuesday (2/28) to see if it arrives, which I agree to. So both days pass & nothing arrives. Then the seller asks me to wait until Friday (3/2), promising me a refund if it doesn't arrive, which I also agree to. Then Friday passes & no figure/refund, so I email again. Then he replies on 3/8 with a promise of a refund on 3/9 or 3/10...and still nothing arrives. Then on 3/13, he promises the $$ will be refunded on 3/15 & assures me the process has already been started. Well guess what? The aptly named thegame didn't come through on these promises either. At this point, I can't believe a single thing he says...hence the warning. I see the seller has 100% feedback on eBay, why am I the only one having issues here? This was supposed to be a birthday present from my wife, now its just become a huge headache & a burden. You have been warned!
Pat

I'm sorry to hear that, but thank you for the warning.
I just don't understand how these people think they can get away with it. At least you opened a dispute within the alloted time, so if the figure doesn't arrive you should get a full refund, but clearly that doesn't help with getting the present from your wife!
I'm sure you have done it, but it is a good idea to save all emails, as they may be needed for evidence. I hope everything works out for you!

Honestly, I don't know if I will get a refund. I had to use 3 forms of payment (had a gift card) & I couldn't achieve this using eBay's checkout so I paid directly to his Paypal account. 45 days have passed so I have no recourse according to Paypal. I'm still fighting with eBay but after 4 hours of going back & forth between eBay & Paypal on the phone the last few days, I need a break. I'm beyond frustrated with all of this.

Mmm! It makes me wonder whether the 45 day limit is why the seller kept asking you to allow more time for the figure to arrive!

I have not experienced a problem like this, but it doesn't say much for the buyer protection policy. Has eBay / PayPal indicated that the seller has evidence for sendng the item?

Sorry I can't really help, but I hope some other members can chip in with some useful advice for you!

I'm starting to think the exact same thing in regards to the constant stalling. thegame claims it was shipped without tracking & then he claimed he would introduce a tracking number to eBay (which he didn't) for the case. I haven't gotten a reply from him since 3/13.

As I understand it a seller has to retain proof of postage in order to maintain seller protection, regardless of whether or not a service with tracking is used. If the seller can't provide this evidence then PayPal should decide in your favour. After all, you have proof of making a payment through PayPal.
If the seller does have evidence for postage & the item has 'been lost' (which based on what you have said I strongly doubt) you should still get your refund from PayPal & the seller can claim his money back from the postal service.

Unfortunately it sounds to me that the seller is just trying to fob you off with excuses. I don't know how much money is involved, but if it were me I would not give up persuing this out of principle.

I bought an item from him as Pat knows. It was also a high priced piece. The item took 37 days, from payment, I believe to come and it did have to be signed for. That's way TOO long IMO! However, I contacted him several times before it arrived asking where my item was and if he had a tracking number. He never gave me the tracking number and even said it was hard to locate. This guy did sell a bunch of stuff at once. But his customer service skills were crap and he should certainly be responsible for refunding Pat's money. From what I hear, he was pretty respected in the collecting community. So if he's that respected and that much of a stand up guy maybe he should do the right thing and refund Pat his money....

Sergio is a member here...maybe he'd like to reply.

I appreciate all the support fellas!

Shit Pat, I didn't realise the Paypal claim 45 days had expired. I too had a huge shipping delay from Sergio, fingers crossed you get sorted soon.

edit. new ebay name? solance4ever Arose Vintage Toys

Well, after another 3 hour session with Paypal, then eBay, then Paypal, then eBay I will FINALLY be getting a refund within the next 7 days! I know it's sounds hilarious...but it's really not. In all seriousness, I appreciate all the well wishes & kind words I have received from the community. I don't know what happened with this seller but I feel that I gave him every chance to make this right & he made no real effort to do so. Instead I feel like I was deceived & lead on. The refund doesn't allow me to leave feedback for this transaction, so if he lists more auctions in the future, just remember my experience...it was not a good one!

I stand by what Pat said and back him up completely. Once I started getting worried about my own purchase and why it had not arrived, I contacted other buyers from thegame's BIG sale. Pat was one of the buyers and he wrote many messages to me about not receiving his package. He gave thegame a lot of time and many opportunities to refund his money. I totally back him up with his concerns and hope he gets his money back. That's really the right thing for thegame to do in this situation.....

I know this whole experiene has been a nightmare for you, but at least you will get you money back.

I'm glad that you're getting your refund Pat!

Many thanks! I hope to see my $$$ this week. Just so there is no confusion, eBay will be refunding my money, not thegame. I don't want anyone to think this guy cooperated at all or did the "right" thing. Sergio still sucks.

I too purchased several items from this eBay seller but luckily for me the whole experience was very smooth.

Sorry to here about your problems, i too have experienced issues with eBay and Paypal in the past and i know what a nightmare they can be.

Good evening, I am a big collector of star wars with my big brother (who has 12 years of more than me. Personally I have just had 30 years). Since the output of the first filmed star wars in 1977 my big brother has begun our collection today mutual… No need to tell you that our collection is very, very, large because since all this time to two we collect.
In short this could not have much importance… But as any collectors we end up having problems of place . Thus I on sale have semi objects on ebay. I traded with balkashian and frankly that was a superb transaction!!! I do not like at all to speak on the forums… But there I will have found unjust not to react. I do not know what it occurred front. But I can say that for me balkashian remain somebody of very serious and whom I recommend .

Sergio also has a growing number of other people he's annoyed or upset, myself included. I'd avoid him.

When you say "annoyed or upset"...does that mean scam? There are fucken loads of people who annoy me in this hobby, don't think they deserve a watch out post though.

Has this guy actually scammed someone, at all? Or is this thread just a way to get back at the guy. So far all I have found is people moaning about the price of his figures.

Just amazes me the sorts of people some of you defend, yet then turn around and crack the wobbly's over people like this. It really is too funny.


And don't even bother explaining too me if it just about shipping delays. We have seen where the community stands on such things when it comes to respected members.

I was happy with past purchases with Sergio, my items have arrived safe and as described.

As a moderator I like to take a neutral position and don't choose sides. So I don't.

I just felt it was important to share my own objective experience:

I had many transactions with Sergio, - many w/o Paypal protection and involving serious cash . Sofar I have never experienced any problem. On the contrary I am very satisfied with Sergio's figures.

I am sorry to hear about transactions which didn't went that smooth.

Thank you Josh, Marco and others. Tim ... I could not remove of ebay the auction of the Jawa Toltoys, what problem have you had with me?
I believe that you have never sold anything...

I had a punctual problem with some persons in the time of the sending (and it was not a my fault)

This began for an evil understood with a person. And in a couple of days all the truth will be known. I am an guy that returns the enclosed money if the figure is not of the pleasure of the buyer. Always.

Ah! My figures have a price .... the people are free to buy them or not. The graceful thing is that almost always I put auctions (1 pound)....

Cheers

Tank1252 wrote:

Sergio also has a growing number of other people he's annoyed or upset, myself included. I'd avoid him.

Hi All,
I am friend with Sergio, everybody knows, is not a secret
We ALL can do mistakes in the past, some mistakes are intentional and some others are not.As far as i know Sergio, had some issues which involved the post service and sometimes he is "slowshipper", but thats not an excuse.He refund ALL the money to the buyers WITHOUT QUESTIONs AND NOT PAYPAL .After the figures were returned to Sergio , he listed them again, and the figures were sold for less than a 3th part of its inicial price.He is trying to clean his name if this were neccesry by doing the things right.I think everybody is worth of a second chance, as many before, even when his fault is smaller.
Sergio have been REALLY ripped off many times and , and i cant see any "Watch out" thread starded by him.Its worth to star threads like this if the person in question scamed you to alert others, but what i cant understand are complains from people who didnt even bought from him or that a friend had an issue, i am not attking anybody , THIS IS A FACT,please dont take me wrong.
Sergio have no neccesity to stole money from nobody to eat or for fun or resell the figures or keeping the figures for his collection becouse he is not collector anymor. The money is not the problem with this guy, i can swear you ALL.He have collected for fun an now is a simple dealer.He knows his stuff, he SET THE PRICES HE WANT TO, if you think those prices are to high or to low or the description of the item IS NOT ENOUGH FOR YOU,you are free to ask him and then buying from him or not, i think thats fine.So Please do not blame yourself or others becouse you cant or you dont want to affront his prices,live and let live. If you think the figures he is listing are not what you think they are , its simply, pass on it.May i ask,Is not possible that, Maybe, the figures he listed are really what he said and you dont know yet?.I can see every day LOADS of figures listed on ebay as i.e PBP´s which arent PBP´s and i dont open a "watch out "thread for each seller, i simplyly pass on them, as many others do, i am sure.
Thanks

Hi All,

I am sure many of you think that I know Sergio for a long time because we are both from Spain... and this is FALSE.

Like some of you know I were foreign stormie carded collector and I was not focus in poch/pbp figures. After last Easter I decided to change my focus from the stormies to poch/pbp loose figures. During this period I started to buy figures and learn about this focus. It was June when I contacted him to buy some figures. I have bought him over 18 different figures in four or five transactions and all of them arrived safely and as described. Now those figures are top in my collection.

Each one has lived their own experience and mine is this one. Any problem and smooth transactions.

I will continue buying him figures.

Well as the OP of this thread it was opened because my item was never received nor was my money refunded to me. This was to alert my fellow collectors, which is the point of this thread. Whether you don't like his prices or you had a great experience with him, I did not. I am all about second chances, but since I have never received an apology, or the figure, or the money...it's kind of hard to give a second chance to someone who has made no effort to justify one. I'm sorry but I have given this guy the benefit of the doubt. I have PM's from Lee & Wolff both stating how Sergio is a good seller & I need to give it more time (which I did). I purchased this figure in January & opened my Watch Out in March. I think I did my part in waiting. I also want to add that I never received my money back. Instead I received a credit for the purchase price on my eBay account almost 5 months later. Sergio claims he refunded my money to eBay, & from there I guess it didn't find it's way back to me (?). I have never heard of this before from eBay & I still don't understand why I wasn't refunded if that is how it really happened. Regardless, refunding is not the responsibility of the buyer.
I want nothing more then to put all this in the past, which is where it was until yesterday...