Ebay - Protect Yourself

[ForumMFG]

I would like to share a experience I had with Ebay.  Hopefully everyone will protect themselves after reading this.

The first week in June, I bid on a Hilti Cordless Rotary Hammer Drill TE-2A & a Hilti Cordless Reciprocating saw WRS-650 as a package.  This package retails for $1200.  Well, it was early in the bid and it was at $250.  I put my bid in at $350 max.  I thought to myself, no way will I win this but why not try.  As the bid was coming to an end, I was thinking I'm actually going to win this thing.  I did.  After I won it, I called the seller and asked for the serial numbers to check the warranty.  He gave them to me no problem.  I called Hilti and the items were just purchased which means they had a full 2 year warranty.  In my discussion with Hilti the lady said, does the owner know these tools are being sold?  They belong to the University of Michigan.  She asked if she wanted me to call the original owner to check to see if they were stolen or not.  Well, the next day she called me back and said, they don't know for sure if they are stolen but they most likely are.  That same day, I got a phone call from the police department of the University of Michigan stating that they are not confirmed stolen but we are going to investigate it.  Almost 2 months have pasted and I got a phone call last week from the police.  They stated that the items were indeed stolen.  They came down this past Friday and picked them up from me.  The drove from Michigan to Columbus, Ohio to pick these tools up and to get a statement from me.  I guess last Tuesday this guy was arrested at his home.  They found enough cocaine on him to bust him with intent to sell.  When I met with the cop he showed me the sales receipt from the store he pawned them to (in return sold them to me).  This pawn shop bought these $1200 tools off this guy for $100 bucks.  Now we know why he sold the items, because he was a drug addict.  Today I found out that this guy was a purchasing manager for the U of M.  He was in charge of purchasing all the tools for the construction department.  During the 2 month investigation, they looked back 5 months and tracked this guys purchases from the U of M and all his sells to the pawn shop.  This guy bought and sold over $41,000 worth of tools to the same pawn shop. And that was only in the past 5 months.  They are going to audit him for the past year and a half.  This guy is getting charged with cocaine and stealing goods up to $41,000.  He can possibly get 20 years for the cocaine and 10 years for stealing.  I didn't realize my simple phone call would do this much damage.

The point of this message is that for people who buy off ebay, protect yourself and check to make sure they are not stolen.  I was able to get a full refund from paypal.

-Dave

 

[daves1996]

Thanks for the info and I am glad that you did get your money back.

Dave

 

[Brice Burrell]

Dave thanks for sharing your story. I too am glad you at least got your money back. I remember there was a discussion here to see if Festool would have the same type of policy as Hilti in regards to stolen tools. Some sort of stolen tool database. I'd like to be able to check serial numbers of Festool tools for a potential used purchase. Maybe I'll start a thread and bring this topic up again.

 

[Neill]

Dave thanks for sharing your story. I too am glad you at least got your money back. I remember there was a discussion here to see if Festool would have the same type of policy as Hilti in regards to stolen tools. Some sort of stolen tool database. I'd like to be able to check serial numbers of Festool tools for a potential used purchase. Maybe I'll start a thread and bring this topic up again.

Brice,

Such a database might be helpful to recover equipment that was stolen from you.  Great idea.

Neill

 

[joraft]

... I remember there was a discussion here to see if Festool would have the same type of policy as Hilti in regards to stolen tools. Some sort of stolen tool database. I'd like to be able to check serial numbers of Festool tools for a potential used purchase. Maybe I'll start a thread and bring this topic up again.

Brice, Christian and I had a similar discussion about this at AWFS. Only it was about a database of the legal owners of all Festool products.

As he explained it , right now Festool USA can trace any tool to the dealer who it was first shipped to. From that point on, it's up to the dealer(s) to keep track. It would require tremendous cooperation on the part of dealers, but maybe they could either keep their own databases, or send the info back to Festool USA. It would be nice if it were possible to find out whose hands every Festool product is SUPPOSED to be in.

That way, any prospective buyer on eBay, Craigslist, or anywhere else, could ask sellers for serial numbers before they put out the cash.

 

[mastercabman]

HILTI are doing their job again!!!  CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!!

 

[Chris Hughes]

I worked in Detroit on the Detroit Metro expansion NW terminal, and let me tell you, if it was not nailed down those Iron Workers took it home with them.  I'll bet that site lost five rotary hammers a week.  I'm normally a non-union carptenter but I got roped into buying my card and "Improving" as a bricky.  I was agast of the things I saw going on and the general disrespect for equipment at that site.  So it is no wonder that these types of tools end up on e-bay.

 

[joraft]

I use to be a federally licensed firearms dealer, and we had to keep precise records of every transaction we made. We had to account for how we got each weapon and what we did with it. And we had to keep those records forever, turning them in if/when we gave up our license.

The BATF can track the ownership of any gun, cradle to grave. Unless of course it's stolen and it goes off the radar.

 

[Brice Burrell]

I use to be a federally licensed firearms dealer, and we had to keep precise records of every transaction we made. We had to account for how we got each weapon and what we did with it. And we had to keep those records forever, turning them in if/when we gave up our license.

The BATF can track the ownership of any gun, cradle to grave. Unless of course it's stolen and it goes off the radar.

John, you should know better, firearms aren't weapons. That is unless someone uses them against another person(s). I really hate that we tend to automatically think of firearms as weapons. In reality very, very few firearms have ever been used as weapons.

 

[Brice Burrell]

... I remember there was a discussion here to see if Festool would have the same type of policy as Hilti in regards to stolen tools. Some sort of stolen tool database. I'd like to be able to check serial numbers of Festool tools for a potential used purchase. Maybe I'll start a thread and bring this topic up again.

Brice, Christian and I had a similar discussion about this at AWFS. Only it was about a database of the legal owners of all Festool products.

As he explained it , right now Festool USA can trace any tool to the dealer who it was first shipped to. From that point on, it's up to the dealer(s) to keep track. It would require tremendous cooperation on the part of dealers, but maybe they could either keep their own databases, or send the info back to Festool USA. It would be nice if it were possible to find out whose hands every Festool product is SUPPOSED to be in.

That way, any prospective buyer on eBay, Craigslist, or anywhere else, could ask sellers for serial numbers before they put out the cash.

Okay so we need to put some pressure on encourage Festool to take this further.

 

[joraft]

John, you should know better, firearms aren't weapons. That is unless someone uses them against another person(s). I really hate that we tend to automatically think of firearms as weapons. In reality very, very few firearms have ever been used as weapons.

Okay, Brice maybe you got me there. 

But with type of "guns" I sold, it was hard to think of them as anything but weapons. Although, I've never pointed any of my own at anything but paper. 

 

[joraft]

Okay so we need to put some pressure on encourage Festool to take this further.

I know that Chrisitian is concerned about the issue, but the logisitics of assembling such a database could be tough to overcome.

Nonetheless, it would sure be a nice resource for Festool owners (and prospective owners) to have.

 

[ForumMFG]

I worked in Detroit on the Detroit Metro expansion NW terminal, and let me tell you, if it was not nailed down those Iron Workers took it home with them.  I'll bet that site lost five rotary hammers a week.  I'm normally a non-union carptenter but I got roped into buying my card and "Improving" as a bricky.  I was agast of the things I saw going on and the general disrespect for equipment at that site.  So it is no wonder that these types of tools end up on e-bay.

The pawn shop I bought the items from was in Detroit.  It's called "Olde Redford Exchange", so look out.  I know the state of Michigan has a law that a pawn shop must take finger prints, drivers license number and check with the police to see if the item was stolen before they can buy it from a seller.  The pawn shop who sold the items is not getting in trouble at all.  They did all the right things.  The items were not reported stolen because the guy stealing them was the guy in charge of buying them in the first place.

I guess I thought wrong but I thought when you buy a new festool your name is connected to that tool for the life.  When you call in to get it serviced they already have your information on file.  Your supplier also registers it for your warrenty as well and you don't call your supplier when you have a warrenty issue, you call Festool.  So I guess i'm missing the point why Festool can't do this.

 

[Brice Burrell]

Okay so we need to put some pressure on encourage Festool to take this further.

I know that Chrisitian is concerned about the issue, but the logisitics of assembling such a database could be tough to overcome.

Nonetheless, it would sure be a nice resource for Festool owners (and prospective owners) to have.

Hilti does it, or something very similar so we know it can be done. I'm not going to let Festool off the hook so easily on this one.

 

[ForumMFG]

When I've purchased Hilti products in the past, before you leave they register your tool in their system and attach all your contact information to the tool including where you bought it and how much, they also keep records of when your tool should be serviced and if it had been serviced.  I heard that back in the day when you would order a Hilti, they would open the tools casing up and attach a code to the instead of it and close it back up.  That way when ever the tool is serviced, they open it back up and check this code to see who the original purchaser was to make sure someone didn't steal it and then try to have it serviced. 

 

[Michael Kellough]

I use to be a federally licensed firearms dealer, and we had to keep precise records of every transaction we made. We had to account for how we got each weapon and what we did with it. And we had to keep those records forever, turning them in if/when we gave up our license.

The BATF can track the ownership of any gun, cradle to grave. Unless of course it's stolen and it goes off the radar.

John, you should know better, firearms aren't weapons. That is unless someone uses them against another person(s). I really hate that we tend to automatically think of firearms as weapons. In reality very, very few firearms have ever been used as weapons.

By this logic, Bridge City Tools hand planes aren't tools, they're collectibles.

But seriously I don't agree. Firearms are weapons. Since there are so many of them in circulation it is a bit of a relief that most of them are only used as toys for recreation rather than weapons but they are designed as weapons.

 

[ForumMFG]

Thats correct, the first firearm wasn't designed and developed for target practice or trying to split a bullet (which is pretty cool to see).

 

[wnagle]

If I catch someone trying to steal my Festools, My firearms become a weapon. 

 

[Brice Burrell]

By this logic, Bridge City Tools hand planes aren't tools, they're collectibles.

But seriously I don't agree. Firearms are weapons. Since there are so many of them in circulation it is a bit of a relief that most of them are only used as toys for recreation rather than weapons but they are designed as weapons.

Michael, I bet you're wrong I'd guess the vast majority of firearms are now designed for sporting purposes. Here in Pennsylvania so many people have firearms that are used for recreational purposes everyday. Each year we have millions of people register for deer season, that's right, millions. I believe that number was over three million last year. You don't have to go far outside of Pittsburgh before the population's opinion about firearms changes from unneeded weapons to an welcomed part of everyday life. There's an incredible amount positive, safe and enjoyable recreational uses for firearms that it really greatly overshadows all the negative, destructive uses we tend to hear about on the 6 o'clock news. If you live in the city you'll likely never know much about all the positive things firearms have to offer to our society.  

 

[ForumMFG]

By this logic, Bridge City Tools hand planes aren't tools, they're collectibles.

But seriously I don't agree. Firearms are weapons. Since there are so many of them in circulation it is a bit of a relief that most of them are only used as toys for recreation rather than weapons but they are designed as weapons.

Each year we have millions of people register for deer season, that's right, millions. I believe that number was over three million last year.

I can confirm that.  I went to a very small college in Pittsburgh for 2 years.  Each deer season, if opening day was during the week, the whole school shut down that day.  They take it pretty serious.