suspicious?

[southern_guy]

Local online auction site has a ct33e being sold with a "box" on top containing some bits and pieces. Turns out from the photo that the box is a ts55 systainer, containing at least a saw blade, and something green, can't tell as cut off. No saw in sight.
Now who sells a TS systainer repleat with saw blade with a ct22 with no saw in sight, and refers it to as a "box"?

 

[Eli]

I wish me can catch our first teefy. (knuckles slap palm)

 

[Bob Childress]

I wish me can catch our first teefy. (knuckles slap palm)

Eli, are you in the Red again? That Shiraz will get to you.  ;D

Sounds like the seller has no idea what he is selling, exactly, so maybe picked it up from an estate or something?  ???

 

[lynnsr]

I think  "PICKED IT UP" is the operational phrase.

LFM

 

[iggy07]

This is one reason (and there are many others) I'd like to see more 'location' information in everyone's profile.

You say 'local auction', but where is local?

I assume it is 'south', but maybe you are a 'southern guy' transplanted up north, and just trying to maintain your roots?

Perhaps if the location were identified, it would raise some interest in checking among friends, dealers, law enforcement (?) for any recent reports of thefts?

Thanks for bringing this to everyone's attention -- I agree, 'picked up' seems like a likely possibility here.

Ed

 

[southern_guy]

This is a case where some discretion is called for. I haven't named the auction site, as to do so could be seen as making a direct accusation against the seller. As suspicious as it looks, there could well be an innocent explanation.

In my case, local is NINA, and naming the actual locality would give away the auction site, as there is really only one auction site here. Anyone who sells Festool product on this auction site that they have 'picked up' is taking a real risk, as the product is not widely known here, and anyone who has lost festool product would have very little difficulty finding out about the item being auctioned, as there is generally only maybe 1-2 items at most auctioned per month.

 

[Lou Miller]

I had a guy approach me on a jobsite one time that was selling several Festools for ridiculous prices. I don't remember exactly, but I think it was something like $100 for a TS55, $50 for an ETS 150/5, and there were a couple of other items too. It was obvious he had stolen them from someone. I went off on the guy and actually had to be restrained from a couple of co-workers cause I was going to rip his head off.

He had no idea what he had or any clue as to its value. He stole them from someone that was probably very similar to myself and it really infuriated me. I vow that the next time (hopefully there isn't a next time) something like that happens that I will take the tools from the person and call the police on the spot. I asked Bob Marino about this when the last incident happened and he confirmed for me that Festool can track the rightful owner by the serial numbers, or something like that. I'm not saying that everyone should do what I intend to do because people are nuts out there and you never really know what they are capable of. However, I'm probably a lot more nuts than the average idiot when I get mad, so I don't really care. I still have very fond memories of what I did to a guy that I actually caught breaking in to my truck years ago.

I have zero tolerance for thieves.

 

[Ray Newman]

"It was obvious he had stolen them from someone."

Exactly how do you know that the tools were stolen?

I've known more than a few poeple who have sold old tools, fishing gear, fireams, cameras, etc., for pennies on the dollar because they didn't know the true value of dad's or grandpa's belongings.

 

[Toller]

"It was obvious he had stolen them from someone."

Exactly how do you know that the tools were stolen?

I've known more than a few poeple who have sold old tools, fishing gear, fireams, cameras, etc., for pennies on the dollar because they didn't know the true value of dad's or grandpa's belongings.

Last week someone had Bills/Pats tickets on Craigslist for facevalue.  Sadly I wasn't in time because the going price is triple face.  Most unlikely they were stolen.
Some people just don't know what they have; I hate to think what my wife will sell my tools for...

 

[Lou Miller]

"It was obvious he had stolen them from someone."

Exactly how do you know that the tools were stolen?

I've known more than a few poeple who have sold old tools, fishing gear, fireams, cameras, etc., for pennies on the dollar because they didn't know the true value of dad's or grandpa's belongings.

Pretty simple really, its called street smarts. Lets just say I grew up in some less than desirable neighborhoods and know how to spot a thief. Having guys approach me with tools has happened a lot over the course of my 23 years in construction (I've worked in some really really bad areas too). The tools are always stolen, and most of the guys will even admit to it. This was the only time I had ever seen Festools involved though. I've also been on the wrong end of the equation many times too. Like I said above, I managed to catch the one guy, but there were many other times that I didn't. Maybe you've never been exposed to that element and want to give people the benefit of the doubt? However, I don't know how to explain it to you in a way where you'd understand, but its very easy to tell when you've been around enough of that. Also, as a teen, I wasn't the most law abiding person around either, so I do speak from quite a bit of experience.

As to the initial post with the online auction site, I couldn't say if they were stolen or not. It does seem awfully fishy though. I suspect foul play there, but I would never come out and say it is for sure. Only way to tell in that case is to get the serial numbers and run a check on them.

 

[Ray Newman]

I?ve been around suspicious characters too. Even worked w/ a few @ one time or another. 

@ a now-defunct San Francisco tool supplier that I bought from, I knew one guy who was stealing before he got caught. No one suspected one of the buyer?s because they all worked in the office -- everyone thought it must have been one of the sales help. Even after he served time, some refused to believe it.

Having said that, you may have ?suspicions?, but it can hard to prove they were stolen.

Seen more than one doper who sold off all of his father?s tools & antique firearms for maybe one tenth their value just for quick cash to buy nose candy. I also saw one who did the same, but instead bought a Harley w/ the money.

 

[Eli]

Face to face? You can tell a thief in a second if he's selling tools on the dodge. I've been around job sites and guys trying to fence tools since I was about sixteen, and I vote along your party lines Lou. The more thieving idiots get the crap smacked out of them and go tell their dumb friends where they got all the band-aids, the less problems there will be on job sites. You don't touch tools that a man uses to make a living unless he's standing next to you and gave you permission.

Here's an idea, don't know if you're up for it:
Buy them, get the serial #'s, see if you can return them to the rightful owner and get reimbursed from insurance. Get all the seller's info so they can chase him. It's documented here, so you couldn't really be accused of stealing them yourself.

 

[Ray Newman]

But what ?bout the guys who knowingly buy stolen property? They too are part of the problem.

 

[Eli]

Yes they are, but if the property is bought and returned they aren't in the equation are they?

 

[Tinker]

When i was in construction, i never had any power tools stolen.  i did, however, "lose' many shovels and other hand digging tools.  I always attributed it to the help forgetting to pick up.  I told a friend of mine about the problem and he indicated the same problem.  when you go on large construction projects, you see many contractors painting their tool handle red or green.  i thried that, but then my tools still looked like everybody elses.  My friend told me he solved the problem nearly 100% by painting all of his tools pink.  I tried same and suddenly, tools were not "lost" quite so often.

early on in my own biz, i was having a problem with my helper (a cousin who had seen some difficult times) kept leaving tools on the job.  i jumped on him for it.  within a wek or so, i could barely find room on the truck for my own tools he had so many picks and shovels loaded on.  that required another lecture.

one time, I lost a brandnew hedge trimmer (never used) off of my truck in my own front yard.  My dog had been barking the previous evening, but i did not pay attention.  next morning, i went out to give the trimmer to the helper who was going to trim hedges that day.  i reached for trimmer that was not there.  That's abot it for my losses.  i guess I have been fortunate.  i do know of many others with stories like Lou's.

Tinker

 

[Ray Newman]

" but if the property is bought and returned they aren't in the equation are they?"
-- Eli

That?s not what I?m talking ?bout.

I?m referring to guys who knowingly buy stolen good because they are cheap.

Or, rationalizes the purchase by saying ?if I don?t buy them then someone else will.?

Guess I?ve seen too many guys who hate the thief, but give the buyer (&/or the fence) of stolen goods a pass.

 

[Lou Miller]

" but if the property is bought and returned they aren't in the equation are they?"
-- Eli

That?s not what I?m talking ?bout.

I?m referring to guys who knowingly buy stolen good because they are cheap.

Or, rationalizes the purchase by saying ?if I don?t buy them then someone else will.?

Guess I?ve seen too many guys who hate the thief, but give the buyer (&/or the fence) of stolen goods a pass.

Someone that knowingly buys stolen goods is just as guilty as the person that stole them, IMO. I have no tolerance for either person.

 

[rodwolfy]

I'll chime in on this one...

If you find someone that is selling stuff on the cheap on a construction site, it's likely stolen. How do I know? Cause I've arrested a few here and there. Take what I say with a grain of salt, though as I'm very cynical.

After speaking with contractors and crooks for 14+ years, I've learned a few things. Like the guy that shows up on the jobsite looking for work and doesn't bring his own tools. He asks if you have any work and you tell him where he can start and he walks off, not wanting to work. He was checking out the jobsite for tools to rip off.

My neighbor across the street does construction. When the season was jolly, he needed to feed his family and buy gifts. Unfortuately for him, he ripped off a church site and got 9 months.

In the city that I work at, if you leave your tools on site - even locked down, they'll get taken. Lots of burgs to remodel sites and jobsite containers. We had one a couple of months ago and the three guys were fleeing the scene in a stolen car when the units started arriving. The K-9 got rammed and she had 11 ribs broken and her pelvis shattered. Still out and loosing retirement credits (like I will be for my surgery next week).

We get lots of downriggers stolen. Hard to track. One guy had sold over 30 of them before we found him on Craigslist and ebay. When we back tracked his sales history, we matched the items to various reported thefts and burgs.

We have some people around here that hang out around grocery stores. When the contractor stops out for Starbucks, the compressor goes missing from the bed of his truck. On guy stashes the stuff within a block, as he's on bike and comes back under the cover of darkness to get the stashed stuff.

We have a couple other groups that I suspect are working Lowes and HD. They carry the Motorola walkie talkies. The contractor shows up to buy materials at 8 am and they are in the parking lot. One guy follows the contractor in and the other guy his the truck for all the tools that are there. They use the walkie talkies to let each other know where the contractor is...

Same scam at Christmas at the mall. People take their presents out to their cars and put them in the trunk so that they don't have to carry as much, then go back into the mall. People sit out in the parking lot and go car hopping to get the new presents that are stashed in the trunk.

If it's a unbelievable deal, ask some questions. If they don't make sense (like a TS55 for a guy that 'works' in construction and he wants $50?!?!).

A few tips for you guys. Take digital photographs of all of your tools and serial numbers. Keep a running list of costs, dates of purchase and so on. Keep the CD or DVD somewhere safe, so that you can show your insurance carrier. That goes for everything in you home or job site. I burn extra family photos too, in case the house burns down. If the time comes to report a loss, it will be much more likely that you'll get your tool back and catch the bad guy if you have the serial numbers (they go in a database).

Cheers,

Rod

 

[scoffelt]

it does bring up a question, when you buy a tool used.  Can you let festool know you have bought them, so the serial info gets changed?  Not that I buy many used, but I did buy a sander from someone on here.  I track them, but would be nice to have a back up like Festool data base.  I assume the warranty doesn't transfer, but I could be wrong on that.

 

[Eli]

Thanks Rod. Those are good tips. I've already noticed those guys selling in the lot at the local equivalent, Bunnings. A welding contractor I met says he's approached almost every time at certain ones.

Ray, I knew exactly what you're saying, and again, I agree with Lou, zero tol, those buyers are just as guilty as if they stole it themselves. My point was if you lost stuff and your friend recognized it and bought it, and got info about the seller that allowed the person to be caught, that would be better than some outsider getting your tools for a fire sale price, no?