I cannot believe he actually bribed an Ebay UK employee...

... just wow...

Wow, thats crazy, thanks for sharing. Its good to see this stuff to keep me on my toes in dealing with eBay scammers.

--Thor

I am indeed waiting to see proof of corruption, this is a very grave accusation.

PaulyDragon wrote in "cougarrinard" scams himself into eBay trouble.:The first will be up tonight (I am already 50% done with the draft.)

---Pauly

Looking forward to it with bated breath!

Evidence for point (1.) . . .

Previous to the sales of the three items in question (D&D BECMI Master Set with bonus "M2: Vengeance of Alphaks" module with a free set of basic quality-dice and cheap dicebag, "G1: Steading of the Hill Giant Chief", and "AC2: Combat Shield and Mini-Adventure) I had previously interacted with "cougar_rinard" before, a few years back, when he was rather snarky toward me, and took an extremely long time to ship the items, which curiously  came with perforated pages torn out and missing, and curiously had old UK postage stamps on the outer packaging rather than prepaid postage.  I was new at this at the time, and didn't think to ask why the perforated pages were missing (it was not mentioned in the sales listing, but neither was anything else regarding actual condition). He was also peppering me with direct emails to give him positive feedback, so being new I just went ahead and complied since I had other things on my mind and frankly just wanted him to be done. another time, he ordered something with me (this was when I was a new seller, prior to starting my tiny business)  and demanded that I directly email him regarding instructions to slightly alter the customs form. Again, I was new and didn't realize this was actually an ILLEGAL thing to do, but I complied anyhow, crossing out the printed part of the label and replacing it to his liking. I was a new seller and feared negative feedback.

Then I discovered the Acaeum forums, and my jaw dropped when I read the horror stories going back to, and possibly predating, the inception of this website. With a quick Google search, I also realized there were similar tales of scamming on a bunch of other websites as well. so I decided right then and there, to never buy anything from Cougie again, and not be afraid about spreading the awareness if it came up on the Acaeum. But for whatever reason, I didn't block him from future bids on my page.

Big, BIG mistake, as will be proven as I reveal more and more going forward.

In April 2018 I realized he was bidding on my items, and I immediately regretted not putting him on the block list.  I did a little bit of Facebook spamming in hopes of getting bidding action from more people, but to no avail. I decided right there and then to play fair, and extend him basic politeness and professionalism---and not canceling the orders out of spite. I fervently hoped that he would pay for the items with hopefully minimal aggressive email barrages, and then once the 30-day return period on the items passed, I would quietly block him without causing a stir. But of course this is Cougie we are talking about, and the headache I anticipated was not nearly as bad as what followed. I worked in the casino industry for 21 years and interacted with some extremely shady and repulsive people from two-bit scammers capping/pinching $5 blackjack bets to high-rollers with thousands of dollars a bet and the temper of a four year old still in diapers, so I didn't expect him to be quite as bad as some of those people, despite all of the warnings and evidence piled up here at the Acaeum and elsewhere. But my preparations (taking extensive photos of each and every item he won, plus photos of those items being packed for shipment one step at a time) proved to be inadequate since eBay initially did not back me up like they were supposed to.

The message exchange started innocently enough (I can screenshot all of these eBay messages and send privately, if need be---I am trying to avoid violating eBay protocol by simply copypasting the text.)

New message from: cougar_rinard (36,501TurquoiseShooting Star)
hi, thanks, I am trying to win more ./ add to the screen
if thats ok ? thanks,
also any more / other D&D/ rpgs sans whats listed ? for sale ?
thanks
-dave

To which I replied (again, trying to keep him cool and agreeable):

Yes, that is certainly okay

I do have several others, but since I'm a one-person operation I am limited to how many I put up per day. The vast majority of my stuff is pre-2nd Edition, although I do have a few things accumulated from each edition. Please let me know which specific OD&D/Holmes/B-X/BECMI/AD&D items you are looking for, and I will post them if I have them. (I have a few GW-licensed D&D items, too, if you are in fact actually looking for more British items despite your UK location!)

Thanks for your business.

---Pauly


This went on for a few more messages, but I deliberately told him less about what I had, than I told other people. I just wanted him to pay for his stuff, have him move along, and then quietly block him from future bidding given the horrendous reputation he has on the Acaeum and elsewhere.

Things started getting subtly ugly when I mentioned to him that I do not go into grey areas (so I am fully backed by eBay!) but I will do the very best to accommodate him within reason, within those guidelines. I stayed as polite as I could, for as long as I could (again, to cover myself if things went downhill in a hurry). I messaged him regarding the Master Set which he had won:

New message to: cougar_rinard
I'm bound by my shipping policies to ship this out within 1 business day, or get a black mark on my sales record for late shipment. I can certainly combine/ship this immediately after payment, but can't wait to add other items before shipping. I understand this may be a bit inconvenient, but as an incentive I will give you a US$5 credit to the next order. .

Please note that everything in my inventory is eligible for combined shipping at the moment, except for the Hex Sheet which must be shipped separately due to extreme rarity and the inherent issues of mixing a tube with potentially heavy books in a compact-but-as-secure-as-possible package. All items must be fully insured and sent via Priority Mail International type shipping. I no longer do 1st Class International because of delay issues as well as zero seller protection.

I hope this works for you. I want to be as reasonably flexible as possible, but must stay within the limits of eBay policy, as well as my own.

Regards,
Pauly


To which he replied:

New message from: cougar_rinard (36,515TurquoiseShooting Star)
thanks
I am intersted in chainmail, G1 & the DDref screen, all of which are not soon enough to get my promo offer in the uk,

can you combine the two I won? so I can pay pal ?

hows this if you mark as dispatched just dont send it hold till others end ?

as long as I (the buyer) say its all arrived its fine and I will, I m a big ebay seller / pro as well so understand the limits but there are work arounds.

-dave

(Note: I sensed the "UK promo" was a bunch of contrived baloney he was trying to use to take advantage of me, so I did some vetting, eventually found it, but stayed vigilant.)

my response to the supposed "work arounds" . . . ignore the UK promo stuff, since as mentioned I did find it):

Hi Dave,

I am now signed into UK eBay, and am trying to find out about this promotion, and don't yet see anything looking through the promotion history . . . anyhow, I really need to make it clear to you that I do need to abide by eBay policies as well as my own, for both the seller's protection as well as the buyer's protection. I do not venture into grey areas, particularly regarding international orders. As I said, I am more than happy to send the two items out to you today, and give you a US$5 discount toward the next order. Please keep in mind there is no per-item combined-shipment surcharge so this is a pretty good deal, not to mention your winning auction bids which were pretty darn sweet in their own rights.

Please realize I cannot, and will not, go into "grey areas". I also have given you a longer than standard period to pay, without objection. On payment, I will ship this out. As of this moment, there are less than three hours before the Post Office closes. I can definitely get it out before then.

Thank you for understanding where I am coming from, and seeing why it is so important for me to maintain eBay integrity and personal integrity regarding this and all orders I ship.

(And if you can find the promotional offer on eBay UK, let me know! I am signed into there at the moment, since I am quietly active there as well.)

Regards,


---Pauly


Needless to say, he was not happy about this, and my commitment to being Lawful Good in my capacity as an eBay seller. the first hint was his boasting about his "42 years" in the business. I don't care if you are in business for 42 years or 42 days---if you don't have basic business integrity, your experience means little. I personally have 21 years in the casino industry and have dealt with a wide variety of people and not just the shady scum, but I feel what you do NOW and your reputation over time, is really what matters the most. Stats are stats, and way too often skewed or downright fabricated.

His response:


no worries, as I said I been doing this 42 years so I understand,
thought it was just worth asking, as it was just a matter of hours,
I too am often "too efficient" well done,
please hold this and I'll see what else I can win, (please no NPBA in the meantime ? ta)
I need RS1 red sonja if you have it ?
& any planescape ?
--dave


(Note: I don't have, and still don't have RS1 and Planescape. I am not actively buying at the moment, just selling.)

I decided right then and there to give him no quarter, but honoring only that which I had previously messaged him. I didn't know it then, but despite my safeguards and my insistence on playing it straight "by the book" (for my own safety) things were about to go on a slippery slope to eBay hell.

COMING UP NEXT POSTING: "Direct email" issues, demands to illegally alter the customs forms, more rising tension.

I hope i didn't bore you all to death, or disappoint!


---Pauly

I'm with MadCatUSA when it comes to buying/selling on Ebay and use Facebook. Nice thing about Facebook is controlled group(s)... where you have to get accepted by an admin to even join. This helps to prevent scam artists like "cougarrinard" getting in. Just saying...

Evidence for "(2.) His failed attempts to make me illegally alter the customs forms." I will try to make this relatively brief , since the background was already established in the first post.

(Also includes "(3.) His meltdowns when I politely declined to alter the customs forms, along with his threats and harassing direct emails."




The first two items (AC2 combat Screen, D&D Master Rules Set+M2+dice) were sent almost immediately after payment, which to his credit he did do promptly without issues.

Shortly after came his first "direct message", which is shady as hell since eBay communication is supposed to remain on eBay.

He began bugging me about altering about the customs forms, which were supposedly in the "grey area" (read: technically illegal, but don't be the poor sap who gets caught!). he wanted me to cross out "merchandise" and write in "books" even though they were obviously merchandise, anyhow. I had to explain to him that the customs forms are automatically generated by eBay through Pitney Bowes, based on the order information. Fully aware of his reputation (or lack thereof) I held firm to following the procedure by the book---because if you don't , you compromise your seller protection, and if it becomes clear you violated the eBay rules about the customs forms, it also means you broke the law (which is why the customs forms are generated the way they are).  The last thing I need is to have a possible criminal record over some stupid technicality benefiting an extremely shady eBayer that does me no good

He wrote on May 21 2018:

New message from: cougar_rinard (36,540TurquoiseShooting Star)
hi, did you get my direct email I sent ? please reply to it ?
thanks
-dave

. . . To which I replied: . . .



New message to: cougar_rinard
According to eBay policy, communication has to be on these email messages. I will have a look, then respond to you here.

Give a few minutes.

Thanks.


---Pauly


I then screenshotted his "direct message" to eBay, and then answered him there. while I most likely cannot screenshot the actual eBay message string to post here (message me if this isn't enough), here is the screenshot of the direct mail, sent to my personal email:



my response (from eBay thread):

Okay, as I mentioned, I will be responding to your eBay related direct mail here, which is really where it is supposed to be to begin with.

Just so you know, I have made dozens of international transactions these last four years. This is the very first time I have had someone coming to me about customs issues. I have done what I have at my end, and have always been (and will continue to be) as transparent as possible. Also, under no circumstance whatsoever am I going to misrepresent my items, or go to grey areas---especially when it comes to customs. Customs charges are an are handled by customs people. I believe this is an issue you may want to consider talking to UK customs about.

In the meantime, I am going to see what (if anything) I can do at my end about this.

---Pauly


Cougie's response:



its cos you listed the customs forms as games and titles and not used books
books are exempt
games attract import duty,
I emailled direct to avoid any trouble, to your account,
happy to do it here though,
unfair I have tp pay import duty/ fee/ ta on untaxable items os you wrtote incorect description?
no grey area as far as I am concerned!



My response (I was trying to stay calm here):



New message to: cougar_rinard
Sir, this customs information was directly printed from eBay's labeling system. There is no incorrectness on my end as far as I know. So with that being said, what do you think is the right thing that should be done, within crystal-clear boundaries and eBay boundaries? I only want to do the right thing, but do it correctly. As for the customs form, it was automatically printed by eBay's labeling system. I signed and dated the form as required.

Please get back to me with a resolution that you believe is feasible and fair and within crystal-clear boundaries, so I can develop a coherent, effective solution that fully abides by eBay policy for you. Thanks.


Cougie:


you cinstantly say about ebays crystal clear policy and tha tthere are no greey areas but I ben on ebay for 18 years now, sold over £580,000 worth of items and can tell you you are quite wring there are in facr more grey areas and blurred lines than ever before , infact i do not beleiuve anything is clear or fair or with any good policy and yes I have tolf them that many times,

so why do I carry on? cos I have learnt to use the grey areas , (they you think dont exist) and constantl question the policy and muddy areas, inded I beleuev that there are more bad things that are blurrred the n goood, eosedially when you look deeper into it after ew decades?

what I want is not thav have had top ay bigus import duty and a refun d of them as not my fault, if ebay printed the formds off wrngly then you the selerls chse them, thats what I want, a refund of the charges I neevr needed to or should have had to pay if the forms were filled in correctly, ie BOOKS not games,m they were books, and indeed not a complete game?



Me:


Sir, I don't do grey areas. Or blurred lines. Period. That is not how I do business because it infringes on my reputation, and encourages distrust in the customer.

Also, I have never before had an issue with customs on the buyer's end . . . till now. Why is it that I am having issues with customs with an experienced seller, when I have never had issues of this sort with other, very experienced seller/buyers? I don't get it. But at the same time, I am not looking to pick arguments or fights. I have done the best I could at my end, but if you are looking for me to so grey lines or blurred areas, then I am afraid I cannot help you. I believe the best thing to do would be to contact eBay regarding the seemingly unusual nature of your request. I have no control over what happens at the UK end of customs, but will never willfully, fraudulently tamper with customs-related documentation.


Cougie:



I have been in business and importing for over 40 years
I know that games or titles will attract import duty and BOOKs will not.
I am asking you to take repsosnibilty for the no grey area incorrect titles you wrote in the customs forms, as games/ titles not books
anbd refund the import charges and than YOU claim then back for the HMRC.
why should I do it when its not my fault, and I am after alk the buyer, you are the seller, whi should make things right if I am unhappy, whcu I clearly am ?

pleas en o more crystal clear or grey aers, had enough of them, just shows youve not had enough exoerience to know of them all,



Me:


Sir, like I said, I do not have control over what happens on the UK side of customs. When an international customer purchases the items, the information is automatically placed onto the eBay forms by eBay via the Pitney Bowes software they use to make the international customs forms possible. The only think I added (in ink) are the signature and date as is required by US customs. I am starting to think you might be making unreasonable demands of me. For that reason, I suggest you open an eBay case regarding the customs for proper resolution, because at this point I am not convinced I am responsible for a customs-related buyer issue. At the moment there is nothing else I can do, from a logical and reasonable standpoint Thanks.


Cougie:


I suggest YOU ccinatact ebay and therefore ask them why they incorrectly fill in the customs forms making buyers pay bogus import charges!!!!

after all you are the seller and I am the buyer asking you o do somehting, either refund the incorrect charge or find out why they were incorectly charged amd make right,
I am not happy,



Me:


Sir, I understand you are not happy with eBay's policies, but eBay's policies are out of my hands. While it is okay to vent and demand about these things, it's even better to do it to the right person. I am not that person. I am not convinced your issue with UK customs and eBay's policies are my fault. If eBay is the "general" responsible for a bad debacle, then court-martial the general, not the person following the general's orders. I am definitely not happy about these demands you are making, since they seem to be both illogical and unreasonable. That being said, I am not refunding the customs-related issue on my own free will, because your demands seem to not hold valid merit. So please go ahead and file a report with eBay. They might be able to help you with this. As a matter of fact, I'm surprised you haven't contacted them already if this is such a deep and urgent issue. If I was in your shoes, and had a legitimate problem, I would have made the report already.

---Pauly

(P.S.: please do not attempt bullying me or intimidating me anymore. Further attempts will make me react accordingly. Thanks.)




Cougie:


think you missunderstood most f what I typed,

I was mearly giving you the opportunity to correct things, as I felt aggreaved,

as you clearly dont want to (no grey area) I will take it that youve stopped,

I NEVER threateendd you at any oint only asked if you would sort your errror, or correct or help,

clearly you dont want to so that fine,

you should not accuse someone of bullying or intimiatding when they clearly have not, its bullying and could be liable.





Me (finally I'd had it. The third item, "G1" had been held for over a week, without payment on his request. This was still on may 21, 2018.)



If you don't want the AC2 and Master Set items, please return as soon as possible with all items that were shipped to you. Should you decide to return them, please pack carefully in similar fashion to how I sent them to you. (I did take extensive photos of them as I packed them, by the way, and deliberately added as much bubble-wrap padding as possible within the posted shipping weight).

Please pay for your "G1: Steading of the Hall Giant Chief" module by this time tomorrow, because if it isn't paid for at 6:12 PM EDT (11:12 PM your time) I will indeed file an Unpaid Item Case. Kindly do not bid on any more of my items (I will cancel your bids if you do, and report where necessary). I am done doing further business with you. Thanks.

---Pauly


(His response---I let this lame snarkiness go in one ear and out the other.)



New message from: cougar_rinard (36,540TurquoiseShooting Star)
at least we agree on one thing.

such a fine example of sellers' gratitude for buying from you.




COMING UP NEXT POST: Evidence for:
(4.) My decision not to inform him (like I informed other people) about the imminent posting of my now-sold 2nd Alpha Print DMG.

(5.) His deliberate Negative Feedback, methodically placed one at a time in attempts to undercut and disrepute me, in an effort to sabotage the bidding on the 2nd alpha Print DMG (which sold pretty  well given its well-documented mediocre condition), which were subsequently removed one at a time by eBay before the 2nd Alpha Print DMG listing closed.




ARE WE HAVING FUN YET???



---Pauly

Thunderdave wrote in "cougarrinard" scams himself into eBay trouble.:I think describing product as books when it's true, rather than toys/games/merchandise, is a reasonable thing to do. Why hurt your customers?

I would tend to agree with that.  They probably are more books than toys/games/merchandise.  Toys/games/merchandise seems more geared towards toys and games to be resold.  Regardless, I doubt that selecting books would be an issue, as they are books.  No reason to penalize a customer, even cougar, for something that would be difficult to dispute.

dbartman wrote in "cougarrinard" scams himself into eBay trouble.:

Thunderdave wrote in "cougarrinard" scams himself into eBay trouble.:I think describing product as books when it's true, rather than toys/games/merchandise, is a reasonable thing to do. Why hurt your customers?

I would tend to agree with that.  They probably are more books than toys/games/merchandise.  Toys/games/merchandise seems more geared towards toys and games to be resold.  Regardless, I doubt that selecting books would be an issue, as they are books.  No reason to penalize a customer, even cougar, for something that would be difficult to dispute.

Yes absolutely. When I am selling D&D books (and also MERP/Cthulhu/Runequest etc..) I label them as "books" in the customs forms as that is what they are, as much as games. And I know that in many countries it is much easier for my customers.