RedShoesGirl Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 help, i need some info! i bought a darthi dark, V.2, on ebay and it arrived today. but there is NO tracking number on it even though it says "trackable blah blah blah" i am pretty sure there is supposed to be a number - there is a space for the number. is it possible that the number was removed or perhaps this is a sample coin? i can assume if it is a sample coin, it should not have cost the arm and half a leg this cost. no where on the auction does it say anything about the number being missing, nor does it say it is not trackable. it does say "geocaching.com" in reading the sellers other auctions, he does know about tracking numbers etc. so what do i do now!? i would not paid $50 for a coin that was missing its tracking number. lara Quote Link to comment
+Wandering Vikings Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 That is horrible! Have you tried contacting the seller to see if they sent you the wrong coin on accident? I know you can also open up a dispute with Ebay and get your money back if the item does not match the description in the listing... Sorry your going through this! Quote Link to comment
+Map Monkey Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 (edited) help, i need some info! i bought a darthi dark, V.2, on ebay and it arrived today. but there is NO tracking number on it even though it says "trackable blah blah blah" i am pretty sure there is supposed to be a number - there is a space for the number. is it possible that the number was removed or perhaps this is a sample coin? i can assume if it is a sample coin, it should not have cost the arm and half a leg this cost. no where on the auction does it say anything about the number being missing, nor does it say it is not trackable. it does say "geocaching.com" in reading the sellers other auctions, he does know about tracking numbers etc. so what do i do now!? i would not paid $50 for a coin that was missing its tracking number. lara What did the seller say about this problem when asked? It seems that you bought an untrackable coin, as it doesn't seem to mention that it is trackable anywhere on that listing . mm Edited October 23, 2008 by Map Monkey Quote Link to comment
+Moozer Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 Have you contacted the seller and asked? Quote Link to comment
RedShoesGirl Posted October 23, 2008 Author Share Posted October 23, 2008 i have written the seller and i am waiting for an answer. i wanted to get some sense of what i should do when i hear from him. i was SO excited about this coin and now i am SO bummed. lara Quote Link to comment
+AtwellFamily Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 the item doesn't indicate trackable or not. He does have one that does indicate that. So you are definately in between the rock and the hard place. Good luck. Quote Link to comment
+ElliPirelli Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 The seller offers a return policy, though. You might want to go that route. That the listing doesn't state the trackable status, is irrelevant in my opinion. This is a well known coin, on the picture is clearly a space for the tracking code visible. How can I as (potencial) bidder know, that the area isn't blanked out by photoshop? There's clearly the seller at fault, not the bidder... Quote Link to comment
nebukatneza Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 i have asked the seller before i have bitten and he answered that there is no tracking number on the coin!!! has he written in the ebay-auction that it's trackable? i think not, or??? Quote Link to comment
+Mauison Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 After looking at the seller's other auctions, I noticed they included challenge coins. Then I saw which other geocoins he's sold/is selling and I'm wondering if he bought sample geocoins from the mint in Korea. I remember a few years ago, someone got some sample geocoins from the mint, including a Blazerfan and sold them on eBay. This led to the question of whether or not they should be selling geocoins that the mint should've never released. I know this doesn't answer your question but this might be a reason why it's not trackable, because it was a sample that was not supposed to be released from the mint. Quote Link to comment
+LadeBear68 Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 I believe I bid on that coin as well and thought the number was blacked out. He doesn't use terminology like he is a geocacher as he talks about serial numbers. Very odd. Quote Link to comment
+ZSandmann Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 Over 1600 transactions and 100% positive feedback, I doubt he purposely mislead you so hopefully this is resolved easily. From looking at the profile he is military overseas, I agree with some of the others that he is probably buying sample coins from some mint in Asia and probably doesn't even know what geocaching is. He may think that space is for you to engrave something yourself. Nice coin though. Quote Link to comment
+Droo Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 After looking at the seller's other auctions, I noticed they included challenge coins. Then I saw which other geocoins he's sold/is selling and I'm wondering if he bought sample geocoins from the mint in Korea. I remember a few years ago, someone got some sample geocoins from the mint, including a Blazerfan and sold them on eBay. This led to the question of whether or not they should be selling geocoins that the mint should've never released. I know this doesn't answer your question but this might be a reason why it's not trackable, because it was a sample that was not supposed to be released from the mint. I remember the brouhaha over the mints selling samples and the subsequent claims of fakes or reproductions being sold on Ebay. Certainly the commercial vendours would be interested in knowing if coins they've contracted mints to produce are being sold off behind their backs. But to the OP's question: if the coin is a sample does it make it a geocoin? Or does labeling it as such give a false impression of its value and use? And posting such tiny photos of it (no possible visual scrutiny) with little or no description is darned vague even by Ebay standards. The word "geocoin" with the "Trackable on geocaching.com" minted in it implies a bonafide geocoin. The blanked area where the tracking number should be also implies it is there and covered to protect the owner's activation rights and trackability of the coin. The photo misrepresents the item, clearly, and the meager description does little to back up the validity of the auction title. Quote Link to comment
RedShoesGirl Posted October 23, 2008 Author Share Posted October 23, 2008 here is the answer from the seller: >>I do not know anything about geocoins, I wrote everything that was on the coin on the description. If you are unhappy with the coin you can return it to me and I'll refund your money, I don't have a problem doing that. I want you to be happy with your purchase from me. I strive for customer satifaction. Let me know if I can expect the coin back and like I said I'll refund your money back through paypal, no problem. Sorry that you arn't happy. Let me know one way or the other. << so i can get my money back which is what i am going to do. this is not a coin that is worth 50 dollars. and i won't be bidding on this seller's auctions again. i think the auction is worded so carefully as to look innocent, but how many geocoins does one have to sell before one understands what one is. his other geocoin auctions say >>Coin does not have a serial number engraved on it I don't know if it is active or not<< so he is well aware of what a geocoin is, he has 10 of them up for auction. i think this is a buyer beware situation. thanks for all the input folks. be sure to make note of the seller's ebay name: 37randy lara Quote Link to comment
+nielsenc Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 Where did the package come from? Quote Link to comment
RedShoesGirl Posted October 23, 2008 Author Share Posted October 23, 2008 Where did the package come from? it is an APO address but if i remember correctly he said he is in korea. lara Quote Link to comment
+mousekakat Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 I dunno, Lara, he has offered to refund your money. why not just send it back, take the refund, and chalk it up to a misunderstanding? He has good feedback and a great rating.... Don't sweat the small stuff, toots. Send it back and take your money and go treat yourself something special Naomi Quote Link to comment
RedShoesGirl Posted October 23, 2008 Author Share Posted October 23, 2008 I dunno, Lara, he has offered to refund your money. why not just send it back, take the refund, and chalk it up to a misunderstanding? He has good feedback and a great rating.... Don't sweat the small stuff, toots. Send it back and take your money and go treat yourself something special Naomi i am doing just that! but call me cynical, i think this is more than a misunderstanding. i think this is a sample coin being sold as a genuine geocoin. so like you said, don't sweat the small stuff. lara Quote Link to comment
+LadeBear68 Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 Sorry but I think you have a right to be upset. I bid on the coin and would have been highly upset had I received it. It appears that the number has been blocked out. I do that to coins I sell on ebay as well as other people. I blew up the photo and it still looks like the numbers were blocked out. Did you get a response as to where this coin came from? Quote Link to comment
+Kealia Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 Sounds like this should have been handled via an interaction between you and the seller - which it ultimately was. I don't see why this was brought into the forums at all. Quote Link to comment
+The Klever Boys Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 I was watching this coin too, but decided not to bid after contacting the seller about a Geopirat coin he was selling around the same time. I asked him if the Geopirat came with an activation code and received an answer that went along the lines of "no, there is no code with the coin, but I'm sure you'll be able to find a code on a website". I recall very well trying to activate a Geopirat coin ages ago and know that there is no website for the code, so didn't bid on anything. I now see that he has another (maybe the same?) Geopirat for sale, which is described as "Trackable on Geocaching.com", but then goes on to say that the coin does not have any tracking numbers on it. I still haven't worked that bit out yet! Quote Link to comment
+Dr. Whoever Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 (edited) This looks very much to me after seeing his site and his listings like someone who bought a "lot" of mint samples and marginal reject coins from either the mint or a wholesaler who picked up the lot from one of the mints. EDIT: I did a minute of research and found a number of his coins which he has listed for an inflated rate on another clearance site for $1.99. It's obvious he has picked all of these coins up from a wholesaler that bought a bunch of mint samples and rejects Edited October 23, 2008 by Castle Man Quote Link to comment
RedShoesGirl Posted October 23, 2008 Author Share Posted October 23, 2008 (edited) Sounds like this should have been handled via an interaction between you and the seller - which it ultimately was. I don't see why this was brought into the forums at all. because i am not nearly as learned as many of you and i needed help in deciding what this coin was. if you can't see the value in the discussion, then don't read any more. castle man has brought up some good points. and the input is valuable to others who might be getting ready to buy from this seller. rsg edited to bite my tongue. Edited October 23, 2008 by RedShoesGirl Quote Link to comment
+Eartha Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 chomp! Glad you took care of that rsg. Thank you. If someone is buying unauthorized coins from these mints, it is a very bad practice for the mints. That should not be happening. Any idea which mint produced these coins? Quote Link to comment
+Kealia Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 (edited) If it's a larger issue (selling multiple coins) than I agree that it's a valid discussion. When I read it this morning it seemed like an isolated incident. Don't know what was edited so I won't speculate although I still think contact between sellers and buyers should occur before bringing things into the forums. Edited October 24, 2008 by Kealia Quote Link to comment
+ElliPirelli Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 ... although I still think contact between sellers and buyers should occur before bringing things into the forums. So you rather that more people fall into the same trap? There still are enough, who don't read the forums and are not aware of this kind of going on. To picture a well known coin, which has minted trackable on geocaching on it, the number obviously not visible and not stating in the description, that there's no tracking number at all, is not good practise. I wonder how many people fell already into that trap without realising, that this is not the valued coin they thought... So thank you RSG, for bringing this isue into the forum! Quote Link to comment
+ZSandmann Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 It's not a 'trap' if the person selling it doesn't know they are doing something wrong. I'm trying not to defend the guy because I don't know him, but I'm just hoping people stop to think about the situation before calling out this guy as being some kind of mastermind scumbag running an underground geocoin counterfeiting ring. It looks to me like the guy is military stationed in Korea. He looks to have an interest in challenge coins. One series of events I could believe is that he went to the mint looking to have some challenge coins made and the mint suckered him into buying some of these geocoins at a rock bottom price to go along with his challenge coin order. HE doesn't know what geocaching is so he gets them, does some bare bones research on them and then starts selling the on ebay to make a little cash on the side. Now he probably has been getting his email box flooded with emails telling him how what he is doing is wrong, and I conceed that it IS wrong. So hopefully he will take this to heart and not buy any more of these coins, but as long as he attempts to clarify the tracking situation in the future, he has every right to sale these remaining coins he has, after all the mint screwed him over. The mint is clearly at fault here, so please consider that before villifying a person you do not know. To the OP: I am sorry you did not get the coin you wanted but I am glad the seller is offering to refund your money. that says more about their character than anything else. Quote Link to comment
+rsfish1 Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 First of all I am glad RSG brought this to the forums. It does bring up some valid points for some people on what to watch out for. If you are buying anywhere other then a vendor, make sure to look for "Unactivated" and "Trackable on geocaching.com". If you do not see those 2 things and are expecting the coin to be that way, ask before you bid. I am inclined to give this seller the benefit of the doubt also. Like what has been speculated above, I would guess some mint threw some extra coins in for "a good price" to him. Like Eartha said, it would be interesting to find out who this minter is. I am glad it is going to work out the best for you RSG. Just to cover yourself, think about having tracking on the package back to him and possibly insurance. Quote Link to comment
avroair Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 help, i need some info! i bought a darthi dark, V.2, on ebay and it arrived today. but there is NO tracking number on it even though it says "trackable blah blah blah" i am pretty sure there is supposed to be a number - there is a space for the number. is it possible that the number was removed or perhaps this is a sample coin? i can assume if it is a sample coin, it should not have cost the arm and half a leg this cost. no where on the auction does it say anything about the number being missing, nor does it say it is not trackable. it does say "geocaching.com" in reading the sellers other auctions, he does know about tracking numbers etc. so what do i do now!? i would not paid $50 for a coin that was missing its tracking number. lara Both Darthi and Geo Pirat made a trackable and non-trackable version of their coins. They sold the trackable ones and put the non-trackables into caches. If the coin was advertised as trackable with an icon I would contact the seller. Quote Link to comment
RedShoesGirl Posted October 24, 2008 Author Share Posted October 24, 2008 the seller is really quite remorseful and is refunding money so i don't think he understood the ramifications of the sale. he said "I picked these coins up in a lot set of challenge coins. " so i am cutting him some slack and giving him the benefit of the doubt. heck i even apologized for my strongly worded e-mail. but it does teach me to look at ebay more closely and ask questions! again. lara Quote Link to comment
+Kealia Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 ... although I still think contact between sellers and buyers should occur before bringing things into the forums. So you rather that more people fall into the same trap? There still are enough, who don't read the forums and are not aware of this kind of going on. It's not a trap if it's an isolated incident or an innocent mistake. See the post below. Also, if there are enough people who don't read the forums, then posting here won't help will it? It's not a 'trap' if the person selling it doesn't know they are doing something wrong. I'm trying not to defend the guy because I don't know him, but I'm just hoping people stop to think about the situation before calling out this guy as being some kind of mastermind scumbag running an underground geocoin counterfeiting ring. <snip> To the OP: I am sorry you did not get the coin you wanted but I am glad the seller is offering to refund your money. that says more about their character than anything else. Agreed. the seller is really quite remorseful and is refunding money so i don't think he understood the ramifications of the sale. he said "I picked these coins up in a lot set of challenge coins. " so i am cutting him some slack and giving him the benefit of the doubt. heck i even apologized for my strongly worded e-mail. but it does teach me to look at ebay more closely and ask questions! again. lara This was my point. This could have been handled completely offline and privately. I'm the first to say that shady practices should be called out here for the sake of the community's "safety", but I think everybody (not just RSG) is a bit trigger happy to bring things into the forums right now given some of the other issues going on with vendors, etc. in other threads. Now you could argue that nobody can define a pattern until somebody speaks up, but the OP came here before even hearing back from the seller which I think is wrong. Quote Link to comment
RedShoesGirl Posted October 24, 2008 Author Share Posted October 24, 2008 ...Now you could argue that nobody can define a pattern until somebody speaks up, but the OP came here before even hearing back from the seller which I think is wrong. you may think it is wrong, but i needed info and where better to get it than here. better too much than not enough. as long as my money is being refunded i have no complaint. but if there was someone more of a newbie than i, then they would have lost out by not having all the information. look, there some real scumbags out there on ebay, here, whereever and at this point, when there is money is concerned and the stuff that is going on here, then i am more likely to think i am dealing with a scum bag. go back and read what castle man wrote about these coins being available at other sources. if i had just gone to the seller first and he offered my money back, what lesson would have been learned, by me or anyone. challenge coins are the same. if someone, and notice i said if, if someone is selling rejects, seconds as regular challenge coins without mentioning they were bought in bulk from the minter, doesn't the buyer have the right to know? the forum is for discussion of coin related issues. and this is coin related. i am not sure why you continue to have a problem. you and i are not going to agree on this, so how about we agree to disagree. rsg and castle man, after searching for quite a while, i did not find the site you mentioned where one could buy these kinds of coins on the cheap. Quote Link to comment
avroair Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 ...Now you could argue that nobody can define a pattern until somebody speaks up, but the OP came here before even hearing back from the seller which I think is wrong. you and i are not going to agree on this, so how about we agree to disagree. rsg I see it both ways. I think that individual complaints shouldn't be aired in the forums until after no resolution is made. The OP jumped in here before resolving the situation, but in a general sense I find the thread useful since I was going to bid on the same coin and now know that mints are dumping samples and rejects into the market. My research concludes... Quote Link to comment
+Rockin Roddy Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 (edited) ...Now you could argue that nobody can define a pattern until somebody speaks up, but the OP came here before even hearing back from the seller which I think is wrong. you and i are not going to agree on this, so how about we agree to disagree. rsg I see it both ways. I think that individual complaints shouldn't be aired in the forums until after no resolution is made. The OP jumped in here before resolving the situation, but in a general sense I find the thread useful since I was going to bid on the same coin and now know that mints are dumping samples and rejects into the market. My research concludes... Ahhh....good ol' Linda! Edited October 24, 2008 by Rockin Roddy Quote Link to comment
+DaFunkyFrogs Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 ...Now you could argue that nobody can define a pattern until somebody speaks up, but the OP came here before even hearing back from the seller which I think is wrong. you and i are not going to agree on this, so how about we agree to disagree. rsg I see it both ways. I think that individual complaints shouldn't be aired in the forums until after no resolution is made. The OP jumped in here before resolving the situation, but in a general sense I find the thread useful since I was going to bid on the same coin and now know that mints are dumping samples and rejects into the market. My research concludes... MEMORIES.............. Quote Link to comment
+Team Sand Dollar Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 Based on the 2005 Team Sand Dollar coin he has up for auction I am led to believe these were gotten from the mint. I base this on the fact that the coin does not have color on the front side and none of the coins delivered to me were in this condition. Also I worked directly with the mint on this one so there were no middle men. Team Sand Dollar Quote Link to comment
RedShoesGirl Posted October 24, 2008 Author Share Posted October 24, 2008 (edited) hiccup rsg Edited October 24, 2008 by RedShoesGirl Quote Link to comment
RedShoesGirl Posted October 24, 2008 Author Share Posted October 24, 2008 Based on the 2005 Team Sand Dollar coin he has up for auction I am led to believe these were gotten from the mint. I base this on the fact that the coin does not have color on the front side and none of the coins delivered to me were in this condition. Also I worked directly with the mint on this one so there were no middle men. Team Sand Dollar so it isn't "really" a team sand dollar coin. time to get a hold of the mint maybe? rsg Quote Link to comment
avroair Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 (edited) Based on the 2005 Team Sand Dollar coin he has up for auction I am led to believe these were gotten from the mint. I base this on the fact that the coin does not have color on the front side and none of the coins delivered to me were in this condition. Also I worked directly with the mint on this one so there were no middle men. Team Sand Dollar so it isn't "really" a team sand dollar coin. time to get a hold of the mint maybe? rsg I believe this mint was the one that is not used so much now, judging from the coins that were placed on ebay by the seller. There has been problems with this mint in the past. Edited October 24, 2008 by avroair Quote Link to comment
+Team Sand Dollar Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 Based on the 2005 Team Sand Dollar coin he has up for auction I am led to believe these were gotten from the mint. I base this on the fact that the coin does not have color on the front side and none of the coins delivered to me were in this condition. Also I worked directly with the mint on this one so there were no middle men. Team Sand Dollar so it isn't "really" a team sand dollar coin. time to get a hold of the mint maybe? rsg It is a Team Sand Dollar coin just not one I received and not finished. TSD Quote Link to comment
Tooeygeotrashed Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 I believe this mint was the one that is not used so much now, judging from the coins that were placed on ebay by the seller. There has been problems with this mint in the past. For the benefit of everyone, which mint are you referring to? Quote Link to comment
avroair Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 I believe this mint was the one that is not used so much now, judging from the coins that were placed on ebay by the seller. There has been problems with this mint in the past. For the benefit of everyone, which mint are you referring to? I think TSD or Rusty could answer better, it is in Korea and I also believed Pepper used it. I can't remember the name of the coin. I don't believe it is used anymore, at least by the major vendors so you are safe there. Quote Link to comment
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