An open letter to SCP auctions

[Archive]

Posted By: larry

This post refers to lot #384 which was auctioned last Thursday June 26th by SCP auctions and Dave Kohler.As you can see from the email sent to me at 8:44 from SCP auctions I was the high bidder at $1902. The next day when I went to see if I won the the lot ( which was the only lot I was bidding on) I saw that it sold for $1902.So I waited and waited for an email cofirming where to send my $1902 plus premium plus shipping. Nothing came.

Today I get on the phone with a Mr.Miller and he looks into this and said that their email was malfunctioning. Huh? Email malfunction? What is that? I am not the smartest guy in the world...not even close but email malfunction? Come on... I give him some credit for thinking on the fly but an auction house that has been in business for many years has to come up with a better story than email malfunction. Their auction was 500+ lots...was only lot #384 malfunctioning? Did they call me to tell me I was outbid? No Did they email me on Friday Saturday Sunday Monday to tell me that the email I got was in error? No Hmmm

I am beginning to smell a rat now. I keep telling Mr.Miller that it says in the only SCP email I received that I am the high bidder at $1902. Mr Miller says maybe simultaneous bids happened. Wait a minute I say.....Simultaneous bids on an overpriced 1957 Baker error card at 8:44:08???? Now I really must be stupid.

As it stands now all I want to do is pay for the item I won. Mr.Kohler where can I send my check? If this isnt resolved in my favor I believe that SCP auctions are rigged and would encourage any forum members from staying far far away. I will keep everyone up to date. Larry




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: info@scpauctions.com
To: XXXXXXX@aol.com
Sent: 7/12/2008 8:44:08 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time
Subj: Bid Increase Notification


Dear Larry XXXXXX:
Another bidder has submitted a bid on Lot 384: 1957 TOPPS #176 GENE BAKER (BAKEP VARIATION) PSA 7 NM. This has increased your bid per your Maximum Bid on this lot. You are now the current high bidder on this lot at $1,902.00.


Click here to increase your Maximum Bid.


Please email info@scpauctions.com or call SCP Auctions at + 1 800 350.2273 with any questions.

SCP Auctions, Inc.
26035 Acero Suite 200
Mission Viejo, CA 92691
Phone: +1 800 350.2273
Fax: +1 949 643.2800
www.scpauctions.com

Thank you,
SCP Auctions

[Archive]

Posted By: quan

larry,

you should be happy they let you off the hook

http://www.network54.com/Forum/153652/message/1189109570/How+to+get+ripped+off+by+SCP+Auctions+%26amp%3B+So theby%27s

edit: bonus peter chao commentaries...

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Posted By: Ryan Christoff

SCP Auctions has the best customer service in the business. Dave Kohler takes care of his clients. His personal touch is what makes them the best. He is absolutely not a total scumbag who should walk the earth with his head hung in shame due to his fraudulent business practices.

Please be sure to tell him Ryan Christoff says hello when he gets back to you, which I'm sure will be any minute now.

-Ryan

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Posted By: barrysloate

It doesn't appear that SCP is associated with Sotheby's anymore, and I heard that Lee Dunbar left Sotheby's. Can anyone confirm this?

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Posted By: Anthony S.

Strange little quirk in the search function on this site, but if you physically go back page by page to the original link about SCP from September of 2007, you can see everyones responses on one scrollable page, as opposed to have to click on everyones' responses (as you do if you ran a search). Anyway, it's an important subject and there were a 100 plus responses the first time around, so I think this link will make it a little easier to get up to speed....


http://tinyurl.com/5hge6o

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Posted By: MikeU

"It doesn't appear that SCP is associated with Sotheby's anymore, and I heard that Lee Dunbar left Sotheby's. Can anyone confirm this?"

Barry, you should not name names on a public forum. The individuals involved may want to remain under the radar.

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Posted By: barrysloate

A taste of my own medicine!

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Posted By: DD

My understanding is that Sotheby's is getting out of the memorabilia auction business, which is where Lee worked. It would make sense if she left, but I don't know.

Anthony,
After you find what you want in the search, you can also change "message" to "thread" in the URL, and you can read it as if it was any other active thread.

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Posted By: davidcycleback

Dunbar has left Sotheby's to start her own company. I don't know her reason why.

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Posted By: Rob

"Strange little quirk in the search function on this site, but if you physically go back page by page to the original link about SCP from September of 2007, you can see everyones responses on one scrollable page, as opposed to have to click on everyones' responses (as you do if you ran a search). Anyway, it's an important subject and there were a 100 plus responses the first time around, so I think this link will make it a little easier to get up to speed...."

When you do a search and click on one of the results, you'll notice in the URL something like "..../message/..." change it to "..../thread/..." and you'll see the entire thread instead of just the one message.

There may be a better way of getting around that, but thats how i do it!

Rob

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Posted By: Anthony S.

DD and Rob,

Thanks for the tip. Good to know.

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Posted By: larry

outside of suing scp for auction fraud
any recommendations

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Posted By: Dave F

Larry-

I'm just asking...is there really a lawsuit here? I admit, what happens based on your story here really does stink, just wondering if there are grounds for a lawsuit.

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Posted By: Ryan Christoff

You mean Dave Kohler hasn't personally responded to you and offered to make you whole??? This is so unlike him and his company. He is absolutely not the kind of guy that would blatantly rip someone off and then hide in silence while his deservedly tattered reputation took hit after hit on a public message board.

I think he deserves the benefit of the doubt here. After all, he might still be busy spending my money.

-Ryan

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Posted By: Al C.risafulli

Ryan:

They never fixed the issue with that photo?!

-Al

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Posted By: larry

dave kohler has not responded as i was told he would by a Mr Miller
so i sent off an email today asking for resolution
no response as expected
they apparently dont care about their reputation

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Posted By: David Hanvey

SCP Auctions seem like an interesting group. I won a lot of cards from them in their last auction (approx $2300). When the cards were received they looked nothing like the auction picture.

After I sent them side by side images of the scanned cards and the auction photos, SCP got back to me and informed me that they had the lot photographed, not scanned as per usual. To their credit, they then refunded my money (I still lost money on the whole thing though as the Aussie dollar gained ground on the US - I bought the cards at 86 cents in the dollar, and got the refund at 93 cents).

Funny thing is the lot appeared broken up in Lelands past auction. The total combined sale was about 600-700 less than what Sotheby's ended at - due to the fact the cards had been scanned, not photographed.