Before you spend money, you may want to read this.

[toyman941]

Well, I'M 0 for 2.

Found out last night from AFA that my DT Luke had a repro inner filament inside a real DT outer part.

The other is my faked hollow cheek tusken raider . You guys helped me confirm its credibility. Thanks.

My message is DONT EVER USE CASH !!! There is no protection what so ever.


Luckily I knew this and I have a capital one card with buyer protection. I had the cash in my pocket to pay, however I wanted the protection and I'm really glad I used it. There were a few sellers there that I have delt with at the comic con and they looked it over. They didn't take it out of the clear case but , they were correct on the outside of the saber. The inner filament was a perfect color match and had a slight bend so it was easy to fool us.

I know how most feel about AFA however, this is the exact reason why I sent it in. AFA certainly has it's place. Sending in a loose bespin gaurd to be graded may not be the best thing for example , but when it comes to rare DTS or Vinyl Capes or other rare expensive items, it's really a no Brainer to me. When the only difference between a 50 dollar figure or a 1000 dollar figure is a 20 cent piece of plastic, I'm sending it in.

I called capital one today and they have already credited my account . No I didn't get the money refunded yet, but it's frozen where I won't pay interest on it until it's settled . They have to review this and get all my emails and letters from AFA. (Another reason why AFA is beneficial) they did tell me it's pretty much an open and closed case regardless of reaching the seller or the seller agreeing. I told them it was proven to be fake and they used the word counterfeit.

PayPal is also another great tool for buyer protection and the best tool is, a combination of using a Credit card with paypal.

Best advise is--Don't ever use cash , even if you think you know someone.

If the seller won't accept cards, you may want to back away.

There is the other side of the coin. I spent money on 2 pieces from this seller. If I was a creep, I could have claimed the entire amount. However, that's not me. I was honest and told them 100 dollars of the transaction was legit.
And only claim 600. Again, I have to prove this but because of AFA, it won't be an issue. I am still out the money from having it graded though. I need to talk about this with capital one to see if I can get some more back.

BE careful out there.

 

[porkinsred6]

would love to see pics of the luke saber. I've seen more and more people put fake inners in real outers.

 

[Waggy]

would love to see pics of the luke saber. I've seen more and more people put fake inners in real outers.

Is the inner filament the thin bit that sticks out.

 

[toyman941]

would love to see pics of the luke saber. I've seen more and more people put fake inners in real outers.

 

[toyman941]

Is the inner filament the thin bit that sticks out.

Yes.
Of coarse mine is a fake.

 

[DarthMickeyMoose]

That’s terrible to hear on the inner part and the purchase. The reason there are so many repro’s out there is that the outer part and the inner part of the originals are prone to become hard and then extremely fragile and will crack and then break. I have seen many broke right in half. Hope all goes well with your refund. I remember a time when there was no repro’s at all and one never ever had to worry about this kind of BS. Those were the days.

 

[ThallJoben]

It's obvious some people who sell Vintage SW toys are crooks & liars - I've known this ever since the '90's. They will misrepresent the condition of items, try to sell you fakes, and outright lie - just to get suckers to fork over their hard earned money. This is one of the many reasons I don't collect Vintage toys anymore, and never will again.

I've also noticed that many of my own Vintage toys are in bad shape these days, i.e. sticky-ness on the figures themselves, stickers coming off on the vehicles; even my 1983 Chewbacca bandolier strap became completely ruined due to the foam (making up the strap itself) deteriorating/falling apart. Utter garbage.

So, to any collector who sees an advertisement for a toy from 30-40 years ago in "perfect" shape - it's probably B.S. And, to all who take advantage of collectors like this - go $#%$ yourselves, you filthy scum-bags.

 

[cichlidjedi]

Another reason why supporting any kind of UN-MARKED Repro weapons is ridiculous!!!! As a collection community we should all be united on this! We should educate members and Repro makers to have small initials or marks on them (Similar to the Ravalvit sabers).

Sorry Toyman. I do have a two graded UKG75 and if you need one I'll sell you what I paid for it. I like to help out and hook you up if I could but I bought these in a lot to get my early bird kit many years back. PM me and I can try and help.

 

[bigbarada]

Honestly, this exact thing is why I don't buy the high-profile variations. In my experience, scammers have been a part of the hobby since the early 1990s, so I've always been hesitant to simply trust someone's word. And even if the seller truly believes that they are selling you an authentic item, it's possible that they have been fooled as well.

 

[Waggy]

The question is how did AFA figure out its a fake. Is it an objective measure?

 

[toyman941]

The question is how did AFA figure out its a fake. Is it an objective measure?

Apparently , there are tell tales and differences between the real and repro . Also there is a specific length to these.

I have learned about this a little too late.

The outside part was real and the inner filament color was an exact match with some bending to it. The bending is very common with these. I see it all the time, even with AFA grades in high numbers.

It was easy to fool me because I only knew what to look for on the outside part and not the inside. If the inside filament was perfect, I would have tried to dig deeper but still would have missed it because I didn't know what to look for.

Maybe I should change the title of the thread to Buy Rare, BEWARE! Lol

 

[toyman941]

I really appreciate the concern and support, people. Thank you. I'm really glad I posted this. I have been coming to the right place (here at RS) and will continue to. You guys don't disappoint!!

The main target of this topic is awareness of buyer protection. Just because you buy direct out in the wild, it doesn't mean you can't have protection . Using cash will give you absolutely 0 protection.

Always try to buy and pay with a credit card with fraud protection. Nerd wallet. Com as a list of credit cards with the best rates and best buyer protection if you need help finding one.


Leave the cash in your pocket.

 

[MasterRizz]

I had a very similar experience. There is a guy at my local comic con who sells pretty much everything. You want it, chances are he's got it. He's a nice guy, but I don't know what to think about what happened. I bought:

2 Blue Hand-Held Lightsabers

Warok Bow

Black Palace Blaster

Black Imperial Blaster

So, after handing him cash, I was all excited. Then I realized the lightsabers were fake. So then I decided to test everything else. All fake, and by the time I realized, the next con was about 10 months away. I did get some legit stuff, but the fakes really dampened my mood. After this, I have become very careful when paying cash for any accessory's.

Sorry to hear about your DT Luke. That really must sting.

 

[toyman941]

I had a very similar experience. There is a guy at my local comic con who sells pretty much everything. You want it, chances are he's got it. He's a nice guy, but I don't know what to think about what happened. I bought:

2 Blue Hand-Held Lightsabers

Warok Bow

Black Palace Blaster

Black Imperial Blaster

So, after handing him cash, I was all excited. Then I realized the lightsabers were fake. So then I decided to test everything else. All fake, and by the time I realized, the next con was about 10 months away. I did get some legit stuff, but the fakes really dampened my mood. After this, I have become very careful when paying cash for any accessory's.

Sorry to hear about your DT Luke. That really must sting.

Thanks , and no. Not the best feeling in the world finding out I've been taken. I was pretty stoked finding him out in the wild. AFA was supposed to get back to me right away after receiving it but they took a while. I thought I was in the clear. Luckily, they did get back to me, BEFORE the bill was due for my CC date cycle on the 14th ..


If nothing more comes out of this, I really hope I can show others to use Credit card purchase protection . Especially in today's market. Deals are there to be had, but fraud still lurks and awaits us all.

Sorry to hear about your finds as well.

What's in your wallet ??? Definitely not just a commercial catch phrase. !!

 

[porkinsred6]

The question is how did AFA figure out its a fake. Is it an objective measure?

Of course there are differences. check out the imperial gunnery https://www.imperialgunnery.com/lightsabers for close ups of each version including some well known fakes. Even the best repros as of now have minor differences that can tell them apart from real ones. I won't go into too much detail about them here though just in case.

 

[DarthMickeyMoose]

I really appreciate the concern and support, people. Thank you. I'm really glad I posted this. I have been coming to the right place (here at RS) and will continue to. You guys don't disappoint!!

The main target of this topic is awareness of buyer protection. Just because you buy direct out in the wild, it doesn't mean you can't have protection . Using cash will give you absolutely 0 protection.

Always try to buy and pay with a credit card with fraud protection. Nerd wallet. Com as a list of credit cards with the best rates and best buyer protection if you need help finding one.


Leave the cash in your pocket.

Hey toyman941, were you able to get the refund through your CC on this. I was just thinking about this the other day. Hopefully things went well for you.

 

[PMSbull]

PayPal is also another great tool for buyer protection and the best tool is, a combination of using a Credit card with paypal.

I take it you are in the USA?

For anyone in the UK the advice for credit cards via paypal is DO NOT USE THEM VIA Paypal

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/credit-cards/PayPal-Section75/

 

[toyman941]

Hey toyman941, were you able to get the refund through your CC on this. I was just thinking about this the other day. Hopefully things went well for you.

It's back on a hold. The seller came forth and showed a picture of his sign saying all sales are final so they put the charge back. I called them and they said they need a letter from AFA saying the saber had a repro part . AFA says they can't give me one because they didn't refuse it and put a NG on the figure. If AFA gives me that letter , I will win the case. If they don't , I lose. I don't understand why they can't give me such a simple letter saying the inner filament was fake.

I sent them my emails from AFA but they said it would need to be on a letter head.

 

[toyman941]

I take it you are in the USA?

For anyone in the UK the advice for credit cards via paypal is DO NOT USE THEM VIA Paypal

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/credit-cards/PayPal-Section75/

Why? Does paypal make you use the credit card for protection. I can be wrong here, but from what I was told, paypal takes care of it , and the Credit card companies were for a back up.

Makes sense though seeing how no one wants the hassle or headache. Pass the problem on to someone else.

Knowing how great customer service is (cough cough) I wouldn't be surprised if it's all BS and they just wanted to get me off the phone.

 

[DarthMickeyMoose]

It's back on a hold. The seller came forth and showed a picture of his sign saying all sales are final so they put the charge back. I called them and they said they need a letter from AFA saying the saber had a repro part . AFA says they can't give me one because they didn't refuse it and put a NG on the figure. If AFA gives me that letter , I will win the case. If they don't , I lose. I don't understand why they can't give me such a simple letter saying the inner filament was fake.

I sent them my emails from AFA but they said it would need to be on a letter head.

.



So did you contact the seller and tell him what the deal was before you contacted the CC? Just curious if he denied you any kind of reply. That’s usually the sign he knew what he was selling. That’s a damn SOB move by him, Putting the figure in a case was most likely a way to hide the fact the inner part was a repro. Again hope in the end it works out for you. I’m no fan of AFA so I’m not surprised by there reply to you.

 

[toyman941]

.



So did you contact the seller and tell him what the deal was before you contacted the CC? Just curious if he denied you any kind of reply. That’s usually the sign he knew what he was selling. That’s a damn SOB move by him, Putting the figure in a case was most likely a way to hide the fact the inner part was a repro. Again hope in the end it works out for you. I’m no fan of AFA so I’m not surprised by there reply to you.

The figure was in a plastic figure sleeve. I did open him up. The outer saber was real for sure and the inner filament was bent and very typical shape so to my eyes, it looked consistent.

The seller didn't have an email listed and I ended up with his email after filing a dispute, however the email kicks back to me after a day saying undeliverable. So no, I haven't had contact with him.

All I need is for AFA to say 1 part of the 2 was fake and I will win the case.

If anyone knows people there, please give a good word so they can help me.

 

[DarthMickeyMoose]

Did you try by any chance to get his email or phone through the comic con show promoters? They should have both of those if you can get it from them. Do you remember a booth number or the name on the booth? I would try this if you get a chance.

 

[toyman941]

AFA came through and gave me a professionally worded letter to submit to my CC company. There shouldn't be any issues now. Fingers crossed.

 

[toyman941]

Did you try by any chance to get his email or phone through the comic con show promoters? They should have both of those if you can get it from them. Do you remember a booth number or the name on the booth? I would try this if you get a chance.

No, but that is a good idea. Don't remember a booth number but his card said jawa trader on it. No contact info on the card. I didn't get a shady feeling from him at all. I didn't even buy right away. I did my normal routine of scoping out all the booths and going back to the ones I liked before making a purchase from any of them. I talked with him a while and told him to think of a package deal for this as well as another piece. I went back to his booth multiple times just to hang out a BS with him after the purchase.

 

[DarthMickeyMoose]

AFA came through and gave me a professionally worded letter to submit to my CC company. There shouldn't be any issues now. Fingers crossed.

Good for you pal, AFA finally earned a little respect from me,

 

[toyman941]

Good for you pal, AFA finally earned a little respect from me,

Yeah, they really did come through for me. My CC company sided immediately after receiving the letter. Now it's still up to the seller to reach a settlement, meaning he can ask for a partial refund or what ever .

One word of advice would be to just have the grading company completely refuse the item and that way you get a letter . I didn't fully understand and I had them seal it up and give the NG without the inner filament. My thought process was having a NG would be better than sending it back and still paying the same amount of money. If they NG it, they don't refuse it, so it's much harder to get a letter.

I will update this as soon as it's completely over and done.

Thanks for the support