stolen items

[dave321]

Had a call today from the police regarding some items I bought from a reputable auction house last year, it appears they were stolen several months earlier & that the auction house was unaware of this until recently.

I have sold on the items through Ebay so the police have asked me to supply the Ebay buyers details (which I will) but i am a bit worried that Ebay/PP discover I have sold stolen items and take action against me. I have a stealth Ebay account with 100% positive feedback for 3 years.

Does anyone have similar experience.

[realdeals]

What kind of items were they? Should have just said you sold them at a car boot.

[RosieTosie]

Originally Posted by dave321

Had a call today from the police regarding some items I bought from a reputable auction house last year, it appears they were stolen several months earlier & that the auction house was unaware of this until recently.

I have sold on the items through Ebay so the police have asked me to supply the Ebay buyers details (which I will) but i am a bit worried that Ebay/PP discover I have sold stolen items and take action against me. I have a stealth Ebay account with 100% positive feedback for 3 years.

Does anyone have similar experience.

The Police will contact the buyers as they will want to recover these items to return them to the owners. You should be able to get your money back from that reputable auction house, obviously they are in no position to get difficult over refunding you!, you can then refund your buyers who will hopefully be delighted with that and not point out what has happened to ebay, who should not have any other way of finding out what has happened.

[ooooo.halo]

Originally Posted by dave321

Had a call today from the police regarding some items I bought from a reputable auction house last year, it appears they were stolen several months earlier & that the auction house was unaware of this until recently.

I have sold on the items through Ebay so the police have asked me to supply the Ebay buyers details (which I will) but i am a bit worried that Ebay/PP discover I have sold stolen items and take action against me. I have a stealth Ebay account with 100% positive feedback for 3 years.

Does anyone have similar experience.

Hopefully this can be resolved without ebay being in the loop.
They were last year right, so presumably feedbacj has been left for you.
If so, it should be a straightforward matter with the police and recovering the goods if possible or the funds associated with it. Hopefully ending with all parties being happy.
Good luck :-)

[MM78]

Originally Posted by dave321

Had a call today from the police regarding some items I bought from a reputable auction house last year, it appears they were stolen several months earlier & that the auction house was unaware of this until recently.

I have sold on the items through Ebay so the police have asked me to supply the Ebay buyers details (which I will) but i am a bit worried that Ebay/PP discover I have sold stolen items and take action against me. I have a stealth Ebay account with 100% positive feedback for 3 years.

You bought items from a reputable auction house, in the end you are not at fault. You purchased the items legally and if you have receipts then I don't see why you should be worried with Ebay but as we all know, Ebay is Bi-Polar and can snap at any time.

In the end, even if they contact the buyers, those items might have already re-sold, used, etc. Wish you the best of luck dave, keep us updated on this situation.

[Haidukken]

Wow, that's a weird one.
I purchase most of my stock from auction houses and I've never heard anything like this happen before. I would probably freak out if POLICE would call me.

As mentioned earlier, most likely you will get a full refund from the auction house based on the receipts that you provide them.

[Geegee83]

"Ebay is Bi-Polar and can snap at any time".

That's got to be the best description of eBay ever!

[dave321]

Thanks for the reply, they are vintage collectables and I have sent most across sea`s so I expect recovery of them to be difficult, my concern is that a buyer contacts paypal to secure the refund, this is a stealth account so could open a can of worms, maybe some doctoring of invoices may be required.

[Dawidck]

I think you will find it helpfull

Can you claim compensation from the person who sold you stolen goods?

If the stolen goods you bought are returned to the original owner, you can sue the person who sold the goods to you for breach of contract. This is because the law says that any seller of goods must have the right to sell those goods.

However, this can be difficult because you will need to be able to trace the person. It can also be a slow and expensive process.

You should always take independent advice before starting legal action.


Have you committed a crime if you buy stolen goods?

Handling stolen goods is a crime but you're unlikely to be arrested if you didn't know the goods you bought were stolen.

Tell the police as soon as you discover or suspect you've bought stolen goods. Stop using them. If you don't report it and you carry on using your goods, you could be arrested for handling stolen goods.

[realdeals]

Originally Posted by dave321

Thanks for the reply, they are vintage collectables and I have sent most across sea`s so I expect recovery of them to be difficult, my concern is that a buyer contacts paypal to secure the refund, this is a stealth account so could open a can of worms, maybe some doctoring of invoices may be required.

Wouldn't do that. Just play it with a straight bat.

[joffieJaffa]

Originally Posted by realdeals

Wouldn't do that. Just play it with a straight bat.

For sure play it straight, Police wont be interested in your ebay activates

it will most likely come to a dead end if the items are stolen and sold aboard. especially if there less than a grand each and more so if sold out of the E.U

[GreenBean]

Originally Posted by dave321

Thanks for the reply, they are vintage collectables and I have sent most across sea`s so I expect recovery of them to be difficult, my concern is that a buyer contacts paypal to secure the refund, this is a stealth account so could open a can of worms, maybe some doctoring of invoices may be required.

Go get legal advice NOW.

Base that on what the quote was from Dawidck.

You obtained certain items. These were sold overseas. Protect your own back.

Play it straight.

[rsot]

Always get legal counsel - don't just rely on few posts on the forums here. Watch your wallet too - don't overpay for services

[Bunneh]

Wow what a huge mess!!
Is it normal for the police to do this stuff over the phone?
Surely they just show up at your residence?

[dave321]

Well had an update from auction house, they say they can not do anything as they were acting as agents for the seller & had taken all steps to check him & the items, they say that as he was charged with burglary that I can take civil action against him, sounds like a fob off from auction house to me so getting some legal advice tomorrow.
Looks like I will have some claims coming from the buyers so to protect my interests considering dumping this account & moving to another I have.

[Haidukken]

What an absolute ****show by the Auction house.
If I was you, I'd just dust myself off and walk away- As you mentioned earlier, it could possibly open a proper can of worms.

[GreenBean]

Originally Posted by dave321

Well had an update from auction house, they say they can not do anything as they were acting as agents for the seller & had taken all steps to check him & the items, they say that as he was charged with burglary that I can take civil action against him, sounds like a fob off from auction house to me so getting some legal advice tomorrow.
Looks like I will have some claims coming from the buyers so to protect my interests considering dumping this account & moving to another I have.

Legal advice shoud have been done days ago.

Let your brief decide on what type of contract the auction house had with 'the seller',.

No need for you to be pushed around more than you are.

Ebay/paypal will come into this with a shed load of grief unless you get the correct guidance.

[RosieTosie]

Originally Posted by dave321

Well had an update from auction house, they say they can not do anything as they were acting as agents for the seller & had taken all steps to check him & the items, they say that as he was charged with burglary that I can take civil action against him, sounds like a fob off from auction house to me so getting some legal advice tomorrow.
Looks like I will have some claims coming from the buyers so to protect my interests considering dumping this account & moving to another I have.

Definitely don't accept that you will have to refund those buyers without those scammers at that 'reputable' auction house refunding you first ! As the goods were sold abroad as well this isn't going to be a straightforward one to fix either. Your idea to dump the account and walk away coukd we'll be your best option dave.

[yankee]

Out of curiosity, how many items and what values?

[joffieJaffa]

its not really a police matter any more as the person has been done with burglery , anything after that is a civil matter unless you purchased them knowing they was stolen, then you would have been done with handling stolen goods.


I wouldn't worry too much , I also would get eat up over the action house reply, it would be better to let sleeping dogs lie.

[realdeals]

Originally Posted by joffieJaffa

its not really a police matter any more as the person has been done with burglery , anything after that is a civil matter unless you purchased them knowing they was stolen, then you would have been done with handling stolen goods.


I wouldn't worry too much , I also would get eat up over the action house reply, it would be better to let sleeping dogs lie.

Being charged and being convicted are two completely different things, depending on if he has pleaded guilty the case could go on for a year or more. Therefore it is an awkward situation as it is an ongoing legal process/prosecution.

It would be interesting to see the auction houses t+c's as all auction houses I have dealt with in the past have had some sort of proviso in the terms to deal with such a situation.

Personally I would be tempted with a bluff if all else fails, say that you are very upset and angry with their customer service, you expected some sort of goodwill gesture, and as you have not got one you now feel impelled to talk to the local press about it and tell them your story.

The absolute bottom line of course is the value of goods involved, and is it worth the hassle?

[rsot]

True, the auction house should have some insurance/policy about this kind of business