When I went home for a vacation I left my fanny lifter there so I don't have to lug it with me the next time I make the trip. So when I came back, I went to Oshman's to get another one. But I saw the High Step, with Cathe on the box, and of course I decided to get that instead.
The HS comes with an ME DVD, as most of you HS users already know. Since I already have ME on DVD, I put this ME vhs up for auction on E-bay in its pristine, mint condition. It sold, I mailed the vhs promptly to the buyer, and that would've been the end of the story.
A week after I mailed the vhs, I got this e-mail from the buyer. It said: "I recently purchased a video from you through Ebay. The name of the video was Muscle Endurance and is marketed and distributed through Step and Motion Video Center Corporation of Glassboro, New Jersey. The video you sent me has such poor quality it is obviously a copy, even the label is clearly a forgery. I don’t know if you are aware of that fact that Ebay does not permit copies of videos sold on their site since this is COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT. You have misrepresented the original product, and you have sent this product across state lines which I understand is a violation of federal laws. I made this purchase in good faith and I demand that you refund my payment immediately. If I don’t hear from you very soon I will not only notify Ebay of this transaction but will also notify the Step and Motion Video Center Corporation , and will cooperate fully with authorities with any action taken against you."
I was totally shocked. So I e-mailed him back: "The Muscle Endurance vhs you bought from me came with the Reebok High Step that I purchased from Oshman's. Having no need of that video, I decided to list it on e-bay. It was never opened, viewed or used. I sold it in good faith. I do not make copies of videos for a living. You can go to your local sports stores and check out the Reebok High Step. It comes with that video. If you don't like the video, please MAIL IT BACK TO ME so I can refund your money IN FULL. I'd like to see the quality for myself. I'd like to have the video back by the end of the week. The sooner we undo this transaction, the better it would be for both of us. I am very upset about your accusations. I am not a lowlife after a cheap buck." And I gave him my contact info and all that...
Now... Do you know this voice in your head? The one that sounds like a little child jumping up and down, clamoring for attention? The one you WANT to ignore, but KNOW you can't? This voice said, "Pinky, check his listings!" So I did. Except for two items, this person was selling fitness videos and DVD's. And I thought that I did the right thing by asking for the video back instead of just sending him a refund. Was that this person's scam? He scares well-meaning traders into refunding his money, then reselling those videos and DVDs on E-bay? I don't have proof of this, but the thought burned through my head. I've been trading on E-bay for three years. There ARE baracudas out there.
The next morning, I e-mailed E-bay about the matter, asking what I should expect in a situation like this, and what I could do about this. I also e-mailed SNM, asking if the freebies in those Reebok products come from the same place that produces their videos and DVDs. Since all the Cathe workouts I own are on DVD, I have no point for comparison when it comes to their videos.
This person strangely didn't reply to my e-mail. So I e-mailed him back: "I would like to know if you have received my reply to your last e-mail. I would like to settle this matter quickly, with you getting your money back, and me getting my item back. For your information, I still have the original receipt from Oshman's and the original High Step box that clearly says it comes with a Cathe video. These two things alone back my claim. I have nothing to hide. And just to make your life easier, I forwarded your e-mail to BOTH E-bay and SNM Videos. I asked E-bay how I should deal with these false accusations you're very quick to hurl at me, and I asked SNM Videos about the "poor quality" of their products. I'm still waiting on a reply from them. Since you are accusing me of "violating federal laws", you can go ahead and contact a federal bureau and sic them on me. Like I said, I have nothing to hide. I expect this matter to be resolved by the end of the week once I get the item back. I'll send your refund through Paypal. I'm compromising with you here. I normally don't take returns. Those were the conditions of the sale."
No reply.
So I e-mailed him again: "This is my third e-mail to you. I am trying to get this matter settled as quickly and as easily for both of us after you sent me your threatening e-mail about reporting my allegedly misrepresented original product to E-bay, SNM Videos and federal agencies. I already contacted E-bay and SNM Videos. E-bay has already responded and offered to refund me their fees if I issue you a refund, which I will. E-bay also told me that when I get the VHS back, I should check it closely to see if it IS indeed the very copy I had sent to you. If not, they suggested that I can file a fraud claim against you through the USPS fraud system. Now I have done a lot of work here to get this matter settled. The least you can do is offer me the courtesy of responding to my e-mails. I'd like to know when you're shipping the item back so I can issue you a refund. This would have been an easy matter. I'm pretty easy to talk to, but I strongly despise the bullying tone of your e-mail, which doesn't carry the least bit of proof that what I sold you isn't a true copy. And I refuse to be bullied. You are NOT going to bully me. Now tell me when you're sending the VHS back so we can get this matter settled. You are wasting my time."
No reply.
My husband told me I'd scared the s*** out of this guy. "You refused to call his bluff. He knows you're on to him," he said. He also said: "How does one prove that a video is indeed a copy and a logo is forged just by viewing the tape and looking at the box?"
I know that many of you sell your videos on E-bay so you can update to DVDs. Be careful. There is never any way to know what kind of person you're dealing with.
I am still waiting for my video. AND a reply from this guy. I'm a peace-loving person. I say my piece and that's that. But the way I feel right now, I want to pummel this guy to the ground. Give him a good licking and bury him.
Pinky
The HS comes with an ME DVD, as most of you HS users already know. Since I already have ME on DVD, I put this ME vhs up for auction on E-bay in its pristine, mint condition. It sold, I mailed the vhs promptly to the buyer, and that would've been the end of the story.
A week after I mailed the vhs, I got this e-mail from the buyer. It said: "I recently purchased a video from you through Ebay. The name of the video was Muscle Endurance and is marketed and distributed through Step and Motion Video Center Corporation of Glassboro, New Jersey. The video you sent me has such poor quality it is obviously a copy, even the label is clearly a forgery. I don’t know if you are aware of that fact that Ebay does not permit copies of videos sold on their site since this is COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT. You have misrepresented the original product, and you have sent this product across state lines which I understand is a violation of federal laws. I made this purchase in good faith and I demand that you refund my payment immediately. If I don’t hear from you very soon I will not only notify Ebay of this transaction but will also notify the Step and Motion Video Center Corporation , and will cooperate fully with authorities with any action taken against you."
I was totally shocked. So I e-mailed him back: "The Muscle Endurance vhs you bought from me came with the Reebok High Step that I purchased from Oshman's. Having no need of that video, I decided to list it on e-bay. It was never opened, viewed or used. I sold it in good faith. I do not make copies of videos for a living. You can go to your local sports stores and check out the Reebok High Step. It comes with that video. If you don't like the video, please MAIL IT BACK TO ME so I can refund your money IN FULL. I'd like to see the quality for myself. I'd like to have the video back by the end of the week. The sooner we undo this transaction, the better it would be for both of us. I am very upset about your accusations. I am not a lowlife after a cheap buck." And I gave him my contact info and all that...
Now... Do you know this voice in your head? The one that sounds like a little child jumping up and down, clamoring for attention? The one you WANT to ignore, but KNOW you can't? This voice said, "Pinky, check his listings!" So I did. Except for two items, this person was selling fitness videos and DVD's. And I thought that I did the right thing by asking for the video back instead of just sending him a refund. Was that this person's scam? He scares well-meaning traders into refunding his money, then reselling those videos and DVDs on E-bay? I don't have proof of this, but the thought burned through my head. I've been trading on E-bay for three years. There ARE baracudas out there.
The next morning, I e-mailed E-bay about the matter, asking what I should expect in a situation like this, and what I could do about this. I also e-mailed SNM, asking if the freebies in those Reebok products come from the same place that produces their videos and DVDs. Since all the Cathe workouts I own are on DVD, I have no point for comparison when it comes to their videos.
This person strangely didn't reply to my e-mail. So I e-mailed him back: "I would like to know if you have received my reply to your last e-mail. I would like to settle this matter quickly, with you getting your money back, and me getting my item back. For your information, I still have the original receipt from Oshman's and the original High Step box that clearly says it comes with a Cathe video. These two things alone back my claim. I have nothing to hide. And just to make your life easier, I forwarded your e-mail to BOTH E-bay and SNM Videos. I asked E-bay how I should deal with these false accusations you're very quick to hurl at me, and I asked SNM Videos about the "poor quality" of their products. I'm still waiting on a reply from them. Since you are accusing me of "violating federal laws", you can go ahead and contact a federal bureau and sic them on me. Like I said, I have nothing to hide. I expect this matter to be resolved by the end of the week once I get the item back. I'll send your refund through Paypal. I'm compromising with you here. I normally don't take returns. Those were the conditions of the sale."
No reply.
So I e-mailed him again: "This is my third e-mail to you. I am trying to get this matter settled as quickly and as easily for both of us after you sent me your threatening e-mail about reporting my allegedly misrepresented original product to E-bay, SNM Videos and federal agencies. I already contacted E-bay and SNM Videos. E-bay has already responded and offered to refund me their fees if I issue you a refund, which I will. E-bay also told me that when I get the VHS back, I should check it closely to see if it IS indeed the very copy I had sent to you. If not, they suggested that I can file a fraud claim against you through the USPS fraud system. Now I have done a lot of work here to get this matter settled. The least you can do is offer me the courtesy of responding to my e-mails. I'd like to know when you're shipping the item back so I can issue you a refund. This would have been an easy matter. I'm pretty easy to talk to, but I strongly despise the bullying tone of your e-mail, which doesn't carry the least bit of proof that what I sold you isn't a true copy. And I refuse to be bullied. You are NOT going to bully me. Now tell me when you're sending the VHS back so we can get this matter settled. You are wasting my time."
No reply.
My husband told me I'd scared the s*** out of this guy. "You refused to call his bluff. He knows you're on to him," he said. He also said: "How does one prove that a video is indeed a copy and a logo is forged just by viewing the tape and looking at the box?"
I know that many of you sell your videos on E-bay so you can update to DVDs. Be careful. There is never any way to know what kind of person you're dealing with.
I am still waiting for my video. AND a reply from this guy. I'm a peace-loving person. I say my piece and that's that. But the way I feel right now, I want to pummel this guy to the ground. Give him a good licking and bury him.
Pinky
But seriously, there is this devil's advocate's voice in my head that asks: What if he really believes that the vhs is a fake? That's why I turned to E-bay for answers.
