Indians For Guns

This is NOT a bump...
.. but more of a cautionary note to fellow members.

I have to thank you all again for an excellent sale.... all but one!
http://www.indiansforguns.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=7051
... and thats the reason of this post .. to share an experience that should benefit everyone on an open forum.

I have had great responses, interactions and accounting with every sale, but the biggest buyer for whom I had most respect and hopes is now acting elusive and is not paying up!

I sold all my personal collection simply because of greater priorities and impeding conditions. I was and am in in emergency conditions and that is why my sales were in line. All those who bought stuff from me, respected my request and have paid up. One of the buyers, who is a very old member of the forum, and for whom I had very high regard, has bought over 16K of stuff from me, and is now in hiding. Incidentally, all those who received the stuff before making the transfer have paid up, except for this 'mask'eteer!

In the last 5+ weeks after delivery, and after several PMs, SMSs and phone calls, all I have received is excuses and broken promises. It breaks my heart and trust that I have had on so many, to see one such black spotruineveryone'sinterest!!!
In the last few weeks, I have noticed a change in contact numbers, not answering calls or SMSs or PMs, and all this more than one month AFTER having received the goods. Matter of fact, the dear old gentleman is now logging on in an invisible mode!!!

My sad tale aside, I am only mentioning this so that others, who set up sales on the forum, should be cautious.
How much ever you trust anyone, please do not make any goof up of couriering goods before monetary transactions (like me)!
In my case, I have been taken for a ride, and am feeling very bad about the state of affairs. It is not up to the forum to bear any responsibility on what has happened. But it is surely my responsibility to share my experiences so that other members dont get into similar situations.

Cheapos come by the dozen, and some others get duped (like me)... Please dont be one of them! Please dont get duped or dupe others... this is widely in the interest of the shooting fraternity and the trust that such nice open forums have developed over several hundred members, many years and thousands of posts!

... and I shall still smile

TenX, I think u should mention the name; an escrow payment mode is the only answer to such problems.

I really thought much before posting this.. and mentioning the name, would make it more personal and bring m claim to open forum. I only wanted to mention it a a cautionary note to everyone, as to how old senior and trusted members can change their colors!

You should name & shame the person, so that no one else is duped by him/ her... that's the whole idea of having the feedback section. So that people know who is conducting clean & honest deals and who is looking to cheat someone...

The members here are merely a reflection of the society at large, and just like you have all kinds in the real world, it should come as no surprise that there would be all kinds here as well - the decent & the rowdy, the generous & the stingy, the helpful & the back-stabbers, the honest & the dishonest, etc.

...and just because anyone has been here for a long time, I don't think one should let one's guard down...

Cheers!
Abhijeet

Sorry to know of your troubles. I cannot add to what Abhijeet has already said.

There are all kinds of people one comes across. You are unfortunate to come across one who did not honour a commitment. I would like to say, if I may, before you name that person, send a PM and an email explaining what you intend to do and a link to this discussion. Hopefully, he responds with an explanation or tries to resolve the issue amicably. Wait a day or two and if he still doesn't respond, name him.

Best-
Vikram

Ten X
I think you should register a case with the police.Where is this so called gent based.
And I agree with the others,there is absolutely no harm in disclosing his identity,it just might make him ashamed enough to pay up...16 K is a lot of money.
Sad but true...you find jerks in every pack,he is not the first and definitely not the last....
Good luck mate
Best

Tenx

Agree with others here and this a very small fraternity and you should mention the name of this chap. The buyer should atleast send the stuff back to you. Hope it works out ..

Best

TenX
none of us can afford to lose 16k, name and shame is the least can be done for the 16k, or else you lose the money and lose your opportunity to warn others against such one.

I'm a member on some other boards, (not Indians) and they are having a well known person with good reputation, who serve as sort of transaction point, or guarantor. Buyer send him money, seller send him goods, he check and if everything is OK, then he send money and goods accordingly. He charge some reasonable fee and nobody get scammed. Very useful service.

Money owed is money owed and MUST be paid up. You should have a cash and carry policy so you don' face this problem again. One could route the cash transactions through Paypal or something like that. I am sure the scoundrel will get sleepless nights.

TenX,

I agree with nagarifle. You should name this person before he tries to dupe someone else.

Hope you get your money.

Cheers

Ashar

Hi Tenx,
Dont want to add to your agony.Budd, you are to blame.Irrespective of who it is you shoudnt have sent the stuff before getting the payment.
Thanks to IFG,i have sold a lot of stuff.
I have one single rule,goods move only after money reflects in account or where i have recieved a DD or cheque,after it is cleared.
In our hast to dispose off our stuff we fall prey to these wolves and swines.
I have few experiences to narrate where i was being coaxed to send goods on the promise that cash has been deposited in the account.Eventually the money never showed up even after 10days
I said nothing doing,first the cash everything else will follow.
I would also like to advise all fellow IFG'ians to be well aware of such sweet talking cheats fraudsters rouges.

Hi Tenx,
Knowing truth can really help us in future purchase and it is strongly felt that for all safety concern name has to declared , keeping licenced arms directly increases responsibility and any fradulent attempt should not be tolerated.James....

Hi TenX,

Any reply from your buyer after your post and efforts to contact him? Also, if you don't mind me asking,did this sale commitment take place on IFG? If he doesn't contact you soon or refuses to pay you what he owes, you should name him and proceed further. So that he can explain his position.

Thank you and all the best with your money.

Best-
Vikram

HI all.

Thanks a bunch for the many warm replies.
Firstly, there is only one side of the story, and I still dont want to get into a blame game ... atleast not yet!
Next, the person had contacted me today and requested for 2 more days to make the payment. Even if he does not keep with these words again, there is a very slim chance that I would want to let out any names. If I slipped, I can atleast let out the valuable lesson, and that is why I posted this, just to wary everyone here to ensure payment before delivery.

My point is, even if I did mention that person's name, and even if everyone would caution themselves with sales to this person, there is no guarantee that others might not do the same. Therefore, everyone's policy, henceforth, must and should be money in the bank before courier wrapping

I need to travel a mentionable distance to send out the couriers, and therefore I sent them all in one go. (Yes yes, I know.. it IS called Penny-wise blah blah)

Matter of fact, since yesterday, I have been wondering what to reply to so many responses What started as a 'watch out' message really got all your kind attention, and I must say that is more than the money due

And Vikram, yes, the sales to this person did start on IFG.