Scammer: REPPIN

[Sbybbuser]

I bought a watch from member REPPIN on march 2016.

Here is the sales thread:

http://rwg.cc/topic/183216-franken-super-rare-vintage-rolex-explorer-ref-6350-for-sale/#comment-1461102

First, the deal went smoothly. Communication was great.

He gave me a tracking number not long after i made payment.

[picture with personal identifying information deleted -nanuq]

The package arrived at my post office at mid april 2016.

But, there was a problem with customs.

I was charged almost twice the value of the watch due to import tax. Customs thought that the watch is gen.

I provided customs with the pp payment proof to get the import tax reduced but I wasn't successful. I contacted Reppin to let him know about the situation. I said I am going to have the package returned back to sender (him) to avoid the tax and I will tell him a different address to send the package to.

The post office was having a procedural issue with the shipping back to him. Since the package was sent using USPS, the post office must use normal mail service to send it back but I insist to use EMS instead so I can have a tracking number and it won't take more than a week for the package to arrive in CONUS.

After going back and forth, finally, the post office found a way to send it back via EMS. It was already june when the post office finally sent the package.

The package was received by Reppin himself on early July 2016. I didn't get the tracking number from the post office eventhough I kept asking them to give me the tracking number.

So I kept sending REPPIN a pm asking whether he has received the package.

Finally i received the screenshot from the post office stating that the package has been delivered and received by him.

So i pm him the tracking result and asked him again whether he has received the package since it was signed/received by him.

Then he went all silence. He never replied any of my pm after that.

I tried to raise a pp dispute after consulting with the mod, but the time frame for a dispute has passed.

I just found out a few days ago that Reppin did a trade with a member for the watch.

He then already sold the watches he got from the trade.

So it is confirmed that he definitely has received the watch and made more money out of it.

It is sad that a long time respected member would do something like this.

I was scammed before. But i always chalk it up as an experience. I always thought that it was because i didn't do my homework when selling or buying.

But, this time it really blindsided me. I guess nothing can be learned from this situation.

Well, maybe the lesson is not to buy expensive watches and have it sent to post office here.

As i said in a different thread a few times, postal office has been really strict this year.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[docthor]

Wow...that is hard...really really hard. I guess you already contacted the mods with what you found out just to make sure your accusation is approved and backed up by them!

[Mike on a bike]

Unfortunately I have tried repeated attempts to contact Reppin through various channels to straighten this out but the facts are pretty much as reported above.

PS action will be taken shortly guys , in closing it is sad to lose a known long time member in this manner.

[docthor]

...unbelievable...it makes me sad that some people choose to loose all their reputation just for some $$$ and it makes me sad to see that an honest member looses $$$ and I bet a little faith too

[Michelangelo001]

Sorry to hear he is a scammer

i got this watch in early August in a trade for some watches

it took some time before he sent it to me so i was a little worried, but it arrived after about 2 weeks in transfer, but we had contact all the time

i tried to contact him when i received it but he never answered. 

 

Regards

Michael

[Legend]

I have been following the case before its exposure, and sadly, sbybbuser is right in his accusation.

Reppin has been given a chance to explain in a PM involving him and some of us crew members, but he chose to be silent and left the conversation.

I guess that is a tacit relinquishing of defence. 

The OP has been given full consent to post this account. 

[docthor]

1 hour ago, Michelangelo001 said:

Sorry to hear he is a scammer

i got this watch in early August in a trade for some watches

it took some time before he sent it to me so i was a little worried, but it arrived after about 2 weeks in transfer, but we had contact all the time

i tried to contact him when i received it but he never answered. 

 

Regards

Michael

Hey Michael ,

not sure if it's okay to ask but what was Reppins story why he still had the watch even though sbybuser bought it back in March?

[Michelangelo001]

Hi

He contacted me via PM and asked if i was interested in a vintage Explorer because i had searched for one on WTB.

I was and asked if he was interested in a trade for some watches, and he was interested.

I asked him about the sale to Spybbuser and he said the deal didnt work out and he got the watch back. I had no reason not to beleive him. We had a good conversation and he is/was a respected member of this forum. 

 

Regards

Michael

[docthor]

That's soo hard...from this point you had no chance to know that he actually wasn't the legit owner of the watch. I wouldn't have asked for more proof too to be honest.

The only way to avoid something like this in the future is what they already have over at RWI.

For each and every sale a sales thread has to be opened...no matter if it is a sale between friends, a WTB or any other form of sale. If the seller doesn't want to you can be sure something's fishy...

[kernow]

Sorry to hear of this. It happens rarely fortunately, but unfortunately for Sbybbuser it was him that was scammed. 

All sales threads should be marked paid/closed/received etc and feedback left. This goes a little way to prevent these scams. 

I guess Reppin has now left never to return. @Mike on a bike I'm guessing he is now banned? 

[Sogeha]

@Sbybbuser sickened to hear this. It is hard to know what to do when a long standing member goes rogue like this. Maybe run our own escrow account? 

Edited November 25, 2016 by Sogeha
I can't spell

[Mike on a bike]

A few answers per-say: It is sad to lose a member in this way (a guy you know for years) but if I left out how sad I am that Sbybbuser got screwed I guess I just figured you guys know me well enough to take that as a given. As far as all private deals being put up , hmmm how do you enforce that. Do we go around banning any two members if we catch wind of a watches being sold or traded privately? I think not it is draconian to say the least, please read my signature below that about sums up my position. As to the ban yes I will have it put through.  I guess I was hoping Reppin would come to his senses and Sbybbuser would get his money back , I am a hopeful guy. There is almost no way to defend ourselves against a long time member with a good reputation going bad , this is a risk we all take.

PS no escrow accts. the board can not be responsible for loss mitigation. Although I believe a few of you do this for a living and could construct something  workable you are well aware of legal liability of the house (let us call it) holding the money, we can not go there.

[Nanuq]

Ban is complete.

[sacsah1]

Sad to see this.

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

[Nanuq]

Absolutely. There is no pleasure in this part of the job.

[SSTEEL]

Very sad to hear about this, but with Christmas looming, sadly some people choose poor ways of making that extra money for the holidays, very sad though to be the behaviour of a long standing member though.  Very sad indeed.

[Sogeha]

8 hours ago, Mike on a bike said:

It is sad to lose a member in this way

PS no escrow accts. the board can not be responsible for loss mitigation. Although I believe a few of you do this for a living and could construct something  workable you are well aware of legal liability of the house (let us call it) holding the money, we can not go there.

I guess I knew that Mike, it was kind of a knee jerk reaction to another member getting screwed. 

[Nanuq]

RWG has always been the place where we share knowledge about watches and out the scammers and fly-by-night shysters.  We always say "trust the seller, not the watch".

So where does that leave us when a member that had been here for NINE YEARS goes rogue?

I recommend using the Feedback system here more.  A LOT more.  If you have a positive sale or purchase experience, let us know!  And if something didn't go as planned, be honest and let us know.  That history of good performance may well be the most valuable tool on this site.

Maybe that can substitute for "years in the saddle"??  A noob with a proven track record here is far more likely to convince me to enter into a transaction with him than a long time member with no feedback.

 

[Sogeha]

@Nanuq I don't know where it leaves us. I wish I did, I've thrown a few suggestions out, but truthfully none of them really fly. As a buyer I haven't had much feedback left on this or any other forum. I kind of hope some of the guys I've bought bits from would say I'm a stand up guy if I ever need it. Maybe community reputation points might count for,something. All I know is it leaves a bad taste in my mouth, when guys I consider friends get ripped off on a deal. I'm sure I'm not alone there. It's bad enough with Custom risks because we are not supposed to be buying this stuff. 

[kernow]

+1 for what Nanuq said. Please leave feedback as both a buyer and a seller. Once you've paid for an item leave 'funds sent' or similar on the thread. Once the funds have been received the seller should mark the thread as sold. 

Common sense also plays a part. Whilst there maybe several people stating 'PM sent', it's only when funds have been sent and received that the item should no longer be on sale. 

It is a bitch when 'good'/long standing members go rouge but it happens sometimes. Be vigilant, be careful and don't send gift payments unless you can afford to lose the money (not that that is the case here)! 

[automatico]

"If you have a positive sale or purchase experience, let us know!  And if something didn't go as planned, be honest and let us know."

Bought a used MBK '5512' from Reppin in February 2016.  All went Ok except it had an Asian etaclone in it instead of an Eta as claimed  "Has a swiss ETA inside" .  Notified him but no partial refund offered and I let it go but I figured anyone here as long as he had been should know.  Imho I paid about $100 too much because of this 'mistake'...oh yeah, it had a seadweller bezel on it, told him about that too.  No sympathy.  Another $100 out the window.

I kept quiet because I did not want a feud.

http://rwg.cc/topic/183028-mbw-5512-for-sale-from-the-recent-nos/

edit:  In retrospect maybe I should have kept quiet but the deal left a bad taste because of the wrong movement and bezel.

[Nanuq]

If we're dealing with honest men, then mistakes don't turn into feuds.

I asked the Boss to rework the main drop down menus across the top of the screen so it's easier to access the Feedback tool.

Let's use it.

[Sbybbuser]

That will be a great feature to be able to leave a feedback more easily.

I find the feedback menu on other forums easier to access.

Other than that, I find this forum offers more knowledge especially on rolex builds.

I spent countless hours reading the posts here although I can't really contribute because I lack the attention to details that some of the members here have.

Thanks for the mods for the time and efforts to make this website running.

 

[marrickvilleboy]

@Nanuq

Considering we have now confirm his is a scammer - why can't we name and shame him publicly? At least it will warn other members if they ever deal with him.

[sgtguk]

Just reading this thread now, so sorry you got scammed Sbybbuser, especially from a long standing member who has obviously turned into an asshole I always shut off pms and cut off any knobs or scammers when I hear about them so I was surprised to see his status as is when i looked, mods can we hit the ban button and show members why too in his signature maybe!

I really hate scammers   scum off the earth in this hobby !