I had contact with the con artist also
The following was his response to my email prior to the end of the auction where I asked him why there was no signature and the different butt style on the cue and what proof he had that it was a Blevins:
Dear our_auctionguy,
this one is not signed or dated. i'll just leave it up your knowledge of the cue maker and his workmanship style. the cue is great condition, other than the blueing of the shafts from chalk. the butt is in great shape, no dents or finish chipping and last time i check (this morning), the cue is still straight together or apart. overall, 85/100 on consevative side. maybe you can get in touch with him and verify that it's one of his; since i have no proof of authenticity. thanks for the interest.
- cuehobby
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To be successful in some people's eyes, you need to know how to lie and not get caught even when everyone knows you lied. This guy is just polishing his technique. I would tell eBay that he posted a fraudulent ad and that they are responsible for your loss if they don't get Paypal to reverse the charges. Ebay has owned Paypal since 2002. he should have corrected his ad if he was not sure it was a Blevins. I doubt you are going to get a dealer to help because they consider eBay to be competition and they will likely laugh. You could try Jay at TJs Billiards in Huntington WV. He is a Richard Harris Dealer and listed on Richard's site. Now my secret be known, he has numerous Blevins cues for sale. I saw a number of them last weekend and bought one from him. I can't promise he will help you, but he is an authority on Blevins and has direct contact with Les. He ain't giving them away either.
Good luck.
our_auctionguy
Larry Swindle (what a name.. I should be a fraudster too... but I'm not.)