I feel badly but...
i just got off the phone from the owner of Joes Pawn Shop. Seems like a real nice guy. He says he totally believes me and that the cue is the cue that was stolen from me. He knows that I was taken totally advantage of, yet he doesn't want to be taken advantage of either, so he says he would let me have it for the $800 that it's at now on eBay. I told him that there's no way that I could do that since its beat up with one shaft and $800 would be full retail. I originally had this cue with 2 shafts and in great condition and would have been happy to get $1000. BTW, does anyone have any idea why this cue could be bringing $800. Just 3 days into a 7 day auction? I told him I'm a buyer at $400 and I think that's more than enough considering its mine to begin with.
Thank you,
Greg
With all the effort you have gone to and time you now have invested, you could have skipped a few messages here and taken that time to file a police report. Then you would at least have a leg to stand on legally speaking. A few things went wrong here I think:
-Shipping a cue without sending payment (I've done hundreds of Ebay deals and never shipped without payment, nor purchased anything without being required to pay before shipment)
-Not filing a police report (always the first step in any claim) when the "theft" occurred. Even now discovering it more than a year later and still no police report?
-In the old days people used to etch their drivers license number on valuables (TVs, electronics, etc.), or some other uniquely identifiable marks you place on the item.
-Without a serial number on a cue that has duplicates there is really no way to distinguish one from the others (even if the wood grain looks identical)
-USPS can only be held accountable if an item doesn't arrive or arrives damaged, and that's only if you have it insured.
-Could file a claim with homeowners insurance in regard to personal property claim.
I do feel bad for your situation, but posting the information about the pawn shop seems excessive. If you think the cue was worth 900-1000 in good shape with 2 shafts, at 400 with one shaft plus a refinish your still make out better. At 600 he might have played ball. It may be too late now for a police report. If I conducted business and had what was to me a legally acquired item, and no official verification of an item being stolen, and had a legitimate buyer at 800 that is what I would expect to be the value. There is still probably a 2nd and 3rd place bidder of at least 750. And remember they are a pawn shop in business to make money acquiring used merchandise and reselling for a profit. They aren't a factory authorized store selling new goods and offering warranties. The business models of pawn shops often lend to not being the best places to buy used merchandise.
Unfortunately you may have to chalk this up to a learning experience and will be able to takes steps ensuring you will be more profitable in the long run.
