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STOLENCOMIC.COM - Website to report or search for stolen comic books started
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Started by ivegotneatstuff,

55 posts in this topic

Mr. Zipper

Mr. Zipper

Posted
Posted
That sounds like legal action to be taken against paypal...

They are not the police,and taking your money back from a fraudlent trans that they allowed is paypal's responsibilty to control who accesses funds from people's accounts... 2c

You did your part,and upheld the transaction...i personally would not be walking away quietly from that situation.

 

I battled Paypal for almost a year, filing complaints with many sources, including the NYS Attorney General (who sided with me and referred to PayPal's policy as "self-serving.")

 

The reason I did not qualify for "sellers protection" is because I accepted payment in two installments. The buyer sent me $100 and told me he'd have the balance after he sold some books in a week. After he paid in full, I shipped. I was not aware, at the time, that accepting payment in more than one installment voids Paypal Seller protection.

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Mr. Zipper

Mr. Zipper

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Posted
Would you be willing to file a police report? I'm confused why you wouldn't? Also, isnt this postal fraud?

 

If the book was never reported stolen, then it isn't technically stolen property..as far as authorities are concerned. I say this thinking of a scenario.. lets say I put it on the website..and somebody finds it at some convention and notifies us. The police won't get involved unless there is actually a police report showing it has been stolen...at least in my experience....during which time the person who discovers it is sort of stalling the thief saying "hey...I've got the stolen book right in front of me.. send the police to confiscate it.." right?

 

It would be cool if everyone chimed in here.. I mean.. I believe what you are telling me is true... .....but what if it is actually found? How would you legally get it back without a police report?

 

This all happened in 2003. Over the years, I've always scanned auctions and posted scans in various places just in case the book surfaced.

 

It never really occurred to me to file a police report for something that I willingly shipped to someone. I can't imagine the local police getting involved in something like this. (shrug) I had all my documentation through Paypal and I did file a report with the Postal Service if I recall correctly.

 

In retrospect, I probably should have just to have a paper trail as you suggest. Now, all I have are my emails with Paypal and letters from the NYS AG, etc.

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KryptoSpidey

KryptoSpidey

Posted
Posted (edited)
That sounds like legal action to be taken against paypal...

They are not the police,and taking your money back from a fraudlent trans that they allowed is paypal's responsibilty to control who accesses funds from people's accounts... 2c

You did your part,and upheld the transaction...i personally would not be walking away quietly from that situation.

 

I battled Paypal for almost a year, filing complaints with many sources, including the NYS Attorney General (who sided with me and referred to PayPal's policy as "self-serving.")

 

The reason I did not qualify for "sellers protection" is because I accepted payment in two installments. The buyer sent me $100 and told me he'd have the balance after he sold some books in a week. After he paid in full, I shipped. I was not aware, at the time, that accepting payment in more than one installment voids Paypal Seller protection.

Ouch...yep..never take more than 1 payment...a "deposit" doesn't exist in "Paypal land"...

I've read that policy,but never heard of a situation where it was an issue,until now...and it sure seems like a way for paypal to sneak out of being liable for what was obviously a scam towards you...

Edited by kryptospidey
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PrismaticSmoke

PrismaticSmoke

Posted
Posted

What I hate about Claims of Stolen Comics is what is to prevent me from walking into a convention, LCS, Craiglist purchase, Garage Sale purchase, etc etc then having some insufficiently_thoughtful_person claim they own the book a year later. I am sorry but in this hobby there is just no way to prove a 100% that the book was or was not stolen.

 

If I bought a Book from a Garage Sale for instance and some guy or gal claims that that is the same book stolen from them a year ago, I am like sorry for luck but A. you cannot prove it was stolen, just saying so is not good enough and B. You cannot prove you owned that book to begin with, and even if you had a receipt how do I know you did not sell the book and later yell Stolen?. That my friends is the problem with this hobby very little in the way of a paper trail.

 

Besides, any thief that knows anything about this hobby will simply crack it out of the case, resubmit it and get a new registry number or send it to the other grading company which would be cheaper to grade and no one would be on the lookout for that book in a P*X case.

 

That being said anyone caught red handed stealing should be not charged with a crime or jailed. Just pick a group of collectors stick them in a room for a few 10 min. and Justice would have been served.

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AtlasFan

AtlasFan

Posted
Posted (edited)
Nice idea, but this could be an unintended playground for mischief...

 

I have not looked the site yet, but I would recommend that only stolen books where there is filed police report or open postal investigation be allowed to be listed.

 

I can just imagine some unscrupulous person posting book that are, in fact, NOT stolen on the site -- just to give the rightful owner a hard time.

 

My 2 cents:

I would also recommend that the person filing the stolen book post fully identify themselves and the circumstances of the theft. The poster should list their full name, address and contact information either publicly or, at least, to the site's admin. That admin should authenticate the poster's story and, only then, should the book be listed.

 

Thanks - I am thinking along those lines too. I am also listing everything as "reported stolen" ... but with that being said, I think, all in all, people reporting comics stolen are pretty honest....and the site obviously is not an official go to source to report something stolen... the police are. I can't see how someone can benefit by reporting something stolen here that actually isn't...as it isn't a place an adjuster will use to pay a claim on, etc. The only way to benefit financially is to actually complete a police report - and in that case, if they did it fraudulently, they would be committing a crime.

 

In my case (the FF49 on the site was stolen from me), the police response was very slow and ... lets just say it could have been better (they pulled the thief over in his car while he had the book in his car...and the police did nothing about it..despite knowing it was there..they just took his word for it). The postal authorities took days to call me back, if at all. I feel like we (the collecting world) do a much better job of policing in these cases than sometimes the proper authorities do - and don't get me wrong, I love the police - I just think they are usually quite busy dealing with much more important cases than to chase down comic books.

 

The reason I might not require a police report is that it often takes a fair amount of time to get one done...during which time the thief is pawning off their priced books. I might make it a requirement to get a police report to me within 48 hours or something - or the books will be removed from the site - what does everyone think of this?

 

and thanks for your suggestions :)

 

True, sometimes time is critical in getting a lead on a stolen item. Getting the word out quickly is essential to recovery. I am sure police reports are filed differently in each jurisdiction. If the poster does not have a police or postal report "in hand" (ready to upload), maybe you could have a "pending official documentation" status.

 

I would see this web page as more of an anonymous tipster site...people who see the book at a show or a local comic book owner who is offered the book could anonymously tip the owner (thru the site by email). For example: "Hey, this is Dealer X I think someone offered me your book today.. I was at the YYY show in Anytown, USA and this guy with a Strawberry Shortcake T-shirt and swollen ankles came up to me and..."

 

It would be unfair to expect someone to confront the thief directly. Not only could it be dangerous, but the crook might bolt and dump the book if they think someone knows their identity.

Edited by AtlasFan
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Shark

Shark

Posted
Posted
sc2.jpg

 

Hello everybody!

 

dr.png

 

As some board members know, I have been working on a site to report comic books which have either been knowingly stolen from you, or that are just missing. A "missing comic registry" for both victims and potential buyers or auctioneers/consignment houses, law enforcement..etc.

 

I have been hesitant to launch the site for a while...out of fear some folks might post books that actually aren't stolen..but who just have a grudge against someone...or some other reason I have yet to figure out, but I decided I am just being paranoid and, should that happen, I will just remove the offending post and move on.

 

I have also thought of a variety of domain names, such as "missingcomic.com" or "idontwanttoactuallysayitsstolencauseitmightjustbemisplaced.com" but I decided all other website names just didnt have the punch i felt was needed to stop crooks..

 

After reading over the past couple weeks of other books that were stolen, I have decided to just launch it. It isn't much yet, and it will be improving it as time goes on...but for now I think it is functional enough that everyone can use it. It is a simple wordpress blog and the site is free.

 

Currently it has no items on it..which is why I am posting this here, because I know almost all the board members have either had books stolen from them, or know of someone who has.

 

The website is StolenComic.com

 

Users may also post stolen comic book art and pulps as well..

 

I welcome all input...the more constructive the better. Especially any lawyers out there who want to volunteer and write a bunch of disclaimer legal jargon for me.....

 

Also, I would ask anyone with stolen books to please send me information on them (if they want them on the website of course) to info@stolencomic.com.

 

I will be working on this over the coming months and constantly refining it to make it better.

 

Thanks and I hope this was the right forum to announce such a thing..

 

 

I, for one, think this is an absolutely wonderful idea. It gives us all a place to go to view any of the comics which have been stolen and have been reported to the website. You can never have too much information. (thumbs u

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ivegotneatstuff

ivegotneatstuff

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Would you be willing to file a police report? I'm confused why you wouldn't? Also, isnt this postal fraud?

 

If the book was never reported stolen, then it isn't technically stolen property..as far as authorities are concerned. I say this thinking of a scenario.. lets say I put it on the website..and somebody finds it at some convention and notifies us. The police won't get involved unless there is actually a police report showing it has been stolen...at least in my experience....during which time the person who discovers it is sort of stalling the thief saying "hey...I've got the stolen book right in front of me.. send the police to confiscate it.." right?

 

It would be cool if everyone chimed in here.. I mean.. I believe what you are telling me is true... .....but what if it is actually found? How would you legally get it back without a police report?

 

This all happened in 2003. Over the years, I've always scanned auctions and posted scans in various places just in case the book surfaced.

 

It never really occurred to me to file a police report for something that I willingly shipped to someone. I can't imagine the local police getting involved in something like this. (shrug) I had all my documentation through Paypal and I did file a report with the Postal Service if I recall correctly.

 

In retrospect, I probably should have just to have a paper trail as you suggest. Now, all I have are my emails with Paypal and letters from the NYS AG, etc.

 

Have you called the police to ask them how long you are allowed to file a police report? How about the USPS for mail fraud?

 

 

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ivegotneatstuff

ivegotneatstuff

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Posted

 

 

True, sometimes time is critical in getting a lead on a stolen item. Getting the word out quickly is essential to recovery. I am sure police reports are filed differently in each jurisdiction. If the poster does not have a police or postal report "in hand" (ready to upload), maybe you could have a "pending official documentation" status.

 

I like this - Pending Official Documentation status - I think I will use it.

 

I would see this web page as more of an anonymous tipster site...people who see the book at a show or a local comic book owner who is offered the book could anonymously tip the owner (thru the site by email). For example: "Hey, this is Dealer X I think someone offered me your book today.. I was at the YYY show in Anytown, USA and this guy with a Strawberry Shortcake T-shirt and swollen ankles came up to me and..."

 

yup...thats exactly what it is....and I will probably have a phone number on there, because the chance to recover a book is quite fleeing. I suggest telling the person presenting the book 'Wow - this is a cool book! I can probably offer you money for it. Let me just check out what its going for in the back room and I'll be right back" - and then check the site. or.... "I need to scan it so I can grade it later.. will only take a second" or whatever ruse they can think up..

 

It would be unfair to expect someone to confront the thief directly. Not only could it be dangerous, but the crook might bolt and dump the book if they think someone knows their identity.

 

definitely dont do this.. just get their contact information and tell them you are definitely interested in buying..then get the police involved.. I have to put my story up of what happened to me with this FF 49 it involved 5 police, 3 postal authorities, 2 carriers, 2 comic book shops, a "stake out" and lots of patience..and it took 2 or 3 months.. all for a book worth $150 hahaha

 

but WE WON! and the crook got away scott free

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lizards2

lizards2

Posted
Posted
.. I was at the YYY show in Anytown, USA and this guy with a Strawberry Shortcake T-shirt and swollen ankles came up to me and..."

 

:roflmao:

 

I can actually picture this guy

 

Flagrantly Canadian? :shrug:

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fraxs-migration

fraxs-migration

Posted
Posted
Would you be willing to file a police report? I'm confused why you wouldn't? Also, isnt this postal fraud?

 

If the book was never reported stolen, then it isn't technically stolen property..as far as authorities are concerned. I say this thinking of a scenario.. lets say I put it on the website..and somebody finds it at some convention and notifies us. The police won't get involved unless there is actually a police report showing it has been stolen...at least in my experience....during which time the person who discovers it is sort of stalling the thief saying "hey...I've got the stolen book right in front of me.. send the police to confiscate it.." right?

 

It would be cool if everyone chimed in here.. I mean.. I believe what you are telling me is true... .....but what if it is actually found? How would you legally get it back without a police report?

 

This all happened in 2003. Over the years, I've always scanned auctions and posted scans in various places just in case the book surfaced.

 

It never really occurred to me to file a police report for something that I willingly shipped to someone. I can't imagine the local police getting involved in something like this. (shrug) I had all my documentation through Paypal and I did file a report with the Postal Service if I recall correctly.

 

In retrospect, I probably should have just to have a paper trail as you suggest. Now, all I have are my emails with Paypal and letters from the NYS AG, etc.

 

Have you called the police to ask them how long you are allowed to file a police report? How about the USPS for mail fraud?

 

 

I could be remembering these facts wrong:

 

Statute of Limitations In NY:

For felonies with known suspect 5 years

Felonies of unknown suspect 10 years

 

If the comic was mailed to a different state it makes it a federal crime (postal fraud). Statute of Limitations on postal fraud is five years.

 

But... whatever state it went to may have a different law.

 

I know that virginia has no statute of limitations of robberies of any amount (I had a friend that got picked up 10yrs after the fact)

 

Best bet is to get with some sort of legal aid and see if there is anything that could still be done.

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G.A.tor

G.A.tor

Posted
Posted

when 2 full cgc boxes of detective comics were stolen from UPS while in transit from me to clink, we actually found them because the "new" owner tried to register them into the cgc registry...

 

once we contacted the new owner, he of course had purchased them from someone, and promptly cracked all of them out from the cases and had them raw...

 

now, while I had scans of the books, etc, with them not being in a cgc case any longer (he later changed his story to "he bought them raw" ,even though I knew that was a lie) the legal process at that point made recovery of the stolen books, more costly than walking away with the loss!

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ivegotneatstuff

ivegotneatstuff

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Posted
when 2 full cgc boxes of detective comics were stolen from UPS while in transit from me to clink, we actually found them because the "new" owner tried to register them into the cgc registry...

 

once we contacted the new owner, he of course had purchased them from someone, and promptly cracked all of them out from the cases and had them raw...

 

now, while I had scans of the books, etc, with them not being in a cgc case any longer (he later changed his story to "he bought them raw" ,even though I knew that was a lie) the legal process at that point made recovery of the stolen books, more costly than walking away with the loss!

 

this was out of Jersey right?

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ivegotneatstuff

ivegotneatstuff

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Posted (edited)

PS - Donations for the site can be sent to david@humbleroots.com if anyone wants to help with hosting haha I put this site up 10 years ago or so and I am doing it for the benefit of comic lovers everywhere free of charge.. I think I've paid about $1,300 so far in development costs and hosting at $12 per month

Edited by ivegotneatstuff
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