Need advice about missing package to Toy Graders Association
 

Hey guys, I really need your help. Is anyone here familiar with Toy Graders Association? I think its a scam because my tracking shows they received the Evil Dead figure I wanted graded and cased but they deny receiving anything. We looked up the address on google maps and it is just some guy's house named Chris. Any advice?

Only advice I have? Caveat emptor! Always do your research first on these kinda businesses

Quality of goods? Nah, I don't make excuses for crooks. 2nd highest result with typical search engines. Am I a sucker? For sure. Is it ok to steal money and collectibles from someone under the guise of services rendered? Heck no. I've been burned by so many "collectors" that I'm starting to regret collecting as a hobby. I don't hang out with jerks or criminals, so I can't relate to all of the greed and childishness anymore. Total BS, this toy community is ruining everything I loved about the hobby.

“ Q:What are the benifits of buying and selling a graded action figure?”

Personally, I can’t do business with ”companies” that can’t spell “benefits” properly. Besides that, I looked at the site, and it just screams “amateur hour” so I think you were totally scammed. Better Business Bureau is worthless. Small claims court maybe? Cost would be ridiculous. Think this is just a life lesson. Hopefully others googling the site will find this forum and know to avoid this nest of vipers.

pay them a visit

https://i.imgur.com/znffLKe.jpg

I dunno, that does sound tempting. My girlfriend said I should send a glitter card. I do sincerely hope this doesn't happen to anyone else. I mean, I've got a name, address, and phone number..... This guy must not care about being caught. Money was involved so it is being treated as fraud by the USPS. I'll provide more info as it happens for anyone curious.

that guy is just asking to get doxxed.

Yeah, I wish that would happen to them. Who fronts as a collector and toy expert then turns around and steals your stuff with a smile like that? Savage.

I would just be careful not to do anything that isn't on the up-and-up in retaliation, for all anyone knows it could be a neighbors house or their parents that they have stuff dropped off at and then they pick it up, so people don't know his real address.

I'm reminded of the youtube guy, Mark Rober, who did the porch pirate targeted packages that are glitter bombs that spray fart smell and have GPS tracking on them.

Last year he did it again and sent packages to followers to distribute across American, people he thought were reliable, but one person just decided to keep the package and not leave it for the "experiment". So Rober found his real address, signed him up for Scientology info, made custom postcards for fake businesses and such that would be embarrassing with his name on them but sent them to his neighbors' houses.

I can't believe some of the stuff I'm reading here. I feel bad about what happened to you, but doxxing could get someone killed, is a waste of taxpayer dollars, is a waste of law enforcement resources, and is an act of petty cowardice. Also, much of that 'engineer designs glitter bomb vigilante' stuff was debunked as fake click-bait revenge-porn.

Again, what may have happened to you is really messed up and I feel bad reading your account, but it's not worth you compromising any personal integrity or risking being arrested yourself.

In the future, if you are sending anything of value through the mail, pay the extra money for insurance and have them sign for it. I bought a Marvel Legends canceled Bi-Beast prototype that needed some TLC restoration. This fig has sold on Ebay for $2K and I sent it to Anthony's Customs to have him salvage a hack custom job. He wasn't as well known then, but he was still known, however, I was no less cautious even after having done my due diligence to make sure he was on the up and up. He and I agreed to shipping the item there and back via certified mail to avoid any bullshit on either party's part.

Learn from this and be smarter moving forward having this as your knowledge base. Sorry, again, hopefully it's lost in the mail and turns up somehow.

Agreed. Sucks, but overall, it's just a toy. There isn't any toy worth a legal entanglement.

Yeah, bigger fish to fry and the such. I just realized I confused doxxing and swatting, so scratch the "killed" and "waste of tax dollars" stuff. However, my general sentiment remains the same about the matter. It's just not worth it, especially if it does actually turn up and it was a mail carrier error. The USPS has listed items I've tracked as delivered, only for them to show up on my doorstep a day or two later.

We are all trying to alleviate the situation through humor. I wouldn't encourage or be apart of any retaliation like that, but leaving his information available on that site is asking for trouble. I reported it to the Post Master, and it looks so suspicious that even they jumped on it. I don't expect any results, but all joking aside this is really wrong to do to other collectors. I don't like vultures. Hopefully my mistake will help someone else avoid falling for the same scam. That Army of Darkness figure I sent is a holy grail to me, so this hurts not only my pocket but my spirits as a toy collector. Buyer beware. I know now how people really make their money, and it puts a negative perspective and spin on things.

*Puts away world's smallest violin*

Couldn't you force a refund if you paid with Paypal?

*shrugs and picks up violin*

It was for services rendered and I sought out the service, and his site asked for a check or money order. I try to support other people in the toy collecting world to keep the hobby alive, and I realize that some people are still very old school and their knowledge of internet payment options is either limited for them or they simply don't have the patience to learn. I've bought some very interesting and rare things going that avenue (cash, check, money order) from someone online and it worked out well. This time, I really messed up and have to probably "learn" from it, as many of you have suggested.

*burns violin, buys a kazoo*

Well if this guy wants to keep in business, he's gotta get a Paypal (which is super easy, btw!), but moreover, I'm wondering; if this guy is just running a small grading business out of his house, what authority does he have? It'd be like me saying "I have an authentic Babe Ruth autograph, and I know it 'cause my nephew Billy Bob said it's real, and he's seen like 3 baseball games!"

Yeah, I was more in it for a nice way to display the figure an acrylic case or something to that effect. Maybe a little certificate with its production info, etc.... It was the second match with a quick search and I was in a hurry, probably got it mixed up with AFA. Either way, that guy sucks. When I inquired about who actually took in the package he said no one, and he questioned his employees and checked his "toy vault". Absolute pie in my face when I saw the house on google maps.

Going around town... there are LOTS of clearance, cheap Funko pops... everyone should just buy a few dozen and send them to him. Bwahahahahahahaha...

Ok... that’s too mean. No one should be abused with funko pops.

SO that Funko Pop bubble is finally popping? Finally, I'm tired of looking at those things. I mean, we have a few like Rob Zombie and Snape from Harry Potter, but there is just too many of them to have lasting value.

They said similar things about beanie babies and those, uh, "works of art" are still selling for hundreds...

But back to your experience, you've every right to be upset and angry. Having something taken from you is a violation regardless of what it is, I just caution against taking matters into your own hands. Been there. Even when you get some of what you lost back, it usually doesn't end well and comes with some other unforeseen cost.

Karma will get him, don’t worry.

In the mean time sign all of his business emails and phone numbers up for every 2-bit scum websites you can think of and spam him to death.

So he is apparently the "business owner" of American Stitch and Print Inc. Another supposed company of his..... this rabbit hole goes deep.

Maybe there should be a scammer PSA thread...