Hello gentle reader,

Did you receive an e-mail message from a "Shahab" shortly after placing your bid(s) on any of my auctions? Many other bidders have reported receiving such a message; if you have received such a message, then please read this; if not, feel free to just ignore it.

I'm Richard, "thesource3" on eBay; you have been kind enough to place a bid on one or more of my photographic auctions, and for that I thank you most sincerely. However, please accept my most heartfelt apologies for the problems in which you have become involved because of a failed and spiteful competitor and his flunky, Shahab. I'm terribly sorry your privacy was invaded by these unscrupulous people who have taken your e-mail address and sent you a vile and reprehensible message filled with lies. I can assure you the allegations contained in these messages are totally untrue; however, I'll certainly understand if you choose not to do business with me. After all, how are you to know who is lying, and is telling the truth. Anyone can send an e-mail message alleging that someone else is a murderer, rapist, or, as in this case, a thief. The simple act of accusing someone is, often enough, all it takes to frighten away a potential customer (and that's exactly why they're sending you these messages). So if you choose to avoid dealing with me, I'll certainly understand. In the event that you become a winning bidder on any of my auctions, I will not hold you to honor your bid; I do not want any of my (treasured) customers to feel in any way, shape, or form, uncomfortable about their purchases. Simply send me a copy of the e-mail message you received from Shahab along with the accompanying headers, and I'll just forget about the auction, with no obligation whatsoever on your part.

I truly hate to have to send you this message, and take up your time, but unless I respond to the lies in some way, how are you to know whether the accusations in the unethical e-mail message you received from Shahab are true or not? Already, some bidders are being frightened by these lies. You'll notice, however, that I do not suggest that my competitors are thieves, nor do I try to manipulate you into not patronizing another seller. I have more respect for you than to try something as underhanded as that. I'm sure you're completely capable of making up your own mind about who you decide to patronize. So please consider the following, and make up your mind about this yourself.

Before deciding who or what to believe, you may wish to ask yourself a few questions; first, you might care to check my feedback and see what EVERY other customer thinks about doing business with me.

Do you remember the old saying:

"You can fool all of the people some of the time; and
you can fool some of the people all of the time;
but you can't fool all of the people all of the time?"

With over 1,000 satisfied customers, and almost 400 satisfied eBay auction winners, wouldn't it be likely that somewhere along the line, someone would have discovered I was a "thief" who was "cheating," "overcharging," and taking advantage of them? The e-mail you have received from shahab claims just that. Do you think it's likely to be true?

Before you decide, you might want to ask yourself a few more simple questions:

What kind of person would do business by character assassination, by contacting a competitor's customers and badmouthing the competitor (in violation of eBay's rules)? If someone had a better deal than another, then why not just advertise and promote that better deal, thereby taking customers away from the competitor in an ethical, moral and and legal manner? If Sears wanted to outsell Macy's, for example, would they send nasty letters to all of Macy's customers - or would they just advertise the same merchandise at a lower price (and eventually put Macy's out of business, because who would buy the same items for more money)? Is the type of person who would send you such a cruel and obnoxious (as well as untrue) e-mail message the kind of person you would feel comfortable buying from? Is the type of person who goes on eBay and takes your e-mail address from someone else's auctions - without your knowledge or permission - the kind of guy you'd feel comfortable trusting with your patronage and hard-earned money? Is this the type of behavior you would care to encourage?

Try this, gentle bidder: compare my auction descriptions with this foul competitor. Who do you think knows more about photography? The lie-filled e-mail message being sent by Shahab claims I know "nothing about photography." Who do you think is a more knowledgeable, helpful, and trustworthy supplier? Look at the pictures in the other guy's auction descriptions; then look at the pictures in mine. Which pictures are clear, sharp, and appropriately illustrate the equipment being sold? Read his auction descriptions; do they explain the equipment to you? Do his auctions tell you how the equipment works, and when and why to use it? Or does he waste your time, right at the beginning of every one of his auctions, warning you against viewing other folks' auctions? What would he be afraid of? Why doesn't he want you to check out his competitors' auctions? He claims to have been selling this equipment on eBay for 3 years; I've only been here for 10 months, and I already have more sales than he's had in 3 years; doesn't something smell strange here? If his deals are so much better, why does he waste your time telling you to "Beware" of looking at any other auctions, instead of just giving you a great deal? Check out my auctions again; do I counsel you to stay away from anyone else's auctions? Don't I suggest that you get the best possible deal on your equipment? Don't I even encourage you to check out prices from your other suppliers? What honest person would be afraid if their customer looked around a bit? Could it be because the guy who warns you against comparing equipment, quality, and prices, is being somewhat LESS than truthful with you? Hmmmm?

Why would any decent human being go to such mean and despicable lengths to harm another guy who's just doing his best to get by, enjoy photography, make a few bucks, harm nobody, and help fellow photographers make better pictures? Who should you believe? Who should you trust with your patronage? Well, dear friends, neither Shahab, nor I can make up your minds for you. You'll have to do that for yourselves. Of course, I hope you decide to give me the privilege and opportunity to be your (beloved) photographic supplier; but whoever you choose, it will be just fine with me. I trust you to make the right decision, all by yourself. I can promise you one thing, though; you'll never catch me sending such malicious, abusive, mean, and spiteful e-mail messages to my competitors' customers, filled with lies, and in an attempt to destroy his business; I might be forced out of business, and I might starve, but I'll never stoop to that level. A man has draw the line somewhere, doesn't he? Even if he is a photographer?

Once again, please accept my most sincere apologies for these reprobates dragging you into an unpleasant situation. I suspect that, if enough of you complain to eBay about this abuse of your e-mail address and privacy, as well as the unethical and untrue statements contained in the message, these offenders will be kicked off eBay. See eBay's rules, and report violations here.

But I won't blame you a bit if you choose to not get involved, and to avoid buying anything from either the other guy or myself. It's really a shame that cyberspace has become a venue for those who are filled with greed and hatred, and who promulgate lies. I can't control the actions of others, of course, but I guarantee you that you'll never find me contributing to such unpleasantness.

Thank you for your time, and may the photographic Force be with you, my friends.

Sincerely,
Richard
"thesource3" on eBay
wryter@usa.net
http://myphotohome.com/
Photographer's SupplyStation

P.S. You can see many of the photographic items I list on eBay here.

P.P.S. Read about the previous actions of these unethical scoundrels, just below.

IMPORTANT: Please be aware that there are many honest and ethical sellers of photographic equipment doing business on eBay and elsewhere. I don't mean to suggest that any of these good folks are anything other than decent suppliers, and I encourage you to view their auctions and visit their web sites, and choose your suppliers wisely. But those scoundrels who, in violation of eBay's rules - as well as the rules of common decency - steal your e-mail address from someone else's auctions, and send you contemptible, mean-spirited, unfair, Machiavellian, and blatantly untrue messages in an attempt to enrich themselves by harming another innocent person, are beneath contempt, and should be avoided at all costs. Of course, that's just my opinion; I could be wrong. :)

Back to top

Dearest friends,

First, let me thank you for bidding on my auctions, and/or for entrusting me with your photographic purchases. I most sincerely appreciate your business, and I'll do my very best to deserve your confidence and patronage, now as well as in the future. I try my best to make my photographic auction descriptions as informative, enjoyable, and educational as possible (and a special thanks to those folks who wrote to me with such kind words about my auction descriptions). Again, thanks for your interest, your bids, and your business!

However, this message is being posted because a number of bidders on my current and past auctions have recently complained to me that they have been receiving unsolicited e-mail messages from another seller (and eBay asked me to find out if my other bidders have also been solicited). This practice is in violation of eBay's rules, but what's worse is what the poor bidders receive when they buy from these rip-off artists. Read on.

Unfortunately, lately a certain scoundrel has been e-mailing bidders on my auctions (as well as on other folks' auctions, too!), and offering them photographic products for lower prices! Hey, nothing wrong with saving a few bucks, and if you can get a better deal, why not, right? Well, maybe; but not only is this against eBay's rules, but some of these nasty people are selling unsuspecting buyers equipment that may be used, equipment other buyers have returned as defective, and even items recalled for safety violations, that may be dangerous to use! Of course, these kinds of products are a lot cheaper to acquire, and therefore can be sold at a cheaper price. But is this the kind of equipment you want to buy? And is this the kind of person you'd like to buy from? If so, fine. You have every right to buy whatever you want, from whoever you like, of course. But at the very least, you deserve to be told the truth about what you're buying. Some characters just don't care if they cheat trusting buyers.

Why would someone do such an unscrupulous and unethical thing like this? Well, our first presumption of course, will be greed. He wants your money. But then why wouldn't he just post his own auctions and sell his own merchandise the legitimate and honest way? Well, perhaps he really doesn't know anything about the equipment he's selling. Anyone can claim to be a "photographer" with "100 years experience." But no one who didn't really understand photography and photographic equipment could write the detailed and informative auction descriptions like you see in my auctions. Also, look at the photographs in the auctions of the other character; then look at the photographs in my auctions. Which pictures are clear, sharp, and effectively illustrate the equipment being described? So who do you think is the better photographer? Need I say more?

So what's some greedy scam artist who knows nothing about photography to do? Aha! Let someone else, he figures - someone who really knows what he's talking about - write all the information, make all the photographs, create all the web pages, do all the work, and pay eBay for all the auction listings and promotional extras. Some dummy like me. Then, without doing a minute's worth of work, without knowing a thing about photography, this crook simply waits for honest folks to place bids on my auctions - then he simply takes the bidders' e-mail addresses, and sends them an e-mail either offering to sell them cheaper equipment, or, as he's taken to doing lately, thinking he'll cover his tracks, he simply asks the bidders, in his e-mail messages, to "telephone him" for cheaper prices on (cheaper) equipment!

Then, not content with the results of those messages, this sick and pathetic individual began sending e-mail messages to all my bidders, telling them vile and heinous lies about me! He told these poor folks that I was cheating them, that I was a thief, and that I was overcharging everyone. All lies, of course, but who wouldn't be alarmed by these accusations? Of course, I reported this to eBay, and eBay told him he would be expelled from eBay if he repeated this unethical behavior. But, unfortunately, that didn't stop this competitor! Nope, not for a minute. Then, he simply had one of his sick friends, some cretin named "Shahab Mesbah" send the same lies and prevarications to everyone who placed a bid on any of my auctions, in an attempt to drive me off eBay, and out of business! Why? Greed! He didn't like the comprtition! He hated the fact that I knew what I was talking about, and he knew nothing about photography. He couldn't stand the fact that I was offering more information, free education, and equipment at a much lower price than he was charging. So he set out to destroy me. And he almost succeeded. He drove away hundreds of customers, frightened bidders, and sat back laughing at how easy it is to lie, cheat, and steal.

He then tells the poor, confused, bidders some vile and ugly lies about the guy who really knows photography, and then makes off with the sale without doing a second's work, without paying eBay's fees, and considers himself a genius for letting some poor honest guy do all the work and pay all the bills, while he absconds with all the money! Not a bad way to make a living, is it? And, without even knowing it, the decent folks who bid on the honest sellers' auctions are making a crook rich when they buy from him.

Truly, gentle reader, I don't care where you choose to buy your equipment (of course, I'd prefer to become your beloved supplier:); but there are plenty of people who love photography and want to learn how to use the photographic equipment I carry to make better images. And those of you who have purchased equipment from me know that you get much more than just equipment! You get free educational information, free technical support, and much more than I'll bother with mentioning here. There are enough customers for all of the many suppliers - online as well as in brick and mortar stores! That's all to the benefit of the customers; plenty of sources to choose from, and a lively competition to assure low prices. It's what has made our country great (just don't ask me what I think of politicians, though).

But crooks like this, rather than doing their own work honestly, and instead of working on making their own businesses successful, are instead e-mailing innocent bidders - stealing customers - and then cheating them! This is not only unfair, it's illegal AND against eBay's rules. But the worst part of all is the taking advantage of the innocent customer who has no idea s/he is being used and sometimes receiving defective - or even dangerous - equipment.

Consequently, I would greatly appreciate it if you would be kind enough to send me copies of any e-mail messages (along with the headers) you might have received from others after placing your bids on my auctions (or may receive in the future), so I can forward them to eBay (of course you will remain anonymous). If you do this kindness, I'll give you a brand new pro strobe - FREE! Thank you in advance for your cooperation and help. Certainly, even if you get an e-mail message from this character, if prefer not to respond to this request, I'll understand 100%, and will respect your decision. But put yourself in my place; how would you feel?

You can review eBay's rules on this subject here (and if you like, you can report such activities to eBay yourself, if you prefer).

I vigorously encourage you to get the very best deal on everything you may purchase, and to look carefully at any potential suppliers. But I also hope you won't encourage others who use unscrupulous, devious and illegal means to use you to enrich themselves, by becoming a customer of those who do such things. I can assure you, you'll never catch me doing such immoral and unethical things; I'd rather starve than stoop to such reprehensible actions.

I wish you the very best in your photographic pursuits, and, as always, feel free to contact me at any time, if I can be of any help in any photographic way. Take care, and take (or better yet, "make") lots of great pictures!

Sincerely,
Richard
"thesource3" on eBay

IMPORTANT: Please be aware that there are many honest and ethical sellers of photographic equipment doing business on eBay and elsewhere. I don't mean to suggest that any of these good folks are anything other than decent suppliers, and I encourage you to view their auctions and visit their web sites, and choose your suppliers wisely. But those scoundrels who, in violation of eBay's rules - as well as the rules of common decency - steal your e-mail address from someone else's auctions, and send you contemptible, mean-spirited, unfair, Machiavellian, and blatantly untrue messages in an attempt to enrich themselves by harming another innocent person, are beneath contempt, and should be avoided at all costs. Of course, that's just my opinion; I could be wrong. :)

Back to top

HOWEVER, please be careful about the unethical sellers who have been scamming eBay bidders lately! It seems that there are some unscrupulous people who have been e-mailing bidders on my auctions (and other seller's auctions, too), and offering them similar equipment at cheaper prices. Hey, nothing wrong with saving a few bucks, but not only is this against eBay's rules, but some of these nasty people are selling unsuspecting buyers equipment that may be used, equipment someone else has returned as defective (and maybe repaired - maybe not!), or even items recalled for safety violations, that may be dangerous to use! Some characters just don't care if they cheat trusting buyers. It is unfortunate that scam artists have invaded cyberspace, and are taking advantage of decent folks. If you should be unlucky enough to receive such an offer from one of these crooks, please report it to eBay immediately! I'd also appreciate it if you'd send a copy of the message you received to me, too (if it was related to any of my auctions; you can e-mail me here). Always remember, if someone offers you a "deal" that's just "too good to be true," then chances are, it is too good to be true! Please help keep eBay the wonderful place it is for all of us to trade safely and enjoyably. Report any solicitation you might receive to eBay immediately! It will make eBay a better and safer place for us all. As you know, I vigorously encourage you to find the very best deal you possibly can on every purchase (heck, that's why I'm here-to save you money), and patronize the supplier who gives you the best deal, no matter who it is! But be very careful whenever someone violates eBay's safety rules, and the rules of good sense, by contacting you outside of the auction venue with a "special" opportunity. If you buy from a legitimate auction, your purchase is guaranteed by eBay protections (if you pay and never receive the merchandise, or if you receive less than what was described - you're covered - automatically and at no cost to you), and doubly-guaranteed by my PayPal "verified seller" status. But if you buy something from someone (other than the auction's legitimate seller) who e-mailed you, and get screwed by them - you're out of luck. Say "bye-bye" to your hard-earned money. Buy from whomever you like, of course - but be careful and use your head! Thank you again for viewing my auction, and good luck bidding. Take care, and, as always, take (or better yet, "make") lots of great pictures!
Back to top

BTW, I may occasionally e-mail my auction's bidders with some new information, updates, or opportunities, as may other sellers, too. Just make sure the person e-mailing you is the auction's legitimate seller - with the SAME e-mail address! If the e-mail addresses match, then you'll know for sure. Otherwise, be careful!

P.S. 100% Low Price Guarantee! If you bid on my auctions, and then are contacted by anyone who offers to sell you the same equipment you bid on for a lower price, I'll beat the scoundrel's price (even if I have to lose money)! If you'll send me the copy of any e-mail messages you receive with such an offer (along with the headers), I'll provide you with the same equipment you were offered (but I'll guarantee it to be 100% brand new and absolutely perfect) for LESS than the price you were offered! After all, it's only fair to compensate you for doing the right thing, and helping to keep eBay a safe and enjoyable place for us all to trade. Thank you in advance for your kindness and cooperation.

If you are unfortunate enough to be contacted after you have placed a bid on any of my auctions, by someone offering you similar equipment, PLEASE save the e-mail message! It was likely sent by an unethical individual such as the one who has contacted many of my other bidders (maybe you already have been contacted; or maybe you will be, in the near future), I sincerely request that you send me a copy of these e-mail messages, along with their attached headers (or at least report this to eBay; follow the links below). Sometimes these unethical folks make you their offers in the e-mail message; other times, they're sneaky enough to just ask you to call them about photographic equipment (thinking this way they won't get caught); but simply contacting you by getting your e-mail address from another person's auctions is a violation. If you send me copies of these messages (with the headers), I will simply forward them to eBay, as they requested me to do, and will assure that you remain 100% anonymous to the malefactor.

If you would be honest and considerate enough to do this kindness, I will send you a brand new 125WS Pro Studio Strobe Light (see one here) as a token of my appreciation. After all, none of these things are your fault, and by sending me copies of these e-mails, you'll be helping to keep eBay a safe, reliable, and fun place for us all to trade. You will deserve a token of appreciation. The strobe will be 100% free, and I'll even pay the shipping charges, too! It won't cost you a cent.

Again, thank you for your bids, good luck in your online ventures, and, of course, best of luck in your photography as well! As always, feel free to contact me at any time, if I can be of any help in any photographic way.

Back to top