This was released by the All Engelhard Collectors site for notification to all collectors about current events which have occurred regarding the collecting community.

Last week, one of our core collectors purchased the item below on eBay after a seemingly cordial and informative message dialogue with the Seller. The buyer paid $4,400.00 for the two Engelhard “Australia” 1 Kilo bars, a seemingly fair price for two very low <25 mintage sequential kilos.

On July 10th, the buyer picked up the “Registered” package at the local Post Office, noticing the water tape was only around the center and not the edges. He thought it to be odd, but didn’t think much more of it since the box felt like it was the appropriate weight. But when he opened It that afternoon, the contents were the furthest thing from what he had purchased. He received a 2.5lb weight plate and a 1lb dumbbell, for $4,400. 

He immediately notified eBay and they filed a case number on the transaction, and an alert for the eBay Seller CRISPANDNEW from Newman Lake, Washington. He tried to notify the Seller who had 100% feedback and 707 positive feedbacks, seemingly a solid seller, but the Buyer could not contact the Seller through this transaction because the item number was no longer valid. Hmmm. The Buyer also contacted his bank to dispute the Visa charge for Fraud or Theft, and he filed a report with the USPS. Since it was sent Registered mail (supposedly under lock and key And camera), a formal postal investigation is also in process, as mail fraud is a heavy felony.

Was this deliberate mail fraud by the Seller? OR, was the package somehow tampered with and the contents swapped within the postal system? The Buyer’s postmaster said the package appeared to be intact, suggesting that the package was packed with these items upon entry into the postal system. But the condition of the box was pretty rough upon delivery. We may not know how this plays out for a few weeks, but we felt it important to put the community on notice that in this market Fraud is running rampant, and it is best to only deal with known and trusted sellers and companies, and even with that strange things can happen.

Always keep your guard up, if something seems too good to be true, then it likely is. Ronald Reagan always said “Trust, but Verify.”  Bewaringly, AE

This can happen to anyone at any time.  This bulletin can serve as a helpful reminder to some of the processes to follow should this unfortunate situation arise.

The complete article with pictures can be viewed at the All Engelhard site Buyer Beware.