Warning on Ebay User: Merissa919 / Carol Harkness

WOW!!!

I'm not here to defend or offend anyone, it's just my 2cents worth of observations. This thread has always been and still is just about one thing. That merissa knowingly purchased damaged blocks (at usually hefty discount), repaired them, and re-sold them to unsuspecting buyers without disclosure. This observation was made by a number of people within the community, and not Robin on a single handed campaign to get someone. The before and after evidence is conclusive, case closed.

All subsequent rant about conspiracy theories, accusations of bullying, new strategic alliances, etc, is just noise. Period.

This is just my opinion, but Shawn was cleverly manipulated into this thread. This was never about Shawn, he was never in the spotlight. Lo and behold, it's now turned into a shawn vs robin, shawn vs sid, shawn vs brian, shawn vs freedom of artistic expression. Nice try.. And Shawn, this the enemy of my enemy is my friend gig you got going with carol, wow, REALLY??!!

vancity wrote:

I'm not here to defend or offend anyone, it's just my 2cents worth of observations. This thread has always been and still is just about one thing. That merissa knowingly purchased damaged blocks (at usually hefty discount), repaired them, and re-sold them to unsuspecting buyers without disclosure. This observation was made by a number of people within the community, and not Robin on a single handed campaign to get someone. The before and after evidence is conclusive, case closed.

All subsequent rant about conspiracy theories, accusations of bullying, new strategic alliances, etc, is just noise. Period.

This is just my opinion, but Shawn was cleverly manipulated into this thread. This was never about Shawn, he was never in the spotlight. Lo and behold, it's now turned into a shawn vs robin, shawn vs sid, shawn vs brian, shawn vs freedom of artistic expression. Nice try.. And Shawn, this the enemy of my enemy is my friend gig you got going with carol, wow, REALLY??!!

BRAVO Vancity!!! Have been wanting to say exactly that for days now!!
And just a further observation......I am an impartial observer amongst this madness....I don't know and have never spoken with any of these players!!...aside from merissa919 who has sold me many blocks in the past. (sob). As Vancity so clearly stated....this is about an eBay seller who sells fraudulently!!....PERIOD!! And these rants that keep showing up on sellers' auction pages are nothing more than the twisted desire for conflict and attention....quite sick really. And if anyone cares to take a look back at this mess you will find that it is not Robin who instigates....every single time it is either merissa919 or someone from her 'camp'.....they seem to thrive on this stuff.

Here is what has been added to yesterdays rant on the Silver Pices auction page:
'So the king will return and set the record straight.
I want to just let you know Robin, that cyber bullying is what you love to do. Your that guy everyone warns people about...
Grow up little man......
And another thing Henry, I never asked for this, Not after Sid Dickens, love his work, great guy. just a little surprised he allows Robin to continue on the path of greatness....
My arm was extended to Merissa, for the bullying,
no one needs the abuse. Let her tell her side without you telling it for her.
That's all anyone can ask for is the truth....
Not what Robin says is true...'

I will continue to monitor eBay auction pages and I will continue to post the rants some sellers seem to think is appropriate fodder for those pages....makes for a very clear record of who said what when. But this will all come to an end....and I have a feeling that end will come soon. I have reported this latest crazy rant to eBay and have been advised that they wish to speak to me via telephone re: this matter. I have also been directed to eBay's investigative unit via telephone with regards to this entire mess. I will be making those calls early next week.

AND....does anyone really believe that a Silver Pisces, even though signed by Sid, is really going to sell for between $1000 and $2500....no....just a ploy to get his rant published!!
And a message directly to these people......your trains of thought are nonsensical and your grammar is appalling.

Appearing on merissa919 auction page for Iron Child item #320851879845:

'Wish everyone could know what a wonderful man Shawn Dingman is. He has gone above and beyond to expose the truth. There is room for all talented artists in this world. I will be eternally in your debt. Thank You Shawn.'

Been scouring eBay guidelines for weeks now in order to put an end to this nonsense and an end to fraudulent selling. Just discovered this amongst the rules for selling art on eBay:

'I agree to fully disclose any information concerning alterations, conservation, or repairs performed on the work of art in a clear and prominent manner within the item description.'

And further:

'I agree not to knowingly participate in any way in the advertisement or sale of any work of art using any deceptive practices, including, but not limited to, false or misleading claims of the item's scarcity, value, provenance, condition or investment potential.'

The second quote puts in mind of a very pricey Silver Pisces....'false or misleading claims of the item's scarcity, value, provenance, condition or investment potential.' How many testaments to the actual value of signed Silver Pisces do you think we could get....perhaps one from the artist himself??

Also came across this interesting bit of information in the section re: use/misuse of name brands:

'You can describe an item by its brand, designer, model, product, style name, or its celebrity endorsement in a listing, as long as the information accurately describes what you're selling. Don’t make a comparison or reference a brand that isn’t the same brand you're selling. This can confuse buyers and make it hard for them to find what they’re looking for. See keyword spamming for more information.'

And further:

'Brand names, celebrities, or other product details can't be specified in a listing if you're not selling an item by those brands. For example, if you're selling a Coach handbag, you can't mention Gucci or other brand-name handbags.'

Then there's this one:

'Including unrelated pictures to try to get people to look at the listing
Picture of an item that isn't for sale. For example, selling a generic MP3 player but showing a picture of an iPod
Pictures that don't represent your item'

WOW!!! And I've only just scratched the surface!!

And here's more....

Found in the inappropriate comments section:
'Listings also shouldn't include personal opinions, political views, or offensive comments about eBay members.
Not Allowed: Inappropriate or offensive opinions or comments about other eBay members'

And then from the third party endorsement section:
'eBay doesn't allow third parties to provide logos or statements that claim to vouch for a member's trustworthiness.
......you can't make statements about your reputation as a seller in a way that buyers can't verify. You also can't include endorsements from other people or companies that talk about your trustworthiness as a seller, because buyers can't verify those types of claims'

Have forwarded complaints to eBay re: all of the policy violations as outlined in this post and my previous post. Will still be following up with the investigative unit early next week.

[zbellasmom]

Seriously,this needs to stop! muckraking and slander....let's get back to our love of the art.....have we lost sight on why we are here?. The love of the art is why...now it's all about he said/she said/blahblahblah....can't this just die??? let's find something else to talk about...let's just stop please...this is just silly.Vancity hit the nail on the head...subject closed,now let's move on

BRAVO Kitkat for following up and investigating with eBay....and to the others that bring the dishonesty to light.

For those that say "this needs to stop".... you are putting your head in the sand, turning a blind eye to sellers that defraud and scam people...therefore allowing it to continue. Is that what you want?

I agree, the name calling isn't good, it's the 'facts' of what these bad sellers are doing that need to be brought to eBay....unfortunately, what Kitkat has found that is against eBay rules IS some of this mudslinging. It's never easy to stand up, do the right thing and try to stop the scams, fraud and lies. It's not pretty, but needs to be done otherwise more innocent people will be scammed b/c no one would do the right thing and put a stop to the lies, fraud.

For those that are trying to stop the fraud.....good job!

zbellasmom wrote:

Seriously,this needs to stop! muckraking and slander....let's get back to our love of the art.....have we lost sight on why we are here?. The love of the art is why...now it's all about he said/she said/blahblahblah....can't this just die??? let's find something else to talk about...let's just stop please...this is just silly.Vancity hit the nail on the head...subject closed,now let's move on

I understand that this makes you uncomfortable and am truly sorry for that. Recently I sent you a private email after you had posted your trepidation re: this issue....although we do not know each other....explaining my motives for my continued action in this situation. I am further sorry if you do not understand, approve of, or respect these motives. But the fact is that my reasons for involvement in this issue are valid, these people are in blatant violation of ethical selling practices. And this subject will not be closed as long as these violations continue and until appropriate action is taken by eBay. And if I have to facilitate this action I will do so....and for that I will not be sorry. I am sincere in my apologies to you but I refuse to feel bad for trying to right a series of wrongs and attempting to bring those who perpetrate these wrongs to account. It is not okay to be dishonest in one's selling practices! And just an observation....but seems to me the mudslinging is not coming from those of us trying to right these wrongs. If this issue upsets you so, perhaps you should not subject yourself to what is revealed in these posts.

And a shout out to jcarq!!!......thank you for the support!.....thank you for understanding!.....means a lot to me....because, believe it or not, this is and has been difficult.

[sidcollector]

I was prepared to respond, but it looks like everybody else has addressed the issues.

So WELL DONE!
Robin

[B Zinn1]

Well I will respond........

Shawn it is time for you to get a life bro......yes indeed you did send me some very nice tiles you made.......yes they did spend much time on my walls in my apartment....yes I did indeed enjoy them.......yes they spent time under my sofa.....not because I was afraid of what people would think of me....that is jsut where two of them that did not fit my sidsavers were kept....I did indeed have two of your tiles on my wall when collectors came to visit......so f***ing what bro.....

You got a lot of stupid in you to badmouth me........you little f***ing bi**ch boy.......

See I don't give a rats ass about you or anyone else's opinion about me....I am a good person who does not badmouth anyone......but I am not gonna sit here and take your shit.....

Yes Shawn you did turn me onto colors of what is used and materials and as always I have always said so...and thankyou for your help....but let me tell you bro....you never once lifted a finger to fix any of the 1000+ tiles I have done...that is all on me and all done by me.....

See Shawn....I can stand on my own merit....my own deeds...either good or bad and feed which ever one I choose....see I chose many many years ago not to feed the bad deeds....I chose to give back to the world...to be a part of the world.....

See I started what I do for the Sid community out of sheer poverty and being ripped off by a person on Ebay who shipped me a T08 tile stuck in a box with no bubble or even any wrapping and they actually thought they were gonna get it to me in one piece....

See I did not have enough money to just go buy another one....I rebuilt it the best I could....using the skills I had.....the determination to not feel like I got f***ed over once again in life by some schmuck.......

See this once homeless,jobless,drug addicted,overdosed in a looney bin,worthless piece of shit made something of his life.....is loved by many many people who only know him for the selfless hours he spends each day rebuilding their tiles,their memories,their hopes.....

I do not ever ask anything from anyone....and am always gracious and thankfull.....humble before others.....never with greed or spite....

But you bro....you need to watch yourself.......your on shaky ground.....you have no need to badmouth me.....I have done nothing to offend you......I have every right to choose who I spend my short time on this planet with......you should try to do the same.....

AS for Carol......I addressed you also in a PM on your auction and in no bad way said not to use my name....it is my name......and you are not authorised to use it....get a life....go do your thing and leave me alone.....

I no longer collect tiles....in fact I pretty much had to sell all my tiles to afford the cost of a family members illness.....the facts of that I will not go into as I have no need to badmouth that person either......

I am sure that some day you will figure out the meaning of reality and how it bears to your own life....how precious it is and how much of it you have wasted.....how little you have given vs the amount you have taken.......

AS for life for me....I am happy.....content with myself.....my health is much better since removing a person from my life that was not a contributing member to the family.....

Right now in life I am more focused on my Mother who has battled kidney failure,chrones,gallbladder issues.....I person who at 80lbs,4'9" has lived their life giviing to those in need,even though she herself was in need,whose health has since I can remember been a step away from death my whole life.......

This person who as of right now is awaiting her own body to get healthy enough to remove the 45year old transplanted kidney that is now near dead.....not knowing if she can even survive the surgury........this brave person who all by herself raised me and did her best to install good qualities in my person.....this person who is the only person in the world who really matters to me other than my only son.......

So let everyone take this lesson from all of this....those who destroy on the backs of others only look weak and small on the shoulders of the ones who pay it forward in life.

See I have nothing.....no home.....no nice furniture....no money in my bank account....no 401k.....I live paycheck to paycheck......I do my best to raise my son and instill in him the values my mother instilled into me......

What I do have is a smile.....an attitude that each day I walk out the door to see what it has to offer today....good or bad......that is all.....perhaps that is all I need.........

I think people when there is no one in their face backing them down think they are 10' tall....well let me tell you....your not....your just acting like a little bitch who needs a diaper change.....

Will my post remain unedited I do not know......do I need to apoligise for my foul mouth....yes Robin I am sorry....do not take my saying so lightly....ask anyone who knows me I never say I am sorry.....

Will I lose favor with collectors....I doubt it....I only speak the truth....I have no need to ever lie....and again ask anyone who knows me....they will say the same....it gets me in a lot of trouble but I value the fact that I am honest...have integrity.....and use them daily......

Will people stop with their endless trying to deface,devalue,and degrade me.....I doubt it....see those who stand up show how to be a good person are easy targets for little people who think that it matters to them to try to belittle the person.....never mind the hard work I have done to make my life where it is.....I fail far more than I succeed....but I learn far more than you would ever think.........

Update re: Silver Pisces:
Seller has lowered prices to $500 starting price and $1000 Buy Now price.
Seller has also erased entire rant and replaced it with the quote that follows below.
Can't tell when these revisions were made because Seller made changes onto entirely new auction page with new item number. But the assumption would be that the following was published after B.Zinn's comment on this link.
Hoping eBay insisted on price change and comment deletion. Will file another complaint with eBay today re: this listing as price is still inflated and comments are still unprofessional and inappropriate.
Here is the new comment:

'Now you feel my pain Brian....
This has been going on for many many years for me....
I only called you out as a Friend that would NOT put an end to Robin's games and his slandering of my name.....
That's all
nothing else.
You are a co founder of that site and monitor that could have said enough is enough...
You know who I am and what kind of guy I am....
You honestly believe his lies......
Search my name in Google, see what come up....
Very nice to see your Friend make it a point to put his lies there for everyone to see.
Now you'll understand my point...
Your upset I called you out, Sorry if it hurt.....
How do you think I feel....
I have been called much worse...
Your an Amazing guy, and artist,
A guy I was very proud to watch grow over time to become an incredible artist.
I never asked for any credit for anything.
just peace of mind... That's all..
But glad you did tell the truth....
Proud of you....
God Bless'

[sidcollector]

Okay, I will respond as well.

To Brian, sorry you got dragged into this. You always speak from the heart, and everybody in the community respects you, and is grateful for everything you have done in this community.

To Dingman, so you blast Brian on Saturday. You blast him on Sunday, accusing him of being too scared to come from under his couch to respond to you, but today you make a post about how much you respect him?



Is this like blasting Sid Dickens, and then talking about how much you respect him?


Do you see the pattern here? I don't think you get it. If you honestly respected Brian, you would of never attacked him in the first place. If you honestly respected Sid Dickens, you would of never attacked him in the past.

Everybody knows the game that you & Carol are playing. All of a sudden Carol is quiet, while you are playing the bad cop. Did you both really think that starting multiple online wars, was going to make everybody forget that Carol was buying up damaged blocks and flipping them in mint condition. The before and after photos/repairs are indisputable, so don't blame me.

This was never about me against you. It was about you against Sid Dickens. Do you need a refresher? Let's hear again from damascus allen, a long time artist with Sid Dickens, who was fed up with your antics back in 2009:

http://www.sidcollectors.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=860&p=7013&hilit=dingman#p7013

Let me guess, we made that up too. This entire thing has been a conspiracy, just like with Carol. I bet Carol blames me for breaking into ebay's headquarter and altering ebay photos, creating 2 different secret accounts linked back to her, and changing ebay item descriptions. You know the repaired blocks that state, PERFECT CONDITION, NO REPAIRS!

It is pretty ironic, you two ended up together.

[B Zinn1]

Good to see I have the attention of everyone.......

Robin the merits of those who do are evident and the merits of those who do not are also......

Last I checked Robin put his heart soul and pocketbook into making this site.......it is a success and it since day one has upheld the integrity that collectors were asking for.

I do not mind being the bad guy......I do not need respect given to me....I earned any and all respect I have been given......few can say that in their lives.

I am not here to cause drama,painful insults,or other shoddy comments.

Here is a fact....I still own one of Shawns tiles....I display it in my dining room on my sideboard......I enjoy it....my ex took all the others adn tossed them in the garbage......

I also own 9 Sids...all so damaged that even I cannot repair.....but I did find that I can make them pretty enough to give to my friend Michelle,a young 25 year old mom who I am friends with....just friends...I gave her my Tree of life this Xmas since I had no money available to buy anyone much of anything.....mind you it was personally singned by Sid to me....but she was estatic to receive it,she looks forward to putting the other two on her wall that I am giving her taht are broken....one is a shattered Dido and the other is tghe black and red heart with the crown on top that I never could get the red right so I gave the person my new tile instead of telling them I could not fix their tile.....

I also plan on giving my other friend 3 tiles that I need to fix up a bit....they do not care if they are mint or fixed they just like how they look and I am fine to give them to them.

So.....before people talk trash about me.....think again....I have nothing to hide....I am afraid of noone or anything....32 years of poverty,misery,addiction,prison,treatment,death,....etc....top those and you may scare me enough not to come out my door each day...

[sidcollector]

B Zinn1 wrote:

Robin the merits of those who do are evident and the merits of those who do not are also......

Well put! That is awesome you gave up a new block, when you couldn't match the red. That sums you up pretty well!