This is a long story short...We all know Thomas Loce sells counterfeit posters as originals, and more often than not gets away with it.
Well, I decided to experiment because the only thing I had to lose was my time.
I knew I'd get my money back if the poster was, as expected, fake.
So, I bought a poster on eBay via one of his auctions: a Moonraker UK Quad (Seiko advertising tie-in).
I was 99% certain it would turn out to be counterfeit, because come on, this is Loce we're talking about!
Anyway, I paid for it, it arrived pretty quick and as soon as I saw it I knew it was counterfeit.
I gave Loce the chance to own up and at the beginning he accepted it was not original, but he wanted it returned and would only refund me when he had checked it.
"...Hmm, I don't think so as I know your game..." I thought.
People had returned items to him before and either had not been refunded or he disputed their claims which eBay found in his favour. I wasn't taking that chance. Plus, I wasn't returning a counterfeit item to him so he could rip off someone who didn't know as much and get away with it. I told eBay I knew what he was up to, warned and implored them to investigate him.
He then changed his story, denied the poster was counterfeit and refused to refund me.
Big mistake.
He said that the negative feedback I left him would be deleted by eBay because they would then know the truth; he might as well have called me a liar.
I told him I expected this from him and explained the feedback wouldn't be removed as I only state the facts.
He subsequently claimed my comments about him were defamation, which was a load of bollocks because I know only too well what it's like to be victim of defamation.
He was trying all of his scaremongering tactics
, which on some would have worked, but not on me.
I called eBay and after much talk with their staff, who in the most part were great, I sent them the proof that it was fake as I had an original to compare it to.
Through Bond Posters, the indisputable facts were laid out with clarity in an official capacity (even though I purchased the poster from my business account, they wouldn't accept an evaluation from me personally as per their policy, which I understood). Because the information sent to them was clear, eBay staff agreed it was counterfeit.
eBay found in my favour, refunded me in full and have began an investigation into Thomas Loce.
And no, I did not return the counterfeit poster to him.
Loce thought he was going to get away with it, but he hadn't expected to be up against me.
Maybe it's just me, but if something is indisputably clear and accurate I will stand by that and go all the way no matter who the person is.
If you know something is truly counterfeit he, and others like him, cannot hide.