Ebay selling my missing amplifier

After initial 4 months of waiting I purchased a new Dartzeel amplifier. Herve Deletraz made the transaction possible and moved on. Not sure if they even pursued UPS Switzerland. UPS failed.    Not much you can do other than a claim. I will wait on the law enforcement and ebay for the answer.  I did click on the ebay listing anonymously a few times and the seller lowered his price by 5K . 

@ghasley 
No biggie. I can see the frustration of those waiting and wanting to help and/or know the results. I was just in a snarky mood after my morning walk. 😄

All the best,
Nonoise

@nonoise 

Was there a fire sale somewhere on crystal balls?

Of course, you are correct. The OP has yet to state how the original lost claim was resolved. I leaped to the conclusion that somewhere during the eight months since it was lost that he received something from the shipper to satisfy the claim. It is unlikely that it was in limbo that long.

Was there a fire sale somewhere on crystal balls?

@audioquest4life "I know USPS has an investigation team that deep dives this stuff in coordination with the FBI due to the criminal elements being involved."

That may well be but the FBI isn't going to focus on some potential one off maybe theft of an amplifier.

Above posts are correct.  If the amp was insured and you were paid the insured value, you have been made whole and have no title or rights to the amp.  The insurer is the amp’s owner and may or may not choose to take action.  The legal exposure of Cargo Largo depends on whether they are a bona fide purchaser, meaning they gave value for the amp without notice it might be being sold by a thief.

You could buy the amp with the insurance proceeds, of course, and maybe even come out ahead, if you can negotiate a good deal.

in 1973, my 1969 Les Paul Custom was stolen in a burglary.  I’m still looking for it!

Contact the shipper, USPS, DHL, FEDEX, UPS and open up an investigation. I know USPS has an investigation team that deep dives this stuff in coordination with the FBI due to the criminal elements being involved. 

If the OP received any monetary settlement with the shipper for the lost shipment then he no longer has any ownership claim whatsoever.

@wesheadley "As far as contacting the local police goes, good luck with that. I would be amazed if they got involved at all. BTW, it sounds like an interstate situation, so that would involve the FBI -- speaking from my own experience, there is absolutely no chance those guys will lift a finger to get involved in a situation this. They'll tell you they're understaffed and can't devote the resources."

+1 Some of the other posters are in a fantasy land thinking that the police are going to make this a priority of any kind. And, yes the Feds wouldn't even waste time taking a report on this, much bigger fish to fry.

How come the OP can’t provide details about the shipment? To get useful advice more detail would be helpful.

Was the item insured? If so, did they pay the claim? Who was the shipper?

It is extremely rare for FedEx or UPS to lose a shipment like this -- especially if was insured.

If it was not insured, well, that’s hard to imagine given what it cost. It just feels like some key details are missing from this story that could be shared.

As far as contacting the local police goes, good luck with that. I would be amazed if they got involved at all. BTW, it sounds like an interstate situation, so that would involve the FBI -- speaking from my own experience, there is absolutely no chance those guys will lift a finger to get involved in a situation this. They'll tell you they're understaffed and can't devote the resources.

This is possibly the most fascinating thread I've read here in a long time.

snook2 , please stay on this and keep us posted- and just a note to the other posters here, the OP posted this for a little advice-  don't do anything stupid or unsolicited like contacting the eBay seller to wag your finger or give them a piece of your mind or whatever.

Let snook2 work this out without interference.

It would be nice to get an update on whether or not Snook ended up getting any insurance at all on this when it originally went missing and did he get anything near the amps value. As my two cents goes, I think contacting the local Police Department where the eBay seller is located is probably the most prudent place to start. Someone posted that and the contact information somewhere near the top of the thread.

Again, this is pretty interesting.

8 months ago I sent an amplifier to europe for upgrades. The amp went missing and there were investigations that went unresolved.

What does "unresolved" mean? After 8 months if it was lost you should have been paid by now.

Did you ship a $50,000 amplifier to Europe without insurance?

I’ll take a guess that the OP underinsured his shipment and whatever he got paid for the gear didnt come close to making him whole. 

@czarivey here’s the way it works. If you ship something and say have $1,000 insurance from Fedex and then they lose it, they pay off. You set the value, they pay it(after alot of fighting and arguing), in effect you sold it. 

wow specializing on reselling lost shipments LOL that sounds very conspired!!

Let's say I'm either UPS or FedEx or any other shipping company guy and I can "lose" a couple of valuable shipments in favor of the company that buys them out. I wonder what they can offer for "lost" muscle cars?

@snook2 

Hope it works out. Best of luck.

The Ebay listing says it cannot be shipped outside the US, wondering out loud if there was a problem shipping it outside the country and that is how they came to possess it.

This is not necessarily fraud. Cargo Largo specializes in re-selling lost shipments. Their whole business model is buying lost UPS / Fedex / etc packages at auction for pennies on the dollar and re-selling those items.

I suspect that they are obligated to give you back your amp, if you can prove you are the rightful owner. Before going to the police (some folks here are real trigger happy), contact Cargo Largo directly. If I were a betting man, I expect you two can work it out.

Police report + court on all missing and spent assets and attorney fees + some extra...extra++ fees for not pressing criminal charges

That's horrible, hope you get satisfaction.  Good luck!

If you collected a insurance payment from the loss, it isn’t yours anymore, the amp belongs to the ins. Co.

if that is the case, just report it to them, they are the experts on recovering 

if you contact the seller telling him it's yours, you are giving him a warning essentially to pull it from ebay and cover his tracks. Use your knowledge to your advantage. You don’t catch a criminal by emailing him that you are onto him

Was the package insured and have you been made whole by the Carrier/Insurer?  Thats question #1

I would definitely NOT contact the current seller.  If you do, you may never see the amp again as possession of stolen property is itself a crime.  I would work through the local police or eBay fraud.  As someone suggested, you can also buy it from the seller and then dispute the sale as stolen property.

There is a chance that it is a legitimate sale. If the box was destroyed, it could have gone to claims. The damaged or "lost" goods get sold at auction and the new owner can do what they want with it. Don't approach the situation with an accusatory attitude. Good luck with this debacle. It's always extra risky sending things overseas. Keep us posted. 

First, report it stolen to the police. Provide proof of purchase with the serial number and screenshots of the eBay auction. 
Message the seller -  inform him that he has listed a stolen item and you want it back. Give him whatever you have to prove it's yours. 

If the seller won't cooperate, eBay has a special service available only to law enforcement to recover stolen merchandise. The police detective handling your case has to follow up and there is a good chance you will recover your amplifier.

I can believe it never made it out of country. I knew someone, back in the day, who had an arrangement with some RoadWay truck drivers who'd stop by his house and let him peruse the contents and take what he wanted in exchange for drugs for the drivers. A truly despicable person.

I'd also alert the shipping company you used and file a claim with them from your lawyer, just to see how they react. Hope you have a happy ending to this filthy affair.

All the best,
Nonoise

I think this amp has been on eBay for a while, it seems as though I've seen this before?  Not just listed is what I'm saying. 

call the police in the country its listed, this is theft and something the police should deal with E-bay has little ability to do anything but take the add down. 

What a nightmare. The box is trashed, and who knows what kind of shape the amp is in. 

Curious what shipper you used?

In my business and personal experience with FedEx and UPS, insurance just means they look a little harder for the lost item, then refuse to pay.  

I filed with Kansas City police dept. Lets see what happens. It was sent to Switzerland for upgrades when it went missing. Never made it out of U.S.

Thanks AGers

Snook2 - sorry for your situation, but please keep us aware of the developments.

Moreover, but I am so impressed with the help/advice from the AG respondents.  Kudos to all!

Long story short. A good friend had a bunch of his vintage, left handed basses stolen from his Long Beach, CA home. He filed a local police report. His favorite was a 60s Vox teardrop shaped bass. Over the next several years, he'd check on eBay for a replacement. About six years later, he found one. Close inspection indicated that it was his. He contacted the police in the US city where the seller had his shop (a musical instrument retailer). The police went to the shop, confiscated the bass and, after my friend agreed to pay the shipping, returned the bass to him.

Same as the above post, the seller was legit and had no idea that the bass was stolen as it passed through a few hands before it ended up with him.

I love happy endings. Best of luck to the OP.

Not sure if the information is here in the posts but is it being sold in the US. The KC post is on to the action. A friend of mine had a bunch of watches stolen from his house burglary . Just like you he was on EBay and there were his watches. He contacted local law enforcement where they were listed and they set up a buy sting.

Even if the guy selling it didn’t steal it its now stolen not lost merchandise as its found and this person or organization is not the rightful owner. Depending on circumstances maybe they do not prosecute but you can get your amp back as long as you have all documentation showing you are the rightful owner.

Just curious.  Did you send it to the original manufacturer?  I appreciate the concise OP but this is an interesting issue and would love some of the details.  That is a boutique manufacturer that I think only sells a few hundred of each unit for stratospheric pricing 

Good luck, tuff spot your in. You can try the police in the town where your amp is being sold. Hopefully you have all doc’s related to shipping and ownership to challenge them with. Someone mentioned insurance, If a claim was paid somebody might want to reclaim their loss. 15,000 is a lot of loss. Hope for the best once again GOOD LUCK P.S Check with U.S. POSTAL INSPECTORS they have wide jurisdiction and powers overseas with mail theft

If it is the one from Cargo Largo, I would contact the police in Independence, Missouri USA. Ask for their Detective division.

Tell them they are selling your amp and you have paperwork to prove it.

Cargo Largo resells equipment on consignment so your amp probably is not there. Tell the police you would expect Cargo Largo to purchase the amp from the person selling it and ship it to you, since Cargo Largo is selling a stolen item.

Cargo Largo contact info to give to police

Cargo Largo

Phone 1-816-350-6286

7460 Stadium Drive,

Kansas City, MO 64129

USA

Kansas City, MO police

Kansas City Missouri Police Department Headquarters
1125 Locust St
Kansas City, MO 64106
USA

phone 1-816-234-5000

my man, @snook2,  you can have direct phone contact with ebay personnel, including phone contact. report is not good enough. you have to agitate up the chain of responsibility. im so sorry. that sucks. good luck. 

Is it the Dartzeel being sold by CargoLargo for $14,999? I rode up the chairlift in Utah couple years ago with a guy who ran eBay’s fraud division.  They have a whole team based in Salt Lake dealing with fraud.  Counterfeiting, fake offers, stolen goods for sale etc. IF you could ever track that team down by phone you might be able to make some progress.

Have you filed insurance claim on your homeowners policy for stolen goods? Insurance investigator would track it down and bust the culprit since you’ve located the property. 

Was it sent back to Dartzeel in Geneva for repair? Sounds like lifted from their shop. Have you contacted the repair shop again? Hey dude I found my f******* amp!! Stolen from your shop! I’m not a conspiracy theorist but maybe they were in on it.  

I was able to report it to ebay. Still waiting for a response. The amplifier is the Dartzeel nhb 108. Still listed on ebay  This is a major piece to an expensive system

You can have them call you if you look hard enough and follow their trail 

https://www.ebay.com/help/home

You can physically call them  it is tough to find on their website but can be found.

Are they selling it for a discount price? Just kidding but do let us know what happens on this matter. Enjoy the music

In an ideal world, you would buy it and then request a refund from ebay as you essentially didn't get an amplifier. You just got back what somebody stole from you and what they didn't care to investigate. 

+1 abnerjack, that is amazing.

I probably wouldn’t do it, but I wonder what would happen if you bought it and then reversed your payment saying you discovered it was your missing amplifier.

Amazing!  Is it being sold from Europe or USA?