housecor

iTrader: (2)

This whole conversation is in regards to HIDs for sale on Ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=2450678600

ME: These headlights appear to be stolen. Please post a scan/pic of the receipt/workorder for the new headlights you replaced these with to prove otherwise.

THIEF: any way what do stolen headlights look like? please tell me.i wouldnt want to sell any stolen ones
thanks
lenny

ME: Broken tabs are a clear sign the lights are stolen. No accident would brake the tabs on the back of the light without cracking the front lens. Anyone removing the light on their own vehicle wouldn't rip it out forcefully and break the tabs.

THIEF: Listen,i am a bodyman for 30 years,if i riped the head lights out i wouldnt have the tabs to weld back on ,would i.so you think about that.
thanks
lenny

ME: You'd have the tabs if you picked up the piece (or pieces) that fell out from under the nut after ripping them from the car. Then they could be glued back on - which you've done.

THIEF: and does the box fall out too

ME: What, you mean a cardboard box to store it in? Cut to the chase and post a pic of the reciept/workorder for the new headlight you purchased to replace this broken one on Ebay. Otherwise, stop wasting your time trying to convince me it's not stolen.

THIEF: ok you buy it and i will give you a copy of the reciept ,ok there you go the ball is in your court,and i wont make you pay for it untill you see the copy .so put your money were your mouth is,and hurry because its almost over
thanks
lenny

ME: Please. Are you kidding? Yeah, I'm really interested in giving my money to a loser theif in hopes he'll sell me a headlight he ripped off from some poor guy who WORKED HARD TO EARN IT. Your hesitance to post the receipt of purchase for the new lights (which you obviously don't have) coupled with the broken tabs (which you can't seem to explain) tells me one thing: Worthless thief. Post the reciept or get a life.

Man, that felt good.

I'll let you guys know if I hear anything more. Oh, and if you'd like to email this guy and ask him for your HIDs back: LAGBAB@aol.com

MaxedOutOfCash

quote: i wont make you pay for it untill you see the copy.........

what is so cool about your conversation with him??? he clearly states that he'll show you the receipt. . . . no one has to show you anything before you have to pay. . . i know i wouldn't be sending copies of receipts to some a'hole who's just curious if my stuff is legit........

Maxxxed

iTrader: (3)

I really think this guy has some scheme going on. If you look at his past auctions, all his auctions for headlights have broken tabs...

Of course, there is a very small chance that he is legit.

maximalex

iTrader: (1)

f*ck that guy.
He may not have stolen the lights himself but he is obviously selling stolen property.

Can some Florida peeps call the local authorites and report someone selling stolen property?

housecor

iTrader: (2)

Didn't say anything was "cool" about the conversation - I posted this because I believe the conversation is further evidence that this guy is selling stolen HIDs. I didn't ask him to send me a copy of the reciept, I asked him to post a copy so all on Ebay could rest assured these were legit. After reading this conversation and considering the fact that he had multiple past auctions for HIDs with broken tabs, how else can you explain his behavior?

fahad_600

Sure Does

rbneron

Housecor is trying to help. If there wasn't a market for HID's (and they weren't so easy to steal) they wouldn't be stolen off others Maxima's. The seller has a history of selling lights with broken tabs. Where is he getting them?

The suggestion to simply post a receipt on the auction is a good one.

Zero Deuce SE

If he said all those things, he is BOGUS.

wescoast_ryder

so many instances of this nowadays... so sad.

MannyNJ2k2max

iTrader: (3)

I 'd go to Irvington myself to look for his ****.... but probably get my HID's jacked as soon as I walk 2 feet away from my car........
fockin' magget!

MyownNismo

iTrader: (13)

Did you look at his descriptions. On all the headlights he's selling all have the same description.

THIEF: Listen,i am a bodyman for 30 years,if i riped the head lights out i wouldnt have the tabs to weld back on ,would i.so you think about that.
thanks
lenny

Since when could you weld plastic...

KLOOGY

iTrader: (12)

That was a moronic response to your questions....I love all the explanations on Egay , for the broken tabs.....I feel for all of you on East Coast getting jacked !

slickrick

iTrader: (12)

hmm. jacksonville is about an hour from gville. i should go jack those headlights.

Spipedong90

holy ****!

I finally understand why these are such high risk items. I mean, a bulb, ballast, and housing for $147? No wonder there's such huge demand for stolen merchandise.

broken = stolen

wild willy

iTrader: (10)

Why are ther Altima HID not ripped off like the Max??? Are they that easy to ******?

irish44j

iTrader: (38)

I sent the same kind of message to this seller and another seller yesterday (I posted them in a different HID thread here), asking to see receipts or even a picture of HIM in HIS MAXIMA that has HIDs....

Here is the response I got: (is this the same guy?)


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From: "Toure Benthall" <ToureBenthall@verizon.net> Add to Address Book
To: irish44j@yahoo.com
Subject: RE: Question for seller -- Item #2450906127
Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2004 02:08:20 -0500




To respond to the issue of stolen headlights; after reading this email
I
typed in the words " stolen maxima headlights" in google and saw that a
lot of people are complaining about stolen headlights..THIS IS NOT A
STOLEN ITEM!!
In the auction , I never said I owned a maxima, I said these were
replaced after an accident ( note the broken tabs) I assumed these were
broken because of the broken tabs and the fact that there are three
caps
that cover the light when only one is required. Also the fact that some
of the parts are missing as I described in the auction says that it was
a replacement . when ever I do car repairs such as putting in an
alternator I sometimes have to use the old pulley, etc....please check
my feed back rating and understand that I don't sell stolen items. This
is just one of the many items that I have obtained from sales/trades
or
giveaways...if someone were to steal a headlight to sell it on ebay I
think they would sell one that wasn't broken and one that included all
the parts. I also wouldn't steal something to put on ebay for $10. feel
free to bid, if not, thanks for looking.

Zero Deuce SE

Well, I guess he told you, huh?

irish44j

iTrader: (38)

Here is my re-response to him...let's see what he says:

I was not necessarily accusing you, just asking for more information. But since you do not have a maxima, I will explain to you my suspicion:

It is well documented that Maxima HID headlights can be stolen easily....you don't have to even open the hood, you can literally just rip the thing out. But when it is ripped out, the taps break off (even if the rest of the light is not damaged). If the light is removed by unscrewing it under thehood, the tabs would remain intact. Also, the tabs will not break off in an accident unless the entire light was smashed. So the only explanation for a HID with broken tabs is that it was stolen. I would welcome another explanation from you.

You say "if someone were to steal a headlight to sell it on ebay I
think they would sell one that wasn't broken and one that included all
the parts. "

That is not true. In fact, it is directly reverse logic that does not work. To have all the parts, you would have to legally remove it, and the tabs would be intact. On the other hand, if it were stolen, it would CERTAINLY have missing parts, since the bracket would still be on the car.

What service shop do you work at? I would assume your shop has receipts for this work if it is indeed legit.....

irish44j

iTrader: (38)

Someone should buy it and ask if he can pick it up in person instead of UPS...then we can all get together and go pummel this guy.

Maxxxed

iTrader: (3)

Email that guy saying that you reported him to the police and someone will come knocking on his door. Lets see if he will post any more auctions.

BLaZin 2k MaX

I bet that guy will sell them to you and end up comming back to your house and jacking them from you.

irish44j

iTrader: (38)

hum...that's a good point. He's probably jacked the same lights over and over!

housecor

iTrader: (2)

Wow, talk about recycling.

Irish - Thanks for posting. Excellent response and explanation of the issue. Does this guys email match the one I posted above? I really doubt it - This doesn't appear to be the same person because the guy I emailed had horrid grammar skills and was very short in his responses.

Now that we're this close to a couple of the problems, it's time to think of creative solutions...

2k3TitaniumSe

iTrader: (3)

Hey thanks for youre work. I appreciate what you're doing.

jattmax

Gooey

iTrader: (8)

thats why i pack a pistol underneath my driver seat....

















now thats a bbgun....but it does the job all the time...his theft isnt common in DC area but i sure hate those people who park an inch close to you and give you some of their paint on your doors...got a bat in the trunk for those who leave me door dings.

Zero Deuce SE

You sound like Mad Max (The Road Warrior).

Tony Fernandes

In one of the pictures of the ballast it appears to have the serial number: B7400081NER2642.

1) Would Nissan have a record of this number when they manufacture a car?
2) If so, then anyone that falls victim to an HID theft can call Nissan to get the number and at least provide it to the police to be entered into the stolen database.
3) How many 2K2+ owners have their HID serial numbers written down somewhere in case they're stolen?
4) Why would a thief post the serial number on the Internet if it's stolen? I'm not saying he is or isn't a thief...

Tony

spirilis

iTrader: (2)

I gotta see Gooey bust out the baseball bat and dent somebody's door in

PAPA SMURF

don't laugh but i had a friend who this happened to:

a few years back, a friend bought a late model bimmer at an auction in Queens, NY. He proceeded to drive it off the lot and as he backed out, two guys approached his car and demanded he give it up (they wielded knives)...he got out and noticed that one of the guys had a familiar looking scar.

Cops were called, whole nine yards...turned out the guys stealing the car were actually the same guys who sold it to him....consequently they were investigated and it turned out to be a big scam-they would sell late model cars cheap and then turn around and re-steal them back only to re-sell and re-steal...

i think it made the news.....

Zero Deuce SE

Carjacking with knives? You would never get me to stop for a fool with a knife. I would run his dumb a$$ over first.

PAPA SMURF

I hear you dude....but this same friend would have similiarly ran away from you if you wielded an envelope opener....

I just laughed when I heard the story

housecor

iTrader: (2)

Tony - Excellent point! If I remember correctly, data dots were created to do exactly what you said in #1. So no, I don't think Nissan has this information. I could be mistaken here - If so, someone please correct me. Nevertheless, recording this number would be an excellent idea!

Oh, and regarding #4? Read his responses. He's not exactly a genious, so I can't say I'm surprised!

Zero Deuce SE

I wouldn't think that Nissan had that info in a database either. Unless they expected them to become hot items for thieves.

As for why would the thief post a pic with the serial #. You don't have to be smart to be a thief. That's why a lot of them are locked up behind bars.

MaximaPolak

iTrader: (9)

He wants only 150 for them. NO $hit they are stolen.

Zero Deuce SE

The winning bid was $147.50. That's pure profit for him though. He probably wanted more money but since they were damaged goods he could not get it.

irish44j

iTrader: (38)

No, different email address....I sent the same email to both the guys that had HIDs posted on ebay....no response from the other one. I hope my explanation was on-target.....I actually have a 2k with regular headlights not HIDs so I was just going by what I have read here.

I think the other solution is to find out where the people BUYING these stolen HIDs live and contact them...tell em not to buy or threaten them or something ....remember, without demand, there would be less theft.....then again, there are always unscrupulous individuals out there who will buy stolen goods, with no regard to their fellow citizen/maxima driver.

housecor

iTrader: (2)

The buyers? Interesting. Honestly, I'd be more interested in focusing on the theif/seller. This is the source of the problem. As word gets out that thieves are getting caught the HIDs will become a less attractive option.

Is there a way to report bogus sales to Ebay? I hunted around on their site and got nowhere. A good first step would be to get these sellers banned.

bniedert

Actually I looked at the Florida guys past auctions and it seems very plausible that he is telling the truth. If you look at his items they are car parts and fishing reels. I have dealt on eBay almost since day 1 and have a feedback rating above 200 and there is nothing in his past auctions that would lead me to believe he is untruthful. His decsriptions are right on.

Now the New Jersey listing has a few inconsistantcies that set off some mental alarms. Thats the guy I would be interested in getting additional information from. The fact that he doesn't respond to email inquiries only enhances my suspicions.

RichSpidizzy

here's an idea to dry up ebay HID sales:
according to ebay user agreement 5.1 (http://pages.ebay.com/help/community/png-user.html), you must be able to legally sell your item.
maybe if ebay found out that selling aftermarket HID's is illegal, they would not allow it on their site.

As it is now there a certain items that ebay has banned from being sold on their site (**** paraphinelia is the only thing I can think of off the top of my head)

I'll look into this further.


EDIT: actualy all we need to do is get Maxima HID's added to this list:
http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/items-ov.html