Bad Trader Alert

[Guest Maxmoore1]

All,

I'm sorry to have to post this, but if you are considering a trade with Victor Koh of Singapore, proceed very carefully. It has now been two months since I shipped him my end of a "trade". All I have in return is a bunch of emailed excuses, and finally, silence.

Over the fourth of July weekend, he and I negotiated a trade. On July 7th, I shipped my end (valued in my posting at $42, shipping cost $25). Victor claimed to have shipped his a day or two later. A month later, he promised to send funds to cover the apparently lost kits. Two weeks later I gave him an additional two weeks to get the funds or kits to me.

I know of, and have been in contact with three other individuals with similar experinces in the same time frame. One of them has already posted an alert on Hyperscale.

Victor, if I am wrong, and you haven't "stiffed" me, I will appologize, on-line. However, I feel two months is plenty of time for you to get SOMETHING to me. And if anyone in Singapore knows Victor and can prevail upon him to make good on his commitments, there are several of us who very much appreciate the help.

Thanks, and trade carefully,

Mike Moore

[Guest topgun_fighter]

hey folks! well i have trades with this guy, but for my lucks i have recived the kits again for a mistake what i did when i wrote the adress of this guy... my stuff was a full F-14A hase in 48th with all the verlinden detail sets and dcals ($70 us) a hasegawa prowler ($20 us) a tamiya m1a1 abrams (30 us) and a mirage IIIC (20 us) + the 50 of thr shipping from Argentina from singapur...im thinking this mistake save me a lot of problmes and money... but i will try to help the singapurean´s guy to fin out this guy...and i have a cuple of questions..

can we do an international deman with all this??

if we can.. how to do it?

Juan

[Guest Kerry Traynor]

I too have had a bad trading experience with this Mr. Koh. I shipped my kit out a month ago and I have not seen anything or heard anything from him since.

So, learn from our shared bad experience; DON"T trade or deal with this VICTOR KOH. He's bad news!

[Gareth]

Gentlemen,

I have posted this on HS and I will do so here as well.

I do not know a Victor Koh, but some of us in the scene are checking things out with the shops as well as checking if there's an anti-fraud body we can work with.

2 months is too long to wait for your kits and if it's a few kits, there's a high chance that he has to send by Sinapore Post Speedpost. Even if it was by Surface, he would have been able to provide a receipt number.

So, please let us check this matter out. I will be calling a hobby shop later today(it's only 9.15am now) and if he is a member there, I will be informing the shop owner of this matter.

Thanks

Gareth

P/S - I'm gonna break a rule of mine never to post someone's address online but in this case, I think it's highly justifiable.

If you have to send kits to the following address, STOP!

Victor Koh,

2 Lentor Lane,

Singapore 789122,

Singapore

email: vickoh87@hotmail.com

[James A]

I am too currently doing a trade with Mr. Koh. I sent him a pair of kits via UPS over a month ago, however I e-mailed him recently and he said that he got my kits and sent the ones I asked for.

[Gareth]

Okay guys, a quick headsup. We're calling some hobby shops to check if they have such a person on their list of regular buyers/members.

In the meantime, I'd suggest you gentlemen keep all your correspondence with Mr Koh. I think there's a possibility we'll also be informing the local police about this.

[CraigSargent]

Hey Steve,

Can we please have a known bad trader alert forum here as well? I have recently been stung by another known bad individual and it would have saved me some grief if there was somewhere I could have easily found out about him without having to search various forums.

Regards,

Craig.

[SBARC]

Hey Steve,

Can we please have a known bad trader alert forum here as well? I have recently been stung by another known bad individual and it would have saved me some grief if there was somewhere I could have easily found out about him without having to search various forums.

Regards,

Craig.

New forum set up Craig....thanks for the suggestion.

Steve B

[Jacob de Mare]

Oooh no!

Well, I have a trade in progress with this guy. He mailed me that my kits had arrived, and that his shipment should reach me in two weeks time. And that is five weeks ago... I have also mailed him a few times without a response.

So, have I been suckered...

I´ll let you guys know.

Jacob de Maré

[Justin Davenport]

Yeah, I sent out a few kits to him. And his last email to me was that he was sending the kits out "that week", since then it's been a few weeks with no kit.

I'll save my emails for sure.

Justin

[Gareth]

Justin, please send me a PM with the list of kits you sent him as well as the list of kits he's supposed to send you.

Thanks

[Guest Lukasz]

I had a bad experience with him as well. Sent him 2 kits, he said he got them and I am left with nothing. That was 2 months ago.

Cheers,

Lukasz

[Guest Mike Yeo]

To Jacob and Justin, please also include to Gareth or me an approximate value of the kits you've sent to him.

This really ****** me off, such people not only stain the name of Singaporeans, he shames us modelers as a whole.

[Guest Guest_Ryan]

WOW!

I don't normally post here (I rather prefer to be an observer), but this really upsets me. I am really sorry to hear about all of these poor trades fellas :( . I mean, this guy seems like a real con-artist if you ask me. Take a quick look at the above posts and take a quick tally, this guy has basically stolen hundreds of dollars (US currency) in kits and has built up quite a collection. If I were a betting person, I'd wager he's not even a builder but a seller. That's right! I'd bet he's steeling your kits to turn them around and sell them for money. I wonder if you guys were to check Ebay, some other online SWAP Shops, Model Magazines (especially ones from Singapore!), or shops in Singapore if you might find some of your kits. I mean lets face it, using a false name is not unheard of here or on HS (or anywhere for that matter) and is actually quite easy :lol: . The reason I say he might be a seller, is that I often see kits for sale on Ebay from places like Singapore, Hong Kong ETC, that are selling for dirt cheap (some are new and some have been open and in someones collection). Even with shipping these kits are extremely cheap! I've picked up a few Tamiya 1/48 warbids for well under $15 (including shipping!). This character sounds way too fishy to me (and has no honor whatsoever). Perhaps some of you are actually supplying these people with cheap kits...can't beat FREE kits to sell back to Americans for US currency. Sounds like a Tom Clancy novel I know (a CHEAP Tom Clancy novel... :D ), but it could happen! Good luck finding this creap and I hope it all works out for the best. In the meantime...DON'T TRADE WITH THIS GUY...and (nothing against are friends in Singapore :) ), but before you ship anything to anyone over there that you don't know, perhaps asking around here first might be the order of the day. This guy just might operate under a few names <_< !

Cheers

Ryan

[Gareth]

WOW!

I don't normally post here (I rather prefer to be an observer), but this really upsets me. I am really sorry to hear about all of these poor trades fellas  :( . I mean, this guy seems like a real con-artist if you ask me. Take a quick look at the above posts and take a quick tally, this guy has basically stolen hundreds of dollars (US  currency) in kits and has built up quite a collection. If I were a betting person, I'd wager he's not even a builder but a seller. That's right! I'd bet he's steeling your kits to turn them around and sell them for money.  I wonder if you guys were to check Ebay, some other online SWAP Shops, Model Magazines (especially ones from Singapore!), or shops in Singapore if you might find some of your kits. I mean lets face it, using a false name is not unheard of here or on HS (or anywhere for that matter) and is actually quite easy  :lol: . The reason I say he might be a seller, is that I often see kits for sale on Ebay from places like Singapore, Hong Kong ETC, that are selling for dirt cheap (some are new and some have been open and in someones collection). Even with shipping these kits are extremely cheap! I've picked up a few Tamiya 1/48 warbids for well under $15 (including shipping!). This character sounds way too fishy to me (and has no honor whatsoever). Perhaps some of you are actually supplying these people with cheap kits...can't beat FREE kits to sell back to Americans for US currency. Sounds like a Tom Clancy novel I know (a CHEAP Tom Clancy novel... :D ), but it could happen! Good luck finding this creap and I hope it all works out for the best. In the meantime...DON'T TRADE WITH THIS GUY...and (nothing against are friends in Singapore  :) ), but before you ship anything to anyone over there that you don't know, perhaps asking around here first might be the order of the day. This guy just might operate under a few names  <_< !

Cheers

Ryan

Ryan,

AFAIK, the name is real and it's NOT a hobby shop owner. I got my sources but let's just say that this guy isn't exactly high profile in the community and now we know why. I have informed shops to be on the lookout for individuals looking to sell seemingly expensive kits at giveaway prices and many are more than happy to help. Mike and I are working with some people to nail this guy. :)

As for getting kits cheap off Hong Kong or Singapore, it's because kits are generally a little cheaper here than in the US or UK because of several reasons, one of them being that the distributor for Hasegawa for example, has his business in Thailand and exports them out to Singapore when he orders from Japan, so prices can be kept competitive. Hong Kong is THE mecca for model kits, prices being a good 30% lower than Singapore.

[Guest topgun_fighter]

thanks mike and greth for spent time in us, if i can do something to help us let me know...