LOTR SSW collection

[Seaward]

Hi everybody,
I have a friend who is hosting auctions for my entire Sideshow Weta Lord of the Rings collection over on ebay. The seller name is tactical-dracula, if you have any interest and some of the items can be found this week at the following links:

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZtactical-draculaQQhtZ-1QQfrppZ50QQfsopZ1QQfsooZ1QQrdZ0

I am not sure if you have had an opportunity to read some of my previous posts, but due to some financial concerns, I will be parting with almost the entire collection, as I need a new car, and am looking to propose to my girlfriend in the near future! He can be a bit of a cheeseball, but he wrote up my situation far better than I could (He even made my girlfriend cry she was so happy when she saw the auctions!) :monkey2 Here is how he decribes my situation:
And now, a little background on the reasons behind this auction:

A very dear friend of mine has had to make a very difficult decision. He is just about to begin a new life after finishing many, many hard years of schooling. He wants to take the first steps of this journey with the woman who means the most to him in this world. He is in need of several things in order to make this possible. He needs a new car. He is considering a hybrid (which is Shire-friendly). He needs a new place to live (not unlike a certain Hobbit hole). And, most importantly he is on a quest for a ring. The One ring. The ring with which he will propose to his future bride.

All of these things add up to an amazing amount of money. And, as we all know, in order to get the things that we want, the things that are truly important, we have to make sacrifices. And, the sacrifice that my friend is making is to sell most of his Lord of the Rings statues. He is keeping several pieces that are dearest to him. But, because his financial need is so high, he has decided that these are the items with which to part.

We know that there are many collectors who are seeking these SOLD OUT items. We are hoping that through your generosity that we can raise enough money to start these two people on a journey into an exciting new world.


If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me, and I would be happy to answer any concerns you may have!

Thanks for your time and interest!

[LOTRFan]

I was actually looking at a few of these today, good luck! :peace :D

[goliath]

Here is how he decribes my situation:

And now, a little background on the reasons behind this auction:

A very dear friend of mine has had to make a very difficult decision. He is just about to begin a new life after finishing many, many hard years of schooling. He wants to take the first steps of this journey with the woman who means the most to him in this world. He is in need of several things in order to make this possible. He needs a new car. He is considering a hybrid (which is Shire-friendly). He needs a new place to live (not unlike a certain Hobbit hole). And, most importantly he is on a quest for a ring. The One ring. The ring with which he will propose to his future bride.

All of these things add up to an amazing amount of money. And, as we all know, in order to get the things that we want, the things that are truly important, we have to make sacrifices. And, the sacrifice that my friend is making is to sell most of his Lord of the Rings statues. He is keeping several pieces that are dearest to him. But, because his financial need is so high, he has decided that these are the items with which to part.

We know that there are many collectors who are seeking these SOLD OUT items. We are hoping that through your generosity that we can raise enough money to start these two people on a journey into an exciting new world.


As much as I do understand your situation and I wish you all the best for your "quest" - I don't think stories like this should be posted on Ebay.

This may pluck somebody else's heartstrings, but explantions like that are usually keeping me off from bidding.

Everybody has a reason for selling: a kid, a new car, debt, health problems, need of money in general, greed, buying a Hawaii seaside condo, whatever - but I don't think they should talk about this on Ebay - forums like this are to right place to share this kind of information.

Just my opinion of course - and no offence intended. :peace

[gtb]

I agree with Goliath.... as I have seen, unfortuantely some frauds using this type of story, people who are not aware of your situation will tend to associate you with them.

[customizerwannabe]

They're right dude. Sounds greasy. Edit out the personals stuff.

[Seaward]

Thanks for the feedback guys, I will talk to my friend and let him know that some of the "personal" information sounds a little scammy... and maybe he can leave it out of future auctions!
Chris

[ComputerFly]

Tell us about that Balrog. How's the whip?

[Seaward]

The Balrog is in perfect condition. The whip is all in one piece, and I saved all of the packaging materials in the event of a move or in this case, selling the item. The packaging for the whip is a cardboard piece with foam on top which the whip is strapped into. This statue is flawless. No droop on the whip either. I have kept my statues in my bedroom in a very climate controlled atmosphere, and no smoke, candles, etc, well away from direct sunlight... The package is also in good shape, though the cave troll box(which may list soon) has a hole punched in the side from the initial shipping.

If you want more pictures, let me know, and I will have my friend take some closeup shots of what you might like to see in greater detail!

I have the original Aragorn which hasn't listed it yet, as when I bought it, the original packaging tissue material was smooshed to the sword with wet paint, and there is a small one inch section of orc-blood that was flattened, and when I opened the statue for the first time, the paint pulled off in a spot. When my friend lists Aragorn, I have told him to highlight this flaw. Something unavoidable on my end however!

[customizerwannabe]

Man, I'd love to get my hands on that one!:o

[CaptainCaveTroll]

I see the Aragorn is up but your friend has forgotten to mention the imperfection that you mentioned above (unless I missed it).
Good luck with the sales.
Dax

[Seaward]

No, he forgot to post pictures, but we talked about it last week. I have already sent a message to him to make the necessary revisions to highlight the flaw. Thanks for the heads up!

[CaptainCaveTroll]

Just to let you know tat it has been on for three days and the description has not yet been changed. I would definitely get it changed as it doesn't reflect well on the seller.
Good luck.

[ComputerFly]

Hi Seaward. I just received Balrog #60!!:banana :banana :banana :banana

It is absolutely incredible. I have been waiting to get a low numbered piece with a nice whip, and this is it. I'll take good care of it for you! Thanks for making this available to those of us who completely missed the Weta/SS boat on the LotR pieces. Enjoy that cash and take care of that girl!

[Seaward]

WOW!!!
I am just so glad that it went to another board member!!! Knowing it will be in good hands is making letting it go much easier! I have already spoken with a banker to open a couple of savings accounts to salt away the cash until I absolutely need it right away.

I have the girlfriend's birthday this weekend, so hopefully I will post just some fun pics (unfortunately no engagement pics yet!)

Enjoy and thanks again!!!

Cheers!!!
Chris

[Seaward]

I have been in conversation with the seller regarding the Aragorn issue multiple times now, and he is insistent that he will change the listing, but I keep checking myself. I am in kind of a weird spot, as he is a friend, and doing me a favor, but I have been telling him to take close-up pictures of the sword. The smooshed paint are the top three drops of Orc blood on one side of the sword, and he is stating that he can't see the flaw. I hope to get to call him and talk about pulling the auction until we can sort this out! Thanks for the heads-up!

Chris

[goliath]

Hi Seaward.

Just out of curiosity: what was the reason for this comment in the auction descpription of the Aragron statue (http://cgi.ebay.com/LOTR-Sideshow-Aragorn-Son-of-Arathorn-Polystone-Statue_W0QQitemZ6613220464QQcategoryZ86935QQssPage NameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem):

I have heard that there are people out there who are trying to discredit both myself and the original owner of these statues. I am unfamiliar with whichever Sideshow message board where these remarks are being made. [...]

I haven't seen anybody discredit both you and the seller here, or is he talking about another board?

:confused:

[Seaward]

I know he read messages here, but I am not sure about this one. I was a little puzzled too. I think he was just trying to show that he was honest and upfront about the auctions as he could be, and wanted people to see the quality of his character reflected in the auctions that already had feedback and went well. I know he had a lot of questions about the Balrog, where people were sending him messages asking for closeups of the whip, saying that it was broken, and then when he posted closer images, they claimed that the photos were fuzzy intentionally to hide any damage. I think he is just trying to put of the best possible auctions, but is pressured about his honesty with sales, and wants to deliver the best product to the buyers, and the best price return to me.

[CaptainCaveTroll]

It is a bit strange that the images for Aragorn weren't changed. For me, that would prevent me from bidding on any other auctions as I would wonder if the others have imperfections that had not been disclosed. I am not saying that there are any but that would be my perspective as an experienced ebayer and collector.

[Seaward]

He actually did provide images of the sword eventually, that illustrated the flaw. It really is very minor, two or three drops of paint that are flat and matte instead of raised and gloss, as I think the top coat of paint is what stuck to the tissue wrapped around the sword. It is something that is difficult to see with the naked eye, and probably even more difficult to try to realize with photographs. I just wanted to be as upfront about these auctions, as I don't want anyone to be disappointed.

I think that he simply forgot which item I sent him had the flaw, after all he is listing a lot of auctions each week, as well as trying to work full time and run a household. I know he got slammed with questions for the Balrog though, and a lot of people accused him of dishonesty, either with the photographs, or not even actually having the item to sell. I know he has worked had to maintain the high level of feedback he does have, and it probably stinks to have people making accusations like that.

Thanks for your honesty, I appreciate the feedback.

[ComputerFly]

CCT

I KNOW you're not over here questioning Seaward about the 'quality' of their auctions after all the grief you gave me about asking Vonhaun to be more clear in his auction listing in that other post?


Don't worry about CCT, Seaward, I bought the Balrog from you and it's perfect, so we all know that any BS someone might be spreading shouldn't be of any concern to REAL bidders.

Your doing alright, and the guy you have selling is doing a GREAT job, with packaging AND customer service. Good luck with all of your auctions.


By the way, you should give me a good deal on that RW! Heh heh.

[CaptainCaveTroll]

Computefly, I'm afraid that you are clearly fluent in BS yourself. My point, which I will explain in simple terms for you, is that Seaward mentioned a slight imperfection (which shows that he is very honest) but the guy who is selling it for him did not make the necessary amendments to the images and description.
If someone had bought it, paid for it, recived it and then noticed this imperfection and maybe even saw this thread, then they could well send it back and ask for postage costs both ways. That would mean Seaward would be well out of pocket and his friend could end up with a negative. My other point was that it takes a couple of minutes to change a description so if you are going to take the time to make a lengthy description and background information then why not take the time to make alterations when necessary?
If you can't understand or appreciate someone else's opinion, Computerfly, then I suggest you restrain yourself on expressing your own.

[Seaward]

Hey guys,
Lets not let this get out of hand! I appreciate both sides of this discussion, but no need to get heated. I know my friend, the seller in question, was made aware of the flaw before he listed the item, but due to the sheer volume of items given to him, he simply forgot which one had this slight flaw. When I was made aware that the auction listing was not posted correctly, I immediately notified him, and when he had his first available opportunity, he made the necessary change. He has such a busy work schedule and home life, that his first chance to make the revision wasn't as quick as one might hope for, but he got the changes in prior to anyone bid. The photo was updated before anyone bid, so I feel fine about how the auction was handled.

I appreciate the positive feedback as well, since it is hard enough to let go of these items, and I am really pleased that they are going to some fellow collectors. Knowing that these will be in good hands and appreciated for what they are is making me so happy. I really was sore about having to let go of these, but it will be able to fund most of a new car and most of an engagement ring, and so deciding what is important to me has been something of a soul-searching experience. I sold my entire Bowen statue collection to get the LOTR statues, and now selling these for something far more precious and dear has been happy/sad.

I hope these statues bring as much joy to the bidders as they have to me, and I hope they know that these sales will provide an opportunity for me that will certainly change my life in ways I haven't even dreamt of. I am just lucky that my collection has been able to help me out in a pinch, since coming out of school and working two part time jobs hasn't really been a money making proposition.

Thanks everyone

Chris

[ComputerFly]

Seaward, you have PM.