So I havent been on this forum for very long, but I have been here long enough to catch that when it comes to Bornagain and OrangeKing people are on the fence. Some like one compared to the other and some go both ways. I wanted to take a few lines and throw my hat into the ring.
Over the course of the past day and a half I have been working on a trade/purchase deal with mr BA himself (abbreviated on purpose because he really thinks he is a B A when it comes to OverPower). During the course of this deal he was constantly "checking his stocks" and he would remove a card from the deal - ironically the only OPD or Character that mattered at all. So when he would do this, I would alter what I wanted and propose a new offer. Anyway, this went on for Many MAny MANy MANY emails. Finally we nailed down a trade and a price and everything was good to go - except it wasn't. Stupid little me, I realized there were a couple C/UC cards that I forgot to put on my trade list, so I merely asked him if he wouldn't mind tossing them into the deal. To me it was no big deal - it was C/UC cards that didn't even total $3. So he adds the cards in and adds in the price for them :o and adds some shipping because he can (even though he never charges shipping). So I tell him no dice that I didn't want to buy the cards because they were extra and guess what?? He got mad because he had already pulled the cards out and packaged them up before we every concreted the deal. Not my fault that he jumped the gun. So what happened next you ask? We diverted to childish namecalling and slander. :'( Not my proudest moment I will admit and if by chance he reads this - I do apologize for my words - I still mean them - but I apologize. That leads me to my opinion. I think he is power hungry, greedy, and a bit of.......well insert your own fun noun here (______) <keeping it clean> ;D
There are a couple of other posts about him on here, he's an unprofessional weirdo who isn't worth dealing with. Examples of his business practices:
-Sending damaged cards (and insulting you when you point out that you received damaged cards)
-Sending the wrong cards (and insulting you when you point out that you recevied the wrong cards)
-Illegal eBay auctions
-Reverse engineering eBay user IDs by comparing feedback scores to past purchases, then soliciting you through emails "hey I saw you bought a Leech from Orange King, why not buy it from me instead..."
-Receives a list of cards you are interested in buying, actually goes and modifies the price list on his website to up the price of the cards you want, then sends you an invoice with the new increased prices
It was pretty hilarious watching the last one happen in real time. DRDEATH25 sent in an order list that included Protector of the Innocent x3, his website had that "last updated: _____" changed to the current day, and Protector of the Innocent had magically increased by 1 dollar each.
Anyway, I'm sure lots of other people will reply saying they have done business with him before and everything went fine. But, even if he didn't do shady crap like that, I'd still prefer for people to give their business to the Orange King instead. Those sleazy "I undercut anyone's prices!" and his general demeanor give off the feeling that he is just out to make a quick buck off the remaining playerbase. I'm sure the Orange King makes a nice profit himself, but he also still shows up to tournaments, was a well respected player, etc. - so you get the feeling he still cares about the game. On top of all that, he replaces incorrect orders instead of lying about it, he gives discounts on bulk orders for a deck instead of secretly upgrading his prices to gouge you, and he's just easier to deal with in general.
I agree with Onslaught on the respect for The Orange King. I gained a lot of it when I read about his own history with the game and the fact that he's an active player, still. It's alluring to be able to haggle (which Bornagain79 will do freely), but in the end, I feel better about buying from some one that I know respects the game.
I'm right there with you! I've done business with OrangeKing and so far *knock on wood* I haven't had any issues at all. When everything went bad with Bornagain he actually went kind of nuts and started typing "Go do business with Orangey, he has higher prices, bad shipping, bad condiitoned cards....etc etc" I thought that was pretty hilarious myself!
I would've like to have seent he real time updates! That would have been an interesting scene to watch unfold: did he actually end up buying the cards?
Quote from: ncannelora on February 15, 2012, 06:47:32 PM
It's alluring to be able to haggle (which Bornagain79 will do freely)
He got mad at me for quoting Orange Kings prices for some DC sets and kept saying that I was Nickle and Diming him ::) ...well Yeah I was - but he has the whole "Ill beat the price thing going on. He has to expect it every now and then.
Quote from: Jesse on February 15, 2012, 06:49:43 PM
Quote from: ncannelora on February 15, 2012, 06:47:32 PM
It's alluring to be able to haggle (which Bornagain79 will do freely)
He got mad at me for quoting Orange Kings prices for some DC sets and kept saying that I was Nickle and Diming him ::) ...well Yeah I was - but he has the whole "Ill beat the price thing going on. He has to expect it every now and then.
Haggle = Hassle, but you get what you pay for. If it's worth your time and effort to talk a guy down a few dollars, then maybe Bornagain79 is the guy. For myself, though, I haven't spent enough $$ on Overpower cards to make haggling over a few bucks worth the hassle ;)
[/quote]
If it's worth your time and effort to talk a guy down a few dollars, then maybe Bornagain79 is the guy.[/quote]
I've never seen a seller from any of the CCGs or table top minitures games that I have ever played, be as rude and unprofessional as Mark was/is when I was dealing with him. His "crap" (for lack of a better word) may work for some people, but I'm out. To me spending $.50-$1 more from OrangeKing if I purchase and waiting to make trades with other traders is worth the wait to fullfill my set needs if it means I won't be dealing with him again.
Simply put: just from these recent experiences alone, I agree with everything that Onslaught has posted.
I've delt with both traders and in my opinion OK the the person I would go back to every time. I've never had any issues with him.
On the other hand BA fleeced me out of a load of cards. I sent him some cards on a trade but never recieved the cards he said he had sent me. I asked him to contact me when my cards reached him. He never replied. I asked him to contact me when he had sent the cards out to me. He never replied. After about 6 weeks I asked him to confirm that he had sent the cards out to me but all I got was: "they are prob' held up at customs". I never recieved the cards or any further replies from him. If you buy from him, make sure its on eBay and you pay with paypal, that way you will get your money back if he pulls a fast one on you.
Quote from: garose74 on February 16, 2012, 11:11:30 AM
"they are prob' held up at customs
Thats got to be the worst line ever ??? I traded with a guy from England a couple weeks ago and his package made it to me in barely over a week. I'm sorry to hear that he hosed you on your deal - I've been down that route with trades in the past so I know the feeling.
Quote from: garose74 on February 16, 2012, 11:11:30 AM
I've delt with both traders and in my opinion OK the the person I would go back to every time. I've never had any issues with him.
On the other hand BA fleeced me out of a load of cards. I sent him some cards on a trade but never recieved the cards he said he had sent me. I asked him to contact me when my cards reached him. He never replied. I asked him to contact me when he had sent the cards out to me. He never replied. After about 6 weeks I asked him to confirm that he had sent the cards out to me but all I got was: "they are prob' held up at customs". I never recieved the cards or any further replies from him. If you buy from him, make sure its on eBay and you pay with paypal, that way you will get your money back if he pulls a fast on on you.
Wow!! that's truly terrible! I might've been on the fence about BA79 in the past, but I think this just put the nail in the coffin.
OKFTW!
If you're doing a purchase/trade with a significant number of cards, always opt for the tracking (both ways if trading). It doesn't cost too much more in most cases.
The trade I did with BornAgain79 had about $800 of cards in total. I got my cards in early, his cards were delayed because of bad weather in New York. Without tracking, I would have a hard time explaining why cards weren't delivered to him in a timely fashion. But since I did opt for tracking, a simple call to USPS informed me the item was held in New York because of a snow storm and will continue the next day.
Also, don't be shy to ask for pictures of the real card and not some stock image from my site or the person's collection. To be 100% sure, I asked BornAgain79 to take a picture of the cards before they were sealed in the envelope, along with the tracking number, just to be safe. I didn't want to take ANY chances with a significant amount of cards.
-
To add, I have only ever received a "bad" card from Orange King, but he explicitly stated on his auction page that the card was indeed played with and in a worn condition (minor white edges, corners starting to fold in), he even had pictures of the card in question.
Quote from: Jack on February 16, 2012, 01:45:12 PM
If you're doing a purchase/trade with a significant number of cards, always opt for the tracking (both ways if trading). It doesn't cost too much more in most cases.
The trade I did with BornAgain79 had about $800 of cards in total. I got my cards in early, his cards were delayed because of bad weather in New York. Without tracking, I would have a hard time explaining why cards weren't delivered to him in a timely fashion. But since I did opt for tracking, a simple call to USPS informed me the item was held in New York because of a snow storm and will continue the next day.
Also, don't be shy to ask for pictures of the real card and not some stock image from my site or the person's collection. To be 100% sure, I asked BornAgain79 to take a picture of the cards before they were sealed in the envelope, along with the tracking number, just to be safe. I didn't want to take ANY chances with a significant amount of cards.
-
To add, I have only ever received a "bad" card from Orange King, but he explicitly stated on his auction page that the card was indeed played with and in a worn condition (minor white edges, corners starting to fold in), he even had pictures of the card in question.
Good Advice. So far when/if I ever make large trades I do always require tracking. And I'm on the same page with OK - the only "damaged" cards I have ever received were pretty much spelled out that way upfront. I'd recommend him any day of the week over BA now.
I bought a lot from BA back when he had boxes. Probably spent four to five hundred dollars on boxes. He was never as professional as I wanted, but it worked.
Later I tried to buy some other stuff from him, mainly a set of placards, and he just dicked me around. Lot's of crap about 'trying to talk down the seller' and stuff when I knew he had just bought a huge lot on eBay that included the placards.
I decided that the extra dollar to deal with a very professional and responsible seller in OrangeKing was definitely worth it, and I swore off BA.
Quote from: Kal-el on February 18, 2012, 01:00:38 PM
I decided that the extra dollar to deal with a very professional and responsible seller in OrangeKing was definitely worth it, and I swore off BA.
Thats pretty much exactly what I decided on. And several times you can get the card you need +more for close to the same price from Orange King. For instance to complete my Flash set all I need was the OPD. BA had it for a little over $2, but OK had the entire Flash Set for $2.99. This gave me my card plus extras for either trade or friends that want to play.
It may take me longer to complete my sets without dealing with someone that has everything, but he is such a TOOL that I dont mind the little extra wait I will have to endeavor.
Here is a recent failed transaction with BA. I was looking for some cards I needed on craigslist and he responded. Lets just say it wasnt the fairest offer in the world. I edited out the 1st 100 emails where he tries to get me to check for every card ever made that is worth money. Im already wanting out of this deal by this time:
In a message dated 4/13/2012 12:39:38 P.M. US Eastern Daylight Time, kobossy writes:
I got 3 of them from another guy 2 days ago. Now Im looking for Backsnap & Mist Body.
Let me know if you have those 2 cards and what your offer is.
From: Bornagain79@aol.com
Sent: Friday, April 13, 2012 10:20 AM
To: kobossy
Subject: Re: interested in trading overpower...
I have both. What are you willing to trade, and would you sell the others?
This is my list in order of priority:
Devour of worlds,
Spider-man IQ hero
Starjammers-Prof X special
Supersonic,
X-man character
Jean grey: Dark phoenix
In a message dated 4/13/2012 2:35:32 P.M. US Eastern Daylight Time, kobossy writes:
I am willing to trade/sell all of them...please make an offer of the 2 cards I want and an offer of the 2 cards plus cash.
From: Bornagain79@aol.com
Sent: Friday, April 13, 2012 11:36 AM
To: kobossy
Subject: Re: interested in trading overpower...
Before I do, do you want to see if you have any other of my wants? I can send you a complete list
In a message dated 4/13/2012 3:04:40 P.M. US Eastern Daylight Time, kobossy writes:
No thanks...boxes are all put back in storage and I do not want to get them out again
From: Bornagain79@aol.com
Sent: Friday, April 13, 2012 2:33 PM
To: kobossy
Subject: interested in trading overpower...
Do you have a cash number in mind?
In a message dated 4/13/2012 5:40:38 P.M. US Eastern Daylight Time, kobossy writes:
Make 2 offers...one for just cards and one for your 2 cards plus cash. Please make sure it is your best offer. I do not want to go back and forth with counter offers. I really need to conclude this.
thx
From: Bornagain79@aol.com
Sent: Friday, April 13, 2012 2:42 PM
To: kobossy
Subject: Re: interested in trading overpower...
As for cash and trade, how about the trade + $5?
Devourer of worlds,
Spider-man IQ hero
Starjammers-Prof X special
Supersonic,
X-man character
Jean grey: Dark phoenix
In a message dated 4/13/2012 5:58:35 P.M. US Eastern Daylight Time, kobossy writes:
Im looking to make a fair trade...that's not even close...I wouldn't do DOW alone for those 2 cards...if you have a fair trade in mind let me know...there are fewer and fewer OverpoweR people out there and I would hope we are old enough now (if you played the game your at least 32yrs old) to not try an rip each other off.
From: Bornagain79@aol.com
Sent: Friday, April 13, 2012 3:04 PM
To: kobossy
Subject: Re: interested in trading overpower...
I told you to make an offer. Id be willing to buy the others, but you obviously have a price in your mind.
I've traded for a DOW for less before. X-men rare for image rare. Image was made less than x-men.
In a message dated 4/13/2012 6:35:44 P.M. US Eastern Daylight Time, kobossy writes:
Its not about which set was in less supply its which cards are in more demand (but you know that). By your logic ill take a Power leach(IQ) for Serious arsenal(Image). Taking advantage of a fellow collector for DOW is nothing to brag about. How much do you sell DOW for? I know its more than the 2 cards I'm asking for. Hope your conscious doesn't bother you pretending you don't know about the cards you sell or trade for. Its disappointing someone who is recognized as arguably the biggest collector of overpower deals like this. Please reflect on your dishonesty before stating to people thru your email address that you are Born Again. Take care
From: Bornagain79@aol.com
Sent: Friday, April 13, 2012 3:46 PM
To: kobossy
Subject: Re: interested in trading overpower...
wow.
I just bought a DOW this week for $10 off another dealer.
Like I said, I gave you the option to give a price, but you didn't, so there is no need to get upset.
As for demand, I have had more requests for mist body in the last year than DOW.
As the world's largest dealer, I think I know very well what is in demand.
I'm sorry you got easily offended. No worries here
'As the world's largest dealer, I think I know very well what is in demand.'
used that one on me too...we all know he's trying to run a business, but he's always looking to gouge
Yea, BornAgain69 is such a douche... i hate him so much... wish i had saved our e-mail conversations of the past.
Quote from: breadmaster on August 14, 2012, 05:28:08 PM
'As the world's largest dealer, I think I know very well what is in demand.'
used that one on me too...we all know he's trying to run a business, but he's always looking to gouge
He contacted me thru craigslist never indicating he is a seller. He tried to come off as a fellow collector trying to complete a collection. If I had not recognized his email address I would have never known it was him. If he would have been honest and mentioned he needs to make a profit I would have understood. I can only imagine how many people he has swindled this way.
Quote from: breadmaster on August 14, 2012, 05:28:08 PM
we all know he's trying to run a business, but he's always looking to gouge
I'm surprised that frequent visitors to this forum continue to deal with him, only to be shocked and outraged by his behavior.
Quote from: DiceK on August 15, 2012, 09:22:18 AMI'm surprised that frequent visitors to this forum continue to deal with him, only to be shocked and outraged by his behavior.
Agreed. He outright lied to me when trying to get me to pay an extra $5 for something over a year ago and I decided I won't deal with him again. I'll pay slightly more to deal with Orange King, or wait longer to get the cards I'm looking for rather than continue to give money to BA.
'As the world's largest swindler (of OP cards), I think I know very well how to rip people off. '
Fixed it for you :)
Quote from: garose74 on August 16, 2012, 08:06:44 AM
'As the world's largest swindler (of OP cards), I think I know very well how to rip people off. '
Fixed it for you :)
^^^^ LOL ;D
I'll throw in my two cents regarding both Born Again and Orange King.
I've dealt with Orange King on Ebay to fill in some gaps in my character collection (Ripclaw, Shadowcat:AOA, Angel) and he was very pleasant and his shipping was crazy fast (I think we are both close to each other in the Western New York area, but I could be wrong). His prices were fair and his emails friendly. For the Angel character, he included custom Marvels character card and specials which was very nice. Overall, one of my all-time best Ebay experiences.
I've also dealt with BornAgain through his website and have both bought cards and traded cards with him. I tried to get as much as possible for the duplicate Mr. Fantastic and Mr. Sinister IQ characters I traded to him like any reasonable person would and he and I worked out a decent deal. I suppose I could have listed them online and perhaps they would have sold for a few dollars more than I got in trade (I think I got $16 total in trade credit), but he shipped quickly, the cards were packed very well, and he's been very responsive when I emailed him. I've dealt with him twice so far and have no complaints and plan on going through him to complete my character collection later this week (I'm missing Classic Spider-Man, Team X and Classic Wolverine).
I've been lucky with both people, so I'm glad for that. I get that both guys are running a business or are trying to make a profit and reading some of the posts I can see why he lowballed people when they asked him to make an offer. It's like those pawn shop shows, those guys are always about making money and it doesn't help them at all when someone comes to them without a price in mind. Of course he would lowball you.
Now, for me, it was probably easier since I only went to him for character cards and not rare specials, etc. and when I emailed him I had a price in mind and a list of what I wanted (nothing too rare on the list, maybe Maverick was the most expensive and he was under $10), but if I had told him what I had on his Want List and asked for an offer, I know he would counter with the line that he just bought a collection for a cheap price and that he had a surplus of the card I offered him or whatever, so I went right in with an offer and within two emails the deal was brokered and by email three it was to confirm that he shipped the cards out to me. The second time I went to him it was for five or six cards and I just sent him a mail with the exact price I would pay (including shipping) and he accepted, I paid and he mailed the cards out later that day.
As I mentioned before, I plan on emailing him later this week to inquire about the last three character cards to have a complete Overpower character set, so I'll report back if things get wacky, but I think (hope) that they'll be smooth like the other two transactions.
Quote from: TGW on August 22, 2012, 02:36:20 PM
I'll throw in my two cents regarding both Born Again and Orange King.
I've dealt with Orange King on Ebay to fill in some gaps in my character collection (Ripclaw, Shadowcat:AOA, Angel) and he was very pleasant and his shipping was crazy fast (I think we are both close to each other in the Western New York area, but I could be wrong). His prices were fair and his emails friendly. For the Angel character, he included custom Marvels character card and specials which was very nice. Overall, one of my all-time best Ebay experiences.
I've also dealt with BornAgain through his website and have both bought cards and traded cards with him. I tried to get as much as possible for the duplicate Mr. Fantastic and Mr. Sinister IQ characters I traded to him like any reasonable person would and he and I worked out a decent deal. I suppose I could have listed them online and perhaps they would have sold for a few dollars more than I got in trade (I think I got $16 total in trade credit), but he shipped quickly, the cards were packed very well, and he's been very responsive when I emailed him. I've dealt with him twice so far and have no complaints and plan on going through him to complete my character collection later this week (I'm missing Classic Spider-Man, Team X and Classic Wolverine).
I've been lucky with both people, so I'm glad for that. I get that both guys are running a business or are trying to make a profit and reading some of the posts I can see why he lowballed people when they asked him to make an offer. It's like those pawn shop shows, those guys are always about making money and it doesn't help them at all when someone comes to them without a price in mind. Of course he would lowball you.
Now, for me, it was probably easier since I only went to him for character cards and not rare specials, etc. and when I emailed him I had a price in mind and a list of what I wanted (nothing too rare on the list, maybe Maverick was the most expensive and he was under $10), but if I had told him what I had on his Want List and asked for an offer, I know he would counter with the line that he just bought a collection for a cheap price and that he had a surplus of the card I offered him or whatever, so I went right in with an offer and within two emails the deal was brokered and by email three it was to confirm that he shipped the cards out to me. The second time I went to him it was for five or six cards and I just sent him a mail with the exact price I would pay (including shipping) and he accepted, I paid and he mailed the cards out later that day.
As I mentioned before, I plan on emailing him later this week to inquire about the last three character cards to have a complete Overpower character set, so I'll report back if things get wacky, but I think (hope) that they'll be smooth like the other two transactions.
It looks like your under the impression that I came to him for a trade. That is not the case. He came to me thru an email and I stated that I was looking to make an even trade with a fellow collector. If at any time he would have said I buy/sell OP and I need to see a profit in this trade I would have understood, I would not have made a trade but I would have understood. I never gave him the impression that I was not knowledgeable of OP card prices. Im glad you had a great experience but I think enough of this community has revealed his tactics to show it is not an isolated instance.
I'm not disputing your experience or saying that everyone has it wrong on the guy. I just think that someone in his position will tend to want to make a deal that is more in their favor as opposed to an 'even' or fair trade. I'm not saying it's right or wrong, but his approach seems to be more about market share, whereas you and I would approach it as a player and a collector and that automatically places us at a disadvantage to a certain degree.
Quote from: TGW on August 22, 2012, 07:49:13 PM
I'm not disputing your experience or saying that everyone has it wrong on the guy. I just think that someone in his position will tend to want to make a deal that is more in their favor as opposed to an 'even' or fair trade. I'm not saying it's right or wrong, but his approach seems to be more about market share, whereas you and I would approach it as a player and a collector and that automatically places us at a disadvantage to a certain degree.
Is this ^^^^^ bornagain69?? :o
Fair enough if the guy is trying to make a profit but he has ripped people off in the process.
I hope the guys at customs are enjoying my cards he "sent" me.
Quote from: garose74 on August 23, 2012, 03:48:15 PM
Fair enough if the guy is trying to make a profit but he has ripped people off in the process.
I hope the guys at customs are enjoying my cards he "sent" me.
Fair enough. Trying to make a profit or otherwise, not following through on a deal is just not right. Have you tried to reach out to Customs? I've had an issue with a Heroclix trade a couple years ago where Customs held the package for quite some time. Eventually it was sent back to me, but the entire process took several months. If the package was sent international mail, you would only need the number on the form from Bornagain. It's not a tracking number like they use in the post office when shipping from US address to US address, but this information can determine if the package is being held by customs and can also confirm if it was returned to Bornagain. If that is the case, obviously he should follow through on his end of the deal and make a second attempt at sending your cards. Either way, all packages mailed outside the US would have information that can be traced, have you asked Bornagain for that information?
No point in contacting customs as BA wouldn't/couldn't give me any details on the package. Funny thing was the cards I ordered off of him were relisted on ebay :-\ . Now he might have a couple of Hillshire sets to sell but I thought it was a bit fishy.
If you're dealing anything meaningful, there is NO REASON not to use tracking features. They are not that expensive and you can always be willing to pay for them if the dealer is shady. Any trader/seller not willing to use tracking and provide that information is shady, IMO.
Quote from: mattkoz on August 24, 2012, 12:24:20 PM
If you're dealing anything meaningful, there is NO REASON not to use tracking features. They are not that expensive and you can always be willing to pay for them if the dealer is shady. Any trader/seller not willing to use tracking and provide that information is shady, IMO.
agreed. I've always used tracking for anything I've sold worth more than $5 because I always want to cover myself. Plus, the truth is that things DO get lost in the mail (or severely delayed) and I would want to provide a solid answer to anyone buying from me. since that's how I feel when I'M selling, I tend to agree that if a seller refuses to use tracking, ESPECIALLY when the buyer offers to foot the $, then it DEFINITELY seems shady!
Quote from: ncannelora on August 28, 2012, 04:20:57 PM
Quote from: mattkoz on August 24, 2012, 12:24:20 PM
If you're dealing anything meaningful, there is NO REASON not to use tracking features. They are not that expensive and you can always be willing to pay for them if the dealer is shady. Any trader/seller not willing to use tracking and provide that information is shady, IMO.
agreed. I've always used tracking for anything I've sold worth more than $5 because I always want to cover myself. Plus, the truth is that things DO get lost in the mail (or severely delayed) and I would want to provide a solid answer to anyone buying from me. since that's how I feel when I'M selling, I tend to agree that if a seller refuses to use tracking, ESPECIALLY when the buyer offers to foot the $, then it DEFINITELY seems shady!
I should amend to say at least providing a Delivery Confirmation number. The USPS Delivery Confirmation service is cheap. There are some other more complex tracking options they have that are more expensive, I guess. But all I really need to know is some number than I can look to see that it's on the way. I don't necessarily need to know every time someone handles it at the PO. Either way, the US Postal Service is a confusing mess. No wonder it is in financial ruin.
I can't remember if I ever did business with Orange King, but the name rings a bell from way back when. Think he was associated with David Marotta somehow, assuming they're not the same person (pretty sure they aren't). I find it hard to stomach some of the prices he has, though. He and bornagain both have pretty high prices that keep me from doing any sort of regular business. Too many character+specials bundles when generally all I want is a character or a special or two.
I made a purchase from bornagain...last year, maybe?...through his website. I initially tried to trade off some dupes as a means of credit but I guess I was too stubborn or not giving him the deal he wanted because he decided to close trade negotiations and I just bought from him instead. I didn't have any problems with magic price adjustments, but some of that may have to do with my consistently quoting his prices at him. I ended up getting everything I wanted, some rarer 3 stat heroes and all of the Wildstorms inserts I needed except Crystal which he apparently lost, for around $24. He shipped quickly and the cards I received looked fine. A couple had slight signs of wear, but what do you really expect from cards printed over 15 years ago that were meant to be played with? That said I probably wouldn't do business with him again. The e-mails weren't always entirely clear and never were they well written (though thankfully I didn't detect any sort of attitude) which I found unprofessional and made me feel like I was dealing with a 10 year old. He also didn't seem very keen on the idea of price matching his eBay listings; I think I ended up only buying cards from his website that weren't otherwise listed as singles on eBay. In the end I got what I paid for and was happy, but also relieved that I got anything at all after PayPaling the money over to him despite the apprehension I was having about the deal at the time. I found his "5%" thing kind of gimmicky too. 10 cents off of a $2 card isn't much of an advertising gimmick.
Thankfully some new sellers seem to be showing up on ebay now, so hopefully some new deals will be popping up more regularly now since some of the other more semi-regular ones seem to have vanished. I've seen some stuff that I'd have probably bought already if I could afford to spend a little on the side for gaps in my collection, but alas expenses are an annoying bitch.