恭喜發財! 2008 is the Year of the Rat! (Click to see your New Year's card.) Tom Sloper February 7, 2007

From: George Benhase
Email: gjgolf@racc2000.com
Sent: Monday, May 14, 2007 7:19 AM
Subject: Tiles For Sale
Dimensions: 1/1/8" X 3/4"
Color: white
Material the tiles are made of: ivory

Buyer Alert. This seller offers items purportedly of "ivory." Visitors to this site are especially advised to be wary of such claims. See our What's It Made Of? page for assistance in how to tell ivory from bone. Caveat emptor -- make sure you're sure before you buy.
All trades or sales are private transactions between individuals--the Exchange is simply a listing point for those who wish to make such trades and is no way involved in any transactions, nor may it be held responsible for any problems between buyers and sellers.

恭喜發財
Happy Year of the Pig!
Tom Sloper
http://www.sloperama.com
February 18, 2007

Name: Matthew Shim
Email: request@mahjongtiles.com
Link: www.mahjongtiles.com
Date: Feb. 12, 2007

Did you lose a tile or two and need replacements?
Need some extra tiles for jokers?
Are some of your mahjong tiles mismatched or off-colored?
Just want some spare mahjong tiles?

Pleas visit Mahjongtiles(TM) -- Mahjong Tile Replacements & Museum
www.mahjongtiles.com

You can search over 16,000 mahjong tiles! Including:
80+ catalin/bakelite sets
15+ hand carved bakelite (aka Chinese Bakelite) sets
25+ bone and bamboo sets
5+ french ivory celluloid sets
5+ pyralin sets
10+ solid wood/solid bamboo sets
15+ modern plastic sets
10+ combination/composite sets

We have a few loose tiles available here at Sloperama. Go to http://www.sloperama.com/tiles.htm.

Name: National Mah Jongg League
Email: (Sorry, the NMJL does not have an email address)
Link: http://nationalmahjonggleague.org/services/services.htm

TilesForSale

Rescuing Mah Jongg Sets
If you have lost tiles from your set or have an older set that needs additional tiles, the League will make an attempt to obtain a match for your set. If you need a tile or tiles, send it to us, in an insulated bag (jiffy bag). Request the specific tiles needed, be it a Joker, Flower or Symbol. The League will obtain the nearest match to your set and substitute the new tile, putting a Joker, Flower or Symbol decal on your tile. This gives the best "mix" of tiles, since all tiles age somewhat differently.

The League will do its utmost to provide symbol tiles exactly as requested. Price is $3.50 per tile ($4.25 for bamboo), including postage. Please include check or money order with your request.

National Mah Jongg League
250 West 57th Street
New York, NY 10107
Phone: (212) 246-3052
Fax: (212) 246-4117

Name = CHarli
Email = Please email me from my web site
Items for sale = Please visit my web site, I specialize in Quality Vintage mah jong sets, Bakelite, Catalin and Bone and Bamboo. I also have thousands of orphan tiles. If you don't see what you want don't hesitate to email me --- it may still be on the shelf waiting to be listed. See you soon CHarli
URL = http://www.CHarli.org

SCAM ALERT

Mah-Jongg sellers take note! Be advised that sometimes your "for sale" post can get offers from scam artists who offer to buy your stuff but are really trying to rip you off. For example (actual email from April, 2007):

From: mike.howie@yahoo.com
To: SS♠Sloperama♥com
Sent: Thursday, April 12, 2007 5:13 PM
Subject: Item for sale@http://www.sloperama.com/majexchange/sets.htm
Hello,
                Am interetsed on this item and am willing to buy it now so let me know if the item is still available for sell and the pix, condition including the last asking price of the item okay...So let me hear from you.....

(And another actual email from 2005):

Name = BEN
Email = benjohnsonstoreltd@yahoo.com
Items for sale =
GOODDAY SELLER,
My name is ben johnson the sales Rep. of ben Stores Limited. We
will love to process an international order from your store which we need it
shipped directly to our client in west africa (Nigeria). All payments would be made through the Credit Card We will want to know if you do ship internationally. We will
be awaiting your soonest response. Please reply back so we can list the products needed.
Kindest Regards.
ben johnson
Note: Kindly include your website or the list if the available item in stock.

1. It's hard to tell exactly what he wants to buy. He seems desirous of buying just any old thing. This vagueness would continue, should you email him back.
2. "Mike Howie" has contacted other vendors to order mah-jongg merchandise but apparently doesn't know anything about mah-jongg whatsoever.
3. Odd that "Ben" says he'll pay by credit card - usually these guys want to pay by check, and the check turns out to be for more than the purchase amount, so they need the difference reimbursed (and that's where you lose money, because his check bounces). So I don't know what this guy's deal is - maybe bait and switch (saying now that he'll pay by credit card, but when it comes down to it, "oops can I pay you by check instead"), or maybe he has stolen credit card numbers.
4. "Ben" mentioned Nigeria. Everybody is well familiar with the Nigerian scam, right? You've gotten those emails? The main business activity in Nigeria is, well, scams. You can look it up on the internet. The US gov't has warnings posted about doing business with anyone in Nigeria. See http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/brochures/brochures_2113.html.
5. Frequently the buyer wants his order (usually a large amount of goods) shipped to some overseas location (not necessarily Nigeria). So what happens to the hapless seller is that the check is bad (or the credit card turns out to be bad) and a large amount of expensive inventory is now gone. Seller beware.

SCAM ALERT

Name = paulla levitch
Email = paullal/at/juno.com
Date = 6/22/06
Tiles for sale = I have a large light yellowish set of 8 flowers I wish to trade for a smaller darker yellow set of 8 flowers.
Dimensions = will furnish
Color(s) = pale yellow/white
Material = resin

Name = Edmond S. Kuminkoski
Email = edkumi[at]aol.com
Date = June 03, 2006
Tiles for sale = Individual or group tiles from a mixed set of 144 pieces. There are also additional Flower tiles and two blanks. All were obtained at a rummage sale. The pieces are about 50% Bakelite and 50% Catalin. The color varies from Yellow (Bakelite) to Butterscotch (Catalin). However, there are various shades in both the Bakelite and Catalin tiles. All tiles have been digitally photographed according to group and posted on Yahoo. Please email me and I will forward the photos to your email address. Again, I am offering these tiles individually, or as a group.
Dimensions = 30mm x 22mm x 11mm (1-3/8 x 7/8 x 7/16) app.
Color(s) = Various shades of Yellow and Butterscotch
Material = Mixed set of Bakelite and Catalin (plus a few unknown)
URL = Email me and the photos will be forwarded.

2006 is the Year of the Dog. Very best wishes to all my faithful readers in the coming year. Click here to see your virtual New Year's card.

Tom Sloper

Los Angeles, CA (USA)
Feb., 2006

Name = Pat Mead
Email = meadcci@aol.com
Date = 3/20/05
Tiles for sale = SPRING HAS SPRUNG and while a lot of the country is still under a foot of snow, I am under a foot of orphaned tiles in 80 degree heat here in Miami. I need to 'Spring clean' and would like you to please email me if you need extra tiles to complete your set. I have bone & bamboo, bakelite, catalin, lucite, genuine ivory, 2-toned, wood, enrobed and all need a good home with a new purpose.

From: [name withheld]
Subject: bogis sale of tiles
Date: Wed, 13 Oct 2004 17:50:24 -0700
>Tom:
> I have a message on your sell bulliten board. I recieved an email from a man in the uk by the name of Femi Thomas. He wanted to buy several tiles from me and pay me with a cashers check for $2500. I was to take my $600 out and western union $1900 to a gentleman in Lagos, Nigiria. First of all the check came to me on saturday oct. 9, 2004. The envelope it was sent in came from Spain. The check was issued on a Commerece bank in Staten Island. I called the bank to verify the funds and told them how I got it. They said that no such check existed. I have been in contact with the FBI and have filled an internet fraud. Please post this man's name on your sight as a fraudulant buyer.

Dear [Name withheld],
I'm so sorry you were contacted by this con artist. I too received an offer from Femi Thomas (I assumed he was a she) to buy some tiles I'd offered for sale. He kept asking to buy stuff that I didn't have for sale, and was being very vague about shipping methods. I thought s/he was just a wacko. It never got to the point of sending me payment. If payment had been for more than the purchase amount, I would have returned it, because I've heard of this scam before
I will certainly post this warning on the bulletin boards, but "Femi" can just use a different name. So the warning has to be more general. Beware of transactions in which the buyer wants to overpay you and have you refund the difference. He isn't buying merchandise, he's robbing you.
It sounds like you were too smart to fall for his scheme. Good for you! - Tom
Tom Sloper

Seoul, S. Korea
Oct. 14, 2004 (It's Thursday here but Wednesday in the US)

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