Swan Philatelics Help

Hello! I'm concerned that I gave Swan Philatelics a large sum of money and have been ghosted. I try to give people the benefit of the doubt, but I'm not sure what to do. I have purchased from Larry at Swan Philatelics many times in the past. I am now retired and wanted some kiloware to sort and keep me busy. I called him and placed an order in late September. I purchased a sealed box of worldwide kiloware from Germany, listed as $775 for an 18 kg box. He said he had it, asked me what postage I wanted on the box, and was very friendly. That was 3 weeks ago. My credit card was charged over 900 dollars that day, and I have seen nor heard nothing, since. I received nothing and emails to both Larry and Swan Philatelics go unanswered. I dont know why I was charged way more than the listed price. He lists on Hipstamp and ebay, still. Not sure what his APS number is, but I am getting to the point where I need an answer, or a refund, or some way to report this. Any info or help would be appreciated.

Just do a credit card dispute with your issuer, get a chargeback, and move on.

I'd like to get a refund from my bank, but I placed the order by phone. I have no proof other than the charge on my card. I will try next week and see if I can dispute the charge, but I don't want others to get caught like I may have been.

A phone order is even better for consumers like you because it is a "card not present" transaction. It's presumed to be fraudulent and you should receive a refund immediately as the bank doesn't need to check with the merchant about whether the goods were delivered. Transactions where a card was presented and the merchant obtained a signature or chip read are harder to reverse.

However, the public notice you have provided is helpful.

Larry's advert states to wait 2-3 weeks for delivery. Right now, he is offering 20% off a $750 plus order which I would pursue if he would actually talk to you.

Reverse current charge. When done, try to contact again if you wish to pursue the offer noted above.

https://goscf.com/t/88866

It just struck me as odd that there is no tracking number for a $900 order. THAT is the biggest red flag besides Larry going dark.

I've used Swan quite a few times in the past. There has to be tracking on this since he used USPS. Shoulda been quite a shipping trail. Did he give you a tracking number?

When I called him and placed the order, he told me he had the box in stock and was very friendly. Later, I saw the charge was $936. The box was $750 plus 20 percent off, so red flags started going off. I've been trying to reach him multiple ways ever since,and it's just silence. Since it's a holiday weekend, I will wait until Tue to start pursuing more fully. I may try using another cell phone to call him again. I still hold some hope that it was just delayed, but the silence with repeated ways of contacting is not a good sign.

Anyone know another source for quality worldwide kiloware with good variety? I really wanted the stamps.

I'll post an update if I find more. His ebay feedback is not looking good, so this may be a pattern.

Update...the stamps never arrived. I never got any answers to my emails. I contacted the bank, and after 10 days, they refunded my money.

I guess if he ever did send, there must have been no tracking. We live in a rural area and have to pick up packages from the post office in town, so no porch pirates out here.

Luckily, I'm back where I started and looking for kiloware. Nordfrim cant ship to the US right now. I got a few small orders off ebay, but a good variety of kiloware is really hard to find these days :( .

Beware of placing orders with Swan Imports.

Thanks for the update. Truly a strange story. Glad you got your money back.

I am very sorry to read this news about Swan Philatelics. I have made several purchases from them over the years and have always been pleased with what I got. Maybe a little pricey, but good material and as described. I am saddened that it has come to this and hope that the owner is OK.

Unfortunately, I'm dealing with a similar issue. I emailed in early October about ordering and received a quick reply. I sent $300 via PayPal, and I haven't heard back since. I've filed a case with Paypal, and I'm waiting for a response.