A note: I wouldn't usually 'out' a company like this, but I feel gatheringground.com needs to be held accountable for their actions.
Here's the story:
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On July 11, 2011 I placed an order for (2) Yanmega Prime #98 Super Rare Holo.
I chose GatheringGround.com by scouring the internet for the lowest price. They were $32.99 each.
My total was $71.83. I paid on the spot via PayPal.
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The very next day, I noticed something strange. The price of Yanmega Prime had jumped up to $54.99, and remains that price as I type. (http://www.gatheringground.com/stor...76BC1B&sesid=&oper=item&product=136218&page=0)
I thought nothing of it, other than I was lucky to have placed my order before the price re-evaluation.
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After two weeks of not receiving my items or hearing from them, I decided to e-mail their customer service staff.
I referenced my order number and my order receipt in the e-mail and inquired about the status of my order.
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The next day, I received an e-mail from Gathering Ground stating the following:
"I'm sorry, this item is out of stock. The order has been canceled and your PayPal account credited."
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Needless to say, I was outraged. I replied immediately stating my case. Why would you raise the price if they were out of stock? Why is it still advertised as "In Stock" if it isn't? Why shouldn't I be able reap the benefits of your staff forgetting to inflate the price of a card after success in a major tournament? If you truly are out of stock, then wouldn't standard protocol be to send them to me when you do receive the item? Or did you think I would be stupid enough to let you sell the exact same cards that should rightfully be mine to someone else for 40% more than I paid?
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Side Note: Purchasing Pokemon Cards is a lot like playing the stock market. You take risks when predicting which cards will rise in playability, and your reward or loss directly reflects that. You can't buy stock in Apple Inc. in 1990 for pennies only to be told in 2000 that you would have to pay millions to keep that stock. (Bad example I know, but you know what I mean).
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The next response I received was even less inspired than the original, and addressed almost none of my questions:
"Every time we sell out of, or, for that matter, fail to sell any of, a product, its price is reevaluated and adjusted based on demand and market value."
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I replied again, asking her to address my original questions, and ship my product once it becomes 'in stock'.
I explained that this is bad business and will not be tolerated by the extremely tight-knit Pokemon Community.
They have not responded.
I would love a representative from Gathering Ground to come here and try to explain themselves, though I highly doubt they will. I got my money back, but I still feel like I was gypped out of a great investment opportunity. If nothing else, this thread is to open a forum for GG to defend themselves, realize their faults, and give me what should rightfully be mine. If nothing else, let this be a warning to NEVER order from gatheringground.com.
Thanks for reading,
Colin
If Collectors Cache or Troll & Toad reads this I think it would be a great idea on their part to offer you those cards at that price. It would be a great move on their part to gain your future business and maybe the business of others.
