The Corner Penthouse

This is another in a series of articles about eBay, who believes that buyers can do no wrong. This is proven by the fact that sellers can't leave negative feedback for buyers. As any long-time eBay seller can attest to, there are PLENTY of bad buyers on eBay. I will do my best to inform the public about the bad buyers that cross my path, so other sellers can add them to their block list and avoid them, as I wish I could. The bad buyer I will be writing about today is: Ken Johnson of Elk Grove Village, Illinois, operating under the eBay ID: chicagochristmas

I have been an eBay member since January 4, 2003, and selling on the site for over 10 years now. My sales suck because eBay does everything in their power to hinder me. Whether it's hiding my listings from search results, forcing me to group everything into single "themed" listings using variations, or any one of a number of other things, I have to find creative ways to work around eBay's obstacles in the hope that I will make at least one sale in any given month.

I buy a LOT of Blu-rays and DVDs, much to the detriment of my living space. Some of the newer ones are "combo packs" in which I pay for a disc and a "Digital Copy" voucher. I have no use for the "Digital Copy" voucher, and since I paid for it - it's listed as part of the product I'm paying for - I have the right to sell that voucher, just as I do the disc.


Although there is a large market who wants to buy these vouchers from people, like me, who have no use for them, eBay makes it extremely difficult to fulfill that need (even though they pocket a percentage of the sales). I've been selling them with a broken DVD that, my listing clearly states, will be thrown away.


As you can see, this listing has "100% buyer satisfaction". That's because buyers who see it are smart enough to know that I'm selling the Digital Copy vouchers based on all of the details I have in the listing.


If the mention and image of a "broken DVD" isn't a big indication - no one in their right mind would want a broken and unplayable disc - the details are clearly geared towards the Digital Copy vouchers.


HUNDREDS of people have purchased vouchers from me and, as previously stated, all were 100% HAPPY with their purchase. Not one single person ever asked for the broken DVD because NO ONE has any use for a LITERAL PIECE OF GARBAGE, and they know that it's only there so I can sell them the voucher. As the above screenshot shows, I specifically state that in the listing. With the amount of details I give in my listings, I am one of the most honest and forthright sellers on eBay. You should see the listings of some of the eBay sellers that I've purchased from. I've lost track of how many items I've returned because they were not adequately described in the listing, and in some cases, were inaccurately described in the listing.

On Tuesday May 5, 2020, Ken Johnson purchased the Digital Copy voucher for The Oranges, a 2011 movie starring Hugh Laurie and Leighton Meester. I state in my listing that I send the voucher paper via drone or courier pigeon in 24-48 hours. There are times when the drone's battery is dead and the pigeon is tired, and so I have to send an image of the voucher (and a text transcription of the voucher data) via eBay messaging in order to ensure that the buyer receives it in the timeframe I stated. Mr. Johnson received his voucher that way on May 5th, just a few hours after he placed the order.

Here is the original photo I used for The Oranges voucher. Even if you didn't read the listing details, it is 100% clear to anyone with even half a brain that the DIGITAL COPY VOUCHER is the item being sold here. I even included a "proof" screenshot from the Movies Anywhere site showing that the voucher code is valid.


Immediately after I sent the voucher details, I received a message from Ken stating that he wanted the broken DVD. I told him that the listing clearly states that I threw it away on his behalf, because I do not mail out broken garbage. I asked him WHY he wanted the broken DVD, since it can't be played and nothing can be done with it, except throw it out. After numerous, ALL CAPS, rantings and ravings from Ken, he has NEVER answered that simple question.

A week goes by and nothing more happens. I figure that Ken finally realized he was being a jerk, and accepted the Digital Copy voucher that he paid for, and was enjoying his movie. Well, on Monday May 11th, Ken filed an "item not received" eBay claim against me. I replied back stating that the item he paid for - the digital copy voucher - was given to him on May 5th. eBay knows this because it was sent using their messaging system, so they still have a copy of it. Although it is against my policy to mail out broken garbage, I quickly recovered a shard of the broken DVD from the shredder and attached it to a note with the paper digital copy voucher. I took a photo before I sealed the envelope and put it in the post office dropbox. This was mailed out to Ken Johnson, even though Ken DID NOT PAY ME for the shipping. The "free shipping" noted in the listing was for the drone and courier pigeon delivery (or eBay messaging, if necessary), not for the U.S. Postal Service.


For the ENTIRE evening of May 11th, Ken Johnson sent NUMEROUS lunatic rantings and ravings about not getting the broken DVD, and that he wants the broken DVD because it was mentioned in the listing title, and even slandering and defaming me by calling me a "liar" for presenting a package that he claims I did not mail because I have no tracking number to provide. The lack of a tracking number does not mean I did not mail out the package seen above, EXACTLY as addressed (not blacked out, of course). On May 12th, Ken continued to defame and slander me, even though he had nothing to prove his claim. I can 100% guarantee that what is seen in the photo above was mailed out to him on May 11, 2020. He will learn that for a fact when the U.S. Postal Service gives him a note telling him to pick it up and pay the postage due on it. Not every eBay seller provides "proof of shipment", as my April 8, 2020 purchase of a DVD and artwork (no plastic case) from seller "marinmega" can attest. It's not necessary as the arrival of the package itself IS the proof.


I will save you the mental duress that I've been under having to read Ken Johnson's NUMEROUS lunatic rantings and ravings. I'll include a few snippets here and there, but I won't fill this report with the whole crazy bunch. They are ALL so repetitive of each other, that just one or two covers them all. NONE of them even addressed the questions that I'VE raised MANY times to him: Why did you place an order for a broken DVD? Why do you want a broken DVD so badly, since you can't play it and will have to throw it out? The only answer he keeps giving is "because a broken DVD was mentioned in the listing title". Well, I also have the words "movies", "anywhere", "vudu", "spree", and "ultraviolet" in my listing title, too. Does Ken want me to send him an "anywhere" or a "spree"?

Ken fully admitted that, even a week later, he never used the Digital Copy voucher. Why buy it if you weren't gonna use it? Also, this is Ken outright admitting to receiving the product he KNOWS that he paid for.


The fact that, a week later, he never used the code, tells me that he was never interested in it in the first place. Why place an order for an item you don't want and a broken dvd you can't use (because it is stated to be unplayable)? Buying the item was NEVER his intention when he placed the order. He KNEW full well that he was buying a digital copy voucher, but he knew that he could cause unnecessary trouble for me because of the way I had to list it. There was NO REASON for him to do this. I never caused him any trouble, and there are HUNDREDS of people who have bought the digital copy vouchers from me and have been HAPPY with their purchase. I am just fulfilling a need that the marketplace wants. It's not like I'm making Millions of Dollars on these, anyway. Each $6.10 voucher only nets me $5.00 after PayPal and eBay take their cut. I'm lucky if I sell one item a month, and 98% of what few sales I do make are for these vouchers. I have OVER 400 UNSOLD ITEMS that have been sitting up on eBay for YEARS!

Ken Johnson has, unnecessarily, brought up so-called "eBay policy violations" with my account and other listings, which have no bearing on the matter at hand. He used terms about them, and mentioned things, that regular eBay users wouldn't know or use. This tells me A LOT about Ken, and that he thinks that he's the "eBay Police". This further proves to me that he only made this "purchase" with the evil intention of filing a claim against me because I'm "violating eBay policy" - even though my listing has no effect on him whatsoever. According to his profile page, Ken has been an eBay member since July 9, 2006. Maybe he thinks that his 14 years of "experience" on the site gives him the right to police it.

Keep in mind, eBay does nothing to stop the thousands of sellers who sell counterfeit DVD and Blu-ray box sets, yet it seems that the "eBay Police", like Ken Johnson (and I'm sure there are other regular users who feel similarly entitled), go out of their way to harass me and cause me trouble when I do everything I can to thrive as a seller while working around all of the restrictions eBay has placed on me and other small sellers.

Anyway, after enduring Ken's lunatic rantings and ravings, and getting greatly depressed as a result - as if there isn't enough going on in the world to make me feel that way - I decided to take a loss and just give Ken a refund. It will mean skipping a meal, since I have no job right now due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, just like millions of other people, but I just want to be done with Ken and his nonsense. eBay prohibits me from giving a partial refund. It has to be the full $6.10, even though I only received $5.00 of it. I'll take the $1.10 loss, but even that COULD NOT BE DONE due to Ken opening this fraudulent claim in the first place. eBay gives this error: "The refund failed. There was a problem sending your refund to the buyer. To try again or to see what's wrong, go to PayPal."


I went to PayPal and I think I know what happened. When Ken opened the fraudulent claim, eBay had their sister company, PayPal, put a $5.61 hold on the original payment Ken made to me on May 5th. Since I only had $2.43 in my account when Ken opened the claim, they took $5.61 out of my account, leaving me with a -$3.18 balance.


Since there is a negative balance, and not a positive balance of $5.61 or more, eBay would not allow me to do a refund. Had Ken not opened the claim, there would have still been a $2.43 balance in my PayPal account, and presumably, eBay would have pulled the remaining $3.18 from what little money I have in my bank. It would leave me with a near-zero bank balance, but at least I would finally have been rid of Ken Johnson....I hope.

I told Ken that he would definitely get a refund from me, but he would just have to be patient and wait until I either make another sale of $10+ (from a reputable buyer this time), and use that money to fund Ken's refund; or wait until I get a PayPal refund from an item I mailed back because that eBay seller misrepresented the item. Yeah, *I* get punished for being completely forthright and detailed, yet dishonest eBay sellers are allowed to thrive. And now you know why I feel like the "eBay Police" have it out for me.

Well, Ken did not want to be patient. On May 15th, he escalated the case to eBay customer support, who instantly saw in his favor. Why? Because he "didn't receive the broken DVD"!!! Let that sink in for a minute. He got his money back because HE DID NOT RECEIVE A LITERAL PIECE OF GARBAGE! He now has a FREE digital copy voucher, which is the item Ken KNOWS that I was actually selling to him. eBay has proof that he received that voucher, because it's in their messaging system, so this "did not receive item" reasoning is bullshit.


Anyway, PayPal released the $6.10 hold when the false claim was closed, which put those funds back into my account. However, eBay then stole $6.48 from me for an item that was priced at $6.10, and for which I only received $5.00 ($5.61 before the eBay Final Value Fee is paid). This put my PayPal balance even further in the red at -$3.67 (it was previously -$3.18). In the enlarged screenshot above, it clearly says that "eBay will refund the applicable tax back to the buyer". That is, obviously, not the case. The extra $0.38 that eBay stole was the "sales tax" Ken PAID TO EBAY, not me. The eBay thievery is clear in the screenshot below, which shows that eBay took $6.48, even though I only received $5.61 (until eBay's Final Value Fee takes $0.61, thus giving me only $5.00).


I can't make heads or tails of the transaction details, which says that they refunded both $6.48 AND $0.38, even though the amount stated for the transaction is $6.48. ($6.48 + $0.38 = $6.86)


Here's where it gets even more insulting. Even though eBay, fundamentally, reversed the original sale, they did NOT take back their final value fee of $0.61. PayPal did not take back their $0.48 fee, either. That means I have had to pay (1) the $0.48 PayPal fee, (2) the $0.61 PayPal fee, and (3) Ken's $0.38 sales tax to eBay. That's a total of $1.47, in addition to losing the $5.00 I originally made from the sale.


It's bad enough that I'm scraping by without a job right now, barely sell anything on eBay due to all of their (previously discussed) restrictions and obstacles, and had to endure two weeks of MENTAL TRAUMA from Ken Johnson due to his scheme to cause trouble for me, but now eBay outright STEALS money from me?!? Yes, it's only $1.47, but that's still a considerable amount seeing as how I don't even have enough in the bank to give Ken the $6.10 refund. I have to rely on local food pantries just to eat.

eBay is making it seem like they paid Ken from their funds, and now want me to reimburse them.


If I don't give them $6.10, they threaten to put "further restrictions" on my account. Confusingly, the balance due at the bottom is still the original $0.61 for the Final Value Fee on Ken's purchase.


However, they already TOOK $6.48 FROM MY PAYPAL ACCOUNT, as noted above. That's why my Paypal account is still in the red. Now they want an additional $6.10?!? They want me to pay a total of $12.58 ($6.48+$6.10) for Ken's bullshit!!! That is UNACCEPTABLE! Besides, if I didn't have the funds to give Ken back his money, why does eBay think that I'll magically have the funds to pay them? If they didn't do a million and one things to hinder my sales, I'd have the money. I only make one or two sales in a month, and they are usually digital copy vouchers, like the one Ken bought. For that, I get $5 after PayPal & eBay take their fees. I would need to sell two of them, to reputable buyers this time, in order to have the necessary funds.

All of this bullshit is because Ken Johnson of Elk Grove Village, Illinois (not to be confused with any of the good Ken Johnsons in other parts of the world) made a purchase with the evil intention of causing trouble for me. I implore all of you to add chicagochristmas to your eBay blocked buyers list IMMEDIATELY! You do NOT want to have anything to do with this specific Ken Johnson.

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[UPDATE - 5/16/2020]
I just received this e-mail from eBay (dated May 16, 2020 at 4:18 PM) with the subject "Your PayPal account was debited for case #5232367711".


This is interesting because, as previously stated, yesterday I received an e-mail from PayPal (dated May 15, 2020 at 9:05 AM) with the subject "Account debited for money owed in eBay dispute case". Did eBay actually steal money TWICE from my Paypal account: the first time for $6.48 on May 15th, and the second time for $6.10 on May 16th. So far, I am only seeing the May 15th debit of $6.48 in my PayPal account. Hopefully I won't see an additional $6.10 taken from my account.
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[UPDATE - 5/19/2020]
I thought I was done being harassed by Ken Johnson, as I have put this matter behind me. I guess he has not. This morning, I received this e-mail from eBay chiding me for going public with this matter. The e-mail mistakenly states that my "eBay account" was involved in making Ken's information public. Last time I checked, The Corner Penthouse - the site you're reading this article on - is not my "eBay account", nor is it a site owned or operated by eBay. Apparently, eBay thinks they can control the entire internet. Sorry, eBay, but your purview does not extend beyond your website. The United States Constitution grants me, as a member of the press, the right to report, in extensive detail, about matters of public interest.


You'll notice the mention of my eBay username, which has NOTHING to do with matter at hand. This is proof that Ken, himself, is behind this latest action. My eBay username was one of the unrelated things he mentioned in one of his lunatic rants last week. Yes, he wrote in ALL CAPS.


Well, I just changed it so that it doesn't look like a website url anymore. Not that it matters, as the Cult of eBay - Ken Johnson definitely drank the Kool-Aid - will find some other bit of bullshit to use to cause trouble for me. Bear in mind, while eBay continues to give me crap, they have NOT DONE A DAMN THING about a refund I'm due for a week now!
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[UPDATE - 8/28/2020]
Three months later, and Ken will not let this matter fade into the past. The more he forces me to update this article, the worse he's going to look in the court of public opinion. Ken is now CALLING COMPLETE STRANGERS WHO HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS MATTER to complain because I reported his nefarious behavior. I received an e-mail today from Macha Sabarly, an employee of Eaglemoss Collections, the company that has provided review product for Spook Central - but not The Corner Penthouse, which is the site this article is posted on. In the e-mail, Macha said:


Interestingly, in the time between the original posting of this article on May 15th and now (August 28th), I removed Ken's personal information from the article text, even though it was presented factually and in context, and never in a doxing "here's his information" manner. I have even gone so far as to ALTER THE PRESENTED EVIDENCE to remove it from there, too. But that's not the point anymore. The fact that he's HARASSING PARTIES WHO HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE MATTER is the concerning part. The fine folks at Eaglemoss did not need to hear Ken Johnson's bullshit. Heck, neither did I. This just goes to show you what type of person Ken Johnson is. Really, would YOU want a person like this buying from you?!? If you sell on eBay, go add chicagochristmas to your eBay blocked buyers list RIGHT DAMN NOW!!!


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