From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Ray, North Dakota

Ebay seed sale. Guys claims it to be a Big Max. Here is the thread

http://cgi.ebay.com/Giant-Pumpkin-Seeds-Complete-growing-instructions_W0QQitemZ7742498112QQcategoryZ103456QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

2/17/2006 12:25:50 PM

Manchester,N.H.

Another thing is the guy claims the seeds came from that pumpkin. The pumpkin in the picture is Bruce Whittier's 1301

2/17/2006 2:46:20 PM

Ray, North Dakota

You sure?

2/17/2006 3:35:09 PM

Berlin,mi.(zuhlke2@hotmail.com)

i would have to agree with dennis. i looked at the picture of the 1301 on aggc. i'm pretty sure the one on ebay is the 1301. nice photo shop work. lol

2/17/2006 3:44:08 PM

Long Island,New York

Fake.

2/17/2006 3:51:16 PM

Mt Vernon Ky

this guy has been selling these seeds for i now for 2 years now i bought some last year sucker

2/17/2006 3:59:36 PM

Pocatello (cliffwarren@yahoo.com)

I'm a photographer, and I can tell that this photo is a
photoshop-chop. Any of us want to call this guy out on it?

This guy makes $2.00 on false pretenses, while whoever gets
the seed is going to waste a whole season growing this
garbage.

2/17/2006 4:43:37 PM

Pocatello (cliffwarren@yahoo.com)

You can even see Bruce Whittier's house, and WIFE in the background!! (Compare with photos already on BP.com.)

2/17/2006 4:47:33 PM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

We can always flood his inbox with questions..

2/17/2006 4:52:33 PM

Kevinstinindians@yahoo.com

How about everyone with an ebay ID e-mail ebay about this guy, I saw them last year too.

2/17/2006 4:53:01 PM

ordinary,VA

I had to mail the guy!!!..: 0

2/17/2006 5:02:49 PM

Halifax, Nova Scotia

You could always email the bidders too, send them the link to this thread or something. I don't think thre's anything against ebay policy for doing that.

2/17/2006 5:13:20 PM

Itzetown City

Feedback score 228 - positive feedback 98,3%
I should buy me a version of photochop asap. lol

2/17/2006 5:19:21 PM

Ray, North Dakota

Interesting interesting. Note to self....do not tick off the giant pumpkin growing community for fear of totally losing face! Got that one filed. Good deal, glad I posted it. EVERYONE EMAIL THIS IDIOT, maybe he will stop.

2/17/2006 7:38:56 PM

Coolville, OH

I'll have to check out the pics that Cliff mentioned. Sounds too hilarious to be true. So it must be true.

I'm a newbie on the boards. And maybe I don't my head from a hole in the ground. But, I've been watching this dude since he first started selling seed in the fall of '04. I've never bought seed from him simply because he's never given a straight forward answer to any of my questions. And some other things I noted...The picture of his darling nephew -- He has continually zoomed and cropped that picture over time to give it an illusion of looking bigger. He's gotten to the point that he can't zoom anymore. Second, he is in Mass. and the fair is in NH. If he did show at the NH State Fair, then why not use the name of the fair? It's the Hopkinton State Fair.

Here are the results of the 2005 Hopkinton State Fair weighoff: Adult Division: 1st Bruce Whittier 852lbs; 2nd Jim Kuhn 810lbs; 3rd Jim Ford 728lbs; 4th Doug Cabot 726lbs; 5th Jim Beauchemin 698lbs; 6th Emily Ford 645lbs; 7th Jen Dambrowski 581lbs; 8th Bill Rodonis 537lbs; 9th Linda Mathews 513lbs.

Even if the kid grew this supposed 1st place, 600-pounder, he is a long ways off what is entered by the adults. I'm sure some of the older, more experienced kids did lots better. Just can't find the youth class results on the web.

2/17/2006 10:23:31 PM

Coolville, OH

OMG!! It is the same house!! This explains a whole lot!! I thought I smelled a rat. Thank goodness for great guys and gals like you all that look out for the rest of us not so informed young'uns!

2/17/2006 10:35:17 PM

Manchester,N.H.

The pumpkin won first at Toppsfield Fair and the N.H. State Weighoff in 2003.

2/17/2006 10:58:18 PM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

The correct way to solve this is list your seeds for the cost of postage and 1 cent..

2/17/2006 11:32:18 PM

West Chazy,N.Y.

I went to my ebay account and checked back as far as I could and found that he has cut out 2 guys from the pic.
I wonder why?
I remember seeing this pic whaen I was looking for seeds 3 years ago! He is saying that it was a (big max) seed, can't be because I purchased some Big max seed and never produced a pumpkin that size.

2/18/2006 12:09:20 AM

Netherlands

This is the message I sent him.

I'm afraid somebody has fooled you. The picture you posted is of Bruce Whittier's pumpkin grown in 2003. It weighed 1301 pounds. It is an Atlantic Giant, and a nice orange one like many AGs are.
I would suggest taking another PhotoShop course as well as the pumpkin has a different amount of pixels than the boy standing in front, which is impossible.

Regards,
Brad
(giant pumpkin grower)

2/18/2006 8:18:52 AM

Coolville, OH

Now he's doing "buy it now" for $12 a pop and folks are still grabbing them up. Suckers!!!!

2/18/2006 10:58:54 AM

Pocatello (cliffwarren@yahoo.com)

That is sad.....

2/18/2006 3:04:06 PM

ordinary,VA

its fraud,
which could end his ebay career.

2/18/2006 3:15:05 PM

Pocatello (cliffwarren@yahoo.com)

Brad,

I like your message. You start by saying, "Hey, you were
fooled", then subtly turn it around, artfully letting him
know that he's been caught. Very nice!

I'm not home right now. If I were, I'd start contacting
the people who are bidding (or maybe those who have won auctions)
and tell them the whole story, and also tell them to leave
negative feedback (at the very least).

Maybe some of you who know the legalities of Ebay better
than I can "turn the heat up" even more.

2/18/2006 3:27:10 PM

Ray, North Dakota

I emailed him as well stating that they are committing fraud. I hope everyone else does the same. I also emailed the current buyer. One sale stated that the seeds were very small and could not be from a giant pumpkin. LET THE REVOLUTION PREVAIL. lol

2/18/2006 5:10:27 PM

Henniker, Nh

I do not know who this guy is or how he got that particular picture. That is definately my house, my 1,301, and my son that he is using in his advertising but those are not seeds from my pumpkin nor do I know how that kid got in the picture. I have been trying to find out how to contact e-bay about this guy to put a stop to this. Does anyone have any suggestions?

2/18/2006 8:03:42 PM

Ray, North Dakota

Uh oh, the owner is involved now! The you know what should hit the fan soon. Glad I posted this! GO GETTEM BW, I think everyone has been leaving posts. Just look through ebay contacts and you should be able to report them. Make sure you get their user ID. Craig "herbie"

2/18/2006 8:31:15 PM

Ray, North Dakota

Beautiful pumpkin by the way BW. You should feel flattered that someone committing a crime is using your picture to sell with.

You wouldnt' happen to have any extra seeds from this yet would you?

2/18/2006 8:32:50 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Bruce,

My wife is a registered eBay seller. She just showed me how to lodge a complaint & I did. This burns me up so I had to do it.

I'll let you know what they say.

Steve

2/18/2006 9:43:27 PM

Www.extremepumpkinstore.com

Bruce, I filed a complaint as well.
Tom

2/19/2006 8:21:28 AM

ordinary,VA

Same here lets hope ebay will listen.

2/19/2006 10:35:04 AM

Ray, North Dakota

You guys that lodged a complaint, outline it here so everyone can do it. Thanks.

2/19/2006 10:52:50 AM

ordinary,VA

Ok.
got to ebay.
1.click on the help button
2.related links click on security center
3.click on report another problem
4.listing violations
5.fraudulent listings
6.you suspect that item is fradulent that you didnt bid on.
7.email your concerns.
i also emailed the winner of the pumpkin seeds explaning to him why i thought he was scamed.

2/19/2006 11:20:10 AM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

I've complained to ebay as well...hope they shut this scammer down.

This person claims to have won the New Hampshire state fair with this 600 lb plus pumpkin. Anyone know who won the NH State fair?? Maybe we can identify this person.

2/19/2006 1:09:40 PM

Ray, North Dakota

I just lodged a complaint with Ebay as well. What I think is funny is that some of us have contacted the seller and the bidders about this, and THEY HAVE LISTED MORE! lol. Panic selling of inventory I imagine. Hope they get kicked out, but they will be back under another name.

2/19/2006 2:39:01 PM

Coolville, OH

North Shore - See above. In 2005, it was Bruce with his 852. Other previous New Hampshire results are on the NHGPGA site. A 600# wouldn't stand a chance of winning first at NH as the seller claims it did.

I also filed a complaint with eBay.

2/19/2006 2:49:57 PM

Ray, North Dakota

That person is still selling, and people are still bidding. Every time a bid comes up, I hope everyone is emailing the bidder and explaining they are getting ripped off, even if it is for under $5.

2/20/2006 1:17:23 PM

Henniker, Nh

I would like to thank all of you that have been so helpfull . My computer skills are just about zero.
God Bless
Bruce

2/20/2006 6:11:01 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

This guy still has 3 sales listed all for the same 1301 Whittier Big Max seeds. I am pretty disgusted that eBay would take so long to act on all these complaints.

The seller hasn't responded to my "comments" either but I hadn't really expected him to.

2/20/2006 6:30:47 PM

ordinary,VA

Steve,
still emailing all the people who bid on his seeds.
wish ebay would take a look at this guy.
but what the heck does ebay know about pumpkins?

2/20/2006 8:33:43 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Ed,

How does one obtain a bidders email address?
Have any of the bidders responmded to you?

2/20/2006 9:14:30 PM

Billerica,Massachusetts

the info says he's in Malden Ma. --- there's not enough open space in Malden to grow pumpkins.

2/21/2006 4:14:10 PM

Ray, North Dakota

You click on the bidders name to bring up their information, then you click the link that says to send a message to this member.

2/21/2006 5:33:31 PM

Halifax, Nova Scotia

I emailed a previous winner of this guy's seeds, including a link to this discussion, never heard back from them.

2/21/2006 6:50:42 PM

ordinary,VA

Steve
just hit the winner of the auction.
ebay will let send a email to the winner.
so far no one has returned my email..

2/21/2006 8:33:59 PM

ordinary,VA

Steve,
sorry my last post wasnt clear.
pull up the item #7742498112
than click on history -bids(5)
it will tell you all the people
who put bid's on this item.
just click on name and send email.

2/21/2006 9:15:54 PM

Ray, North Dakota

No response from the Ebay bidders for me either. Is the guy still selling the magic "Whittier Big Max"? I wonder how much money they make on this over the years.

2/22/2006 8:31:29 AM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

I Believe You can not contact the bidder unless you have sold to them. This is part of the security measures to prevent unwanted contacting of bidders.

2/22/2006 9:16:49 AM

Coolville, OH

I agree with Shannon. Unsolicited email to another ebay bidder is against the rules. If the bidder reports you to eBay, they can track your email adress (if it is the same one used on eBay) to bar you from eBay.

More seeds went up for auction late last night. --Faith

2/22/2006 10:15:03 AM

Nipomo, California

Ebays rules about contacting a bidder outside of an auction are to keep people from conducting "under the table" type auctions so to speak, I believe. Nothing wrong in my book as far as letting a bidder know the auction is a fake just as long as your not offering to sell something. By the way, I turned in my fraud report too, Ebay's gonna close these down in due time.

2/22/2006 12:10:39 PM

Billerica,Massachusetts

i think Bruce should get a cut of the cash, after-all it's his pumpkin and family that are doing the bulk of the advertising!

Glenn

2/22/2006 4:28:27 PM

Ray, North Dakota

I HAVE AN IDEA. I am going to bid (if everyone thinks this is a good idea), and I encourage others to do this as well, and post negative feedback after receiving the seeds. If everyone spends $5 to do this, the guy will be ruined. Who is with me?

2/23/2006 5:05:31 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

I was thinking about doing the same thing Herbie especially since eBay still hasn't responded & neither has the seller.

Let's do it.

2/23/2006 6:10:24 PM

Leamington, Ont.

Good idea.... And this way you could also see the name of sender on the bubble when he sends the seeds.

2/23/2006 7:39:31 PM

Ray, North Dakota

I'm gonna bid, hope others do as well.

2/23/2006 7:56:40 PM

Pocatello (cliffwarren@yahoo.com)

I was thinking of bidding, but even if I buy the seeds, what
proof would I have that they are not what this guy has
described (other than the photo). He is, after all, advertising
"Big Max" seeds. So I leave him negative feedback, then he
leaves me negative feedback and I ruin my perfect rating......

I just went browsing around Ebay's site and did not find a
way to report fraud.

2/24/2006 10:35:38 AM

Ray, North Dakota

What I mean is, bid, win the seeds, and report on the feedback that this is not his picture.

2/24/2006 12:27:50 PM

Ray, North Dakota

I just tried to bid, and the seller has me blocked from bidding. They know what is coming, hopefully someone else tries it. Plus, I am sure they have been contacted by Ebay on the complaint I logged. Someone else please bid and see if they can get in.

2/24/2006 4:15:58 PM

Ray, North Dakota

I would almost bet that the seller is also watching this site......

2/24/2006 4:18:21 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Transaction Blocked
Unfortunately, this seller has decided that you are not permitted to bid on their listings. You may contact the seller via the Ask Seller Questions feature if you want additional details.
Please note: You may not use other eBay accounts to bid on this seller's listings. Doing so may result in your indefinite suspension from eBay.

2/24/2006 7:06:46 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Well that got my blood boiling.

First...Bruce...get off the phone. I want to speak with you! LOL

Second....I just got off the phone with eBay. My wife had their hard to find telephone number & after a half hour on hold, that seller is in big trouble.

Third...I think the seller is watching this thread. We need to stop posting the auction number since Google directs the searcher directly to this thread.

2/24/2006 8:28:35 PM

ordinary,VA

thanks for the heads up guys..

2/24/2006 8:45:44 PM

Ray, North Dakota

Good job Tremor, I will keep watching. Did you actually get a chance to talk to a real person? And I definately think this seller is watching this thread, I agree. Keep watching, and we can all have a beer for our efforts. Maybe two.....

2/24/2006 9:10:30 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

To file an online complaint about this fruadulent eBayer.

From the eBay homepage you click the link at the very bottom of the page "Securiy & Resolution Center" which takes the user here:

http://pages.ebay.com/securitycenter/ssPageName=home:f:f:US

In the blue shaded window click the button "Report another problem" which takes you here:

http://pages.ebay.com/help/contact_us/_base/index.html

Now click the button "Problems with other members" which will take you here:

http://pages.ebay.com/help/contact_us/_base/index_6.html?item=&topic=index_6&continue=Continue+%3E

Now look at the menus. "Step 1" select "Problems with sellers"
Step 2 select "The problem you're having with your seller isn't listed" then click "Continue"

This will finally open up the real eBay "CONTACT US" page.

Under Contact Customer Support click on the envelope that says "Email us"

There will be a small window to put the auction number in as well as a larger field for entering text.

I clicked the box requesting that a copy of the complaints be sent to myself.

Keep hitting the guy & eventually eBay will shut him down.

2/24/2006 9:18:55 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Herbie,

I did get a body on the phone but the process takes palce online anyway.

Another easier & cheaper option is to click the button on the upper right hand corner of the eBay homepage that says "Live Help". There was a 7 minute wait when I tried it & the next thing I knew I had 2 customer support people helping me. Charlott LM was vey nice so I bailed off the phone & kept the live chat open instead.

2/24/2006 9:22:22 PM

ordinary,VA

hehehhehehe
you know whats great about having grown kids?
they have ebay accounts also!!!!
try and BLOCK THIS DJMURPHY!!!!!!
GUESS WHO GOT BID IN ??
i can feel the - feedback coming..hehehheehheh

2/24/2006 9:44:16 PM

Netherlands

Someone has already given him a neutral feedback. Look at the reply! He sure knows he's wrong! (I left out the name)

"Seeds were very small for Giant Pumpkins - doubt they are such."

Buyer ........... Jan-29-06 20:12 7734053401

Reply by djmurphy111: You're in luck! You can return them for a full refund including postage.

2/25/2006 3:22:31 AM

Ray, North Dakota

Well, I will be keeping an eye on this person to see what happens. I bet they just get ticked off when people bounce questions off of them now. lol

2/25/2006 9:57:35 PM

Ray, North Dakota

I "pirated" the whittier pumpkin for my diary. lol. Check it out.

2/26/2006 12:35:06 PM

ordinary,VA

LOL Funny stuff Herbie!!!
by the way do have any seeds for sale?

2/26/2006 2:52:57 PM

Ray, North Dakota

I don't think I would ever sell seeds. I like what people are doing on here with sharing their seeds. I will hopefully have seeds to share with everyone this fall. With what I have chosen for the two AG patches, there is some great genetics there Bobier, Daletas, Werner, Kurilich, Gerry, Schnicker, etc. All of it looks goooood.

2/26/2006 3:25:48 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Now he's also selling Dill's AG seeds complete with a picture of Howard himself! There is also a picture of a bearded guy holding a green thing. Maybe an AG grower from Mass can look & see who this is.

2/26/2006 5:11:28 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

A letter must come directly from Bruce. This is as far as I can take it as a thrid party.

Bummer.

______from eBay________________________________


Hello Steve,

Thanks for writing to eBay's Customer Support. My name is Shiloh, and I realize that this situation can be frustrating, and I appreciate your giving me the opportunity to help you solve this problem.

I have reviewed the information that you provided regarding image and text theft, but at this point find that I do not have enough evidence to show that the member has violated any eBay rules.

Unfortunately, we will only be able to take action if the owner of the image or text writes to us. In some instances, certain members will allow others to use their images. It is also possible that they acquired the image from a mutual source. Therefore, we often cannot remove listings based on the representations of third parties whose credentials we cannot verify.

We do understand the potential for further issues in this type of situation. That is why, if you feel strongly about this issue, we recommend you contact the seller(s) to advise them of the information and recommend they contact us directly. Once we hear from them, we will take appropriate action.

We appreciate your patience and understanding regarding this matter, and wish you continued success on eBay.

Regards,

Shiloh
Community Watch Team
eBay Trust & Safety

2/27/2006 10:38:53 PM

Ray, North Dakota

bruce get on them!!

2/28/2006 10:08:35 AM

ordinary,VA

Got mail Steve :)

2/28/2006 12:20:02 PM

Ray, North Dakota

Let's continue this under General Discussion. Someone has a post about Bruce Whittier Ebay Problem.

2/28/2006 1:10:49 PM

Henniker, Nh

I am not having much luck getting through to e-bay's email. A message keeps poping up saying item number not recognized. How did you guys get throught to them?
I would like to put a stop to this guy.

2/28/2006 6:11:46 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

The original auction that is listed at the top of this thread has now ended so eBay no longer recognizes it. The seller now has 3 new lsitings.

The newest listing is Item number: 7747907236

That new one will remain active for a couple more days so any complaint with this item number will work until the auction closes on Saturday.

2/28/2006 10:47:44 PM

Coolville, OH

You can also do an advance search and have all listings come up of a particular seller. Next to the ebay search bar, click "advanced search". About 1/4 way down the page that comes up is a place to search by seller. You'll need to know the seller's user ID to fill this out.

3/1/2006 8:42:24 AM

Ray, North Dakota

Instead of the discussion page, someone call Bruce and walk him through it. Get this a-hole shut down.

3/1/2006 10:48:13 AM

Western NY

I'm pretty sure I found the seller's street address and phone number with anywho. problem is theres a ton of Murphys in that town, lol

3/1/2006 11:15:33 AM

Long Island New York

Hi - Im one of the people that got nailed by this Ebay Seller. But I was early on in his campaign - so I only lost 6 bucks. I also was the guy that left the neautral Feedback on Ebay saying that I felt the seeds were too small to be Giant Pumpkin and that I felt they were not true to name. But it seems that alot of people are getting nailed for far more money than I did at this point - and that is simply not right. Luckily I was informed of this website by one of your regular growers / members & now it seems I should be getting some true to name seeds in the near future. So my story has a happy ending - lets hope the rest of these people realize what this Fool is doing and he is shut down.

3/1/2006 11:17:14 PM

ordinary,VA

Thanks for coming in.

3/2/2006 4:13:10 AM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Hello BonsaiGuy,

Welcome to the wonderful world of REAL giant pumpkins. The growers here at BigPumpkins are a very helpful crowd. You'll never pay for good seeds ever again if you stick around. Post a seed request & you'll be inundated with quality genetics!

Like Bonsai, there is a tremendous effort required to grow these things & in most cases, no financial reward. Hence the wise words of our local GPC Rep; "Crooks don't grow giant Pumpkins". At least not for very long anyway. There's just no good financial incentives for the greedy unless they cheat like this guy is doing.

Whether a serious competitive grower or just a hobbyist, 99% of the folks start growing because it makes people happy. Those who stick with it understand the slim chance of financial gain. unless it's a World record, a First prize at a weigh-off will offset the expense of manure & irrigation water for a season. LOL The growers time is on the house!

So.....you would have had this sellers name & address at one time.....Any chance you kept that envelope?

Steve Jepsen
CT GS&PGA Pres.

3/2/2006 7:55:14 AM

Long Island New York

Steve,
Thank you -- I am aware of the trials & tribulations of Growing Giant Pumpkins. And your right - It is like Bonsai Growing -- the Discipline is the same. Kindly email me and I will give what info I have on this Ebay scam artist.
Bonsai Guy

3/2/2006 8:31:11 AM

Netherlands

Welcome BonsaiGuy. I hope your pumpkins last longer than my bonsai trees did a few years ago. They died within a few months.

3/2/2006 12:46:51 PM

Pocatello (cliffwarren@yahoo.com)

BonsaiGuy,

You are a victim of this seller? Leave negative feedback!

Thanks, and welcome!

3/2/2006 12:51:25 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Russ,

Got the data & am moving forward. Thank You very much.

Steve

3/2/2006 1:17:50 PM

ordinary,VA

VIN ,told you there was good folks at BP.com
thanks for emailing me back.
Steve has been all over ebay trying to shut down Daniel Murphy.

Steve is my new hero!!
great job Steve..

3/2/2006 2:44:17 PM

ordinary,VA

Vin,
will have bubble in the mail today or tomorrow.
Bunch of great growers up your way.
Glenn(LIpumpkin)
Tom(bohica)
Steve(Tremor)
just to name a few.
good luck with AG's
Ed

3/2/2006 2:58:56 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

I spoke with Bruce for a while today. He's on it.

3/2/2006 3:23:39 PM

Long Island New York

Everyone,
Thanks for all your support.
I look forward to a great year of Pumpkin growing.
Vin
Bonsaiguy

3/2/2006 7:50:02 PM

Norton, MA

E-mail me (click the envelope above my nickname) and I'll get you some seeds Bonsai Guy. AleX Noel.

3/2/2006 7:51:33 PM

Ok,,time for me to fessup,,I am an ebay seller and a few months ago I actually bought some of the "fake" seeds as well.
Now after spending many hours reading sites,books, and getting more active here I am still po'd about this guy. I have been sending the complaints every time I see him with a listing. Ebay is a great selling machine but at times their new size really makes it hard to get rid of the "fakes".
Thanks to a couple of folks I now have a few "true" AG seeds to work with this spring. Any additional help or advice is always appreciated,and I will be asking questions of course. Great people here and a great site !!

3/6/2006 8:52:57 PM

Ray, North Dakota

Dan, go to general discussion. There is a new discussion on this there. Thanks

3/6/2006 10:25:34 PM