OSO User Goldenfish AKA Ricaro Holingsworth.
I paid him $400 on venmo for a prop two weeks ago. Never shipped the prop, will not respond to text or phone call, tried to reach out on the site.
As of today his phone is disconnected.

Sigh. Why do folks send money through unsecured methods to new or nearly new members here or on any internet forum? Sorry for your misfortune but sadly he is probably long gone.

The whole purpose of this forum is to warn other members, not criticism. I was a new member once and the comunity did not shun me for it.

I don't think you're being shunned. Think of it more as a public service announcement for those that may read your post and its responses.

Unless I know the person really well, I'm doing PayPal for goods and services. And if the seller wishes to offset the fee by raising the price some in return, I'm all for that. The protection the goods and services route of PayPal keeps everyone honest at least to a point.

Another public service announcement.... if the person has minimal stats and basically bs posts (in other words - no one knows the person), probably risky doing business with that person without taking necessary precautions.

Hopefully, he turns up and does the right thing.

My post was out of frustration, because I see these posts on every other forum that I'm on as well.... boat forums, car forums, etc. Not shunning you or any other new member. We were all new here once.

BUT, the old saying, "Trust, but Verify", applies here. If there's no track record of the person being a long term member of the group, then you need to verify the legitimacy of what you're sending them money for, before actually sending it.

I paid the $400 tuition so nobody else will get ripped off from this clown. That's the point of this forum right?

Ibugsm1,

There is also the hope that Goldfish is an actual boater that can either be reminded to compete his sale or, at the very least, be shamed into honoring his agreement. Fingers crossed. Really.

I, too, have bought and sold on this forum (props, coincidentally), and had extremely positive outcomes both times. One of them was via Venmo (I was paid, then I shipped). The other was a verbal agreement, over the phone, that the prop and certified check would pass each other in the mail. Communication is key. As is Trust, but verify.

I understand your frustration. But, at the end of the day, there's little anybody on this forum can do but to ban the offender (I assume). In the event that you got scammed.... Yes. You will serve as a lesson on how NOT to be scammed. Sorry.

I'm not familiar with Venmo (we actually used my daughter's account), but I'm gathering they have no means of recourse....? Noted.

Thanks. Brad.
(937)545-8991

I been here since 2004... does this means you would buy from me ? not sure someone on here knows me anyways !

It means I'd be more likely to assume you're not a POS. Fair enough?

I've bought a lot of parts from the swap shop forum. Only issue I have ever had is when UPS lost a shipment of seawater strainers I bought. The seller refunded me and another member who saw the thread sent me a couple for free to replace the lost ones.

I doubt Goldenfish is going to be shamed into doing the right thing. He blocked my cell number, I tried calling from another number which was not blocked but he didn't answer.
I reached out to Venmo, they can't stop the payment or force a refund but they said they would contact him and urge him to do the right thing. I tried contacting him on the app and requesting a refund directly from him but the app says there is an "issue". I am calling my bank today to see if they can stop payment since it hasn't posted yet.

Again, except for this single instance, I've had nothing but positive experiences on OSO. I am posting this for the benefit of the whole community; which is the whole purpose of this forum.