2009: I had a great deal of toys and other collectibles I wanted to unload, but wasn't very skilled when it came to Ebay, nor did i have the time to commit to it. I'd heard of a store called MC Comics in Old Bridge, NJ that would sell just about anything for you and keep a percentage. I met with the owner (Michael DePetra) who seemed nice enough and after I'd signed some papers, I began dropping off boxes.
Some time went by and no payment was mailed to me. When I visited the store, the owner told me these things take time and if I wanted to get comics and such from the store, I could take it and he would deduct this off the money he owed me. This was fine for a while until I realized he was still making a profit off of me by charging me the retail price. We altered the deal so that I was only paying cost and I continued to drop in and take as much as I could. At the same time, he had started sending me 100 dollar checks every now and then, but failed to tell me if I didn't cash the check immediately, it would be worthless. I began to grow tired of the excuses, explaining that I was not an investor in his store and any money he made from selling my things should never have been folded back into the store. He agreed and apologized (he always apologized) and said he would have my money soon.
The next time I called to ask why there were still no checks coming, someone answered the phone using another store name. I asked why they didn't answer the phone MC Comics and they said the store changed hands. I was told the former owner owed everyone money and walked away from the store and is filing for bankruptcy. I emailed Mike saying he still owed me over 1 thousand dollars and asked if he had planned to return the items he had yet to sell off and the items he kept for himself. I was told a lawyer would contact me. Some time later papers arrived in the mail stating there were proceedings in the works for Mike's foreclosure and if I wanted to make any claims, I had to hire a lawyer and begin talks with his lawyer. Well, I've looked into lawyers in the past and knew that should this go beyond 2 meetings and a court visit, I'd be paying someone more than the money I was owed, so there seemed like there was nothing more I could do. I emailed Mike trying to appeal to his sense of good but got no reply. He would not be making any attempt to pay me back or return the things he still had of mine. Like many business men, he filed for bankruptcy and walked away from all responsibility. And I hear I wasn't the only person burned in this act.
I'd love it if more people who were cheated by this man came forward to tell their stories and at the very least, we can assure that this guy never operates a business again.
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