Should I be mad about this?

I was searching on eBay for discs when I came across a bunch of them being sold about 10 minutes from my apartment. While looking at the auctions I noticed that two discs that were being sold look exactly like once I lost last year and this year in the pond at my home course of Mt. Pleasant, MI. I put my name and my phone number on the discs so I wrote the seller asking him if there was one. He replied with "Yes there is a name and number on both. Shawn Welling is the name." When I told him that those were my discs and I would pay him to end the auction plus some for his trouble of diving in the pond to find all of these discs he replied with "I would rather not end my auctions sorry." Should I be mad that he is selling my discs? He did go down in the pond to get them but I did have my name and number on them. I know I can always buy more but one of them has personal value along with it.

What is the legal dealings with that anyway? I am not going to take any action because well, it's a couple discs, but just pure curiosity because it is on CMU's campus which I believe would be state property, plus they were mine to begin with.

Anyway, what does everyone think. Is it ok to not contact the owner of a disc and sell it or should you always contact them?

[Nibs Carter]

I would buy the auction then leave him neg. feedback concerning the unreturned discs! Not stealing technically but unethical none the less.

[JC]

Contact Ebay and report the auction. I'm pretty sure they have policies about selling stolen goods, or if that's too harsh for you, selling goods that they don't have permission from the owners to sell. You have pretty strong proof that some of the discs he's selling are yours...he admitted as much. Ebay would shut it down in an instant, I believe. Don't know how the discs would be retrieved at that point, though.

I'm of the opinion that you have to make some effort to return the disc, and I'm also of the opinion that you should never try to make a profit off of others' property. I know there are locales where people will dive ponds and sell what they find cheap, but I'd guess that most of those would return discs to their owners if asked (for perhaps a nominal finders fee). Personally, I strongly disagree with any "finders keepers" points of view. I bought it, I put my name on it, it's mine, period.

[Ben Calhoun]

I believe (esp. on cmu property) that it would techbnically still be your property and he had no legal right to sell whether you 'gave up' or 'failed' to retrieve them yourself. look into it and go after the jerk we don't need people like him in this sport anyway, probably doesn't even play himself

[Peter Kunoff]

I would try to win the auction......then once having won.....make arrangements to meet the seller so that you don't have to pay shipping since you live so close to the seller. Then upon meeting him he will be nailed by the Dateline NBC cameras....hahaha. Just kidding, when you meet the individual you could just explain to him next time maybe just call the number on the disc......and usually the individual is glad to reward the finder with another disc or cash!

[Tino "SilverBack" Medina]

notify e-bay. It will burn all his future auctions and ruin any chances of him making money off the rest of us.

[jon korevec]

I have gotten two or three discs back in five years! It burns me up, but it doesn't run my life or change the way I live it. (nor am i implicating that you will).

You can't make others behave!!!!!

Believe in karma, if only to make yourself feel better.

[Lyle O. Ross]

I'm not a legal expert by any means but this issue has come up a number of times on the PDGA MB. My understanding from the lawyers that have posted on that site is that property that is clearly marked has to be returned and if not, it is considered stolen. I'd contact e-bay if it really concerned me.

The guy sounds like a donkey. BTW - I don't label my discs unless I play with them in a tourney (rules...). I don't mind donating to players and the cost to me is affordable. That said, some people value their discs greatly and have a right to their property!

[matt51776]

Personally I always contact if the names on it. However If a disc is simply left behind on a fairway I can see getting upset someone didn't return it. If however it went in the pond, you left it in the pond, and you never intended to retrieve it from the pond, and probably you didn't because the best time would have been the day of ponding you never would have gotten it back anyway. I couldn't get upset about that. Someone who is willing to dive in and hunt for discs can have mine thats for sure. Saw a Star Max I dyed personally with a fairly intricate dye the other day that I know had my name on it, that I knew I put in the river (Really bad shot) on my local course, no way I'm entering that grubby water to retrieve $15. Just not my deal, being that I left it, I didn't even say anything to the guy.

[Walker]

my question is, what self respecting disc golfer would buy used discs from ebay!!? Especially knowing that most, if not all of them are unreturned/stolen, whatever you want to call it. That's just as bad as finding them and not making an effort to call.

[Jamie]

I Just giggle at some of the responses. If you didn't make an attempt to get your property back then you deserted it. I hope that everyone on here that cries about lost disc owns a pair or waiters? I find disc all the time and I lose disc from time to time. Life goes on!

[Shel]

Bummer dude! It's just like anything else though, if you leave it behind and they find it, it's there's. The thing about disc golf is "disc golf etitiqute"(however you spell that). Some people make a living on selling discs! I bet every coarse has that one guy that finds all the discs in the water, doesn't give it back and goes and sells them. Anyway, there is charma on the coarse too! Lot's of times when I lose a disc I happen to find another! And I ask everyone if they know who's disc it is, I leave it visable and give them back to the people I know. I'm just waiting for my good charma ship to come in!! Just know your safest bet is to not leave your discs behind! and remember, lots of people just can;t be trusted!

[Disc Player Sports]

If the guy saw the name and phone number and did not call you?
He is a SCUMBAG!
Let him know how you feel.
E-mail who he sold it too.
Be nice to that guy and tell him the situation.
Don't buy from him again.
Create a BOYCOTT situation.... If he is a local let all the others locally know.
Let is be known of that persons unethical practice.

On the other hand if you left those discs there without making the effort to get them,
Then who is at fault?
In my opinion: a phone call would have been the right thing to do.