Shady(but legit) Instagram seller

[Southpaw]

EDIT- we have confirmed purchases- however it’s more of an etiquette problem/ poor English

So anytime dealing with things like Instagram you have to be weary when someone is selling stuff- any sort of stuff.

There’s a seller on there that is continuously setting off red flags, and I’m wondering if anyone here has dealt with him before.

@wago_knife_works_japan

He’s constantly posting rare knives and stones for sale- but I’m not seeing any of them turn up in the usual places.

Biggest thing is he was claiming to have with Shigefusa saying he could get custom orders in 6 months- MAJOR RED FLAG.

But what really set me off was him posting a 270mm Suiboku Gyuto. I commented on how the 270 length is rare for Suiboku Gyutos and that’s quite a find. To which my he blows up my inbox with a bunch of “I went to Takada no Hamono’s shop and I bought it directly from him, so stop saying I’m selling FAKES!” And then sends a bunch of pictures of Takada-San’s shop (none of which had Wago Knife Works in the photo).

I told him I wasn’t accusing him of selling fakes, and I’m sure there’s a language barrier involved- but to immediately turn to “IM NOT SELLING FAKES!!!” From a ‘wow what a cool find’ post really is sketch.

Has anyone encountered this guy?

 

[Choppin]

Yeah we exchanged a few DMs... Nearly every message from him sounds suspicious and/or contains some sort of red flag. Like when I asked about some Shigs he posted:

"Shigefusa prohibits selling abroad and prohibits sending photos to prevent resale to retailers.
Therefore, the only way to get it is to buy it personally.
However, I have a photo taken at the store, so I will send it."

And then he sent me a bunch of pics showing several Shigs under a glass countertop (presumably from the store where he bought them).

Then when I asked about a Shig western he posted:

"As you posted, I got the Kitaeji gyuto Western handle 210mm.

You can get Kasumi, but I have to drive for 6 hours round trip to buy.
It costs 300usd for various expenses.

If there are orders in bulk, I will go buy again.
The store is an old store and only sells face-to-face and pays in cash.
please note that."

Anyway I stopped talking to him after that. Would be great to her from someone who has actually made business with him.

 

[Mlan]

He is legit, but adds on a quit hefty flipping charge if you know what I mean. Yes you get the product, no it is not a good deal, and I doubt he has visited all the places he has said he has.

 

[Sanman808]

A friend of mine said he used a pic of his knife (a rare Genkai) to try and scam a sale.

I thought he's banned from KKF?

 

[ethompson]

I know a few people who have dealt with him in high dollar transactions and ended up with what they paid for. I've bought a cheaper stone from him - wasn't the smoothest or most pleasant transaction, but I ended up getting the stone. I wouldn't go out of my way to deal with him and would actively try and buy elsewhere, but if I really wanted something he had I wouldn't worry about getting scammed. He definitely gives sleazy used car salesman vibes in my experience and his prices are what I'd consider nudging the high end for Western retail prices. I know for a fact he's done business directly with Kato and Shigefusa before. So I guess if you really want one of those and aren't patient enough to find one here he is an option, but generally you aren't going to be getting value or best customer experience.

This Genkai business feels sketchy...

 

[ReiHamono]

He’s a great legit resource, but has zero business or social etiquette. I’m pretty sure he’s based in Japan and can acquire virtually anything, but the price will be at the top end

I’ve dealt with other people like him selling stones etc here, FB, and IG, there’s just something about this hobby that attracts type A personalities who have zero sense of humor and take everything way too far and too seriously as if it was life or tend to charge far too much for their ok stones.

They know who they are…

 

[daniel_il]

we exchanged DM's, tried to purchased a Kato from him but the price was too high and he asked for Wise transfer (no paypal).

i know he's legit but very poor communication. he got good connections in japan but the price gonna be very high cause he's just a middleman.

 

[Southpaw]

So he’s legit, but as I expected- things are lost in translation ?

 

[superworrier]

I'm curious, how high are we talking for prices?

 

[Pie]

I know a few people who have dealt with him in high dollar transactions and ended up with what they paid for. I've bought a cheaper stone from him - wasn't the smoothest or most pleasant transaction, but I ended up getting the stone. I wouldn't go out of my way to deal with him and would actively try and buy elsewhere, but if I really wanted something he had I wouldn't worry about getting scammed. He definitely gives sleazy used car salesman vibes in my experience and his prices are what I'd consider nudging the high end for Western retail prices. I know for a fact he's done business directly with Kato and Shigefusa before. So I guess if you really want one of those and aren't patient enough to find one here he is an option, but generally you aren't going to be getting value or best customer experience.

This Genkai business feels sketchy...

I’m really interested in some of his koppa and low priced stones. There’s a few unusual/interesting ones that pass through there..

Would you say his descriptions are pretty accurate?

 

[ethompson]

I’m really interested in some of his koppa and low priced stones. There’s a few unusual/interesting ones that pass through there..

Would you say his descriptions are pretty accurate?

I think his services are primarily targeted at those who want things like high quality collector grade Ohira, Katos, and Shigs and don't mind paying BST prices or a little more to get them in a timely fashion.

 

[DHunter86]

Also, one thing to note is that he doesn't carry the stock, he just knows where to get them. Once you pay and confirm, he will go procure and ship. At least that's the reason he gave as to why he could not test stones he's posted.

 

[blokey]

Also, one thing to note is that he doesn't carry the stock, he just knows where to get them. Once you pay and confirm, he will go procure and ship. At least that's the reason he gave as to why he could not test stones he's posted.

Why he sounds like that high school kid that can get you "things"

 

[mth711]

Has anyone had a more recent experience with him? I'm considering buying something fairly expensive from him, the use of wise rather than PayPal kind of worries me. Anyone know what the shipping process was like?

 

[ethompson]

I’ve never heard of anyone getting straight up scammed. I know of people who were disappointed by a cheaper stone or two or paid a very healthy premium for a knife, but not a scammer

 

[Johan61]

He also has a few Shigs on eBay or he uses their pictures.

 

[Pisau]

"Shady" there almost got scammed a shig yanagi + cash to the tune of $5K.

Now to the champ who stepped up: Well played mate. Good on ya!

 

[esoo]

Just as it was something mentioned in that post: uppercase vs lowercase are meaningless in email addresses (they are all treated as the same)

 

[Jaszer13]

To chime in, I have had extensive conversations with him on several products. From experience, he has good connection's and kind of does this as a hobby/side income (similar to us Americans hunting Bourbon).

As you can imagine, currently he finds them, pays the retail price then marks up for his time and service. He is looking to get away from that. Just recently he has started placing larger orders to qualify for distributor pricing.

Like most have said, communication is difficult due to language barrier but a good guy to have in your back pocket if you REALLY want something...

 

[Johan61]

I am in the process of doing a deal with him now, a deal that is beginning to go sideways. I foolishly agreed to do it via Wise to avoid his 10 per cent Paypal fee and now, 7 days after the transfer was made, he claims he never got the money.

I provided him with a receipt from Wise that the transfer was indeed made on 2 October. The team at Wise have also checked and says the money was successfully sent to his account, according to the account information he provided.

I will not use Wise again probably, had no idea the service is so shaky.

 

[MarcelNL]

I am in the process of doing a deal with him now, a deal that is beginning to go sideways. I foolishly agreed to do it via Wise to avoid his 10 per cent Paypal fee and now, 7 days after the transfer was made, he claims he never got the money.

I provided him with a receipt from Wise that the transfer was indeed made on 2 October. The team at Wise have also checked and says the money was successfully sent to his account, according to the account information he provided.

I will not use Wise again probably, had no idea the service is so shaky.

that sucks big time, yet I doubt Wise can do anything for someone denying they received the $$, or am I missing a piece?

 

[Hassanbensober]

I very much hope for a positive outcome. I had a similar experience with a wise bank transfer that took forever to process on the other side. Thankfully it did turn out okay in the end. Took more than a week.

 

[Johan61]

Thanks, guys. Wise instructed me to ask him to provide a copy of his account etc.......

 

[MarcelNL]

Meanwhile, you could send him a copy of your account to demonstrate you made the payment to keep your end of the deal when making that request.

 

[Johan61]

I did, I sent him a copy of my Wise receipt.

 

[tgfencer]

I did, I sent him a copy of my Wise receipt.

Yeah, unfortunately, while Wise is a super useful online banking and international money transfer service (I use it all the time living abroad), it's not meant to be used to pay complete strangers. There are the usual fraud protections for unauthorized fraudulent access of your money, but pretty much none if you authorize a transfer yourself to someone else. It's the equivalent of PP friends and family.

 

[dabes]

Hopefully it's a delay on his banking end, I usually send a small amount first and then the rest after they confirm receipt of funds since the fees scale with the amount sent

Could be related - https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/glitch-at-japans-clearing-system-preventing-transfers-at-11-banks-0

 

[Johan61]

Hopefully it's a delay on his banking end, I usually send a small amount first and then the rest after they confirm receipt of funds since the fees scale with the amount sent

Could be related - https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/glitch-at-japans-clearing-system-preventing-transfers-at-11-banks-0

Thanks but his account is in NYC.

 

[Johan61]

Yeah, unfortunately, while Wise is a super useful online banking and international money transfer service (I use it all the time living abroad), it's not meant to be used to pay complete strangers. There are the usual fraud protections for unauthorized fraudulent access of your money, but pretty much none if you authorize a transfer yourself to someone else. It's the equivalent of PP friends and family.

Good advice, I am learning the hard way.

 

[Corradobrit1]

Thanks but his account is in NYC.

How does he have an account in NYC? Is he dual citizen. If he lives in Japan and not a resident of the US I don't think he can open a US account. Did you pay in USD or Yen?