Stolen Tolkien Books on Ebay
8 Dec, 2007
2007-12-8 12:52:43 PM UTC
2007-12-8 12:52:43 PM UTC
You might want to check if you have bought any books from this individual on eBay his name was skech20. The article does not mention whether Harper Collins will try and get the stolen books back, which they could do as eBay knows who the buyers were.
Comic Sells £100K Of Stolen Books On Ebay
Nov 25 2007 By Russell Findlay
Heard the one about the stand-up comedian who stole best-sellers to flog on the web?
A STAND-UP comic faces jail after police smashed his £100,000 scam selling stolen books on eBay.
Gary Little swiped thousands of bestsellers from publishers HarperCollins while working as a forklift truck driver at their warehouse near Glasgow.
He sold the haul - some of it valuable limited editions - online to buyers across the UK at knockdown prices.
The 44-year-old netted at least £100,000.
Police discovered at least £60,000 went through Little's PayPal account but other methods of payment were used.
Police raided Little's flat in Pollokshields, Glasgow, after a probe at the giant warehouse which employs 500 people.
The Bishopbriggs depot distributes 76million books a year to more than 50 countries.
The exact number of print and audio books stolen by Little - who used the eBay identity skech20 - will probably never be known.
One book he sold was the deluxe edition of The Silmarillion by JRR Tolkien.
It normally retails for £100 but Little sold it online for £30.
A friend of Little said: "Thousands of books were going out the back door and straight on to eBay. Many of them commanded premium retail prices. So when they were offered cut-price on the internet, there was still good money to be made.
Little was a trusted employee and the scale of what was going on was shocking."
Burly Little started out as a stand-up comedian in 2003 and tours the Scots comedy circuit. He has appeared at the Edinburgh Fringe.
His website says: "His imposing physical stage presence and 'in your face' comedy style belies the depth and range of his humour - from the madness of living with pensioners to coping with depression.
"With a wealth of material covering myriad topics, Gary is guaranteed to get the laughter going, no matter what the occasion or venue, having played gigs as diverse as prisons and birthday celebrations."
Little's operation was smashed in February 2005 but he only pleaded guilty this month at Glasgow Sheriff Court.
Following sentencing, the procurator fiscal will lodge an action to recover money from him under proceeds of crimes laws.
http://www.sundaymail.co.uk/news/scot ... s-on-ebay-78057-20157721/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/7133300.stm
Comic Sells £100K Of Stolen Books On Ebay
Nov 25 2007 By Russell Findlay
Heard the one about the stand-up comedian who stole best-sellers to flog on the web?
A STAND-UP comic faces jail after police smashed his £100,000 scam selling stolen books on eBay.
Gary Little swiped thousands of bestsellers from publishers HarperCollins while working as a forklift truck driver at their warehouse near Glasgow.
He sold the haul - some of it valuable limited editions - online to buyers across the UK at knockdown prices.
The 44-year-old netted at least £100,000.
Police discovered at least £60,000 went through Little's PayPal account but other methods of payment were used.
Police raided Little's flat in Pollokshields, Glasgow, after a probe at the giant warehouse which employs 500 people.
The Bishopbriggs depot distributes 76million books a year to more than 50 countries.
The exact number of print and audio books stolen by Little - who used the eBay identity skech20 - will probably never be known.
One book he sold was the deluxe edition of The Silmarillion by JRR Tolkien.
It normally retails for £100 but Little sold it online for £30.
A friend of Little said: "Thousands of books were going out the back door and straight on to eBay. Many of them commanded premium retail prices. So when they were offered cut-price on the internet, there was still good money to be made.
Little was a trusted employee and the scale of what was going on was shocking."
Burly Little started out as a stand-up comedian in 2003 and tours the Scots comedy circuit. He has appeared at the Edinburgh Fringe.
His website says: "His imposing physical stage presence and 'in your face' comedy style belies the depth and range of his humour - from the madness of living with pensioners to coping with depression.
"With a wealth of material covering myriad topics, Gary is guaranteed to get the laughter going, no matter what the occasion or venue, having played gigs as diverse as prisons and birthday celebrations."
Little's operation was smashed in February 2005 but he only pleaded guilty this month at Glasgow Sheriff Court.
Following sentencing, the procurator fiscal will lodge an action to recover money from him under proceeds of crimes laws.
http://www.sundaymail.co.uk/news/scot ... s-on-ebay-78057-20157721/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/7133300.stm
I read this in the Scottish Record as well. They said his trading name was (I can't quite remember what it said exactly) easypeesy or something like that.
I too remember buying some very cheap HC books off a seller in Glasgow. Even arranged local pick-up (
probably stolen too!).
Personally I think any bubblewrapped HC deluxe's or the like (especially when the seller has numerous copies) are probably stolen by employees (in HC depot Glasgow). Trotter you're right about the figures. They have something like 50 million books in stock, & employ between 500-1000 people. Plenty of leakage there then. How do you stock count 50m?!
I too remember buying some very cheap HC books off a seller in Glasgow. Even arranged local pick-up (
probably stolen too!).Personally I think any bubblewrapped HC deluxe's or the like (especially when the seller has numerous copies) are probably stolen by employees (in HC depot Glasgow). Trotter you're right about the figures. They have something like 50 million books in stock, & employ between 500-1000 people. Plenty of leakage there then. How do you stock count 50m?!
10
1983