Dear assholes who think you can sell stolen armor back to us...

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Let me in on a little secret...that is a fool's errand.

It happens time and time again: someone steals an SCA stick jock's gear and puts it up on Craigslist or Ebay. Within hours, it's all over the SCA boards, it's identified, and the auction goes down.

Who the hell buys armor? SCA people.

Who the hell spreads news of theft of SCA gear so fast it makes the freaking Flash look like he's asleep? SCA people

It never works. NEVER WORKS. It's like robbing a house and then trying to fence the goods back on the people you robbed. In fact, it IS that! And yet, we see it, time and time again.

It took the guys in An Tir less than a day to identify the newest batch on Ebay once it went up. Gone missing in '92. Unbelievable.

[Crossbow]

As I always heard it, "The three fastest forms of a communication are telephone, telegraph, and tell a peer." Specialized equipment that goes missing is going to be noted and watched for. And we know all the places you could possibly sell it...

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I know! Some stick jock's gear goes missing, entire SCA is scouring the boards before it even gets posted.

I mean, who do these people think they are selling to? I guess it just goes to show that crooks really are not very smart, because they just don't see what I think is pretty obvious.

Maybe they think we don't have each other's backs the way we do, but consider this: Even if we didn't, and someone was willing to buy hot armor, that person could never wear that armor. He'd be spotted, and then things would really go downhill for him.

The stuff is unusable and unsellable if it's hot.

[LillFilly]

It sounds like a good close-knit community; it's similar where I am. You KNOW someone's going to recognize that cloak/sword/etc. People's gear is pretty specific to that person.

So, when the person is caught trying to sell it, are charges filed and are they kicked-out of the SCA?

[RecoveringKinkoid]

What I'm talking about is outsiders who steal our gear. While I don't know if it ever happens, I don't hear of SCAdians doing this to other SCAdians. I mean, I'm sure we have our unscrupulous people, too, it's just that even they probably recognize how futile and stupid trying to fence hot gear back to us is.

We can tell they are outsiders because they never really seem to know the what the item is worth, nor what it is exactly that they have (they list the parts embarassingly wrong or date it incorrectly. One idiot thought he had an actual antique.)

The last time this happened, I heard that the theif got paid a visit. Dunno if that is true or not, or what that means. I hope for his sake cops were involved. Our guys REALLY like to club things.

This most recent incident, not sure how it ended up. I just know the posting got taken down and authorities were called.

[KitterCat]

SCA, Rennies, heck any organization that deals with really hard to find/time consuming to make items has always had a general feel that the people themselves will look our for any stolen items. About the only way I could think of getting ride of armor is to either pawn it in a state your not know at or sell it way under priced for scrap. Thankfully most thieves seem to be idiots. Always nice to hear that someone got their things back.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

You can't sell it even in a state you don't play in. News of a stolen kit spreads all over the world via the internet, usually within 48 hours. It's just too easy to spam all the SCA message boards with the alert. I mean, I'll pick it up from the boards I don't moderate and mail blast it to the ones I do...and so on and so on.

Usually, there are pictures, too. You can't hide by going elsewhere. The internet has made distance a moot point.

I think the only thing you could do would be sell it for scrap, outside the scene, in person. I'm not sure the price on steel is high enough to make it worth the trouble.

[Raventhistle]

Ooooh, people are dumb.

Like the time someone stole a set of crowns that were meant for Royalty (in the SCA).

dumb.

[Record Store Tough Guy]

Man, I feel bad for the poor n00b who shows up at an event in his new armor that he thinks he got an awesome deal on. >_<

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Well, put it this way...if he did, he'd better hope it's good armor, because I imagine it would get A LOT of dents in it that day.

[IT Grunt]

Well, put it this way...if he did, he'd better hope it's good armor, because I imagine it would get A LOT of dents in it that day.

A situation where the Cluebat takes literal meaning.

[Dips]

A similar thing happened to a local re-enactment group. The had a gorgeous replica of the unit's period regimental flag that had been hand-embroidered in England and presented to them. Some douchebag stole it from one of the members' cars and the word went out.

It was priceless and irreplaceable to the owners but worthless to a thief since the market is limited to the re-enactment unit it was stolen from or military history collectors who know their shit pretty well and would know right away what it was and where it came from. Heck, it's cloth. You couldn't even melt it down for scrap.

Thankfully the regiment did get it back. I don't know how. Their web site only states that it was returned and nothing more.

[XCashier]

Thankfully the regiment did get it back. I don't know how. Their web site only states that it was returned and nothing more.

They're probably leaving it up to everyone's imaginations.

I love the fact that SCAdians watch each others' backs. They know the stuff is expensive or difficult to make, and they know how they'd feel if it was their own stuff being stolen and pawned. And they can certainly come up with inventive and medieval ways of getting it back...

[Mamadrae]

Only way I can imagine possibly getting away with that would be for someone who REALLY knows the area and all the organizations that might use armor. While the groups are close knit internally they aren't all on friendly terms with each other externally. I myself have heard horror stories of said groups getting into fist fights (thankfully without weapons).

I have no idea if the tales are true myself but I know in my area there's a lot of trash talking and bashing the other's in the young, stupid, and general jack arses. Us older players know how to behave and be civil. That lot I can imagine stealing armor but they'd likely keep it for themselves to use at another game. No one there would think anything of it either cause we don't know the other game's players.

[ApolloSZ]

Ooooh, people are dumb.

Like the time someone stole a set of crowns that were meant for Royalty (in the SCA).

dumb.

Whats funnier is the article I read earlier, a theif broke into a house, stole 3.5k diamond ring.

Plan is going well....

But suddenly, the theif gets that urgent need some people have. You know the one right? The one where you need to..... check your facebook.

Crim was caught, as he'd left the PC signed into his Facebook page, and had a mutual friend with the victim who dobbed him in.

Dude is facing 10 years if convicted.

Yes, the screenshot if from Failblog.