thevnaguy Posted June 9, 2016 Share Posted June 9, 2016 Willie, sorry to hear about your stuff. That's low. I hope he refunds those people and gets the units back to you. You didn't sound very hopeful in your video, though. he has told me he has refunded the money back to the buyers and told them they were repaired units. I dont know if he sent the pics I provided though, which does not matter. The point was to make sure they knew the units were repaired and to get their money back. I am not concerned about getting the units back, I would have used them for a ColecoVisions Podcast booth or gave them to a listener of the podcast or viewer of my Arcade USA show. He is sending me the copies of the email correspondence and proof of the refunds. which I have not seen yet (told me 6/6/2016). Also is sending back the repaired coleco frogger and the bandai block out to me. The Frogger I have promised by bud Indiesoul from Vectrex Radio / Greatest American Hero podcast, the block out I plan on keeping as I love breakout games and it is a very cool VFD version of breakout. I took a lot of heat for this guy trying to be supportive, I could have been more "angry" in my rant video than I was, I was more hurt than angry that a guy I thought was a very good friend did all this and kicked me to the curb because I have a "close tie" to PiperCub and UKMike of Retrogamingroundup podcast. I never once passed on any information in conversations Socal and I had to anyone, but I was still kicked to the curb.... I am not going to give up a friend because another friend does not like them. I am a grown adult and can keep information separate between friends of mine that are on the outs. I dont like spreading rumors and such, I value family and friends over all else. It is such a shame this all went down, I dont think Socal realizes just how good a friend he burned and tossed away 15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Professor Gull Posted June 9, 2016 Share Posted June 9, 2016 So, if the full size more collectible than the micro size, or should I get BOTH just to be sure? I am still waiting for the Chameleon .....I mean mini nes..... oh crap why bother lets put them on LS 120 diskettes or a 100 MB Zip Drive. Then it will be rarer and more collectible. Even better lets put them on a Divx disk so you can only read it twice before needing another one. Brilliant business ideas I would say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enoofu Posted June 9, 2016 Share Posted June 9, 2016 ^ They have a lot in common. Both were big dreamers who [maybe/possibly/very likely] turned to unscrupulous means to try to preserve their dream when it was in danger of collapse. And both carry a stigma because of it, their public image is forever tainted by people's perceptions of what most likely happened even if they deny everything. John DeLorean is just more similar because he was making an actual product, a car, and with the British government's money (retro crowdfunding!). Unlike other comparisons where said dreamer kills his ex wife or kneecaps her opponent. John DeLorean is one of the greatest Car Designers of all time, also the British government money wasn't that much since they forced him to relocate to Northern Ireland and build a plant in Loyalist Paramilitary Country. This made John a International Pariah, he couldn't even live near the plant as he risked being killed. Plus locals either couldn't afford the car or didn't want to be killed for owning one, and a lot of foreign markets including the US were banning Products from Northern Ireland Then you add in the Car industry collapse in the late 1970's and early 1980's its not surprising this would fail Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pipercub Posted June 9, 2016 Share Posted June 9, 2016 I took a lot of heat for this guy trying to be supportive, I could have been more "angry" in my rant video than I was, I was more hurt than angry that a guy I thought was a very good friend did all this and kicked me to the curb because I have a "close tie" to PiperCub and UKMike of Retrogamingroundup podcast. I never once passed on any information in conversations Socal and I had to anyone, but I was still kicked to the curb.... I am not going to give up a friend because another friend does not like them. I am a grown adult and can keep information separate between friends of mine that are on the outs. I dont like spreading rumors and such, I value family and friends over all else. It is such a shame this all went down, I dont think Socal realizes just how good a friend he burned and tossed away I am firmly convinced he believes the following: 1. That he isn't doing what he is doing. 2. After he trashes someone he can make up with them, that he can talk away the situation. 3. That he has a louder voice and some sort of legitimate standing that others do not so when he speaks that will be the official version. 4. The people he has gone through don't know about each other, won't connect and network, because he kept things so compartmentalized. I can vouch for what Willie is saying, we had frank discussions and I did tell him you could be next, learn from the pattern, but he never breaks confidence of others. What Socal would probably have a coronary over is HOW MANY people he thinks are friends who hate his guts and can't believe he doesn't know it. Probably 4 out of 5 people he thinks he's on good terms with are quite the opposite. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlsson Posted June 9, 2016 Share Posted June 9, 2016 I believe in Back to the Future VII, we'll see Marty McFly sit himself onto a clear plastic Jaguar case and travel in time to a so far undetermined era. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UKMike Posted June 9, 2016 Share Posted June 9, 2016 Yeah, in a world where ebay exists, it's a hard truth that there's just no room for a specialty site like GameGavel. Yeah, as huge and varied as the Internet is, there is one main auction site, one main video site, one main social media site etc. Actually it seems that Gamegavel is not programmed by a mom and pop shop at all, but through a "professional" auction hosting provider. This page showcases Gamegavel as a prime example of their handwork. Their own page looks like a mess. That could be the original Gamegavel from before Mike owned it. Not sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlsson Posted June 9, 2016 Share Posted June 9, 2016 Didn't GameGavel start out as ChaseTheChuckwagon, or did Mike obtain a different GameGavel and merged with his existing CTCW auction site? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlaysWithWolves Posted June 9, 2016 Share Posted June 9, 2016 Yeah, as huge and varied as the Internet is, there is one main auction site, one main video site, one main social media site etc. Ebay, YouTube, AtariAge? 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoulBlazer Posted June 9, 2016 Share Posted June 9, 2016 Pat and Ian covered Willy's story on the latest CU Podcast. Mike Kennedy made this weeks "Scumbag Seller of the Week" Starts around 1:29 into the show. Couldn't find the podcast on YouTube for some reason...got a link? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidmt Posted June 9, 2016 Share Posted June 9, 2016 (edited) Couldn't find the podcast on YouTube for some reason...got a link? I don't see that Pat uploaded the whole podcast yet to YT. I listened to the audio version this morning: http://thepunkeffect.com/cupodcast-74-overwatch-porn-dreamcast-2-dead-sims-4-gender-update-warcraft-film-reviews-more/ Go to 89 minutes in... (the best part is Ian's introduction heh) Edited June 9, 2016 by davidmt 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybird3rd Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 Wow. Just when you think you've seen the lowest thing Mike's ever done, he goes and does the lowest thing he's ever done. (the best part is Ian's introduction heh) I feel bad for saying it, but I love it when Ian takes the gloves off: he calls Mike "our favorite greasy s#@!-stained hellspawn" who "exudes vomit from every pore" and "prods people into vats of oil [while] dressed as Satan." 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toiletunes Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 I can't believe you hating haters of hate are listening to another drunken commentary. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pxlsicle Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 I can't believe you hating haters of hate are listening to another drunken commentary. the water from pat's faucet has an INSANE abv 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pxlsicle Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 I think there's a side lesson here, and maybe it has been brought up but it's hard to keep up on these forums:People need to stop remembering the "good old days" with mike that i, admittedly, have only heard about second hand. It allows judgement to be be clouded and in a way it allows things like this to keep happening.I'm sure a lot of assholes were nice people before a certain turning point. The good memories are dead. You got to stop taking them into account in the present. 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great Hierophant Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 (edited) If Willie can prove everything he has said, then he is a victim of two larcenies by Mike Kennedy. Additionally, Mike Kennedy committed two instances of selling stolen property. Finally, Mike Kennedy may also have committed two larcenies by false pretenses as to the buyers, but this is a bit of a stretch. If Mike Kennedy does not want to come up with proof he informed the buyers of the repair jobs and refunded their money, Willie can always file a police report. Restitution does not eliminate his crimes, however. Edited June 10, 2016 by Great Hierophant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 I don't keep up with this thread much anymore, but I thought I'd leave this here: by Great Hierophant at NintendoAge: As most of you probably know, GameGavel is an auction site that describes itself as the ebay alternative for video game auctions. It is run by Mike Kennedy, who also publishes Retro Magazine and was the person responsible for the RetroVGS and Coleco Chameleon saga. On this site he actually goes by the username GameGavel, on AtariAge its Parrothead. He is also known as SoCalMike.GameGavel is owned by Mike Kennedy. He is the principal behind the site and company. He is the one who will enjoy the profits, if any, generated by its operations. I know that not a lot of you put your stuff for sale on GameGavel. The site has a poor user interface and not a lot of traffic or exposure. Low traffic=low sale prices=few items for sale there. However, Mike Kennedy seems to agree with this assessment. Rather than putting faith in his own auction site, he prefers to sell the good stuff on ebay. His ebay account is socalvideogames and his list of recently sold items includes a few TurboGrafx 16 games and a few Tabletop arcade games. I have read stories that he won quite a few auctions of rare games put on the GameGavel site. Being in charge of the site, the theory was that he knew what everyone's high bid was and could use this as an unfair advantage in bidding for items. Perhaps he is personally fully behind his site, but only as a buyer.But if you aren't disgusted with this betrayal of his own brand, or the print delays and poor quality of his Retro Magazine, or the lies and deceptions of the Coleco Chameleon, he has engaged in actual seller schenanigans. For those of you who do not follow the epic Coleco Chameleon on our sister site AtariAge, the short version of the story goes as follows :A guy named Willie who has the ArcadeUSA youtube channel lent a Coleco Tabletop Donkey Kong and a Coleco Tabletop Galaxian to Mike Kennedy. Both these units had cracked PCBs but Willie was able to repair and revive them with a lot of patch wires. He told Mike Kennedy that he could have them as long as he wanted but they were not to be sold because the patch wires were not likely to hold up for any serious play. The wires are soldered to the main surface mounted chip in these units, so the connections are rather fragile. I believe the joystick and buttons make contact directly with the main PCB in these machines. Willie said he was quiet during the Coleco saga and did not criticize his friend Mike Kennedy. Even at the end when it was quite clear that Mike Kennedy had presented fake prototypes to the New York Toy Fair and on Facebook he did not join the chorus of "haters". He believes that he was associated with people who were not so quiet about Mike Kennedy and that turned Mike Kennedy against him. So what did Mike Kennedy do? Why he sold the loaned Coleco machines on eBay of course!Mike Kennedy advertised and sold games he did not own on eBay. Not only that, he described them as used in "Nice [or Very nice] condition from my personal collection. No battery cover." He entirely failed to mention the fragile repair work done on these units. The buyers paid reasonable prices for what appeared to be properly working units. When Willie found out about the sales, he demanded that Mike Kennedy refund the buyers and get those units back. Eventually Mike Kennedy told Willie that he had refunded the money and informed the buyers they were repaired units, but has not sent yet Willie confirmation or proof that he did so. I doubt he ever will. As a result, Mike Kennedy has earned another mark of distinction. In this week's Completely Unnecessary Podcast, Pat and Ian have designed him one of the two Scumbag Sellers of the Week. Three years ago, Mike Kennedy and Pat were quite friendly with each other and up to just over a year ago they were still on speaking terms. That portion of the (6/8/16) Podcast is not yet on youtube, but he is named and shamed at 89 minutes into the Podcast. Ian in particular was particularly unsparing in his use of color metaphors for Mike Kennedy. In short, please don't use GameGavel. There are so many better alternatives out there. Don't support this scumbag with one cent of your auction fees. http://beta.nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=7&threadid=163269 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MotoRacer Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 There's......there's more? I......... just can't take anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UKMike Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 Chase The Chuckwagone was the original site and when GameGavel came up for sale, he bought it and merged the two. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leods Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 (edited) Chase The Chuckwagone was the original site and when GameGavel came up for sale, he bought it and merged the two. So GameGavel already existed, wasn't doing well, and Mike had the brilliant Idea of buying it to merge with hiw own website? I somehow have the feeling Mike thinks he's a better businessman than he actually is. He goes into these projects thinking he'll make huge money, and in the end things prove to not be "that simple". Even though he instructed the webmaster to make the website very profitable... Edit: The worse isn't that he put this stuff up on e-bay, instead of putting it up on GG. The worse is he didn't put it up here for his buddies, considering here is where he got the stuff from in the first place. That's where you know how much love people have for the hobby and for the community. Here he would kinda have to as for reasonable prices. Or he knew pretty well from the start he wasn't supposed to sell any of this stuff, he just though (yet again) he'd get away with it... Edited June 10, 2016 by leods 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schizophretard Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 If Willie can prove everything he has said, then he is a victim of two larcenies by Mike Kennedy. Additionally, Mike Kennedy committed two instances of selling stolen property. Finally, Mike Kennedy may also have committed two larcenies by false pretenses as to the buyers, but this is a bit of a stretch. If Mike Kennedy does not want to come up with proof he informed the buyers of the repair jobs and refunded their money, Willie can always file a police report. Restitution does not eliminate his crimes, however. Those crimes seem small compared to being betraying by a friend. Betrayed by a kiss... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlsson Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 I can't recall the details, but even a profitable website might be up for sale. Of course at a different price and probably with a different buyer if that was the case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariLeaf Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 Wow. Just when you think you've seen the lowest thing Mike's ever done, he goes and does the lowest thing he's ever done. I feel bad for saying it, but I love it when Ian takes the gloves off: he calls Mike "our favorite greasy s#@!-stained hellspawn" who "exudes vomit from every pore" and "prods people into vats of oil [while] dressed as Satan." Yep Ian's colorful linguistic repertoire was a highlight of the podcast. That was fantastic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UKMike Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 So GameGavel already existed.... Yes .... wasn't doing well ..... I don't know about that but he bought it for the name as much as the site itself, Chase The Chuckwagon wasn't the best name for an auction site 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlsson Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 If anyone bothers, gavel in Swedish is a gable, rather than a small mallet used by a judge or chairman to settle matters. So for less fluent English speakers, GameGavel is a rather nondescript name of an auction site. -"What, he wants me to meet him outside, at the gable to settle the deal? Why not right outside the door or by the window?" 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 The problem with "alternative" sites to the big players is that they have no network effect. eBay, Twitter, Facebook all get better the more people use them. The sites themselves aren't special, but the customer volume is, and no traffic = no point. I can't think of a good reason to keep GameGavel going. Perhaps they have already collected "lifetime" membership dues from enough people that someone feels it should stay up as long as possible, because the people who run it are honest and honorable. Or maybe Mike just forgot the admin password. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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