Here's my TDCRacing story: back in April, after seeing something I made in a picture in one of my posts, Parker contacted me--here on GPF through PM--about the idea of producing reuseable M90 gaskets made from silicone sheet material, to be sold through his webstore.
I explained that he would have to price them such that not only would materials (and future raw material cost increases) and shipping be covered, but that we also both made enough profit to keep it interesting. He wanted to sell them essentially at cost, arguing that he didn't want to "gouge" like the (here unnamed) online vendors. Furthermore, he wasn't willing to go halvsies on the raw materials to get up and going on the project.
I passed on this "opportunity." I could see right away the man had no business acumen.
(I do believe he did actually bring something like that to market afterwards, though he did not ask (or even tell) me he was going to steal my idea, nor would he give me the specs on the silicone sheet material he was using when I asked for it. So I could see he had no scruples, either.)
I also (thankfully) passed on the "opportunity" to buy my Frozenboost items through TDCRacing back in April, using Parker's (claimed) approved vendor discount. Dodged a bullet there, 'cause the real ****storm on this guy happened shortly thereafter...
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So, what to believe about Parker?
1) Was he truly, as he frequently stated, interested in providing low-cost modding solutions to the GP/3800 community--but ignorant to the fact that he had to keep people happy and make a reasonable profit in the process, or else his efforts would be unsustainable? In other words, just a young kid who got in way over his head?
2) Or, was this all an elaborate scam, where low-cost, "small" items (like CAI's and gaskets) could be used to "build a rep," upon which he could rake in some big paydays on items he never intended to ship (or were mis-represented, or never even had)?
3) Or, did he simply become a crack addict / meth head?
I am inclined to believe 1), since, as I understand it:
a) He was providing low-cost CAI's for some time to relatively satisfied customers.
b) The "payday" he might have acheived (a few grand?) hardly seems worth the time and effort involved.
c) He is now personally providing refunds. (Do I understand that correctly?)
But I will say this: it has been well-known for some months that he didn't have the wherewithal to stand by what he sold (note the mis-matched brake kits, and I believe the links to the cracked heads and busted trans he sold back around May have already been provided in this thread). Also, how anyone could believe that some 19-year old kid in his basement could sustainably undercut established vendors on identical, new, brand-name merchandise (like Aeroforce gauges) is beyond me.
The red flags were all over this guy, but people kept sending him money anyway.
So, as Gr8racingfool suggested, use this whole fiasco as a lesson. Like mama told you, "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."
And while it might be pissing in the ocean at this point, Parker seemed quite proud of his iTrader status here on GPF. Make sure you update that for him.
