Lifestyle
An Australian real estate agent who spent nearly $20,000 on sneakers he claims are fake has been refused a refund on the grounds that he knowingly bought them from a 17-year-old boy.
The man took the boy and his father to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) in October to seek refunds for the expensive purchases.
But last month, VCAT decided he was not entitled to it and had to recoup his losses in what he claimed was an elaborate luxury sneaker scam.
The Dior x Air Jordan 1 sneakers released in 2020 in collaboration between the two brands include 8,500 pairs of low-tops and 4,700 pairs of high-tops, each individually numbered.
Shoes were sold through a lottery system, with a limit of one pair per person.
However, the teenage reseller was an adult by the time the matter was brought to VCAT and had a “system with international parties” who entered the draw on his behalf and sent him the sneakers. He claimed that there was.
The buyer, a real estate agent, seemed convinced by this argument and paid the boy $2,575 for the limited edition sneakers.
He bought three more pairs for $3,252, $4,540, and $6,776, and shelled out an additional $1,822 for three pairs of Air Jordan 1s in Bred, Chicago, and Royal.
But when the shockingly expensive sneakers arrived from an estate agent, he noticed “flaws” and came to believe they were “not authentic”, VCAT heard.
Unable to contact the boy, he contacted his father and claimed that he agreed to accompany him for verification.
They took the shoes to a sneaker store in Melbourne, where an appraiser reported they were all fake.
According to the estate agent, the authenticator “completely fell on his face” when he heard the student’s name and said he was “a blacklisted fraudster and fraudster”, VCAT heard.
He claimed his father offered him $6,773 in damages, which he rejected before taking the matter to court.
The father denied ever offering compensation, claiming that the sneaker store was not an “official certifier.”
In December, VCAT member Catherine Metcalfe said the estate agent had entered into a contract with a 17-year-old boy, and due to his age he was “not competent enough to enter into a contract” and the estate agent would receive a refund. He admitted that he had no right.
She said the buyer was “always” aware of the student’s age and even sent her a “belated happy 18th birthday” message in May 2021.
“The contract was fully fulfilled, but [the seller] He was a minor,” Metcalfe wrote in a statement Dec. 22.
“If that agreement had been signed when… [the seller] Had he been 18 years old, the outcome might have been different.
“The law generally protects minors from the consequences of their actions, but in the current situation it is not the minors who need protection, but rather the people with whom they choose to do business. You might be able to make a case.”
Teenage reseller is chased around the store by angry buyers
The boy’s father told VCAT that the business deal began when his son was researching sneakers as part of a business administration course.
The boy said he helped his classmates acquire limited edition and rare sneakers and received a commission from the transaction to purchase the sneakers.
But the father said he had “no idea the extent of his business” and only realized it when the family started receiving threats and the boy was being followed in public. .
“[The father’s] As evidence of this, he only became involved afterwards. [his son] We stopped all forms of communication with the applicant and the situation worsened. [the son] He was chased around the shopping center (allegedly by other disgruntled customers) and threatened. [the son’s] Mother is at work,” Metcalf wrote.
Metcalfe dismissed the claim against the buyer’s father, saying the boy’s father was not a party to the sneaker contract.
The real estate agent still has the sneakers.
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