ARGELFRASTER.

[iliachenvaar]

So...I thought I had found a buyer for my hair. There was much aggravation involved in working it out - for one thing, they refused to use PayPal, and I was leery of handing out my address to a complete stranger I'd never met (having already gotten some...unusual...responses to my ad), so I had to have them send a check to me care of someone else

Comments

[nebanebet]

I personally would definitely call the cops on them because you are probably neither the first nor the last person they will try this with.

Instead of "getting back at them," it's more like preventing other people from being put through the same bullshit almost-getting-arrested nonsense(or even not quite as "almost," perhaps, if were they in possession of a less privileged set of attributes than you or otherwise less believable circumstances.)

[iliachenvaar]

Oh, indeed. That's exactly the reason I would/will call the cops: to stop them from hurting more people. I just needed to work through my frustration (which was, at base, mostly at myself, however irrational that is) and figure out what was driving me. So now I won't do it for the wrong reasons.

[nebanebet]

That works!

[botanicalmoment]

In the "The Gift of the Magi" - my only real reference for buying/selling hair - I believe she goes to a reputable wigmaker. Things may have changed since O. Henry wrote the story, but the given the general sketchiness of the Internet (how did you get in contact with that person? Craigslist?), it'd probably be your best bet. Given your current location, I'm sure there ought to be someone who is interested, or who at least can direct you to a more legitimate purchaser.

[iliachenvaar]

No, I went to thehairtrader.com, which specializes in hair-selling. But yeah, I'm sure I can find a wigmaker in New York City. And hopefully they buy hair. We'll see.

[zimboptoo]

One of the biggest problems with online fraudsters is that almost no one reports them. So even if their scam only works 1 in 10 times, they nearly always get away with it.

And yeah, the wig-maker idea sounds like a better idea. You might not get as much money for the hair, but sometimes it's better to be cautious.

Out of curiosity, what kind of creepy are we talking about here?

[iliachenvaar]

Heh. "Would you like to fly to Minnesota to be a hair model?" My favorite was this guy who sent me a PAGE LONG E-MAIL saying, "Your hair is so beautiful and sensual, I just want to touch it (and you), a lot of guys don't want to admit how sensual and attractive they find hair like yours, but I will. Also, I noticed your last name and I love all things Middle-Eastern! I live in Queens, here is my phone number, you should call me! Plus, here are some pictures of me, taken this morning, with my shirt off, to show the relative length of my hair to my body!" *snort. I haven't gotten anything overtly threatening, just...kind of sketchy. Also, people being like, how could you sell your hair, you've lost your mind! Yes. Because you, a complete stranger, totally get to judge what I do with my hair. *eyeroll.

Oh, people on the internet. They can be so silly. *grin.

[sharyna]

Third the wigmaker idea. Also possibly beauty schools-I ended up giving my hair to my uncle's girlfriend because she was going through beautician school and wanted to practice on it (or something). Granted, I didn't get paid for it so I have no idea if it would go for anything.

As for anything law-related: Remember, you do have a local resource. Ask Calc!! He has experience in both the online and legal fields, is generally happy to help, and has access to oodles of resources. He probably would be able to give you advice on what, specifically to do in this situation, and what information you would need.

[iliachenvaar]

Heh, I hadn't thought about that. I was just going to call the local precinct. ^^;