Antiques Supermarket Scam - UK

Pictures Have Changed to Protect the Guilty

2011-08-24T12:09:00.000-07:00

Unbelievable what these cheating scammers are still doing. After we outed some of the criminal elements involved with the Antiques Supermarket, they changed the pictures on their website. They did not change the descriptions beside the photos very much though.

January 29, 2008 this was the description of their "Head of Global Sales":

David Charlton
(Head of Global Sales)

David has been with the company for a total of 15 years and is Head of Global Sales. He is also responsible for public relations abroad as he travels the Globe meeting past and new clients ensuring customer satisfaction and are high standards of business excellence are maintained.

August 24, 2011 this is the description of their "Head of Global Sales": (note what they say about Mary "as he travels the Globe")

Mary O Hare
(Global Sales)

Mary has been with the company for a total of 15 years and is Head of Global Sales. She is also responsible for public relations abroad as he travels the Globe meeting past and new clients ensuring customer satisfaction and are high standards of business excellence are maintained.

Here is a screen capture of the page from January 29, 2008 as proof.

Here is a screen capture of the page from August 24, 2011

I Smell Something Rotten

2010-05-23T11:35:00.001-07:00

Fishy fishy fishy. I thought Antiques Supermarket deals in Liverpool, now they're in Kentucky? Hmmm...

Antiques Supermarket
569 Lakescene Drive
Eddyville
Kentucky
Zip Code 42038
USA

Buyers beware!

Vermin At It Again!

2010-05-22T12:01:00.001-07:00

Beware! The Antique Supermarket Scammer is using a new name. So let's review, these are the names you should be wary of :

Charles Shackleton
David Charlton
Les Swainbank
Alexander Blackburn

His new name now is a variant of his Alexander Blackburn alias. We just received a comment by 'eclipse' saying:

I was contacted by a fellow named Alex who states he is a large antique furniture dealer in Wales. He will sell containers for a cheap price but insists that you pay prior to receiving photos of what you are purchasing. Reading the Antiques Supermarket website and comments on this blog... there seems to be a link between the man who contacted me and Antiques Supermarket.

Global Shippers aka
Antique's Shippers
No 1, Coton Hall
New Road
Whitchurch
Shropshire
SY13 3LW
United Kingdom
Phone +44(0)/ +44(0) 798 371 2600 Fax 44 207 990 9909
email ANTIQUESHIPPERS@aol.com/globalashipping@aol.com

Now, we don't know for sure if these guys are Antiques Supermarket, but this should warn you if ever you get contacted by these folks.

Here are links of previous posts where we posted pictures of how these low lives load and pack their containers:

How containers are normally packed.
What we found when the container arrived!!!

New Information About Antique Supermarket Scam

2009-11-01T11:48:00.000-08:00

Hey folks! The Antique Supermarket vermins are at it again. Charles Shackleton a.k.a David Charlton/Les Swainbank has a new alias. Add Alexander Blackburn to your watchlist.

Here is a comment we received earlier:

....He told me that his "old friend" from Liverpool or the Isle of Man or
wherever was now trying to do business as :

Alexander Blackburn
Antiques Shipper
Heritage Farm
Crossway Road
Caerwys
N. Wales

I thought you might like to have this information!!

So buyers beware and keep spreading the word! Every little piece of information can help somebody out.

Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority Warns Public about these scammers too!

2009-10-13T11:18:00.000-07:00

The Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority, Finansinspektionen, is a public authority.

Finansinspektionen issues warnings about companies when there are grounds to suspect that they are offering Swedish consumers and investors financial services or products without the necessary authorisation from Sweden or EU.

FI also publishes warnings from other countries. According to an agreement within the Committee for European Securities Regulators, CESR, all warnings from supervisory authorities in the EU are published. Warnings from authorities in countries outside the EU are published if it is brought to their attention that the company has contacted Swedish consumers or investors.

FI issues warnings about the companies as soon as they have knowledge about them.

Guess who made their list! Yes, that's right, those rip off artists at Antiques Supermarket are on the Investor Alerts list of the Swedish consumer protection agency! (see their website here http://www.fi.se/Templates/AlertListPage____6164.aspx?query=A).

We can only hope these antique cheats will soon be out of business!

Any persons who have paid funds in connection to AntiquesSupermarket.com should contact their local Police Fraud Unit without delay.

2009-06-25T17:16:00.000-07:00

What do these scammers have to hide???

Just to refresh everyone's memory... Why would a legitimate company have to put phoney information on their website? DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THESE PEOPLE AT ANY COST!

AntiquesSupermarket.com

The Financial Supervision Commission has become aware of the above website which purports to represent the entity Antiques Supermarket.com.

On this website it is claimed that Antiquessupermarket.com has an address of “5 Office Tower Street Centre, Ramsey, Isle of Man, United Kingdom” (sic). The Commission can confirm that there is no such address in the Isle of Man. However, there is a genuine address of Tower Street Centre, Tower Street, Ramsey, Isle of Man, but, following research by the Commission we can confirm that there is no connection between the above entity and the genuine entity that occupies Tower Street Centre, Tower Street, Ramsey, Isle of Man

The details on the website seen by the Commission give telephone and fax numbers to contact the above entity, none of the numbers given relate to telephone lines on the Isle of Man.
Antiquessupermarket.com is not a company incorporated within the jurisdiction of the Isle of Man. It is not registered as a foreign company having established a place of business on the Isle of Man. It is not registered as a business name on the Isle of Man. Details of all entities incorporated within the jurisdiction of the Isle of Man, registered as foreign companies having established a place of business on the Isle of Man and registered as a business name on the Isle of Man can be found on the Companies search area of the Commission’s website at: http://www.fsc.gov.im/pvi/pvi_fr.html .

BUYER BEWARE!

Still Ripping People Off With Junk Antiques

2009-03-04T15:12:00.000-08:00

The following series of emails were sent to us recently. As you can see by their content the Antiques Superscamming and lies are still continuing. Check out all the spelling mistakes in the Simon Lofthouse email. (Now he's claiming to be the head of their legal department)

Sent: Sat, 28 Feb 2009 4:13 pm
Subject: Regarding Mr. Jeff Carlson's order

Mr Charlton,
It has recently come to my attention that you entered into a business agreement with my father, Mr. Jeffrey Carlson, to deliver two (2), pre-paid crates of various items from the UK and have them shipped to the US. My father has notified me that upon arrival, the product-specifications were incorrect and your response was a "secretarial error". At this point I should warn you that in stating your error, you've legally accepted culpability and any further actions other than immediate reparations will be in direct violation of several local laws concerning trade agreements; as well as international laws concerning the "violation of transparency in international trade agreements". As a UK resident and member of Council, I have several connections to local government as well as two solicitors drafting formal complaints against you as we speak. This is a grave matter and I urge you to speak to me as soon as possible in the hopes of avoiding a long, drawn-out litigation process. Your lack of response will leave me no choice but to pursue this matter on my family's behalf in The Island's High Court.

You should know that I have read of several complaints listed against you and your business dealings and am well-aware of the case(s) being constructed therein. Please do not take my complaint lightly.

Regards,
Scot Carlson
_________________________________________________

Date: Sat, Feb 28, 2009 at 6:15 PM
Subject: Re: Regarding Mr. Jeff Carlson's order

Dear Sir,

Before you make any further allegations, which our refuted by us. We are under contract with your father to sell him 2 containers both numbered by virtue of a container number and packed under seal. Your Father has purchased these containers in a bonifide manner. We really wonder what all of the fuss is about, the shipments have been dispatched in the normal way and we would appreciate an apology from you as our company has not committed and torte whatsoever. We trust you know have our feelings and await your apology by return. This scam blog nonsense is totally unfounded and we do not accept any allegations of this matter forthwith, we put you on notice and we expect your final wish to continue to close his contracts in the normal way by sending us some gratitude for the excellent merchandise and the wonderful discounts given on both containers. We don't need to beg for appreciation but we do give the best deals in the world and we make no apologies for this.

Yours Sincerely
Simon Lofthouse (Legal department)
AntiquesSupermarket.com

________________________________________________

Government Warning About Scammers Website

2008-11-26T10:03:00.000-08:00

The Isle of Man Government is strongly urging people to exercise the greatest possible caution and not to do business with AntiquesSupermarket.com!

Here is the content of the warning from the Government website.

PUBLIC NOTICE - F.S.C Public Warnings
This notice is issued by the Financial Supervision Commission (“the Commission”) in accordance with the powers conferred upon it under Section 30 of the FinancialServices Act 2008.
Antiques Supermarket.com
http://www.antiquessupermarket.com/

The Financial Supervision Commission has become aware of the above website which purports to represent the entity Antiques Supermarket.com.

On this website it is claimed that Antiquessupermarket.com has an address of “5 Office Tower Street Centre, Ramsey, Isle of Man, United Kingdom” (sic). The Commission can confirm that there is no such address in the Isle of Man. However, there is a genuine address of Tower Street Centre, Tower Street, Ramsey, Isle of Man, but, following research by the Commission we can confirm that there is no connection between the above entity and the genuine entity that occupies Tower Street Centre, Tower Street, Ramsey, Isle of Man

The details on the website seen by the Commission give telephone and fax numbers to contact the above entity, none of the numbers given relate to telephone lines on the Isle of Man.

Antiquessupermarket.com is not a company incorporated within the jurisdiction of the Isle of Man. It is not registered as a foreign company having established a place of business on the Isle of Man. It is not registered as a business name on the Isle of Man. Details of all entities incorporated within the jurisdiction of the Isle of Man, registered as foreign companies having established a place of business on the Isle of Man and registered as a business name on the Isle of Man can be found on the Companies search area of the Commission’s website at: http://www.fsc.gov.im/pvi/pvi_fr.html .

The above entity is not licensed by the Commission to undertake any regulated activities in, on or from the Isle of Man.

A list of all institutions licensed by the Commission is available on our website at http://www.fsc.gov.im/ .
The Commission has established no connection between Antiquessupermarket.com and the Isle of Man.

Under the circumstances, the Commission would strongly urge persons considering dealing with the above entity to exercise the greatest possible caution before proceeding, bearing in mind the contents of this public notice.

Any persons who have paid funds in connection to the above website should contact their local Police Fraud Unit without delay.

Any persons who are already involved in any dealings with the above website and have concerns should contact the Enforcement Division on +44 1624 689314 or by e-mail to fsc@gov.im.

FSC Reference: CD/23/2008
29th September 2008

New Alias, Little update and the man can't stop being an ass!!

2008-07-02T10:37:00.000-07:00

Recently we were contacted by an Australian dealer who was contacted by Good Olde Fashioned Les, Charles, etc, etc, etc.... he passed on this info.

The new Director Of Sales is a guy by the name of David Charlton. It is amazing how he can go through so many staff members. Obviously it is a great place to work since no one seems to stay for more than a couple scams. Les Swainbank changes his name more often than most people change their pants!

Since we haven't updated in a while Les decided to email us and this is what he said.

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "SWAINBANK's New Alias? The blog is working!!":

DIRTY HARRY NO UPDATES IN OVER 3MONTHS YOU MUST OF FINALLY RUN OUT OF LIES TO SAY ABOUT US GO SCREW YOURSELF BITH SHEEP SHAGGER FAGGOT
Posted by Anonymous to Antiques Supermarket Scam at July 2, 2008 10:10 AM

Now that seems more than a little rude. There is the old saying that most criminals want to get caught, personally I really believe this man wants to have people complain to the police and hound him and expose him to the world. The Internet is a 2 edged sword. Maybe several years ago a well worded letter and a couple smooth phone calls would be enough to sucker some people in. To be honest it worked with us, but and it's a big but, we're used the same tools to expose him that he did to find us!!!

We are happy to say that we have had a fantastic response to the Blog. Check our next post for a good update on how other people are responding.

The thing I don't actually understand is why he doesn't simply start selling legitimate products and filling the containers with the items he claims he can get. All the photos on his website are pictures taken at other shops (most likely reputable places who would hire a lawyer if they knew Les). These aren't items he has for sale or items he has shipped to people! Not one person we have spoken to has ever received the items they were promised.

The way this happens is he says he has a container sitting loaded. What has happened is a buyer fell through, passed away, whatever so he will sell you this great container already loaded at a serious savings just so he can get rid of it....and he calls us liars.
When you ask for photos of the items you will be told that's impossible since the container is already packed "but rest assured it is all top quality". You get your $20 000 container and find there is maybe $4000 worth of sell able product. Unlike the post office there is no return to sender with containers!

We know we have been to his place. We have spoken to people around the world and heard a lot of stories. About police being involved, Les/Charles making physical threats against people, making racist comments, Les going into hiding, the list goes on.

Yes we got burned and did our research after the fact. The truth is when we started asking questions about this guy everybody in his part of the world knew about him, his name (real name) the way he runs his business all the stuff. When we called the police about him they confirmed there were a few ongoing issues with him but since we were international customers there was little they could do to help. That is how he uses the system to get to people. A small scale dealer scraping together $30 000 USD to buy and ship a container would have no ability to hire a U.K. based Lawyer and deal with the amount of litigation it would take to rectify the situation.

If we were making things up about him we could have daily updates. And if we were to pass on all the stories we have heard when in the U.K. we could have quite a lot of reading material for you. Stories about his wife leaving him, rumours about inappropriate sexual practices, stories about him threatening elderly women with physical violence. The list is long. All we know is what we have experienced and what other dealers have told us about their direct dealings with the Swainbank. The way he has dealt with us and the strange accusations and attacks he has made has convinced us that most of the rumors are true.

Please keep passing this website along to any other dealers you know. This is our best resource to expose Les and help other people from being screwed over as well.

Thanks. And Les a special thanks to you for continuing to read and send us comments. I'm sure business is dropping immensely due to the awesome Internet.

SWAINBANK's New Alias? The blog is working!!

2008-03-23T10:51:00.000-07:00

Well dear friends another one has been aided by this blog. As the saying goes the pen is mightier than the sword. Or in this case the Binary is mightier...also there seems to be a new alias involved. I have to assume it's a fake like the rest of the people that work for Les Swainbank / Charles Shackleton. The new guy is David Charlton.

Here is a comment we recieved today and we send a sincere thanks to the poster..

"Thanks for saving us a bunch of money. Through an email I was contacted, I filled in some info on a form, emailed it back and was called the very next day and had a nice chat with David Charlton. I told him what sort of goods I would be interested in, he then sent me about 20 emails containing photos of some overall good items. I wrote him back, saying what Items in the photos I would be interested in and that is where the whole thing now stands. After reading this blog, I won't be sending any money to antiques Supermarket and I thank you for post this blog and saving others from this sort of scam. Sincerely, Linclon Center Antiques, Huntsville, Al."
March 23, 2008 10:12 AM

Please spread the word to any of your industry contacts. We've been threatened with legal action, physical violence, verbal assaults and email assaults over this blog. The more people spread this info the more people will be saved from being screwed over by these vermin.

Another Customer Burned by Swainbank finds the blog!!

2008-02-15T09:29:00.000-08:00

Ron said...
Thank you all for the information on Antique Supermaket. I to have been in touch with Charles for a few months trying to establish a company to ship from England. I was a little suspicious when I was getting e-mails that a container was on its way to the US and the reciever had died and it would be sold to me for thousands less. After a few of those and the e-mails from Charles I was feeling a little unsure. You all have confirmed my feelings and the container I was going to have shipped in May (2008) will not be ordered. I cant thank you all enough. I am sorry you did not have the advantage of this blog prior to ordering but you are helping others. Are there any reputable shippers you can share with me? Thank you again! Ron in the USA
February 15, 2008 8:43 AM

Unsatisfied Customers Have a proposed solution!!

2007-11-17T12:22:00.000-08:00

We got this email last week from somebodywho found us through the blog.

Original text below.

Hi All
My wife returned safely from England without getting caught up with Mr Swinecrack.
She made some enquiries as to getting some heavies to go and settle with Swinecrack but it seems he is in hiding on the Isle of Man, though she now knows where to get the muscle. So I guess all of your work has paid off, he is on the run, who would have thought that “the finger” was ”mightier than the sword!”
Cheers
Bill Fraser
Drakesbrook Antiques

Thanks for the post Bill tell your friends to email as well.

Past Victim of Antiques Supermarket Makes a Comment

2007-10-13T10:40:00.000-07:00

Could you please post this to your blog !

Hi
I’m Bill Fraser from Australia and we were also ripped off by that lying creep Les Swainbank /Charles Shackleton or whatever he calls himself now, from the Antiques Supermarket ( www.antiquessupermarket.com ) He threatened my wife and her friend with violence, then stole goods from their car when the girls tried to escape his clutches, {after they were warned who this guy was by a local }. Luckily they got away only losing their goods, It could have cost them a lot more, this guy is dangerous! SO BE WARNED!

We have an ongoing police action against him, which has been reinforced recently by our friends in South Africa, who were also stung by him, so any further information any of you have will help bring him down, as the police need facts and figures.

To speed things up though, I would like to propose a hired posse to take Les/Charles out to “dinner” one night; to help him fit his soon to be required false teeth and testicles.

If anyone is interested in the dinner but can’t make it to England personally, we could all put money in a charitable fund called the “re-educate Les/Charles fund” as he obviously is a “lifelong low life” that needs our help to change his ways.

This would give everyone involved a great sense of satisfaction to know that we all helped a man with a real need of education; even though we know we have very little chance of getting our money back.

Check out our little tribute to Mr Les/Charles @ www.myspace.com/antiquesupermarket and please, please give serious thought to our plan to “educate” poor old Les/Charles, I am sure he will remember us all forever afterwards, especially at meals and at the call of nature.
Cheers
Bill Fraser ;-)

Another comment posted to the Blog that needs to be in the main body.

2007-10-11T09:46:00.001-07:00

This is a comment that was posted yesterday to the blog. Since many of you don't read the comments it easy to miss.

**To the person that posted please write us and tell what happened to you maybe send some pics so I can post them to the site.**

The more content there is the better we come up in searches relating to these guys. I've put some effort into this site and making sure people find out and continue to spread the word about this guy, his aliases and the scam he runs.

Below is the comment as we received it.

"I really wish I would have found this site before I bought a container. I was so stupid that we bought 2 boxes since it took 4-6 weeks to get the first one we figured we would have it gone when the second one hit. We had already paid a deposit (50%) on the 2nd box when the 1st box got to us. It was filled with such shit that we would have been better off letting him keep the 15 thousand because i'm sure we'll lose more than that anyways. It's amazing how you can make stuff sound so good and it be so bad. "

That is the just the most recent person to contact us since we started this information site. Please spread the word and send us your comments and photos if you have them.

The only reason people like this continue to get away with what they do is because people take it lying down and don't defent themselves. The whole list of fake people always threaten legal action and cry police the second somebody stands up for themselves. This guy won't use the law since he would have to supply financial records and customer information to create a defence. And he would have to have money to be able to hire the lawyers.

The fact is the name change, the shady business dealings and the history he has in the industry shows there is a lot to hide and having the courts involved would mean exposing himself and opening the door to both more legal issues with individuals and legal issues with the government.

Currently we are working on putting together a case with the serious fraud division of the U.K. government so it is very important when somebody contacts us they leave all their info. The serious fraud division will actual handle the legal side similar to a class action suit but the government represents the complainants.

Keep coming back for more updates and remember spread the word and get people you know to contact us about their bad experiences.

Antique Market Customer responds to blog comment.

2007-09-26T11:21:00.000-07:00

Hello Harry,

I was reading through your blog from the antique wholesale dealer warning you emailed me and wanted to send you something to post in response to the comment from the obviously fake dealer from Prince George.

It was really surprising to read what was posted for a few reasons. First of all I am one of the largest dealers in the area and I don’t even deal in multiple container loads.

Second, Prince George is a town with only 20 000 people with 4 used furniture (antique) junk shops so it’s obvious the Anonymous dealer is a fake, nobody brings that much gear to this area.

This is for your blog. I’ve been dealing with the Antique Market for over 10 years and am always happy with the service. The Antique Market are the largest dealers / wholesalers in Western Canada and offer a great service with great products. The antiques we buy are always in good order and anything that needs work is repaired or fully restored. We always receive our product polished and properly packed. Best of all they always take amazing care of me and stand behind what they sell.

Please feel free to post my name and address so people can get in contact with me if they have questions.

Sincerely
Elaine

Elaine's Uniques Gifts
Smithers B. C.

Warning when trying to get a container from Antiques Supermarket through customs.

2007-09-21T09:35:00.001-07:00

Seizure and inspection likely when purchasing a container from Antiques Supermarket.

Due to our recent issues with misrepresentation of items from Antiques Supermarket and Charles Shackleton / Les Swainbank we reported his practices to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency also to Canada Customs. Both agencies take import fraud seriously.

FYI.: The likelihood of any container coming from The Antiques Supermarket being seized for examination is quite high. Due to multiple reports to the English, U.S. and Canadian governments of fraud and misrepresentation. “FREE” unlisted merchandise is illegal for a variety of reasons and could lead to a great deal of problems when dealing with customs. Such as refusal of entry and serious fines. The technical term is smuggling. Any time you try to get something across the border by any sort of deception or omission the government likes to call it smuggling.

Listing an item on the customs declaration as being made in 1910 but made in 1980 is a crime. Even if the creative paperwork comes from the other side the receiver is liable. This could also jeopardize future containers from any source. Once you make it on the customs list it take a while for them to trust you again.

So buyer beware when purchasing a container from any organization that offers “FREE” or misrepresents merchandise. It sounds like a great incentive to buy a load from this guy but you may get a lot more than you bargained for like a huge legal bill, fines and a nice big storage bill from the freight yard while customs sorts out your issue. Or better yet complete seizure of the container, storage fees and being forced to pay for return shipment!

Recent developements with the Antiques Supermarket

2007-09-20T16:04:00.000-07:00

Recent developments in the ongoing saga of the Antiques Supermarket and the man who is so honest he had to change his name because he was swamped with happy customers!

Yesterday Les/Charles emailed us the link to his "in my defence" blog. Take a look it's entertaining. http://antiquessupermarket.blogspot.com/#main

For somebody who claims to be so honest why do the local police have to be involved when his “HAPPY” customers want to get the merchandise they paid for but never received? Maybe they brought the police to help contain their enthusiasm?

Why would the local police be more than happy to help a foreigner claim their goods from such an honest dealer?

Why would an honest dealer lie on an invoice, send Ikea items and label them as 1930’s or send over particle board cabinets with a huge date stamp saying 1986 on the back but listed as 1920s articles?

When customs inspects a container and an item made in 1986 is listed on the COMMERCIAL INVOICE and the CUSTOMS DECLARATION as made in 1920 they will seize your container. We were never able to identify or find the “Free items” and the free packing, just check the pictures below it speaks for itself. Also a proper accounting of all items with values has to be included otherwise it is referred to as smuggling, again customs will seize the container…

These things are called fraud. When a customer picks out exact pieces takes photographs of them and receives a container where not one of those pieces is in the container that is called fraud. When a customer pays for one item and receives another that is called theft. Yes the term honest can be a little flexible but when police need to be involved to get items you paid for…how honest is that?

Here is an Ikea mirror labelled as 1920's. Interesting how we now have Ikea antiques!!

Here we have a great Pine unit from the mid 1980's labelled as 1900's. No charge for the broken door!!

Here is a great particle board china cabinet stamped 1986 on the back. We were so surprised to find this rare 1920's example of particle board construction we had to throw it in the garbage. Maybe these were the free items good ol' Charles mentioned. Funny on our invoice we paid for it...

Another nice example of straight to the garbage can!! Here we have a fine example of 1980's construction listed as a 1930's vintage coffee table? Exceptional quality and value! You bet! It is very rare to come across such a fine coffee table (without glass of course) outside of your local garbage dump. Maybe Charles or Les or Simon or William or some other entity will be sending the glass over on the next can?

Spread the word.The internet is great for many reasons.

2007-09-19T09:05:00.000-07:00

Ever since we received our container of back alley garbage from Antiques Supermarket we have been making a point of spreading the word regarding the wholesale antique scam this operation is running.

Charles, Les or Lez is using the internet to find people to sell to. We are using the internet to let people know what his operation is all about. The response has been great we have found several people already who have been robbed and are more than a little hopping mad about it.

The saddest thing is we have found a large number of people in the U.K. who are aware of the Antiques Supermarkets tactics and never did anything to warn people. Whenever we speak to somebody in the Antique Wholesale business in the U.K. they know exactly who we are talking about.

It seems that it would be much easier to simply provide the services they claim on the website and in person than to deal with police and legal action on a regular basis. Having to move your business and change your name due to the fact you have ripped off so many people seems like it is more effort than it's worth.

Our new friends in Australia have been actively spreading the word for some time and the people in South Africa are also working hard to spread the word there. From what we have been told the reputation of the Antiques Supermarket is so well known in Australia no one will buy from him there.

So please keep passing this info on to any dealers you know and help spread the word.

Myspace Link for Charles Shackleton and Les Swainbank

2007-09-09T14:23:00.001-07:00

One of our fellow victims has set up a little myspace page in tribute to the Antiques Supermarket and Charles Shackleton (Les Swainbank)

Check it out!!!

http://www.myspace.com/antiquesupermarket

Please forward this blog to any colleagues you might have in the antique business.

Les Swainbank - Antiques Supermarket Update

2007-08-24T09:08:00.000-07:00

Well over the last 6 weeks we have found several other people who have been ripped off by Charles Shackleton or Les Swainbank. Most recently some colleagues we were in contact with from South Africa returned to Shropshire England to claim their missing goods (items that ordered and paid for but never shipped). My Shackleton wasn't pleased or all that happy to give them their items back. The last contact I had with them involved the local police who were more than happy to assist

I assume with the way Antiques Supermarket does business that police have been involved more than once. The biggest benefit of committing crimes internationally is that there is a great deal of cost involved and prosecuting somebody in those circumstances can be very tricky. So most people just lay dawn and accept they have been shafted. The problem for guys like Charles is not everybody takes this sort of thing laying down. Hopefully our South African friends will be able to post some good information here when they get home.

Updates will be posted as they come in. One more thing there seems to be another fake person involved now. A gentleman by the name of Simon Lofthouse has been signing off on some emails now. He is listed as financial director.... So we have William Darling, Simon Lofthouse, Charles Shackleton and Lez Swainbank.....whenever an email is sent from any of these people there are the same spelling mistakes also when you call the phone numbers on the website and ask for Simon or William no one who answers knows who you are referring to????

UPDATE!! Charles Shackletons real name.

2007-07-12T14:56:00.000-07:00

Well after I was screwed over by Mr. Charles Shackleton of the Antiques Supermarket from Shropshire England I got in touch with some old friends from the U.K.

Well they recognized our esteemed Mr. Shackleton Immediately...

His real name is Les Swainbank. Why he introduces himself as Charles Shackleton I am unsure but I suspect it has something to do with the amount of people he has robbed.

The names William Darling and Andrew Stapleton also seem to be fake. Any other aliases people are aware of please submit them to the blog.

How containers are normally packed.

2007-07-12T14:45:00.000-07:00

In my previous post I showed pictures of what the Antiques Supermarket container looked like when we received it.

Here are some photos of the containers we are used to receiving.

Individually wrapped pieces, well packed for maximum use of space. All larger items contained smaller pieces wrapped in foam.

Packing time on these containers was also included and on average ran 4-5 hours. 10 hours to pack a can is incredible.

What we found when the container arrived!!!

2007-07-12T12:37:00.000-07:00

On the Antiques Supermarket website it states.

Quoted directly from http://www.antiquessupermarket.com/faq2.htm#faq8

DO YOU CHARGE FOR EXPERT PACKING OF SHIPMENTS?
No. All packing of antiques is done free of charge by our experienced packers. Each item is individually wrapped in corrugated cardboard and packed tightly together inside all containers. Small items, clocks, brick-a-brack etc., is usually wrapped and put inside armoires, cupboards or drawers to ensure safe delivery.

Not one piece was properly packaged or wrapped. We were billed 10 hours for packing and the container wasn't properly packed. It looked like they packed it in about 40 minutes the can was loaded with broken, damaged, scratched and so poorly loaded that the pieces that would have been sellable were damaged in transit. There were loose mirrors and glass panels from cabinets laying on the floor or packed between pieces with no wrapping. The best thing is there are items that are made of chip board bearing a stamp stating made in 1987, yet our BL lists them as 1930's pieces. About 20 pieces that were sent to me won't be antiques for at least 90 years....

Is this individually wrapped in corrugated cardboard?

This is one of the better wrapped pieces. Seriously....

Most had no wrapping whatsoever.

This is the "professional packing". Many items had to have been thrown in to be placed the way they were. Whoever packed this can looks like he would screw up putting his hand in his pocket.

The tape really helped keep the load secure.

We have many more pics.

C.S. Brunt, Charles Shackleton Wholesale Antique Container Issues.

2007-07-08T10:25:00.002-07:00

Regarding Charles Shackleton, William Darling and the Antiques Supermarket shipping a container. On the Antiques Supermarket website it is stated that a full door to door shipping quote will be provided before the container is packed. Based on these statements I was surprised to hear that not only was my container packed but it was on the water. No shipping quotes were provided.

The instructions I gave were to contact my regular shipper (whose rate was over $1000 U.S. less than the C.S. Brunt rate). My shippers were not contacted. The instructions were my container was to be shipped all water to Vancouver, I received an invoice from C.S. Brunt stating the container was being sent to Montreal and then being trucked across Canada! This directly contradicted my specific instructions. Needless to say there were a few heated conversations over the phone.

C.S. Brunt was demanding payment, our invoice from Antiques Supermarket also listed the same fee for shipping. They both asked for payment for the shipping, they both said I had to pay them or they wouldn't give me my documentation! They were trying to double bill me for the same service. After a few exchanges I was assured that the container was rerouted all water, on top of that Charles sent me an updated invoice saying not only did he reroute the container he even saved me money on shipping!! Needless to say even though I was assured by Geoff at C.S. Brunt, William Darling and Andrew Stapleton of Antiques Supermarket that my container was coming all water now.... it was a complete lie. About 2 days later my customs people called me and told me my can was in Montreal and I needed the paperwork for it to be released. Strangely I was unable to get in touch with Charles for almost a week to discuss these problems with him,even though he carries 3 cell phones. Whomever I spoke to at Antiques Supermarket (when I could actually get through) either claimed they didn't know where he was or he was in France. Messages were left repeatedly by me and my assistant. Charles was paid in full and I had paid the shippers the updated shipping amount that Charles had given me, they basically extorted the money out of me. Even though I had an invoice with a new rate they would not give my my Bill of Lading or any of the relevant paperwork, packing lists and such unless I paid the full original invoice.

What it came down to was C.S. Brunt stated they did not have to communicate with me nor did they want to since Charles was the one giving the instructions they were only going to go through him. It wasn't a threat but our position was you invoiced us and are demanding payment from us. We are the customer not Charles Shackleton, deal with us directly or we will have to involve the authorities. One strange item is that Sue and Geoff at C.S. Brunt both claimed they had been shipping with Charles for years yet they claimed they had never heard of William Darling? The whole process was so deceptive and frustrating, the whole time I was being fed a line of B.S.

Charles Shackleton and his Antiques Supermarket Total Fraud

2007-07-05T13:20:00.000-07:00

A little bit about us. We are an antique wholesale retail outfit based in Vancouver, B.C. Canada. With over 25 000 sq ft. of combined retail space, in an average year we bring in from 15- 18 containers of merchandise from all over the world. With over 25 years of experience we are no rookies to the antique and global shipping world. That is why this blog is coming online. To show exactly how badly a business can be scammed out of thousands of dollars by complete liars, even long standing experienced business like ours.

Regarding Antiques Supermarket and it's owner Charles Shackleton. Or his aliases, William Darling Antiques, Andrew Stapleton Antiques. I've called the office several times and for some reason have never been able to speak to either of those men. When I spoke to the shippers that Charles has dealt with for years they say they have never heard of either of those men. Very curious.

Several months ago we were contacted via email from Antiques Supermarket based in the Isle of Man and Shropshire UK . Since we are always on the lookout for new sources of product I corresponded with Mr. Shackleton for a while. A buying trip was already planned for the UK so it was decided I would check out the Antiques Supermarkets operation.

They seemed a bit disorganized and unprofessional but those things are common in the antique world so I let it slide. Charles showed me his fleet of cars and talked a good game about his business and how most of his money is made through property, the antiques being almost a sideline. He took me to what he told me were a variety of his sources for product. I went over all of the items with him pointing out the ones I was interested in and the types of items I found acceptable and unacceptable. Giving very specific instructions to the type, quality, style and condition of the antiques I looked for. A point was also made by me to let Charles know I was aware of the scams common in the antique industry and that if he tried anything I would not take it lying down. Charles reassured me on every front, stating unequivocally that the entire operation was professional and entirely above board on all fronts. That I would be more than pleased with the quality and selection of antiques he could supply.

Although there were some reservations I placed an order for a 40ft high cube can. Giving very simple instructions on what I wanted on it and how I wanted it shipped.

That s where all the problems started.