I thought I'd post this publicly, because there's additional info on "shewolf" that has come to light.  A forum member -- who I'll not mention; he can reveal himself if he wants -- emailed Joyce about the situation here.  His email to me, paraphrased:

I'm sorry you feel that way and do not want to give this person a chance. If you want to see the same evidence that I looked at, please go to pipl.com and type her name and location in the search bar (Joyce Rigney - Fancy Gap, VA). I asked Joyce if she or her family had any past connection to the Game Emporium ... here was her email to me (see below) for your consideration. You can also of course reach out to her yourself if you would like ([email protected]).

Her response to this forum member:

(redacted) I really appreciate it. I don't know why it bothers me but it kinda does, I'd be lying if I said it didn't. I just feel like I'm being talked bad about in front of what has to be a ton of my customers with no way of defending myself. I for sure don't want to be associated in ANY way with some crook from the past.  We closed our Hobby Shop in early 98 I believe, which was in Winston Salem NC. Fancy Gap is only 5 minutes from my home town which is Mount Airy NC. When I go "out" so to speak I go south to my hometown I have not been up that way in over 8 years...and the only game stores I know of are in the college towns of Radford and Blacksburg, which are nearly 2 hours away. But its been way over 10 years since I've went into either of them. My name is Joyce Rigney and my husband was Charles Rigney. Lord if I was wanting to hide anything I sure would not have my picture on my email! lol Never have ran into anything like this before.

I actually did a pretty deep search on Joyce this evening, and tallied up the evidence.  Still not convinced of innocence.  Matter of fact, I'm quite positive I'm right.  I could email her (him), but there's nothing I could ask that would prove the issue one way or the other.

A breakdown of the pros & cons here:

• It's reasonable to give anyone the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise.  Several Acaeum members have had positive dealings with she_wolf626.
  counter: Game Emporium's MO is to establish a history of transactions that go just fine, until suddenly, they all don't.  The grace period is typically about six months until it goes south.  she_wolf626's selling history on eBay?  Aug 2017.
  
  
• Joyce Rigney is a real person in Fancy Gap, VA; about 55 years old.  Her husband is (or was) Charles Rigney.  They originated from Mount Airy, NC.  All true facts.
  counter: This is all information that can be found online. As the Game Emporium is known to be physically located in rural Virginia, it's even possible he knows Joyce.  It's convenient to use a local person because IP addresses will always return to the correct location, too.  Neither Joyce (nor Charles) has any Facebook profile that I could find.  Joyce has a sister, Lisa, whose Facebook profile I did find.  Charles is mentioned as being alive as of 2014 (in his brother Carlos' obituary), but I could not find any obituary or death notice for him.  None of this is proof of a fake -- but none of it helps her case, either.
  
  
• Writing style and backstory is very close to the style that Game Emporium has used in the past.  Capital letters in the Middle of Sentences.  Exclamation points!  Missing punctuation / run-on sentences. Posing as a female, because females are inherently more trustworthy.  Death in the family to garner sympathy and to generate a smokescreen to explain delays.  All-capital words in selling descriptions: Dungeon Masters Guide RARE and in GREAT Condition!
  
  
• No apparent online history, even though she's been heavily into gaming since 1982, and has amassed a near-complete 1st edition collection. Nobody's ever heard of Joyce and Charles Rigney up to this point, which would be pretty tough in this small collecting field.  "foxylovesu" (her email address) is brand-new, or at least, has never been posted anywhere.  Wait -- you're savvy enough to sell a lot of RPG stuff on eBay, you found this forum and registered an account, you use "lol" which is purely an online invention, yet you have no Facebook profile nor other identifiable online presence?  And you amassed a complete collection how -- by regularly outbidding folks at GenCon?  On eBay?  With what income -- Fancy Gap, Virginia has 237 residents, with an median income of $22,250 (thanks, Wikipedia).  Or are we supposed to assume that the hobby shop you closed twenty years ago is the source of your collection, which has remained untouched and undiscussed online during the intervening years?  Fancy Gap is about as dirt-poor a town as we have in America, and if I lived there, I'd probably decide that the hundred-thousand-dollar D&D collection in the basement might be better served getting me to a nicer place.  But that's just me.
  
  
• "I for sure don't want to be associated in ANY way with some crook from the past" is almost word-for-word a Game Emporium phrase.  And is that something *you* would say, being accused of being a scam artist?
  
  
• I know this will come as a blow, but there really aren't many females in the early D&D collecting hobby, or who played early D&D with any consistency into adulthood.  Therefore, I view newly-registered females with a healthy dose of skepticism.  Most (all?) of the women who are members here are pretty low-key, and unless you've been around here a while, you might not even know they're women.  An announcement of "I'm a girl!" is either a call for attention from a group of old men (sorry, myself included), or a way to try and earn an instant level of trust and a lowering of defenses.  It's been done literally a dozen times here over the years.

Sorry for the rambling.  I don't have a problem admitting I was wrong, and if I felt the balance of the evidence tipped toward Joyce being who she says she is, then I'd re-instate her with a full public apology.  I'll still do that if further evidence shows otherwise.  But my spidey-sense is tingling pretty hard here, and I don't believe that the above points are all just an incredible set of coincidences.  The Game Emporium has not died, nor reformed his ways -- he's just re-skinning the cat, and laughing as he ropes in additional victims.  Someday, we would hope, a local detective is going to knock on his door and arrest him for fraud.  Until then, I can only attempt to not let him use this website as an additional tool to build trust and reputation.

Foul

Ironically enough, I haven't been around for a few months due to RL stuff, but I come back just in time for this?  

I'm not sure it matters much, but I have no doubt that it's the same individual.  Ignoring the fact that writing style in their communications as Foul describes is identical, they also use certain phrasing that is uncommon to say the least.  

For example, this "new" seller just received a bunch of negatives a few months ago from a buyer.  Not only did the "new" seller respond to all of them just like the previous incarnations did, they also used the phrase, "did me dirty".


From shewolf_626:  "    Reply by she_wolf626 (Oct-28-17 15:42):
   Would NOT ship to alternate Address. A SELLER of D&D - tried to do me dirty!!"

They used it frequently in their other incarnations, but thanks to Ebay's "genius" idea of completely removing all seller related negative feedback, I was not able to locate as many there, as  would have hoped, but I did find some:

  " Reply by the_eastern_treasure_chest!! (Mar-23-03 07:02):
   Caring for mother and then Personaly being in the HOSPITAL myself?Thats dirty "

"    Reply by the_eastern_treasure_chest!! (Feb-14-03 08:43):
   THANKS ROB! The GUY ABOVE HAS WENT OUT OF HIS WAY TO DO ME DIRTY??"

"    Reply by the_eastern_treasure_chest!! (Feb-14-03 08:45):
   NO PROBLEM!! THE PERSON ABOVE. HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEIR PROBLEM WAS? THATS DIRTY!"

"    Reply by the_game_emporium (Apr-22-04 15:33):
   That's DIRTY!! I shipped the Items out TWICE!! Will Never Deal with AGAIN!!"

"    Reply by lisas_stuff_too (Nov-18-09 16:23):
   ABOVE Person was sent $5 to return Item for FULL REFUND Bid just to do me DIRTY!"

"    Reply by pawpaw71 (May-29-13 12:19):
   YOUR New-or JUST Being Dirty? Not for sale in Stores. ALL Sellers sell these!??"


Also, while looking, I found when Foul posted here an email that he received long ago in the old ETC thread for the individual claiming to be "the_game_emporium".

"I feel its REALLY GUTLESS if you and anyone else that does not even know me to Compare me to someone I've never even Heard of! Yea that's right I'm the Game Emporium! And was finally told by someone, who DOES know me. What he was seeing on the  acaeum. Who the HELL is The Eastern Treasure Chest..and what do you mean my replies to Feedback!! I thought that was a Nice way to let people know I cared about what they thought. If you got something to say!!! SAY IT!! Dont talk behind my back like a bunch of Worms! Sorry if this sounds Harsh..But I'm pretty Pissed off, and if the shoe was on the other Foot you would be as WELL! Just who is that memeber your talking about...and why the heck am I being singled out! I wondered why you would not Reply to my Emails? That's dirty! That is totall Bull Shit..and Pass it on!! I get hit with a Problem and suddenly I'm a Crook!?? Know I now why Everyone seemed to Jump at the Chance to BASH my feedback, when the Problem did come up! That's DIRTY as HELL...talking and Spreading totally unfounded Rumors. Slander is what I'm going after...and I'll PROVE IT AS WELL!! Because I watching it all, and writing down EVERY user Id I see, that has made such an unfounded remark! Please explain to me what the Hell is going on? Would you like me to Start Bashing you!!? I think not! I dont even know you...and you dont know me!! So whats Up!!?? I WILL be contacting my Laywer and ANYONE else I need to. You would not even Respond to my Collecting and Values Question...but yet you FREELY let people use YOUR SIGHT to Bash my NAME!! I dont think so!! You had better address this Problem Immediately! OR I will cause you a Massive Headache! I didn't ask for this crap! I want something done about it, and I mean Yesterday!"

Even for long time professional scammers, old habits are hard to break.

You know, I've actually put together a theory that Game Emporium and bclarkie are a Jekyll & Hyde sort of duo.  Still working out the specifics of that, but the timing is suspicious.

Foul

FoulFoot wrote in ETC/GAME EMP/jonb7839,lisas_stuff_too! is now she_wolf626:You know, I've actually put together a theory that Game Emporium and bclarkie are a Jekyll & Hyde sort of duo.  Still working out the specifics of that, but the timing is suspicious.

Foul

Feels like old times around here now.

Great job, bclarkie!  I knew there was a reason we've kept you around.

bclarkie wrote in ETC/GAME EMP/jonb7839,lisas_stuff_too! is now she_wolf626:Unfortunately, I was unable to find James Corvin in any of their friends lists.  :(

Well, that's because he's (actually) passed away:

James Corvin Obituary - Wytheville, Virginia | Legacy.com

Foul

Honestly, when I read about people like this, and Cougar, etc. I just don't get it.  I know some of the rares are worth real cash, but by and large D&D selling and collecting isn't a very lucrative activity.  Is it really worth all the subterfuge and effort to scam people?  These aren't stolen diamonds we're buying and selling here.   Seems like an awful lot of work for such a small return.  

My two cents.

sauromatian wrote in ETC/GAME EMP/jonb7839,lisas_stuff_too! is now she_wolf626: Does this mean we can start arguing about politics again?

Last Friday I had my monthly Book Club discussion at the Library. The book was David McCullough's 1776. I went ahead and took the Loyalist's Position since I knew no one else would - how can you have a good discussion if everyone agrees with each other?

Had all of my talking points worked out, tons of cited data - completely loaded for Bear.

It was a good time, those Rebel loving ingrates didn't know what hit 'em  

You didn't say it had to be Modern politics!

FYI- Just to keep this clear to any who may stumble on here, I updated the title of the thread to reflect the new seller name being used.

We haven't heard of that tactic.  The modules are almost certainly fine; you got lucky, and dealt with him during the run-up phase.

Foul

Damn, feels just like the good old days around here....

Yeh, burn her, she's a witch.

Mike B