Had a customer report a theft of some of their gaming supplies over the weekend. Thanks to them doing the correct things and alert staff at the store, we were able to recover the items and turn the thief over to the police. Here are steps you should take if items are stolen from you:
1. Make a list of what was stolen. Be as detailed as you can, not only for police purposes but in case you want to file an insurance claim. Saying that you had a binder of Magic cards stolen is much less helpful than saying "I had a black Ultra Pro binder with these specific cards in it and they were on these pages." We recovered a stolen collection a couple of years ago because the victim described a particular box in which part of the collection was stored and the thief came in with the cards in that box. Incidentally, if you have very valuable items, such as Moxes, photographs for insurance purposes are a good idea and can also help identify your stolen property.
2. Call the police. 911 is probably not necessary unless the theft is happening now but the police cannot act to recover your property unless they know about it. Do it as soon as you realize the theft took place. Thieves generally want to get rid of their stolen items as quickly as possible so speed on your part is essential.
3. Call stores in the immediate area. Unless the items are Magic or some other type of card AND the thief knows their value, they will want to get rid of your property, since they want money for them fast. Trying to sell stuff online can take 2-3 days or better . In most cases a thief wants cash now. We had a couple of cases where the thieves parsed out a collection and sold it to several stores in St. Louis but most thieves are opportunists and not willing to go to that much effort. If your items are stolen while you are playing at a store, don't blame the store. We don't like thieves any more than you do and will be quite happy to see them arrested.
Take these steps and you will have a much better chance of getting back your stolen property.
1. Make a list of what was stolen. Be as detailed as you can, not only for police purposes but in case you want to file an insurance claim. Saying that you had a binder of Magic cards stolen is much less helpful than saying "I had a black Ultra Pro binder with these specific cards in it and they were on these pages." We recovered a stolen collection a couple of years ago because the victim described a particular box in which part of the collection was stored and the thief came in with the cards in that box. Incidentally, if you have very valuable items, such as Moxes, photographs for insurance purposes are a good idea and can also help identify your stolen property.
2. Call the police. 911 is probably not necessary unless the theft is happening now but the police cannot act to recover your property unless they know about it. Do it as soon as you realize the theft took place. Thieves generally want to get rid of their stolen items as quickly as possible so speed on your part is essential.
3. Call stores in the immediate area. Unless the items are Magic or some other type of card AND the thief knows their value, they will want to get rid of your property, since they want money for them fast. Trying to sell stuff online can take 2-3 days or better . In most cases a thief wants cash now. We had a couple of cases where the thieves parsed out a collection and sold it to several stores in St. Louis but most thieves are opportunists and not willing to go to that much effort. If your items are stolen while you are playing at a store, don't blame the store. We don't like thieves any more than you do and will be quite happy to see them arrested.
Take these steps and you will have a much better chance of getting back your stolen property.
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