2 Sask. men say they are out thousands of dollars after hockey card order never arrived

Two Saskatchewan hockey card enthusiasts say they're out more than $5,000 each after a deal gone wrong involving a Quebec-based hockey card seller.

Jordie Gagnon and Rocky D'urso each preordered cases of highly sought-after 2023-24 Upper Deck Hobby cards, but say the cards never arrived. Both have demanded refunds, but say they haven't arrived either.

"My heart sunk into my chest and I'm like, 'oh, he got us,'" Gagnon said in his Saskatoon home.

The SP Authentic set dropped on Oct. 30, giving buyers a chance at a new slate of rare cards. Maxime Brown, a known seller in the hobby space and owner of a card shop called Brown's Cartes Sportives in Longueil, Que., advertised cases of the new set.

Gagnon said he's in an online group where more than 70 people from across the country have said they've gone to the police after ordering cards from Brown and not receiving them.

Brown confirmed to CBC that his buyers have not received the cards. He said he plans to pay everyone back, but that his bank has frozen his account.

Gagnon started getting worried when he saw posts pop up on Facebook saying Brown's card shop was closed and his website was down.

Gagnon prepaid $5,659.72 by e-transfer to Brown for one case. D'suro said he paid a little more, about $6,200 for a case.

Both men say Brown was a trusted figure in the card business that they've had dealings with in the past. D'suro said there was trust built up over years of deals.

"I'm usually not like that, I usually don't give away money that easily," D'suro said.

"My birthday is in November, so it was a birthday gift for myself, so when I found out about this … I wasn't feeling too good about it, let's put it that way."

The Regina Police Service said in an email that because the suspect lives out of its jurisdiction, the file was sent to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and forwarded to the Service de police de l'agglomération de Longueuil (Longueuil's police service).

The Saskatoon Police service also received a complaint about Brown, but said the issue is civil, not criminal.

Gagnon said this should be more than a civil case given the amount of money involved in the failed deal.