Not trying to be condescending, but I am overly cynical at times. Your experience surely proves the risks involved, when you pay someone upfront, even if they have a good reputation. It's too bad that most knifemakers don't take credit cards, which would give the buyer some greater element of control, or at least a paper trail. Perhaps Dustin is confident that you will have difficulty in proving the Rolex transaction, if there ever was a court case. Assuming that your documentation is good, you may want to remind Dustin about his income tax liability; he probably forgot to declare the Rolex as income, in which case it would be simpler for him to settle with you, rather than dealing with the IRS. If a court order would allow you to subpoena his business and tax records, it would help your case either way. If the Rolex was declared, it strengthens your claim that he received it, and if the he didn't declare it, then perhaps the judge may choose to forward a copy of the court docket to the IRS. I'm just wondering if this might be a way to compel him to refund the value that was paid, and avoid all the proceedings. If a fraudulent return is found, the IRS, can and will go back to look at the last seven years, of a business owner's returns.
