eBay and the rickenfaker witch hunt...

[ronaldpdbrandt]

Originally Posted by cruzerjd

Sorry to get into the middle of this fine mess. I realize that Ric (TM) has the right to go after the companies that have made copies of their fabulously overpriced stuff. I do not feel that they have the right to prevent the free commerce transaction of a used instrument, perhaps several generations into ownership. If i purchase a Ric copy then try to sell it on eBay or Craigslist or... i am not taking anything from their business. I bid on a Univox Ric copy, that was in no way advertised as such. It made it to 6 hours from auctions end when eBay pulled the auction. This was a bass manufactured in the mid 70's, with similar aspects to a 4001, but with attributes quite different enough to avoid copyright infringement. I felt cheated, as i cannot afford to shell out $1800+ for a 4001 or 4003. It would be nice to get a decent replica for 1/3 of that price. Just feel that the Draconian measures of eBay and rickenbacker are overkill. My .02. Never will be a Ric owner at almost $2000 a pop.

You can actually use Rickenbacker's eBay-watching diligence to your advantage--that's actually how I got my Univox Stereo Bass a couple of years ago. I saw it on eBay, and took note of the seller's email address. Then, when the sale was inevitably pulled, I sent the seller an email and made the deal privately, for a good deal less than his "Buy It Now" price had been. Later, I sold it and bought a real Rickenbacker, and earned about $350 in the flip!

[Meddle]

Originally Posted by amimbari

oh my goodness you Ric freaks shame-shame, you missed THIS fake ebay ad today..... hurry and flag it so it gets pulled because it is destroying everything there is about USA real units!!!!!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-string-ele...71158253523%26

Flag it if you love freedom and liberteee!

[Ric5]

Originally Posted by A-Step-Towards

having talked to there customer service reps a few times I am almost positive rickenbacker only hires dicks.

I have heard that from several sources ... I must say they were always nice to me. I do know they left to 4004cii5 owners to fend for themselves with the pickup issues on that bass.

[Kopfjaeger]

Originally Posted by stepswork4me

Here is what I could find on ebay's policy listing no no's....
Counterfeits, fakes, or replicas of brand name items (for example, a purse bearing the Chanel name or logo that wasn't made by Chanel or a cell phone or battery labeled as a Nokia® cell phone or battery that wasn't made by or for Nokia or with Nokia's consent)

The bass in question is arguably not covered. The trademark infringement was obviously committed decades ago and has since been resolved. The Kay looks like a Ric but is obviously not and is not marked as such. With that said, ebay has the right to create, change, and enforce it's policies as it sees fit, even if they aren't consistant. This really isn't an issue with Ric. I would wager that another user reported the item to ebay and that ebay errs on the side of caution in these matters to avoid legal action against themselves.

Does this stuff suck? Yes! Is there anything we can do about it? No. Matbe the OP should contact ebay and see if a relist is possible.

Gott in Himmel!!! That's exactly what I've been saying!! IT'S AN EBAY POLICY THAT GOT IT PULLED! Thank you for backing up what I've been saying all along!!

But still, to many it's still RIC's fault. They HAVE TO be the bad guys here. To these people RIC is the cause for global warming, the rising fuel prices, the lousy economy, Donald Trumps bad hair, & Obama's doctored birth certificate.

Also for the record, I've only purchased one new RIC bass. All my others have been bought used so RIC did not profit from those sales. Sticking it to the man!!

Sepp

[mystic38]

No, it isnt the policy that got it pulled, it was whoever reported the SHORT SCALE KAY bass listing as a fake listing..

it isnt a fake listing... he was advertising a short scale kay bass.

..and if you seriously and morally think that a person should not be able to accurately list and sell a 30 year old bass on Ebay and condone the behaviour of Rick then you are part of the problem.

Originally Posted by Kopfjaeger

Gott in Himmel!!! That's exactly what I've been saying!! IT'S AN EBAY POLICY THAT GOT IT PULLED! Thank you for backing up what I've been saying all along!!

But still, to many it's still RIC's fault. They HAVE TO be the bad guys here. To these people RIC is the cause for global warming, the rising fuel prices, the lousy economy, Donald Trumps bad hair, & Obama's doctored birth certificate.

Also for the record, I've only purchased one new RIC bass. All my others have been bought used so RIC did not profit from those sales. Sticking it to the man!!

Sepp

[Vince Klortho]

Originally Posted by Ric5

I don't agree with their trademark enforcement policy ... but it is a free country and they can do what they want. But harsh enforcement of trademarks makes Rickenbacker seem to not be a customer friendly company.

It is not THEIR policy. It is the policy defined by the law. If they let any instances slide then they have effectively lost their trademark so they have to take action against every one they find.

[Kopfjaeger]

What I think and feel is immaterial to the subject matter.
The facts are what they are. Yes, either someone reported it or it tripped a red flag within eBay (the Borg) and eBay pulled it because it conflicted with their interpretation of what trademark/copy write violation is listed in their rules and regs.

I know this for a fact, eBay employs spotters that scour the ads in "hot spots". Years ago eBay allowed gun parts to be sold. When they banned that practice, key words were programed to trigger a warning and the ad would be checked. For quite some time afterward, checks were being made in the areas where gun parts were sold to make sure eBay remained compliant to their new directive.

Don't believe me? Create an ad for a torch cut Mg42 receiver and see what I mean. On the ad, use the foto of a cuddly kitten. If you get the add posted, I guarantee you it will be pulled in short order. why? because key phrases go through a filter and rout it to be investigated.

Hey, these Rickenfakers are sold everyday on Craigs list, why? Because you can buy just about anything on Craig's List including a happy ending. Why? Because Craig's list is very lax.

My opinion on eBay policy does not change what eBay policy is. All the members here blaming RIC for this ad being pulled is a bit presumptuous. Personally, I think eBay sucks but blaming RIC for eBays enforcement of their own policy is ridiculous. Kinda like getting a summons for speeding and blaming the vehicle manufacturer for the ticket.

Sepp

[Kopfjaeger]

Originally Posted by Vince Klortho

It is not THEIR policy. It is the policy defined by the law. If they let any instances slide then they have effectively lost their trademark so they have to take action against every one they find.

Brother, save your breath. Your sane reasoning is wasted in this thread.

Most people know that the moon is not made from green cheese. Unfortunately, a percentage of the population is busily crafting a really long fondu fork because they think otherwise.

I need to upgrade my signature with, "You can't fix stupid, no matter how hard you try."

Sepp

[FatherG]

Go to the Rickenfaker group on Facebook - it will sell there.

[stepswork4me]

Originally Posted by Kopfjaeger

Gott in Himmel!!! That's exactly what I've been saying!! IT'S AN EBAY POLICY THAT GOT IT PULLED! Thank you for backing up what I've been saying all along!!

But still, to many it's still RIC's fault. They HAVE TO be the bad guys here. To these people RIC is the cause for global warming, the rising fuel prices, the lousy economy, Donald Trumps bad hair, & Obama's doctored birth certificate.

Also for the record, I've only purchased one new RIC bass. All my others have been bought used so RIC did not profit from those sales. Sticking it to the man!!

Sepp

I somewhat agree with you, not completely. I don't believe that this bass actually meets their listed criteria. I do believe they would rather pull the item than actually look in to it as it means less risk and manhours spent.

[amimbari]

Originally Posted by ronaldpdbrandt

You can actually use Rickenbacker's eBay-watching diligence to your advantage--that's actually how I got my Univox Stereo Bass a couple of years ago. I saw it on eBay, and took note of the seller's email address. Then, when the sale was inevitably pulled, I sent the seller an email and made the deal privately, for a good deal less than his "Buy It Now" price had been. Later, I sold it and bought a real Rickenbacker, and earned about $350 in the flip!

and you my friend are just as guilty as anyone, in fact more so...

as you have never received an email from an ebay member on a legitimate transaction?

This member has a question for you.
Do not respond to the sender if this message requests that you complete the transaction outside of eBay. This type of offer is against eBay policy, may be fraudulent, and is not covered by buyer protection programs.
.

[punkjazzben]

Originally Posted by amimbari

[size=3]and you my friend are just as guilty as anyone, in fact more so...

The item was no longer listed on eBay, so eBay's policies do not cover it.

[ShoeManiac]

I saw this Italia over the weekend, and I get the sense that Rickenbacker might even go after this instrument if it was listed on eBay:

[Lalo]

Originally Posted by ShoeManiac

I saw this Italia over the weekend, and I get the sense that Rickenbacker might even go after this instrument if it was listed on eBay:

This more than likely would not go against Rickenbackers trademark as it does have differences from a Rickenbacker itself.

[PeteSix]

Wow!!! Last time I checked my thread I had two replies
I was careful to list the instrument as a Kay Short scale bass.
There was no ref to rick in the description at all.
I can't link to the orig auction, pics or description because it was pulled.
It looks like this (but is black):



I still have it, am looking to offload it and if anyone wants to see proper pics I'll find somewhere to upload them to and link them here. I'll be straight and say I don't know what it's worth and am open to offers. It needs a little work (set up, a knob missing, output intermittent/dry joint). I've seen them priced at silly money for something like this but of course they never sell at £300 or whatever. I paid about £150 if I recall.

[ronaldpdbrandt]

Originally Posted by amimbari

and you my friend are just as guilty as anyone, in fact more so...

as you have never received an email from an ebay member on a legitimate transaction?

This member has a question for you.
Do not respond to the sender if this message requests that you complete the transaction outside of eBay. This type of offer is against eBay policy, may be fraudulent, and is not covered by buyer protection programs.
.

Despite the size of your fonts, I do not quite understand the meaning of your admonishment. I did not contact the seller through eBay asking him to sell a listed item outside of eBay. The listing had been removed already by eBay, so they no longer had a dog in the hunt.

Via email, I contacted a guy who had a bass he could not sell on eBay, and we made a personal transaction that benefited the both of us. If I'm "guilty" of anything, it's seeing the opportunity for a good deal and acting on it.

Well, I guess I'm also guilty of later selling that same 70s Univox copy once I had a real Rickenbacker.

[amimbari]

sure Ron, I list my item for all to see. Ebay removes my item because the ebay a**h****'s whined about it. you come along and say let me buy it. You did, and no you are not guilty because it was done AFTER ebay removed it. It would be the same as me seeing your ad, it is gone, and then I email you.

I did not read into the original post long enough ...sorry.

[BootzillaSun]

I happened to stop by my local music store in canandaigua NY and he has the same bass that Petesix posted but in the sunburst color. he tried to sell it on e-bay but it got pulled .it seems like a cool kay bass if you are interested i can get someone the contact info.I think he wants $600.

[drTSTingray]

I'm really quite surprised Ebay are so zealous on this.

I'm aware of Ebay sellers selling stolen items (such as copyright photos lifted off the internet) - it's a common problem, and Ebay seem quite powerless to intervene against the sellers - even after the owners complain (sometimes en bloc). So how have Rickenbacker been able to get them to do this? Presumably threat of litigation.

The fakes must have been severely hitting their business for them to have gone to these lengths.

[tomersg]

so how and why this stays uncontact?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/290878271602...84.m1423.l2649