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Ebay fraud

Halftooth

Halftooth

Nov 24, 2002
2,179
15
Tri-Valley, NorCal
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#1
I found an add on ebay that I know the seller is holding back some damage info on. I think the right thing to do is to notify ebay so that none of the bidders gets screwed on something they don't know about. Does anyone know how you go about this process with ebay? I've seen in the past where people have contacted ebay because people were stealing pictures of basses that weren't their's, etc.
 
#5
Originally posted by fivestringdan
Also if you feel driven you could email the bidder with your concern. That is, if it is not a privite auction.
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Dan, this is how shady this auction is! I found out it was a private auction when I was going to attempt to email the bidders about the defect to the bass. It's a pretty serious defect. One that without question should be identified in the description. Thanks for the tip on the chat area. I'll try to see if I can make any progress that way.
 
#6
Here's the link:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2574879434&category=4713

Here's the bassgear post:
FOR SALE: Warwick Streamer Stage II
Posted: : 10/31/2003
Category: Basses
Condition: Excellent
Age: Years
Asking Price: $1000

Five string Warwick Streamer stage II in excellent condition. The only problem with the bass is a very minute crack on the back of the headstock. I have had this bass for nearly two years and I will attest to its excellent tone and playability, niether of which were effected by the crack. The previous owner had the crack professionally fixed by a luthier. I took the bass to a local luthier after I bought it who said that the repair was flawless. E-mail for pics. Bass will be shipped in warick flight case.

It's as plain as day! The neck has a crack in it, but it's not stated in the auction, and on top of that, it's private!

I left the sellers name of from the bassgear post, but if you notice, it's the same name on both ebay and bassgear.
 
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#8
Well, I tried to report this auction to ebay, but unfortunatley, there isn't really anything that can be in this situation. Ebay doesn't have anything protecting bidders against these type of lists. If it were a duplication issue or something of that matter, then something could be done. I feel awefull for the bidders on this bass, and even worse for the poor guy who wins the auction. I wish there was something that could be done to prevent this from happening.
 
#9
Originally posted by Halftooth
Well, I tried to report this auction to ebay, but unfortunatley, there isn't really anything that can be in this situation. Ebay doesn't have anything protecting bidders against these type of lists. If it were a duplication issue or something of that matter, then something could be done. I feel awefull for the bidders on this bass, and even worse for the poor guy who wins the auction. I wish there was something that could be done to prevent this from happening.
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This person is knowingly selling a bass with a cracked head stock and is not releasing the info in the auction?

That is just plain wrong. People like that make me sick to my stomach.

10_2_5.gif

Treena
 
#15
The only reason I know this bass is because it was previously listed on bassgear, and I inquired about it because I thought that I might have known the original owner of the bass who had the crack repaired, and sure enough, it's the same bass with a differrent owner now. I'm sure the bass is fine and has been professionaly repaired, but it needs to be disclosed. It's like buying this sweet used car that looks to be in amazing shape, so you buy it, and then find out that the car had been salvaged! At least when you buy a car that has been salvaged or has had major structural repair, by law you must state that, or else you risk jail time. That's why I'm very cautious with ebay.

As far as the crack in the neck goes, you can see it on a pic of the back of the bass on the ebay auction. If you look at the picture of the bass where it was taken from the top of the headstock looking down the neck, you'll see it. It's a dark line that looks like a grain of the wood, but that's where the crack was. The crack repair is in the center of that pic.
 
#16
Originally posted by Jean Lançon
See what's written in the auction ?

"This is truly a bassists bass."

Oh, good to know, thought it was a fridge for diapers enthusiasts...

:rolleyes:
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LMAO :D

well i try to avoid e-Bay. They left a bad taste in my mouth from my Diablo 2 days ... those cheaky wankers ... made it so easy for a kid with a pay pal account to get all the best gear like nothing while legit players struggled to find or trade for it.

But as for the bass ... well that sucks ... but it did say it was repaired flawlessly? Or i guess that just dosn't matter ...

[/|\]
 
#17
Here is a good rule of thumb. Never bid in an auction where the seller keeps the bidders' names private. So many auctions of this type are for the purpose of some sort of fraud.

As for never buying from eBay, that seems a bit extreme to me, but do what you feel you need to do. Personally, I just do whatever I can to minimize the risk. Remember that all deals have some amount of risk. Often times, the greater the risk, the better the deal. So, each person has to find their own personal comfort level in doing online deals.

As for this auction, I wish the buyers the best of luck. It does sound to me that the bass is at least useable despite the damage. Hopefully the buyer will find himself happy with his purchase despite the damage.

As they say, buyer beware.
 

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