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Thread: Ellis Deluxe Mandolin #110 - scam sales on eBay and elsewhere

  1. #1
    Administrator Mandolin Cafe's Avatar
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    Default Ellis Deluxe Mandolin #110 - scam sales on eBay and elsewhere

    Ellis Mandolins asked me to post information about one of their creations that has been making the rounds on eBay at auction. The mandolin keeps appearing on eBay accounts that have been hacked so whoever buys or wins the auction is entering into a situation where they are out the money and will receive no mandolin. It's a known instrument, the true owner is known, but these are not that individual's eBay auction or account. These are outright scams.

    It's Ellis Deluxe Mandolin #110, currently at auction on eBay, high bid sitting at $5. And although it's there now, it'll be appearing again as soon as this account is reported.

    To date we are aware of one individual that actually made the purchase and forwarded payment. Luckily, they were able to recover their payment. At some point, someone can be out of a lot of money.

    Pictures follow, and we're going to post information about this all over social media and encourage anyone so inclined to follow suit. The sad part: eBay could fix this if they wanted to. I'll let others speculate why they will not. In an age where computers can easily identify photographs without the need for human intervention, they could identify these images that appear over and over again in bogus auctions. And one could suppose they could work on their security and keep people from taking over accounts.

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  3. #2
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    Default Re: Ellis Deluxe Mandolin #110 - scam sales on eBay

    The text accompanying the ad, and one part of it is true: this mandolin was a Greg Boyd's several years back.



    This is a stock liquidation, I have closed my business (pawnshop)
    Stock Liquidation
    Make an offer and we will close the auction for you
    You have 3 steps to do :
    1--- Copy the link and open
    2--- Complete the form (Shipping details) *** Shipping worldwide ***
    3--- Please make us a price offer *** Do not respond to ridiculous offers ***
    Here is the link

    <Link removed as it goes to a web site where the bogus information is repeated>

    Thank you !!!
    A great sounding Tom Ellis F-5 DeLuxe. Extremely well balanced and with amazing sustain. One piece back. I purchased this mandolin at Greg Boyd's in Missoula, MT two year ago

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    Default Re: Ellis Deluxe Mandolin #110 - scam sales on eBay

    Thanks for putting this kind of information out. Good to be aware as buyers and players. What a scam!
    2014 BRW F5 #114
    2022 Kentucky KM 950 Master Model

    YouTube Original Recording of My composition "Closer Walk"

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    Default Re: Ellis Deluxe Mandolin #110 - scam sales on eBay and elsewhere

    We've posted this on the Cafe's Facebook and Twitter accounts. Anyone that is willing and able would be welcome to share to your accounts.

  6. #5

    Default Re: Ellis Deluxe Mandolin #110 - scam sales on eBay and elsewhere

    That was a nice mandolin. I should buy it back.

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    Default Re: Ellis Deluxe Mandolin #110 - scam sales on eBay and elsewhere

    Quote Originally Posted by Josh Levine View Post
    That was a nice mandolin. I should buy it back.
    Since you tipped your hand....

    Main point of this thread was to get and search for Ellis Mandolin #110 near the very top of search results in Google, which it already has.

    And of course someone reading this reported it and it's already gone from eBay, but it'll be back. Last I looked something like 7 different accounts had increased the bidding up to $5K. Of course those accounts could be compromised as well. Therein lies one of the very many problems with that platform. But as they say, it's too big to fail, so Groundhog Day is on. I got you babe...

  9. #7

    Default Re: Ellis Deluxe Mandolin #110 - scam sales on eBay and elsewhere

    Quote Originally Posted by Mandolin Cafe View Post
    Since you tipped your hand....

    Main point of this thread was to get and search for Ellis Mandolin #110 near the very top of search results in Google, which it already has.

    And of course someone reading this reported it and it's already gone from eBay, but it'll be back. Last I looked something like 7 different accounts had increased the bidding up to $5K. Of course those accounts could be compromised as well. Therein lies one of the very many problems with that platform. But as they say, it's too big to fail, so Groundhog Day is on. I got you babe...

    Thanks for looking out. I eventually dropped it off with Greg Boyd at Wintergrass after falling in love with my Duff. He did a great job with it and sold it to a fella in HI. He later sold it to someone else. The first time it was on Ebay I spoke with a professional that plays Ellis mandos that was trying to get it on eBay when he realized it was a scam. He wanted to get the word out and I informed the fella in HI. But alas here it is again. Be careful with your “great deals” some are and some are not.

  10. #8
    harvester of clams Bill McCall's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ellis Deluxe Mandolin #110 - scam sales on eBay and elsewhere

    Quote Originally Posted by Josh Levine View Post
    That was a nice mandolin. I should buy it back.
    Now’s your chance😊

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    Default Re: Ellis Deluxe Mandolin #110 - scam sales on eBay and elsewhere

    That mandolin—same pics and description—was listed on eBay back in February 2020. I kept screenshots of the auction.

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    Registered User rnjl's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ellis Deluxe Mandolin #110 - scam sales on eBay and elsewhere

    I think the same scammers were advertising a Flatiron Artist F model. I looked at it and realized something was wonky when the ad said the pawnshop was going out of business- in CA- but the feedback for the ebay store was all in German.

    Looks like that ad has be been deleted now. Thanks for the PSA.

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    Default Re: Ellis Deluxe Mandolin #110 - scam sales on eBay and elsewhere

    I occasionally appoint myself Mando Police on eBay. There have been a repetitive string of fraudulent listings of mandolins lately. They include a Flatiron F, a '27 Gibson Mandola, a '24 Snakehead, and a nice Summit Mandolin. They tend to start every auction at $2.40 or $2.90. The items are usually listed as located somewhere in southern California, but the sellers are often European.

    I report each auction as fraudulent, then they disappear, only to reappear later that day or the next day.
    I finally realized it was probably an automated scam and I was simply doing eBay's work for them, uncompensated.

    I just hate the idea of a mandolin player somewhere getting ripped off by a scammer.
    How random. I wonder if scams like that are being run all over eBay using expensive niche items as bait?

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    Default Re: Ellis Deluxe Mandolin #110 - scam sales on eBay and elsewhere

    Thing is, would you sell a really expensive mandolin on Ebay? I wouldn't be comfortable with that but it seems some are - I'm looking at an online auction for a Fern Weber, apparently from an individual.

  16. #13
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    Default Re: Ellis Deluxe Mandolin #110 - scam sales on eBay and elsewhere

    I made mention of a couple a while ago that I had bad experiences with. It was not fun.
    And the down time to retrieve my funds back was aweful. Its easy to get ripped off , and the sale looks 100% legit. Up till after you pay. Then it all goes sideways from there. I waited up to a month to retrieve $6000.00 . I would go through the details if your interested.

    Ebay has become a scammers haven . The go to place for quick cash under a fake ID with a re routed email pay forward to.

    Just Becareful. .

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    Registered User Sue Rieter's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ellis Deluxe Mandolin #110 - scam sales on eBay and elsewhere

    I wouldn't sell anything expensive on Ebay. Expensive means more than, say $50, or anything you can't afford to lose. It's easy to get ripped off on both ends. 'Nuff said.

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    Default Re: Ellis Deluxe Mandolin #110 - scam sales on eBay and elsewhere

    Years ago I worked for the Madison, WI PD. They referred to eBay as the world's fence. This is just another way for criminals to use this powerful, worldwide tool to cheat people. There is nothing to compel eBay to control it.

    Jim


    Mandolincafe wrote:
    And of course someone reading this reported it and it's already gone from eBay, but it'll be back. Last I looked something like 7 different accounts had increased the bidding up to $5K. Of course those accounts could be compromised as well. Therein lies one of the very many problems with that platform. But as they say, it's too big to fail, so Groundhog Day is on. I got you babe...[/QUOTE]
    Jim Nikora

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    Default Re: Ellis Deluxe Mandolin #110 - scam sales on eBay and elsewhere

    eBay finds a new way forward with their incompetency in the area of security and sounding site coding. I honestly didn't think it could get that bad. I was clearly wrong.

    Signed up for an alert for anything "Ellis Mandolin" when this first one appeared because I promised Tom Ellis I could probably make sure these got taken down. I get an email notice there's a match--the same mandolin has been relisted three times with a low starting bid. I click on the link in their email and immediately it attempts to redirect my browser to a new domain outside of eBay. Oopsies.

    This is apparently a clear example of cross-site scripting. eBay's apparent lack of security and inability to protect themselves--from themselves--allows someone with the technical chops to inject coding into their auction posting so that all you have to do is a search for Ellis Mandolin and you'll get redirected or your browser will warn you you're being redirected. It gets worse. I'll spare you.

    Saying this in public is pretty useless but I will anyway. eBay right now may be the most dangerous place to look for anything to purchase on the internet for ordinary shoppers. That a company of that size and magnitude is allowing this in 2021 is almost beyond belief, yet there it is. I anticipate their response to this will be to take those auctions down. Will they learn from that mistake and the gigantic security hole their site has? I wouldn't bet on it.

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    Default Re: Ellis Deluxe Mandolin #110 - scam sales on eBay and elsewhere

    And here it is again, clearly in violation of eBay's listing agreement by embedding instructions to contact them outside of eBay to complete the sale of the mandolin they don't have in their possession. I've reported it as violating eBay's listing agreement, suggest others do the same.

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/185176057454

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    Default Re: Ellis Deluxe Mandolin #110 - scam sales on eBay and elsewhere

    Interesting….

    I logged into eBay for the first time in years and received a message that my account is blocked. It’s odd, as I don’t think I’ve even bid on something since 2005. What’s more odd is after I received the message indicating my account is blocked I proceeded to look around the site and would have been able to bid on it sell items if I wanted.

  24. #19

    Default Re: Ellis Deluxe Mandolin #110 - scam sales on eBay and elsewhere

    The ‘your account is blocked’ from a spoof ebay, bank, utiliity etc. is itself a redirection scam: you find a link that supposedly gives you more information, but is just a malicious re-direct, possibly to a virus. DO NOT CLICK ANY LINK IN THOSE EMAILS.
    Always, always, look at the sending address for these.
    And the $67 Ellis that pops up on a plain Google search, not even Ebay, is one of thousands of scammer items on a very much malicious site; the immediate clue is that nearly everything on the site has a similar price, right around that range. I guess it’s the sweet spot for scamming.

  25. #20

    Default Re: Ellis Deluxe Mandolin #110 - scam sales on eBay and elsewhere

    Quote Originally Posted by Mandolin Cafe View Post
    And here it is again, clearly in violation of eBay's listing agreement by embedding instructions to contact them outside of eBay to complete the sale of the mandolin they don't have in their possession. I've reported it as violating eBay's listing agreement, suggest others do the same.

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/185176057454
    ...and now it's been removed....until next time.

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