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Thread: Scam Gibson F4 on Ebay

  1. #1
    Registered User Tom Sanderson's Avatar
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    Default Scam Gibson F4 on Ebay

    This looks like a scam. I reported it to Ebay.

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/THE-GIBSON-M...MAAOSw7GRZJVRx

  2. #2
    Registered User William Smith's Avatar
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    Default Re: Scam Gibson F4 on Ebay

    Yep Scam, too bad I'd buy a Loar period F-4 for a G

  3. #3
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    Default Re: Scam Gibson F4 on Ebay

    For those of us who are lacking in knowledge, can you please explain the inconsistencies in this mandolin which flag it as a fake? It sure is a beauty!

  4. #4
    Administrator Mandolin Cafe's Avatar
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    Default Re: Scam Gibson F4 on Ebay

    We posted a lengthy essay on this identical set of pictures in 2013 and at that time estimated it'd appeared on eBay over 250 times. Now? Who knows, probably thousands. It begs the question, how many times has it sold?

    https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/s...-over-and-over

    Ya'll keep reporting these pretty sure this will all stop some day. I'll spare the picture of the pigs flying.

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  6. #5
    Registered User Tom C's Avatar
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    Default Re: Scam Gibson F4 on Ebay

    How does ebay even allow this kind of auction?
    No ebay "buy it now"option, but seller states it is only but it now.
    No reserve
    No Bidding.
    A link to contact them outside of ebay.

    Why cant ebay catch these obvious bogus auctions?

    It would be fun just to enter bids and annoy them

  7. #6
    Registered User Timbofood's Avatar
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    Default Re: Scam Gibson F4 on Ebay

    But it's only $7.08 next bid!
    Whe it's $14.16 it will have become a deal t twice the price!

    Sorry, back to the corner
    Timothy F. Lewis
    "If brains was lard, that boy couldn't grease a very big skillet" J.D. Clampett

  8. #7

    Default Re: Scam Gibson F4 on Ebay

    On other items and there are many items all starting low and free shipping. Huge items and free shipping?

  9. #8
    Middle-Aged Old-Timer Tobin's Avatar
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    Default Re: Scam Gibson F4 on Ebay

    Quote Originally Posted by Tom C View Post
    Why cant ebay catch these obvious bogus auctions?
    They can.

    But they just don't want to.
    Keep that skillet good and greasy all the time!

  10. #9

    Default Re: Scam Gibson F4 on Ebay

    Quote Originally Posted by Mandolin Cafe View Post
    We posted a lengthy essay on this identical set of pictures in 2013 and at that time estimated it'd appeared on eBay over 250 times. Now? Who knows, probably thousands. It begs the question, how many times has it sold?
    Good point. He seems to be motivated to keep relisting it for some reason, when he could just stop. I'm guessing the reason is that it just keeps selling at his "Buy It Now" price.....

  11. #10
    Orrig Onion HonketyHank's Avatar
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    Default Re: Scam Gibson F4 on Ebay

    Ebay pulled the listing a lot quicker this time than they did the last couple of times.
    New to mando? Click this link -->Newbies to join us at the Newbies Social Group.

    Just send an email to rob.meldrum@gmail.com with "mandolin setup" in the subject line and he will email you a copy of his ebook for free (free to all mandolincafe members).

    My website and blog: honketyhank.com

  12. #11
    Administrator Mandolin Cafe's Avatar
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    Default Re: Scam Gibson F4 on Ebay

    Quote Originally Posted by Mandolin Cafe View Post
    We posted a lengthy essay on this identical set of pictures in 2013 and at that time estimated it'd appeared on eBay over 250 times. Now? Who knows, probably thousands. It begs the question, how many times has it sold?

    https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/s...-over-and-over

    Ya'll keep reporting these pretty sure this will all stop some day. I'll spare the picture of the pigs flying.
    Quick, someone hop on eBay and stop it. It's back!

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/THE-GIBSON-M...kAAOSw42JZMWyb

    Now appearing for the umpteen thousandth time. We'd report it ourselves, but... wait, the dryer buzzer just went off in the house. Need to fold towels. Maybe someone else can handle it. Pretty sure whoever reports it this will be the last time its ever seen.


  13. #12

    Default Re: Scam Gibson F4 on Ebay

    It does kinda burn me up to think I'm wasting my time putting in a 40 hour work week, when this individual gets to sell three or four imaginary mandolins every week for $1250 each! Seems like a crime to me. Shouldn't be that hard to track him down and put the "bracelets" on him. Didn't Bernie Madoff get something like 150 years?

  14. #13
    Administrator Mandolin Cafe's Avatar
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    Default Re: Scam Gibson F4 on Ebay

    It continues because eBay has made a business decision that it's in their interest to allow it to continue. Who really thinks a company worth between 35-40 billion that is one of the top 40 traffic drawing sites on the global internet can't solve a computer problem, a simple function like being able to tag certain images and then have computers evaluate whether that same exact image keeps getting uploaded as a scam? Really, step forward and identify yourself if you believe that's not possible.

    How difficult is it? Drop two images blind on my server--I don't need to see them--give me the path to them and the name and there's a simple function that will identify if they are identical without the naked eye viewing. I don't need to see them. A simple one-line command can do it. HINT: I'm not even close to being smart enough to get hired by eBay. Now imagine having a large bank of world class programmers and scientists, some of the best in the world to solve the problem. Computers have been reading images for a long time. This is not rocket science. Google's search algorithm is, identifying image A and seeing if it matches a record relating to former crimes is not.

    This stuff doesn't make me angry because some of you choose to spend your time reporting it. It makes me angry because eBay doesn't want to stop it--it'd kill too much traffic. Benefits for them outweigh the negatives. If only the Cafe could be so lucky. Not a chance in hell.

  15. #14
    Middle-Aged Old-Timer Tobin's Avatar
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    Default Re: Scam Gibson F4 on Ebay

    I wonder if anyone has ever successfully sued eBay over it. With all the scams out there, surely enough people have been burned that they could file some sort of class-action lawsuit, especially if they have evidence that people repeatedly reported the same scam over and over, and eBay refused to take steps to stop it. Surely "negligence" could be proven.

    I know eBay has very powerful attorneys, and likely have a rock-solid terms of service that shield them from liability, but I just wonder if there is any legal hope of forcing them to address known scammers? At some point, enough legal battles (even if they win them all) would become so costly that it would outweigh the proceeds they make from knowingly allowing scammers to operate on their site.
    Keep that skillet good and greasy all the time!

  16. #15
    Administrator Mandolin Cafe's Avatar
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    Default Re: Scam Gibson F4 on Ebay

    Last edited by Mandolin Cafe; Sep-04-2017 at 8:51am.

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